If you’re going to look for a new career, why not consider the best future careers to make sure that job is going to be as profitable in 20 years as it is now?
There’s a whole bunch of careers that are set to disappear as organizations become more dependent on computers and automation to do the heavy legwork for them.
Some experts think that somewhere in the region of 47% of jobs might be lost over the coming decades. That’s absurd if you think about this for a minute!
If you’re looking for a career that will stay relevant, you’d have your head on straight if you considered picking a field from the five we’ve listed below—and avoiding the five industries listed below them.
Good Future Careers
1. Cyber Security
The world’s going to be even more reliant on internet systems than it is now. With the arrival of the “internet of things”, it’s going to be all around us, a part of everything we do.
This, naturally, will make the criminals of the world pay attention – and as such, as our reliance on these systems grows, so will the importance of staying one step ahead of the people looking to hack and causing mischief.
If you know how to keep these attacks at bay, you’ll be high in demand in the corporate or government sector.
2. Tech Development
Well now, the whole world isn’t going to become dependent on technology just by chance: there’s going to be people behind those systems, working hard to find the next great breakthrough and push the world forward.
It’s important to note that not all IT based jobs will be safe; the market for app development jobs, for example, is likely to wind down.
However, if you can train yourself in advanced technology systems and make sure you’re always at the cutting edge of what’s happening, you’ll find plenty of work.
3. Data Analyst
Data is already used to influence companies much more than you probably realize, but it’s set to become even bigger in the next decade and beyond.
There’s already more data than any company could need, but there’s a problem: there aren’t enough people who know how to interpret the data.
If you’ve got an eye for spotting trends and can make sense of large quantities of information, then look at becoming a data analyst. Computers won’t be able to make sense of it on their own (in the beginning at least): it’ll need the human touch.
4. Healthcare
And talking of a human touch; healthcare is another industry that will be kept safe from computers.
Of course, automation and AI will form a significant part of healthcare, but it’ll work in conjunction with health professionals, not replace them.
Don’t worry if you don’t like the thought of dealing with blood and other healthcare hazards; there are plenty of specialized jobs available that are just as safe.
If we take a look at the job prospects for a radiologist via wikiprofessional.org, we can see that it’s a future proof career option; demand for this job, along with other physicians, is due to grow by 24% over the next few years.
Some jobs just can’t be performed by a machine, and healthcare is right at the top of the list.
5. Social Care
There’ll also be plenty of jobs in an industry that can be considered the cousin of healthcare, social care.
Again, there will be elements of technology incorporated into the industry, but it’ll be working alongside the core workers, rather than replacing them, as the very essence of this type of work depends on human interaction.
And this market won’t just be safe because computers can’t take over: it’s a growing industry in its own right.
In the not too distant future, people aged 70 and over are going to form the biggest age group in the country, and there’ll need more people than there currently are to take care of them.
Bad Future Careers
1. Number Crunching
If you’ve got a knack for mathematics and producing reports and paperwork, then look away now, because this is one surprising career that is likely to shrink in importance in the forthcoming years.
While it currently requires a high degree of expertise, a slew of applications that will more or less automate the entire process are already here, and there will be more on the way, too.
Though traditional companies still rely on human hands to take care of these jobs, modern companies are using machines to take care of their account, bookkeeping, tax returns, and so on, and it’ll be these companies who dominate the future.
2. Global Knowledge
The rapid globalization of the economy has meant it’s been a golden age for workers who were able to navigate different cultures and languages.
While we’re still a ways off from not needing tour guides with specialized, in-depth knowledge, the abundance of apps and other smartphone related tools will shrink this industry over time.
At a more immediate risk are translators, who will have to compete with software that automatically translates languages. The tech isn’t quite there yet, but it is coming, and from then it’ll only be the highly sensitive translations that are done by humans.
3. Non-Artistic Writing
Now, there’s little chance a computer will take the place of a novelist anytime soon. That’s just not going to happen because art is inherently human.
However, writing that isn’t obviously artistic, such as web content, technical reports, and (gasp) newspaper articles will increasingly be written by machines.
Some news outlets already use bots to write their weather reports, and it has been reported (by humans) that robots are more and more responsible for what we’re reading online and in our newspapers.
4. Logistics
The entire logistics industry is about to be turned upside down, as nearly all components can be performed by a robot. Machines will be responsible for the running of warehouses, packaging, and delivery, with little to no human hands helping them along the way.
For a glimpse into the future, look no further than Amazon’s delivery plans. Welcome to the future!
5. Broadcaster
According to studies, broadcasters score some of the lowest when it comes to job growth, stress, and work environment.
This makes sense since competition has to be high for these limited roles and job security is not going to be strong when a media company can quickly fill a broadcasting role with another talking head.
It’s also difficult to find that first broadcasting job as radio stations become syndicated and the Internet gobbles up more music and sports positions.
These are just a few of industries where humans will have more or less importance in the future. So if you’re looking for a change of career, make sure it’s one for the future!
