We are in a time of transition. In fact, when the future and the present collide as quickly as is in only this second decade of the 21st Century, perhaps we will always be in transition. Often we think of the future as a place to which we will arrive--period. But that's not the case. As difficult as it is to 'catch' the present moment, so it is to somehow 'catch' the future. Transition is reality.
In a previous post, I expanded a bit on the claim by world leaders at the World Economic Forum that robots will steal 5 million jobs by 2020--only 4 years from now. I wrote how disruptive this time in history will be, and how important it is for us to be constantly learning, up-skilling, and preparing ourselves for this future.
But there is another side of the issue that is just as important to understand, namely all the jobs that will have to be created for this future, which will give rise to opportunity. Perhaps by seeing some of these opportunities now you'll get a leg up on the competition.
What will these new jobs look like? We don't know for sure, but here are some of them:
1. Jobs of the Future Consultant: This may seem obvious, but with the rate of change there will be many out of jobs looking for new ones; and with new kinds of jobs emerging at lightening speed, a person who has a pulse on the times will be in high demand for career consulting.
2. Future Researcher: Right now, information is said to double every 12-18 months--imagine when it doubles every month, or week! Those who are able to research future trends and apply that knowledge to new innovations, business models, and inventions will be on the right side of change.
3. Designer: There will be many new problems arising that we can't yet conceive of. Design is the process of solving problems through creative means. Hence, designers will remain in high demand in the future, from human bio-design to environment, products, and services--even experiences.
4. Education Specialist: Education will continue to be critical, especially in a world of constant transition. But we're not talking here merely of the 4 Rs, but training in areas such as innovation, design, future research, adaptability--things many may consider soft skills, but are really the hard ones to learn and apply. And schools will be very different in the future--not so much brick-and-mortar, but rather networks of organized knowledge. With brain plug-ins, people will be downloading information to their brains faster than they do now on their computers. But how to use that information will require wisdom, philosophy, ethics.
5. Systems Navigation Consultant: We are spending more time in a virtual network--a very large, somewhat chaotic nevertheless ordered system. There are those who can think systemically and those how can't. Being able to navigate this growing web of humans and machines, virtual and non-virtual, will require skill; and if you don't have that skill, consultation.
6. Life Hack Consultant: As the world becomes more 'virtual', many will seek to live outside it--to return to the way humans lived for tens of thousands of years before the technological age. They will need people to help them transition back to a life of self-sustainment--to (re-)learn the basics of human living: building shelter, finding food, building fires, bartering with others, to name only several.
7. Seniors Specialist: With the rise of senior citizens, this is going to be a massive field of work, from designing residences to providing various kinds of technological-wellness services, to career consulting.
8. Biography Manager: While transitioning to a time of prolonged life, many people will opt for cryogenic preservation, which will require storage of their memories--this is where the Biography Manager comes in. A place that stores all the photos and documents and childhood paraphernalia that will be scanned and uploaded to a series of servers.
9. Longevity Consultant: What do you do when you return from the doctor and are given another 500 years to live? First you'll probably need to see a psychologist to help get your head around it, and what then? See a longevity consultant who will set you on a fulfillment plan: a series of alternatives for spending those 500 years.
10. Bio-transition Consultant: As humans and machines converge, many will be seeking guidance on the right techniques and procedures. While there will be scores of early adopters of, for instance, brain chips, there will be many who will want to take it slower, will need guidance and consulting for the program that's right for them.
11. Human-Machine Relationship Specialist: Psychology will branch into areas dealing with human-machine dynamics and relationships, especially as more machines enter the workplace, and humans and machines couple romantically. As humans and machines intermarry--whatever that looks like in the future--there will need to be specialist who can help counsel such couples through myriad challenges of communication and even empathy. Add to this the need for conflict resolution between humans and machines--who will write the textbook on that?
We don't really know what the future will hold, but we can take some of the big trends of today and push them ahead 20 years and see what pictures they create. The list is consultant heavy; but given the number of consultants in our society today, and the rise of those seeking a career outside of a large corporation, I can only see the demand for consultants rising. Essentially, the ones who will be most successful at navigating and capitalizing on the new job-terrain will be those who are adaptable, able to see a market niche, and, for a time, leverage it.
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