What are the Careers of the Future?

Choosing the right career would be so much easier if you could tell the future. Seriously, you could just look into your crystal ball, see what the highest-paying jobs would be around the time you graduate, and boom — a successful career path is yours.

But since no one can predict the future, we’re forced to rely on job forecasts and good old-fashioned research to guide our career choices.

Social media manager. IOS developer. Big data architect. Cloud service specialist. Data scientist. Just five years ago, these jobs didn’t exist. And new ones like them are popping up all the time. Twenty years from now, those jobs might also be gone. Instead your child might be a drone manager, a chief productivity officer, an autonomous transportation specialist, an end-of-life coach – or hundreds of careers we can’t even manage yet.

Thanks to the rapid pace of technological innovation, the future economy is not only different, it’s unpredictable, and that requires an additional skillset.

Are you building in-demand skills for the jobs of the future?

There are certain capabilities that can help safeguard your future career if not your current role. Tech and finance skills will still be in high demand, but there’ll also be a need for soft skills that cannot be automated. These include emotional intelligence for communication and conflict resolution; critical thinking, problem-solving and innovation; and even basic social skills, such as friendliness and the ability to make small talk.

No one can predict all the jobs young people will be able to choose from in the second half of the 21st century but here are just a few of the jobs that are likely to be in demand over the next 15 years.

1. Mobile applications developer

Mobile development continues to generate traction across industries. And as more businesses rely on mobile technology to reach customers, demand for mobile applications developers will continue to increase. These professionals are in the driver’s seat when it comes to designing and recommending enhancements to smartphone- and tablet-based software. They work on new deployments, app coding, testing and debugging.

2. Robotics engineer

All types of engineer are in demand but those who are highly skilled in coding and software are needed in areas such as biomedical engineering, warehousing and logistics, agri-tech (agricultural technology) and hi-tech manufacturing such as driverless vehicles. Engineers are well paid and their skills are sought after around the world so if you like the idea of being able to travel it could be a good career.

3. Wind Turbine Service Technician

You’re not scared of heights, are you? If the answer is no, consider a rewarding career as a wind turbine service technician. The wind energy industry is booming thanks to a combination of government incentives for wind energy and technological advances making wind turbines cheaper. As a wind turbine tech, you’ll scale upwards of 300 feet to maintain and fix wind turbines to keep them running. Of course, you’ll be wearing a safety harness to keep you safe

4. Marketing analytics manager

Marketing analytics managers are in high demand across the country. These professionals are responsible for providing data-driven insights to various stakeholders and leveraging information from marketing automation and customer relationship management software, and other business intelligence tools. Strong analytical reasoning and collaboration skills are important, as marketing analytics managers often work with various partners and departments, like IT, operations, sales and marketing, to improve processes and meet business goals.

5. Epidemiologist

There will be lots of jobs in life sciences in the future. Epidemiologists research the causes and effects of viruses and diseases in an increasingly global society – following the recent Covid-19 pandemic are needed more than ever.

6. User experience (UX) designer

User experience combines branding, design, function and usability for websites, apps and other digital platforms to help make the user’s experience pleasurable and uncomplicated. It’s a key area for online retail, education, banking and finance and many other digital services.