When picturing the jobs of the future, it’s easy to get carried away, but if the last 10 years of digital progress are anything to go by, our future careers (unfortunately) won’t include ‘Intergalactic Bounty Hunter’ or ‘Part-Time Robot Detective’. At least, not in the short term. But that doesn’t mean the jobs of the future will be boring.
According to the World Economic Forum, 65 per cent of children entering primary school today will work in jobs that literally do not exist yet. The report goes even further, predicting that, by 2025, 97 million new roles will emerge that blend humans, machines and algorithms. Figuratively speaking. Suddenly 2025 doesn’t seem as far away as it used to…
“For Australians to actively participate in the economy of the future, they’ll need more than an elementary understanding of new technologies,” says RMIT Online Interim CEO Claire Hopkins.
“Perhaps now is the time to learn a new language…but instead of Italian or French, consider R or Python. Technology is creating so many exciting new opportunities, so orient yourself towards a world where you can be anything from a social media therapist to a blockchain accountant.”
So what are some future careers we can expect?
1. Brand Scientist
Blending the roles of Data Scientist and Brand Manager, Brand Scientists will take a more (you guessed it) scientific approach to branding, driven by evidence-based marketing, qualitative and quantitative data and, perhaps, machine learning support. It’s the next logical step for the branding and creative marketing industries, which have gradually become more integrated with tech and customer experience (CX) over the last few years.
2. Social Media Therapist
Sharing psychological advice and mental health awareness has become a common trend on platforms like TikTok. #mentalhealth, for example, has accumulated more than 45 billion views. But we’re starting to see the process formalised with the rise of so-called ‘Mental Health Influencers’. These are qualified psychologists and counsellors who share mental health tips and advice online, growing their following, and proving that a future career as a Social Media Therapist could be quite lucrative.
3. Ethical App Developer
As we embark on brave new worlds of technology, we’ll need ethicists to figure out the rules. What is best-practice behavior? Where are the boundaries of accountability? Who watches the watchers? Jobs like ‘AI Ethicist’ are already creeping into the professional vernacular, and it’s likely we’ll see ‘Ethical App Developer’ join them. Ethical Developers will blend philosophy and coding to build safeguards into modern software applications, making them more transparent, more accountable, and more secure.
4. Digital Removalist
With younger generations growing up online, and sharing unprecedented amounts of personal data and information, the demand for so-called ‘Digital Removalists’ will likely increase. Digital Removalists are specialists who shrink your digital footprint, scrubbing your profile from social media and Google indexing, and erasing much of your online past. Companies offering this service are popping up already, helping people delete embarrassing content, or restore their digital reputations.
5. 3D Printed Chef
Will our future meals emerge from a 3D printer, one delicious micro layer at a time? It’s probably too soon to tell, but the technology does already exist. We even have 3D printed restaurants now. As such, the chefs of tomorrow may need to learn not only seasoning and sautéing, but also programming, advanced chemistry, and software development. Food companies like Cadbury’s are already experimenting with 3D printed chocolates, and IBM is currently pushing the boundaries of ‘cognitive cooking’, letting its Watson AI loose on the world of gastronomy.
6. WFH Facilitator
The work from home (WFH) movement got a real turbocharge in 2020, for obvious reasons, and by June last year, two thirds of Australians were still ditching the morning commute. It’s likely that the future of work, at least for most professional service industries, will be a hybrid model: some time in the office, some time at home. As such, WFH Facilitators will become a crucial cog in the corporate HR machine, setting up WFH hardware, digital infrastructure, networking capabilities, and making sure employees are happy, healthy and engaged at home.
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