How To Pick A Future-Proof Job

We’re living in an interesting time for jobs, and we haven’t seen this much change in the workforce since the industrial revolution. Just a few years ago, shops were staffed with checkout workers, but these are slowly being replaced with automated checkouts. If Amazon gets its way, we won’t even need the checkout, we’ll just scan a card on our way into the store and then have our purchases tracked using cameras. While customer service in this sense will never fully die out, there are forces in play trying to automate as much as possible so that the human workers can focus on more important things.

If you’re worried about the future of your job, you might start looking for something known as a future-proof career. This is a career that should stand the test of time and offer skills that are continually relevant, even after more and more processes are automated and jobs are taken over by machines. If you’d like to future-proof your career, consider these popular job changes…

Big Data

This is a fairly new industry that is slowly finding its feet, but it has been credited with winning the Brexit referendum for the Leave campaigners and winning the US election for Trump. Big data involves taking huge amounts of data collected about people and then using it to form meaningful conclusions. Many companies and media organisations collect vast swathes of data every day, but they don’t know what to make of it. Data scientists help companies and governments to make data-driven decisions that will either help them to understand their customers better, or make life easier for their people.

Teacher

An app will never replace a good teacher. No matter how good online learning becomes, there will always be a demand for switched-on and compassionate teachers. To ensure your career remains future-proof, you should look into teaching the STEM subjects, or become a language teacher. Although translation apps are becoming more and more complex, there will always be the need to help people to communicate in other languages. If you want to travel, this is a particularly useful vocation to have under your belt.

Mobile App Developer

When people think of mobile app development, they often think they have to be a coder, but this couldn’t be further from the case. There are so many different opportunities in app development and even more mobile app development companies cropping up every year to make these opportunities worth training for. If you have any design skills, you could be an incredible UI designer, while analytical minds will do well as UX designers. There are also opportunities in account management or even HR. Many mobile development companies will focus on creating a strong working environment, so if you find it easy to click with people, you could be part of building a team of coders to make the next big app.

Medical Professionals

Although machines might make the role of the nurse, doctor or surgeon easier, they will never replace the humans. If you want a truly future-proof career that will allow you to help others, then a career in the medical field could be ideal for you.  If you crave action and adventure then a first responder role could be ideal for you, if you are interested in becoming a nurse then you should check out this guide to accelerated nursing programs , while those who like to get involved in their community might enjoy training as a community healthcare advisor. Training might take a while, but once you are qualified, there will be opportunities to undertake extra training on the job.

Chefs

It might seem basic, but chefs aren’t going anywhere fast. We might have figured out how to 3D print a burrito, but this is never going to replace the human touch of a chef. Again, machines might make the role of the chef easier, but there will always be demand for individuals with a flair for flavours and the stamina to work long hours in a hectic environment. This is another example of a career that will allow you to travel and enjoy ongoing training on the job. It’s also interesting in that it will allow you either work for someone else or start your own venture.

Mechanic

If the machines are coming, then the best thing you can do is become their friend. We might be able to create machines that create machines, but we’re always going to need people who can fix those machines. You might have a computer diagnostic telling you what exactly is wrong, but you’ll still be the only way to get machines up and running again. Mechanics will always be needed and can boost their earning potentials by setting up on their own or taking work overseas in hard-to-reach places.

Creatives

Machines aren’t great at the creative side of things, so if you have any natural talent for painting, making music or writing, your career path should be safe. Being creative, in any aspect of your role, can help to future-proof your career. This means, if you’re a marketing professional, you stand a good chance of keeping your job in the next 10 years if you bring something creative to the table. While much of your job may one day be automated, you may find you have more time for creativity if you can convince your bosses why you are superior to a machine.

The rise of the robots and widespread automation needn’t be something scary. If you’re creative in the way you approach your career, it can even be an exciting thing. Whether you’re at the start of your career or if you’re thinking about a career change, there’s no need to panic. Changes always happen gradually, so you don’t need to worry about your job disappearing overnight, however, you should keep an eye on developments in your industry so you don’t get caught out. One thing’s for sure, in 50 years time, there will be far fewer tedious jobs to worry about, so we have that to look forward to!

Bio: Alice Porter is a mobile app development specialist and is keen on encouraging others to join to technology sector as their career.