The workforce is always in a state of disruption. How does one prepare for the future of work? No matter the year or century, there is always a new innovation that will guide the direction of work. Every so often, one of those disruptive factors has the potential to upset every industry of work. This is the case we are currently facing due to technology, which stands to change the way work is performed in unprecedented ways.
Getting ahead of this disruption and identifying careers that are worth entering now is one of the best ways to stay relevant and skilled in the future of work. The world is already in a state of disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and getting over this hurdle just to be shoved out due to a second disruption would be pointless. Therefore, you should take the time now to update your skills and pursue a career similar to one outlined below.
Front end development
Front end development is an impressive field that is still relatively up-and-coming. Front end developers are responsible for building the parts of a website that a user interacts with. This includes, but is not limited to: landing pages, website clickable buttons, layout and more. Front end developers rely on coding and programming skills to turn website ideas into reality.
This field is one to watch, as it encompasses a large number of skills that will be incredibly useful in the future of work, the most notable of which is coding. The importance of this skill and the field, in general, can be seen by the fact that the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the field of Web development will grow by 8 percent over the next decade.
If finding a career that uses skills relevant to the future of work is your goal, then front end development is one of the best possible paths. What makes this an even better option for anyone looking to enter a new field is the low barrier to entry. While the skills needed to enter the field may seem difficult on the surface, there are a number of online coding bootcamps that can teach these skills to anyone in a matter of months.
Data science
Interestingly enough, data science is a field that used to require a master’s degree, yet anyone can now enter the specialty field thanks to popular online degree programs. Data scientists take large amounts of data and analyze it to pull meaningful information that upper-level managers can use to make key business decisions.
In a world that is gradually becoming ruled by data, data scientists hold the keys to the kingdom. Looking closer at this field, one can see that analytical skills and data wrangling abilities are two of the most important traits needed for success.
This career is a great choice for anyone who likes dealing with and making sense of numbers. With this in mind, you will need to take a year or two in order to develop the skills to enter this field. Although a master’s degree is no longer required, some of the topics can be complex and time-consuming to learn.
Digital marketing
If you are worried about finding a job in technology and don’t have many tech skills, don’t worry. There are still paths you can pursue within the industry that actually don’t require extensive tech experience. Digital marketing is one example, provided you have experience with traditional marketing strategies.
The only difference between digital marketing and in-person marketing is that you will need a basic understanding of how humans interact with technology to become a successful digital marketer. Marketing and digital marketing both have the same goal: to sell a product. Marketing is just an example of one of the fields that are merging with technology, and being able to identify these fields now can give you an edge up on your competition in the long run.
Conclusion
In the end, there is no way to definitively say what the future of work will look like. However, by paying attention to which careers are taking off today due to their reliance on technology, we can gain a sense of which jobs will still be around later on. Additionally, by looking at the above careers and other similar positions, we can see which skills will be essential in entering those fields. Getting ahead of workforce disruption is as simple as having the foresight to notice that a disruption is coming, and to anticipate how it will change your work. Don’t let yourself get caught off guard by a work disruption if you can overcome it today.