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FUTURE CAREER REALITIES
Let’s look at the reality of careers in the future for Canadians. As the song goes: the times are a sure a-changing. Welcome to the future where good ability, good work ethic, good will power and the ability to enjoy constant change will be the requirements to find meaningful well paid careers.
To help you find the right job for your future it is important for you to know which careers are the most promising. There are approximately 784 popular occupations to check out but I want to narrow the choices to just 10.
Welcome to the exponential age. Software will disrupt most traditional industries in the next 5-10 years. Uber Corporation is just a software company: they do not own any cars and are now the largest taxi company in the world.
Artificial intelligence computer technology will replace the role of lawyers. IBM Watson web site at the click of a mouse you can acquire legal advice within 90 seconds without the need for a lawyer. Young lawyers to-day are finding it very hard to acquire articling positions that are the requirements needed to graduate from law school. So, if you were thinking about chasing after a very expensive university law degree then you may look again at your prospects. The stats show us that there will be up to 90% less lawyers needed in the future: only specialists will remain.
Retail malls such as Masonville, White Oaks in time will not entice shoppers to visit and spend their money. Check out the change of what was "Galleria" to find that the take over of "City Center" now focuses on space for the London Library, Fanshawe College and Western University along with a couple of medical outlets. Ali Baba.com and Amazon.com are focusing on the consumer buying on line offering up free delivery to your home with money back guarantees without the need to take the time to leave your home. Customer service computer access will replace store front retail outlets.
Enough of the doom and gloom predictions. Let’s look at the future careers. Used to be location location for the value of real estate and now it is computers, computers.
App developers rank at the top ten occupations that are in demand. The proliferation of mobile devices is driving the constant demand of new applications of all kinds from news and games to music and social sharing. Software developers who create the operating systems for computers and mobile devices are in high demand. The system software workforce in the USA is projected to grow by 20% by 2025. System software developers earn a median income of over $100,000 per year. Last week, Thomson Reuter Corporation is projected to hire 1,500 new employees with computer expertise to their work force in Toronto this year. You need a college/university degree or diploma in computer science to be able to compete.
We have an ageing population and there is a need for health care workers: medical doctors, dentists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physical therapists optometrists pharmacists, chiropractors, respiratory therapists with the knowledge and desire to be employed in caring for the growing elderly population are in demand. Canadians are now living on average till 81 years of age with the prediction that we will have many seniors living in their own homes.
Alternative clean energy resources such as wind power, solar power, geothermal, hydrogen projects will be the new energy resource power replacing oil/gas to heat our homes and drive our autonomous cars.
In 2018/2020 the first self-driving cars will appear in public that will change our auto industry and our way of life. You will not have to own a car anymore. It will change cities because there will be 90-95% less cars required with the majority of commuters taking sub ways or "Go Trains" You will use your cell phone to call for a car to pick you up at home and drive you to your destination while you are napping or reading the world news on your app on your way to work from the suburbs. Parking lots can be turned into green spaces for the citizens to enjoy.
The downside of self-driving cars is that the traditional car manufactures will have to compete with Tesla, Apple , Google, International Business Machine, Microsoft, to build computers on wheels or disappear.
Auto insurance companies will have massive trouble surviving without car accident claims and will have to scramble to survive but thousands of car accident victims will not be part of the Canadian statistics.
The skilled trades people with college training will be more technical based and will be in high demand by seniors who will be able to live in their own homes with the help of personal support workers
With the advent of mobile devices many of our computer addicts who are attached to their umbilical like phones will find themselves isolated, stressed out, less social and in the need of psychologists, social workers and counselors to help them adapt to the new reality of the complex life of mobile technology 24/7.
The teaching profession is a-changing with video conferencing/on line courses the norm for many college programs. "Professor Google" has amassed volumes of information that is available 24 hours a day at the click of your mouse for you to explore.
My computer based "Strong Interest Inventory" career testing material that originates in California used to take nine business days for my clients to review. Eighteen page results are now available in one minute from "Psychometrics Canada" based in Edmonton Alberta. I enter view, generate and print and voila at the click of my mouse my clients and I can review the eighteen pages of test results with my clients and help them make decisions regarding their post secondary educations and careers.
I am excited and at the same time cautious to see the changes that are on the horizon for our young people. Post secondary education is a must along with constant upgrading will be the norm for those who want to be successful.
Len Lesser