could eventually have a major impact on everyone’s personal
and professional lives since it will probably touch every industry,
event, and public space. So augmented reality developers are
needed to intelligently design and plan the safe and effective use
of this technology.
21. PERSONAL PRIVACY ADVISOR
As technology evolves and touches more and more aspects
of our lives, it’s getting harder and harder to maintain our
privacy. It’s a challenge that will only get more complex as facial
recognition and augmented reality technologies become widely
adopted. Soon, you may not be able to go out into public without
everyone else automatically learning your identity, age, marital
status, place of employment, and criminal record (if you have
one). So professionals who specialize in helping people protect
their privacy—without losing out on some of the main benefits of
social media or other technologies—will likely find themselves in
demand.
22. PERSONAL BRAND ADVISOR
Even among large, established organizations, hiring freelance
professionals for short-term projects is becoming a pretty
big trend that may expand well into the future. In fact, many
futurists foresee a time when most jobs will be done on a
temporary contract basis. If that holds true, workers will need
to develop great personal brands and put a lot of effort into
constant self-promotion. Personal brand advisors will help their
clients establish and maintain public personas and professional
reputations that make them stand apart from the competition.
23. ROBOTICS SERVICE TECHNICIAN
In the decades to come, almost every home could have
sophisticated robots that assist with routine housework such as
laundry, cooking, cleaning, and lawn maintenance. But those
robots probably won’t always work as they should. So skilled
technicians may be needed to repair or reprogram the robots
that get hacked, go haywire, or cease to function. In fact, robot
technicians may eventually become just as commonplace as
plumbers, electricians, auto mechanics, and other types of skilled
tradespeople.
24. REMOTE HEALTH CARE ENGINEER
As robotics and communications technologies get more
advanced, it’s becoming possible for doctors and other health
care specialists to consult with patients without being physically
present. Technology is even being developed and perfected to
allow surgeons to perform remote operations with the assistance
of robots. In the future, many more remote health care engineers
will develop and coordinate the use of advanced technology that
allows patients to get diagnosed and treated by almost any
medical specialist in the world, regardless of where he or she is
physically located.
25. URBAN AGRICULTURE SPECIALIST
Here’s a startling fact: Each year,
the urban population on Earth
grows by the equivalent of about
seven Chicago-sized cities.6 That
means, from 2010 to 2050, the
global population of city dwellers
will double, reaching about 5.2
billion people.1 In addition, many of today’s industrial farming
practices are damaging the natural environment. So in order for
cities to be sustainable, they’ll need to grow their own food using
sophisticated hydroponics and vertical farming methods. Demand
for professional urban farmers will likely grow as more cities and
urban dwellers realize that their survival depends on growing
food locally.
26. NANOTECH ENGINEER
By manipulating matter at the level of atoms or molecules, it
has become possible to imagine and develop a wide range of
new innovations. For example, many people in this field envision
a future in which self-replicating nanostructures are used in
construction and nano-robots are put into the human body to assist
the immune system and cure diseases. Nanoscale technologies are
already being used to create advanced materials, and they’re being
incorporated into some electronics and consumer products (like
clothing). As this technology matures, nanotech engineers will need
to ensure that their creations don’t pose a risk to the environment
or human health.
27. BIOMECH TECHNICIAN
Bionic limbs continue to get more sophisticated. It’s possible
that, one day, even people without any disabilities will want
biomechanical add-ons in order to enjoy super-human capabilities.
But the technology will probably be so complex that only people
with specialized skill sets will be able to repair it, upgrade it, or tune
it up.
28. GENETIC ENGINEER
The idea of custom-designed and made-to-order babies may make
a lot of us feel squeamish right now, but people’s attitudes could
change as genetic engineering matures and more companies begin
to commercialize the resulting technology. Besides, advances in
this field may also lead to cures for some of our most challenging
diseases as well as treatments that slow or even stop the aging
process. It will be up to governments to decide how to regulate an
industry that will benefit from a lot of pent-up demand.
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