Alwyn Louw
The future job market holds more opportunity than ever before to define a meaningful career path. Technology continues to disrupt our industries, bringing new challenges and opportunities every day. The sharing economy has changed how we use services such as transport and accommodation, while technological innovation continues to impact key sectors. New and previously unheard of careers are beginning to emerge and will likely become essential parts of the future job market. Careers such as “machine learning specialist” and “virtual reality engineer” are already available, as the future rushes to meet us.
Technology will continue to introduce exciting new career paths as well as impact the world’s current career options. Repetitive, automated tasks in manufacturing and agriculture have already largely been replaced by machines, while automation is now spreading to unexpected fields such as private banking and wealth management. In order to keep up with the rapidly changing career landscape, lifelong learning has become non-negotiable, an absolute necessity.
Quite simply, as the job market grows and changes no one should expect their field of work to remain stable or untouched by this sweeping revolution. As the world moves on, it is likely that re-learning your own job will become perhaps the only constant. Learning must become lifelong in order to avoid stagnation. The world has shifted into a knowledgeeconomy, where intellectual capital, emotional intelligence and understanding technology set job seekers apart in the workplace.
This challenge is also an exciting opportunity. You will succeed in the future job market if you can work comfortably with new technology and engage constructively with your colleagues. You should be willing to constantly adapt, learn new things and take on new responsibilities. Most importantly, you should enter the workplace with a sense of purpose and willingness to contribute. The best jobs of the future will revolve around combining smart technology and skilled resources to provide products and services that are