Future Opportunities part 2
According to an industry study, technologies will dominate many businesses and lives of people in the next fifty years or more. As the Fourth Industrial Revolution advances, almost all the jobs, today and the future, will be related to technology. Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotics, 3D printing, Nanotechnology, and Biotechnology, already caused serious disruption to businesses and labor markets and will change many things in the next few years. The study predicted that 47% of the current jobs will be gone within the next 10 years but many new jobs will also be created. However, most of the new jobs will be located in developed countries where the industries and educations are already prepared for the changes but many developing countries will suffer a significant jobs loss and high unemployment due to their lack of preparedness and slow-moving education systems.
Today, technology and automation news are all over the Internet and social media, news such as robots will take over many jobs, technology innovations happen on an almost-daily basis, but in some places, people are still acting like nothing happen. In this technology-driven world, many students are still unprepared for the changing job market. Even they know that technical skills are important but not many are making an attempt to get the needed training. One of my friends lamented: “They are too busy with daily trivial things and waiting for the school to teach them what they need. They are not actively seeking or learning anything because they do not see the urgency to change. They are living in a house that is on fire but they do not see the smoke yet, their eyes are still “glue” to their latest smartphones.”
Every time I teach in these countries, I always encourage students to be more active in their career and read as much as possible about the market changes. I advise: “You need to be lifelong learners and develop needed skills so you can move from one job to another quickly before someone else.You need soft-skills such as critical thinking, communication, complex problem-solving, and active listening. Besides technical skills, you need to understand market trends, new technologies trends and what is happening in the world around you. In this globalized market, language, skills, and adaptability are your only ticket to the future opportunities. There are many job openings, many will be virtual jobs where you can work at home or anywhere but you need to prepare NOW or the opportunity will be gone before you even know it.”
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
