Technological advancements that change the way we accomplish things in our lives are happening quickly all around us. These changes can impact every part of our lives, from the way we do our housework augmented by a robot vacuum cleaner to automation in industry that can replace the need for humans to accomplish tasks. These industrial revolutions that define our advancements and the way we change, improve, and speed up the way we do things is nothing new, but it is starting to make some of us feel uncomfortable in our careers that our jobs may be replaced with technology, automation or even artificial intelligence in the future. Even those of us working in Information Technology aren’t immune to this drive for automation. We’ve identified a few careers in information technology that will likely be around for a long time to come, and in some cases might even drive the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Software Developer
The software developer is perhaps the most quintessential driver of advances in technology, and they’re present everywhere technology is. Software development makes up the bricks and mortar needed for the evolution of technology. As a software developer, you’re writing the code and software that drives the automation (sometimes literally in self-driving cars) and technology, and it’s a broad career path. Whether you’re the creative type that finds their calling in user interface design or a nuts-and-bolts maths type who creates algorithms for tomorrow’s tech giants, software development will always have a place and a need in our modern world and is perhaps one of the most futureproof careers today. As part of the Master of Computer Science from Wilfrid Laurier University you’ll learn the skills needed to become an excellent software developer, ready to take on the challenge of the future of technology.
Video Games
Our desire for electronic entertainment just keeps growing, and as digital natives who have grown up with technology get older, the number of people who play video games just climbs. Video games have become a multi-billion-dollar industry and it shows no signs of slowing down. Creating these video games requires a vast array of different skills and talents, from sound design to coding to story writing, artwork and graphics. It’s a diverse and interesting industry that constantly changes and evolves as computers and video game consoles get more and more powerful. Because of this, there are many different career paths available in video games and almost all of them are future proof.
Data Warehousing and Database Administrators
We create so much data in the modern world that it’s quite difficult for us to comprehend. Everything we do online and in business is constantly creating data – from financial transactions in business to saving images from the internet. When we browse the internet, we create data because our browsing habits are logged by companies like Google so they can provide better advertising to us and cloud services like Dropbox store our data. Data is everywhere and its growth will never stop. Those responsible for housing this data and administering the databases that store and organise it will grow in demand as time goes by.
Data Analyst
Data warehousing is only part of the required expertise in the world of data. There is a lot to be learned from all the data that businesses and enterprises are collecting. Data analytics is a harmonious marriage of three different disciplines – mathematics, statistics, and computer programming. The term ‘big data’ is quickly becoming synonymous with the modern and future world of business and technology, and being able to analyse, sort and interpret these massive datasets is the work of a data analyst. It’s a difficult career that takes expertise in multiple disciplines, but it can be very rewarding and is most certainly future proof, since you’ll be building the tools and programs that will make sense of big data.
Cybersecurity
Perhaps one of the hottest careers right now, and one that is set to be more and more in demand as our reliance on safe connected systems grows is the cybersecurity specialist. They’re tasked with securing systems, networks, services, and websites from malicious attempts to bypass the security of these systems and steal the data, personal information or even money from the companies that host them. Careers like penetration testers who are tasked with attempting to break through security of these systems can be interesting and highly skilled, and even if you’re not the coding and systems type, cybersecurity is both digital and physical. There’s a whole branch of the discipline dedicated to the weakest target of all – human beings – called social engineering.
Cloud Architect
The cloud is everywhere, and it is being used by almost everything in our interconnected world. It’s only going to become more prevalent as technology shifts from businesses hosting their own systems and servers to them moving it to hosted cloud solutions. Designing these solutions, from both a hardware and software perspective is the work of the cloud architect. You’d work on systems like Amazon’s AWS and Microsoft’s Azure platform, creating solutions for companies to harness the power of the cloud for their business application needs.
Artificial Intelligence
If you can’t beat them, join them. Artificial intelligence is a blossoming industry that’s finding its way into ever more increasing uses. We’re already surrounded by artificial intelligence – from as small an application like the neural-network enabled Google’s Doodle guessing game, to that robot vacuum to bigger more audacious uses like self-driving cars – the use of AI in everyday life is getting more and more prevalent. Working on these systems and developing artificial intelligence will be a rewarding and interesting career.
It’s true that change waits for nobody, and as our world evolves to make better use of the automation and intelligence that technology will be able to provide to us, we will need to evolve with it and make sure we’re ready for these changes. It’s up to us to identify how we can grow and learn in our careers to ensure that we are ready for the inevitable changes that we’ll be presented with.
