5 Career Choices to Keep Pace with the Future
by Melissa Burns
We live in awesome times when traditional occupations that took shape the industrial age are giving way to utterly new professions of the information age. New vistas open in both familiar and recently established fields, and often at their interjection, demanding cross-disciplinary skills, qualifications, and knowledge. This offers exciting challenges and fantastic learning and career opportunities to today’s students. If you feel like riding the tide of progress and change, you may consider professional domains of the new era.
Let’s have a look at a few examples of professions that a fast-changing labor market can offer you in the future.
1. Environmental Health & Safety
Probably the most pressing issue that modern world faces is environmental health. With the booming increase of the population, governments all over the globe focus more and more attention on disease prevention, waste management, and natural and industrial disaster preparedness. Corporations and government agencies alike are in need of environmental health professionals, and though the job is not exactly a walk in the park (it often entails physical and mental strain, as well as irregular working hours), it pays off handsomely. Your first step in this field should be a Bachelor’s degree in environmental health, biology or chemistry. Completing an internship is highly beneficial as you earn precious experience; pursuing safety specialist certification is a valuable asset in most cases, and obtaining a Master’s degree, later on, opens up yet more advanced job prospects.
2. Quality control engineer
This specialist is controlling and planning procedures and activities that will ensure the highest quality of material, articles, and services. The vocation is using the best techniques for a particular process or method. It’s also determining the level of required quality, and therefore taking measures for maintaining or improving the quality. Technicians are helping engineers in creating procedures for controlling the methods and quality, as well as applying techniques and testing the products in different stages. This job is most suited for perfectionists, who aim for high-performance standards and flawlessness in all spheres of their life. If they are helping a child to draw a picture for school, they will seek for featuring Mona Lisa; if they are choosing accessories, they will pay attention to PearlsOnly.
3. Software Engineering
Another professional sphere that’s been going through a golden age for quite a while and will continue to do so is software architecture. It is an ever-evolving, challenging and hugely rewarding walk of life for any tech-minded person. Its goal is the creation of software applications and entire systems, from computer games to operating systems and business networks. Mastery of computer science, mathematics, excellent grasp of programming languages and engineering skills are a must if you wish to pursue this career. Since this job is client-oriented as well, communication skills and business acumen will surely come in handy. As for degree requirements, you can start out in many a job in this sphere having completed an undergraduate degree and certification.
4. Personal Healthcare
The venerable sphere of healthcare is by no means losing ground nowadays. If you are considering a medical career with spectacular job outlook yet shun tedious years of graduate education, the job of licensed practical nurse or a home health aide is your choice. Baby Boomers, for one, are their loyal clients, as well as those who opt out of long and costly hospital stay for recuperation at home. This job requires that you watch over the patient’s well-being, as well as assist them in various ways in case of illness, disability or mental disorder. Starting out as a home health aide doesn’t even require a college degree (yet you’d benefit from having one as it makes you more competitive) – training from a licensed practical nurse will suffice. However, be sure to check which additional certification you might need according to your state’s requirements.
5. Bioinformatician
In other words, this is the expert on synthetic biology. It virtually uses advanced computer software for collecting, analyzing, and monitoring data in real biological functions or characteristics to get a better understanding of complex biological activities. Bioinformatician is connecting genetic information with a development of new medicines and clinical treatments. That particular knowledge is based on preventing and curing diseases of live specimens including humans, animals, and plants.
Naturally, these are just some of the professional fields that are seeing rapid development. Whichever you choose, remember that lifelong education is the fundamental rule of success today – constantly improve your skills and knowledge, and you’ll be in the catbird seat.
Melissa Burns graduated from the faculty of Journalism of Iowa State University in 2008. Nowadays she is an entrepreneur and independent journalist. Her sphere of interests includes startups, information technologies and how these ones may be implemented.
