Special Report on Jobs
Future Careers The High-Potential Jobs of Tomorrow One of the biggest opportunities the future has to offer is to be the person who helps other people cope with it. When THE FUTURIST asked several workplace experts to speculate on tomorrow’s job titles, they came up with a wide range of occupations, many of which were variations on coaching, managing, consulting, and other help-oriented activities. For instance, automotive repair technicians will not only fix your car, but also hold workshops for customers, suggests John A. Challenger. Corporations will need new managers with counseling skills to help employees deal with their life issues, such as education, retirement, and health care. These help-oriented professions are an outgrowth of a larger trend toward automation that is creating new needs for “hyper-human” skills, according to Richard W. Samson. As more and more of our traditional jobs are taken over by computers, robots, and other new technologies, it will be those skills that cannot be “off-peopled” that will be most valuable in the future: discovery, creativity, implementation, influence, and physical action. Jobs that may incorporate these skills do not necessarily exist—they will be invented or reinvented from today’s jobs by tomorrow’s workforce. For example, as nurses rely more on computers to manage the paperwork aspect of their jobs, they will develop their hyper-human skills, such as detecting symptoms or mentoring their patients to develop healthier lifestyles. Other new opportunities will emerge that surf the waves of change, and success will come to those who prepare for change by being flexible and well rounded in their education and training, according to Joyce Gioia and Roger Herman. And be prepared to look for exciting jobs in unusual places— underwater, in the jungle, or out in space.
Hyperjobs The New Higher-Level Work and How to Grow Into It PHOTOS: PHOTOS.COM
By Richard W. Samson As traditional jobs disappear, people will need to develop their nonautomatable skills to remain marketable and productive in the “Hyper-Human Economy.” In many cases, workers won’t go after existing jobs, but rather create them by identifying problems to be solved with their hyper-human skills, such as discovery, creativity, and influence. The future does not look good for traditional jobs—or “regular activities performed in exchange for payment,” as dictionaries and public perception define them. Their days are numbered. But wonderfully new and better kinds of work lie on the near horizon: hyperjobs. Hyperjobs are a whole new kind of work. They leverage people’s unique, noncomputerizable skills and abilities, and power the emerging global society. Technology is, by its very nature, a job killer. The whole idea of tools, machines, and systems is to do things more easily, faster, or better than barehanded humans can. White-collar workers may currently feel comfortable about their own prospects, but in fact service occupations— including the most technical and intellectually demanding —are the new targets of technological advance.
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Every day we see new evidence of service-sector job erosion: grocery checking taken over by self-service checkout stations; telephone directory assistance taken over by speech recognition and response systems; air terminal counter work taken over by ticketing kiosks; and middlemanagement functions taken over by increasingly sophisticated software applications. The most intellectual and technical jobs have also made the hit list. Take college teaching and software development, for example. Cash-strapped colleges and universities hold the lid on professors’ salaries by hiring lessc o s t l y a d j u n c t p ro f e s s o r s a n d launching distance-learning programs that extend the productivity of professorial talent. Completely automated learning systems for some subjects are on the horizon. Knowledge workers such as software developers are also on the automation chopping block. Software development is perhaps the most automatable of all the technical disciplines, and software-development tools are constantly being created to extend the productivity of human developers. Fewer people are needed to produce “X-amount” of code. Social trends also impact the earning potential of software developers. For example, the increasingly popular “open source” movement is now challenging Microsoft for preeminence in operating systems and business tools such as spreadsheets and
word processors. That’s great for society, but open-source developers typically make their contributions for free. They can do it because they have “day jobs.” The question is, what will their day jobs be if and when paying positions, as at Microsoft, go away as open-source takes over? No matter what the educational or intellectual level of the jobholder, white-collar jobs as we know them have become an endangered species. The key phrase is “as we know them.” Hyper-human workers will turn the tables on the forces of automation by leveraging their nonautomatable qualities and taking charge of those tasks that automation handles better.
Characteristics of the New Hyperjobs The key, vital quality of a hyperjob is that it can only be performed by an entity that is alive and acts alive— one who is conscious and also selfaware of that consciousness. If you behave like a robot, you risk being replaced by one. Consider two job categories: surgeon and nurse. Already there is a robot, called Penelope, that pinch hits for a scrub nurse—the person in the operating room who responds to “Clamp. . . . Scalpel. . . .” (The device was approved for testing in March 2005, in New York-Presbyterian Hospital.) Since the patient is asleep and the scrub nurse’s correct responses
Hyper-human skill:
DISCOVERY
2 Future Careers
are well defined, relatively little “aliveness” is needed on the scrub nurse’s part. Equipped with voice recognition, agile arms, and sophisticated programming, the robot Penelope can easily perform the nurse’s duties—with no consciousness at all, let alone self-consciousness. The actions of the surgeon, too, require limited “aliveness,” assuming the operation is a routine one with contingencies known in advance. The most prevalent surgeons of the future may be surgical robots, and we see hints of this today. Robotic arms often perform part of the surgical process, controlled by a human surgeon who may be thousands of miles away. The emerging hyperjobs do not involve heavy emphasis on such automated skills as number crunching or structured decision making. Rather, they rely on skills beyond the reach of today’s (and probably tomorrow’s) electronic technology. Hyperjobs will be based on five key “aliveness skills” and three supporting or enabling ones. The five key skills are: 1. Discovery, finding the “why” of things in science, business, or daily life. 2. Creativity, fashioning something new in one’s head. 3. Implementation, making the fruits of creativity real in the world. 4. Influence, interacting with others to inspire, direct, or empower. 5. Physical action, interacting with things or the body in mindful ways. The enabling skills, which power the five key aliveness skills, are: 1. Basic mental skills, such as perception, classification, and emotional release. 2. Symbolic thinking and interpretation, including language, mathematics, and scientific notation. 3. Responsibility, including global consciousness, ethics, and a religious sense. Career success in the new millennium will depend on shifting one’s focus away from the list of things electronic intelligence does best and toward the things only self-aware humans can do.
Hyperjob holders will spend the bulk of their time engaging in the soul-invoking activities that have seldom characterized “work” in the past, except for the rare Leonardo da Vinci or Benjamin Franklin. They will more frequently and deeply experience the ahas of discovery, the why-nots of creativity, and the eurekas of actualizing bold new ventures. They will connect with people more often and more deeply and join in broader, better common purposes.
Changes in the Form And Nature of Work
Hyper-human skill:
IMPLEMENTATION
The “job” is, in a real sense, dead, for several reasons. People used to have a job; now they’re frequently going to have two or more “jobs” at once, with multiple streams of compensation. They used to work for somebody else; increasingly they will work for themselves, selling their own products or hiring out their own services. They used to serve as functionaries in the achievement of purposes set by others; increasingly, they will set purposes for themselves, or join in setting common purposes. And they will rely heavily on hyper-human skills. While big companies will continue to create new jobs—including jobs with some hyper-human characteristics—big companies are not likely to be the large-scale mass employers that they have been in the past. In the years ahead, most humans will need to seek a living outside of the corporate umbrella.
What the Hyperjobs Will Be Whether you’re a student, an employed person, or a business owner, you face the same burning questions. What will the world need from me five, 10, or 20 years from now? What will it need from me or my kids at mid-century? What, specifically, are the future “hot jobs”? If the future is in “hyperjobs,” what will we actually be doing? There isn’t any good answer if we think of “jobs” as income-generating positions that companies create and
post on Hotjobs.com. In the years ahead, most traditional companies are likely to focus more on job elimination than job creation in order to survive in a competitive global market. Tens of millions of new, better jobs will be created, but they will emanate mostly from the jobholders themselves. These won’t be jobs you’ll look for, but jobs you make— jobs that need doing, solving the pressing problems that you are uniquely qualified to solve and that people will compensate you for solving. There are certainly very large problem areas that cry out for solutions, and this is where the hottest of the hot new jobs will be. • Hyperjobs in Energy. Today, most of our energy is harvested from oil, which runs—or helps make or becomes an ingredient of—almost everything, from tractors that produce food to factories that produce tractors. But oil’s time is running out. Some experts believe global oil production has already peaked or will do so within 20 years. Prices will rise for oil and everything made with it or run by it. Shortages will disrupt production, commerce, and transportation, not to mention the global economic and political stability. Imagine Tokyo, São Paulo, or New York without power, transportation, or communications for a week. This will create a need, obviously, for jobs like police
officers, emergency medical workers, and soldiers. Less-obvious needs will be to handle explosions, epidemics, and marauding gangs—and the social/psychological fallout of such problems. Existing jobs, like nanoscientist or investment banker, will also be affected when the sputtering oil engine lets the Internet go dark. Clearly a very big hyperjob that needs doing is to help promote and participate in a massive effort to shift the global economy off oil and onto sounder energy. Large numbers of hyperjobs may be created in this emerging industrial category. Outside of direct participation in the alternate-energy business, one key priority of every hyperjob holder must be to lend support to others who are moving us off oil and onto renewables. • Hyperjobs in Manipulation of Matter. All industry and the bulk of modern jobs involve manipulation of matter by energy directed by living intelligence. Hyper-human jobs will be driven by three revolutionary changes under way in the manipulation of matter, thanks to advancing science, technology, and general knowledge. 1. The organization of matter to do work at the micro and nano levels. A whole new industrial revolution is starting at the microscopic level and smaller, where individual atoms and molecules can be manipulated. ManFuture Careers 3
ufacturing and food production will be transformed, as will health care. Hyperjob opportunities will abound in the micro and nano fields as we begin to explore the many problems that these technologies could solve. The “jobs” won’t already exist in such industries; rather, you may need to create the opportunities in nano fields yourself through interaction with like-minded researchers, developers, and promoters. 2. Enhancement of the human body. Current mechanical enhancements—fillings in teeth, pacemakers, hearing aids, contact lenses—are likely to be joined in the years ahead by many more parts designed not just to replace our natural abilities but to extend them. These include contact lenses and cochlear implants that serve as wireless interfaces to the global Internet, bio-MEMS and bio-NEMS that keep the body well or reverse aging, and implanted nano-bio-computers that extend the brain’s memory and expand cognitive powers. The fields of biological research and health care are likely to intersect intimately with electronics and software development. Human bio-enhancement promises to be a very big field with crazy-sounding hyperjob opportunities, such as bioaesthetic coaching, somaelectronic integration, experience design, and personal genome optimization. To create the hyperjob you want, network with like-minded peers. 3. Reconfiguration of both the planetary and the human ecology. “Matter manipulation” will extend to efforts to eliminate or minimize two big culture killers—pollution and community disintegration. The world is in danger of becoming a terminal dump populated by contentious strangers. The challenge is to change Earth into a growing garden nurtured by healthy, synergistic communities. If today’s national economies are to survive, pollution control must become a very big industry in the decades ahead; so must enterprises engaged in producing food, products, and transportation 4 Future Careers
Hyper-human skill:
INFLUENCE that nourish rather than poison the planet. These antipollution steps must go hand-in-hand with anti-disintegration steps. Community breakdown breeds social pollution, analogous to physical pollution and contributing to it. The negative consequences of community disintegration go beyond crime, addiction, and terrorism. They include waste and pollution. The impoverished Indian village, the African village suffering ethnic cleansing, and the American suburb all cry out for sensible redesign. Hyper-human workers will be needed to breathe new life into communities everywhere, creating a new organizational form—the “intercommunity.” Intercommunities will integrate local agriculture with light manufacturing, services of all types, culture, education, and cyber infrastructure. As a result, the intercommunity could replace the company as the dominant economic venue. Look to the intercommunity as a potential source of contribution and livelihood as you move up to hyperwork in the years ahead. • Hyperjobs in “Aliveness”: Shifting to any kind of hyperwork involves focusing on, leveraging, and magnifying our aliveness as human beings—our ability to experience and enjoy and, most important with regard to work, aspire and transform. To grow into a hyperjob, most of us need to become much more self-aware, purposeful, and generally alive than we now are. Many of us might choose aliveness itself or the enhancement of it as the focus of our occupational pursuits. Enhancing other people’s aliveness is already a big job category and promises to get much bigger in the years ahead, for the need is great.
Aliveness enhancement includes many existing occupations: teaching, coaching, counseling, and of course parenting and grandparenting. The field also embraces the clergy, entertainers, social workers, and psychologists. Existing jobs in aliveness enhancement become hyperjobs to the extent that the full array of hyperhuman skills—discovery, creativity, implementation, influence, and physical action—are brought to bear on the client. Aliveness enhancement is the “side job,” if not the main job, of every hyperjob holder, for aliveness is the whole point of economics, technology, and society. Why else are we here? The payoff is felt in momentary rushes of increased joy, perception, discovery, creation, understanding, or love. In any hyperjob in any field, from teaching to counseling to stand-up comedy, the drill is the same. Help other people enhance their five hyper-human abilities: • Finding things out through discovery. • Coming up with innovations and new ideas through creativity. • Making good things happen through implementation skills such as planning, organization, action, and persistence. • Positively influencing other people through social skills ranging from friendliness and communication to negotiation and leadership. • Using their bodies and working with things through such wide-ranging activities as gardening, dancing, sports, and food preparation. The drill will also include helping people enhance their skill with the three enablers: • Seeing things clearly, hearing what is said, or venting through laughter or tears. • Mastering the ambiguities and rich potentialities of words, numbers, scientific notation, and other symbols, including musical notation. • Assuming responsibility (a skill as much as a virtue), including sensibilities of religion and ethics.
Over all, the drill of any hyperjob focusing on aliveness is simply this: Make other people come more alive—more awake, perceptive, feeling, knowledgeable, wise, and good. You can see it in an instant when it happens: the suddenly brighter face; the spontaneous laugh; the relaxed, relieved muscles; the enlivened posture; the almost-visible light in the head; the mystical, momentary rush of “us together.” If your day hyperjob is not in the “more life” meta-category, your side job should be. Increased aliveness is the point of everything.
How to Move Up to Hyperwork
likely to be outside the corporate umbrella. The second interesting thing about this example is that, when the consultant’s telecom business dried up, he went back to basics and marshaled his creativity. He asked, “What am I good at? What am I here for? Who needs me?” And he explored new avenues. As technical, business, and social change accelerate, we’re all going to have to hone our skills of reflection and reinvention. Third, the consultant’s new successful “job” is not one currently recognized by established authority. There is no “computer doctor” listed in the U.S. Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Furthermore, when I entered “computer doctor” in the two leading job databases, Monster.com and Hotjobs.com, not a single listing turned up. But when I
No one is going to offer anyone a “hyperjob.” You will create it yourself by exploring areas where problems abound and needs are clear. Here’s an example of someone who did just that. In the early 1990s, a telecomHyper-human skill: munications expert quit his job with AT&T and became an independent consultant. His income skyrocketed. He loved the new flexibility, and he found himself in demand on the lecture circuit. When the hightech bubble burst, however, his income suddenly plummeted as clients such as AT&T and Cisco began cutting back. His lecture business dropped to near nothing, too. What was he to do? As he looked around him, he found that some of his neighbors had problems with their computers due to viruses, adware, and the growing complexity of operating systems. They asked if he could help. Soon he had a growing business on entered “computer doctor” in Google, his hands: He became a “computer there were 40,400 hits. Lots of people, doctor.” like the telecommunications consulThere are four interesting things tant, have discovered the new need about this example. First, the consul- and are filling it. Today, the job scene tant concluded early on that modern is changing so fast that it’s leaving companies did not offer the security government trackers—and even and flexibility he wanted. So he companies that create jobs and look stopped being an employee and es- for people to fill them—behind the tablished himself as an independent curve. The best “job indexes” have one-person business. Increasingly, become search engines and the daily the “new jobs” of the future are news (if you read between the lines).
PHYSICAL ACTION
Fourth, the consultant operated with responsibility at the forefront of his consciousness and behavior. The key to his success as a computer doctor was trustworthiness. “People recommend me,” he says, “not just because I fix the problem and don’t try to gouge people, but because I’m the kind of person who can be trusted alone in the home with the woman of the house.” The above example illustrates creating a hyperjob out of nothing but a need. There’s another good way to create one: upgrading a job you’ve already got.
Change an Existing Job Into a Hyperjob There can be hundreds of millions of hyperjobs, because virtually any job can be converted into a hyperjob. The process is simple, involving two steps: Step 1: Automate as much of your existing job as you can. Systematize via paper, procedure modification, or conversion to electronic processing— just so you don’t have to do as much work anymore. In effect, tell the robots trying to take over your job: “You’re hired. Now here’s what I want you to do.” Step 2: Upgrade the hyperhuman aspects of the job. Review the list of five key skills and three enablers. Envision where you could apply more creative thinking, or apply some discovery to find why certain things go wrong, or improve your influence through better communications. Consider taking on more responsibility, or improving the quality of the responsibility you already have by living up to promises more religiously. We c a n ’ t a l l b e n a n o t e c h re searchers, and not many of us want to. The world we want and can create has room for all orientations and preferences: people who like working with their hands more than with their minds, or who like working with other people more than with new ideas. The hyperjobs of our future embrace all of these diversities. The relevant hyper-human skills—even for those who like to Future Careers 5
How Jobs Are Changing Typical Job of Yesterday • One job (singular) per worker. work with things—are safe Find the place where the need • Employed by a company. from automation if pursued and your potential contribu• Functional. with self-awareness. tion intersect. And remember, • Rely on specialized skills such as Even a job bound for elecyour best efforts are vital, for accounting or engineering. tronic replacement, such as the world really does need • Compensated by money. grocery checking, may be saving. Typical Hyperjob of Tomorrow 3. Create relevant streams converted into a hyperjob • Multiple simultaneous “jobs.” of compensation. If you need through the one-two ap• Self-employed. money, you may have to proach. First, the clerk would • Purposeful. scrounge and compromise, go with the automation flow: • Rely on hyper-human skills such as disbut don’t let that deflect you find ways to get her job done covery, creativity, and responsibility. from your larger purpose. Alwith less time and effort and • Compensated by money and also by most any activity, no matter help introduce electronic effiother forms of social exchange ranging from how mundane, can be upciencies brought in by manbarter to “time dollars.” graded to a fulfilling, valuagement. Then the clerk (asable level by an infusion of suming she still has her job) hyper-human energy. Do two would use her newfound time to exercise her hyper-human at- doctor software; former computer or more “jobs” at once if possible. tributes. She would increase her doctors could become computer- Embrace unconventional forms of exchange involving collaboration level of friendliness and helpfulness doctor process developers. • Today’s college classes could and sharing. with customers, ask her boss for new 4. Be flexible as you move into duties and responsibilities, use dis- disappear, along with testing admincovery and creativity to troubleshoot istered by college professors. But the multiple “jobs.” Remember the twoproblems in the store and think of title “college professor” could per- step process: Offload everything you sist, standing for the person who or- can to automation technology, then improvements to recommend. Any existing job—from reception- ganizes in-depth discussions, ad- enhance your hyper-human focus. ist to CEO, accountant to zoologist— vises on paths of learning, and gives The new jobs will move into and out of currency much faster than yestercan be moved higher on the hyper- feedback on research projects. • Family farmers could continue day’s jobs. They will be more like human scale. The initiative lies with the people most able to instigate to disappear, but a new job category tasks or projects than jobs. The best transformation: the jobholders them- could materialize: intercommunity approach is to get each thing masfarmer, one who provides fresh pro- tered and “on automatic,” then move selves. duce grown within walking distance on in the pursuit of your overall purof residents. (Urban farmer is al- pose. Hyperjobs Now Evolving 5. Participate in social change at ready a small but promising cateThe hyperjobs of the future may gory.) the community, national, and global be either entirely new or enhanced levels. Individual action, though versions of existing jobs. If enhanced vital, won’t work in a vacuum. PriHypercareer Planning versions, they may retain the same vate success and wealth cannot surF o r t h o s e w i s h i n g t o t a rg e t a vive general societal disintegration. ■ names as today’s counterparts, or different names. In all cases, the future career, I recommend the folfuture jobs themselves will likely be lowing five-step process: About the Author 1. Decide which of the five key qualitatively different, with a moreRichard W. Samson is direcintense hyper-human emphasis. A hyper-human skills—discovery, cretor of the EraNova Institute, ativity, implementation, influence, or few examples: Mountain Lakes, New Jersey • A nurse may still be called a physical action—fits you best. Plan 07046. Telephone 1-973-335nurse, but may have offloaded paper- to center your training and hyperjob 3699; e-mail dicksamson@ work and improved her symptom- creation on one of these, not in a eranova.com; Web site: www.eranova.com. traditional specialty such as chemidetection skills. This article draws from a book on hyper• A new position, health-enhance- cal engineering or English literature. ment mentor, may be created, formal- Specialized knowledge, while still jobs that he is now completing and from his izing and enhancing what many important, will be subservient to the published book, Mind Over Technology: enduring, hard-to-automate hyper- Coming Out on Top as a Wired World Starts nurses do today. to Run on Automatic (Global Book Pub• Surgeons could become extinct, human skills. lisher, 2004). Order from the Futurist Book2. Determine your overarching shelf, www.wfs.org/bkshelf.htm. replaced by surgical robots, but enjoy new occupations as surgical proce- vocation and purpose. Decide which His previous article for THE FUTURIST, of the big, vital problem-opportunity “How to Succeed in the Hyper-Human dure developers. • Similarly, the new computer doc- areas you want to tackle—energy, Economy,” appeared in the Septembertors could be replaced by computer- matter manipulation, or aliveness. October 2004 issue. 6 Future Careers
Working in the Future How Today’s Trends Are Shaping Tomorrow’s Jobs Globalization, aging, and trends in technology and society will create opportunities for Eco-Relations Managers, Retirement Consultants, and Outsourcing Coordinators.
By John A. Challenger The workplace is constantly evolving. Over the last 50 years we have seen radical changes in where we work, how we work, and when we work. These changes are most readily evident in the job titles that have dramatically evolved over the years. In just the last decade or so, the dot-com, new economy era brought with it a plethora of new job titles, reflecting the nontraditional management style these entrepreneurial ventures tried to create. Unique titles such as envisioner (Design Continuum Inc., 2000), idea ambassador (2think Inc., 2001), and director of first impressions (Teltronics Inc., 1999) were regularly featured in the pages of Fast Company, a publication chronicling the new economy. Some of the more mainstream job titles that have surfaced in recent years include chief information officer, kernel engineer, and network security specialist. Job titles will continue to evolve over the next 20 years as numerous trends alter the workplace landscape. Trends in technology, society, demographics, and the economy will inspire the job titles of tomorPHOTOS: PHOTOS.COM
Future Careers 7
row. The following are our top 10 candidates.
Manager of Diversity Until recently, this executive might have been in charge of making sure the company’s payroll met diversity standards and enforcing policies that ensured no group would be treated differently or affected adversely because of skin color, gender, religion, etc. Today, companies are moving beyond the idea that diversity initiatives are simply the politically correct thing to do and have come to recognize the business benefits of having a multicultural workforce. The overall U.S. population is becoming more and more ethnically diverse. Having an equally diverse payroll means having employees who can literally and figuratively speak the language of the customers. Hispanics, in particular, accounted for about one-half of U.S. population growth between July 2003 and July 2004. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent estimates, approximately 14.3 million Hispanics live in the United States. The manager of diversity will be charged with getting the maximum benefit out of individuals’ unique traits, helping employees develop a culturally informed approach to customer service, and tapping new potential markets. For example, the manager of diversity might be charged with spearheading a marketing initiative in an up-and-coming Latino neighborhood, or conducting Web-based product surveys through popular Web sites in China, Latin America, and the Middle East. This manager might also develop a visiting-worker outreach center to assist employees from other countries with translation issues, find affordable housing, obtain citizenship, or find low-cost language instruction.
Offshore Outsourcing Coordinator Offshore outsourcing is one of the more controversial trends in today’s workplace. Regardless, that trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. According to the Information 8 Future Careers
Cumulative Number of Jobs
U.S. Jobs Created and Displaced Through Outsourcing 600,000
500,000 Technology Association of America, spending on 400,000 global outsourcing in the 300,000 fields of computer software and services is ex200,000 pected to grow to $31 bil100,000 lion by 2008. More than 0 half of the new jobs created in that field will go 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 offshore. The U.S. econNon-IT and IT Jobs Created IT Software and Service omy is expected to create Jobs Displaced 516,000 new jobs in the Source: Global Insight, Inc. software and services area within the next five years. Of those 516,000 jobs, as many for the new jobs that the economy as 272,000 are also expected to go out will create. of the United States. While the practice of outsourcing Corporate Age Adviser is thought by many to be a destroyer With a growing number of indiof American jobs, it is likely to create more jobs than it eliminates. A grow- viduals over the age of 65 coming ing number of economists agree that back to work, companies will soon outsourcing contributes to increased see the age range of their workers productivity and helps keep infla- span four generations. According to tion in check. Higher productivity the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and lower prices for goods will help workers over the age of 55 are exthe economy create new jobs. The pected to grow from 14% of the labor Bureau of Labor Statistics has esti- force to 19% by 2012. Having such a diverse workforce mated that total employment is likely to increase from 144 million will prove beneficial for organizajobs in 2002 to 165 million by 2012, tions that are able to manage the different work styles of each generalargely as a result of outsourcing. One job that may be created is that tion. Companies that fail to do this, of offshore outsourcing coordinator. however, may see age conflicts deCompanies cannot simply contract velop, which could, in turn, lead to a with an overseas service provider decrease in productivity. To help companies manage the and then sit back while key decisions are made without them. Firms that delicate balance between generachoose to outsource services must tions, a new breed of consultant will have a representative on hand to en- emerge: the corporate age adviser. sure that outsourcing providers are This consultant will mediate dismeeting certain standards, that the agreements between age groups, enwork is being done to everyone’s sure that each department has the satisfaction, and that customer ser- right mix of generations to achieve vice does not suffer. The outsourcing its goals, and increase the harmony coordinator will also look for new between groups. A corporate age adoutsourcing opportunities and will viser might also be in charge of recruiting a customer-service team to assess the costs and benefits of each. This person may also be in charge market to the age 65 and older deof assisting workers whose jobs have mographic. The age adviser will be been dissolved or moved abroad. He in constant negotiation with poweror she may set up a displaced- ful seniors groups like AARP, both worker insurance fund to provide on the national and chapter level, to downsized workers with a financial obtain product endorsements and cushion during their transition pe- negotiate promotional partnerships. riod, to augment unemployment insurance. The coordinator could also Retirement Consultant develop a retraining program to help In less than five years, 77 million displaced staff prepare themselves
baby boomers in the United States will begin reaching age 65, the traditional retirement age. Already, the concept of retirement is undergoing a radical evolution. While many Americans will be financially prepared for their later years, not all of them will be emotionally ready for the transition. Many people reach retirement and discover that reading or playing golf is not as appealing as it once seemed. New business opportunities will arise as advances in technology elongate the human life span and the percentage of the population aged 65 and older continues to grow. One of those new opportunities will be the field of retirement consulting. Such a service will be in high demand, especially in dual-income households where both partners retire around the same time. The adjustment of going from a situation where both individuals are working to where both are retired will be difficult to manage. Retirement consulting professionals will help these couples cope with the changes and discover what they want to do in their retirement. This consultant could provide valuable advice on a range of issues, from stretching and growing a fixed-income account to getting the most out of one’s free time. The retirement consultant may help an individual determine if he or she was well suited for entrepreneurship or volunteer work. If the client is looking toward a career change, the consultant could help point toward the most suitable “retirement career.”
Automotive Repair Technician The era of the archetypal, not-sovery-bright car mechanic is officially over. The average new automobile features more onboard computerization than the Apollo 13 spacecraft. Cars like the Infiniti FX feature navigation systems that instantly provide traffic data and offer alternative routes. In the near future, more cars will come equipped with assisted braking that will automatically slow the vehicle when it gets too close to another.
Tomorrow’s automotive repair technician will have to be computer literate in addition to being highly skilled in the fundamentals of automotive repair. He or she will need to know how operate complicated computer diagnostic programs and be familiar with an enormous variety of machines and parts. Entrepreneurial car technicians in the future will dialogue with car companies to get the best prices for computer upgrades in the same way that auto garages today often compete to get the best deal on parts from manufacturers. Future car technicians might also hold workshops to teach customers how to use the newest in-car software as it becomes available.
Corporate Historian Corporations, like people, have memories. Just as our memories determine our personality, inform our goals, and influence our direction in life, the same is true for corporations. A company’s memory comprises the collective business experiences, dramas, visions, successes, and failures of real people who work for the firm. Companies draw on corporate memory’s lessons each time they solve problems, sell products and services, interact with customers, develop new technologies, or design marketing campaigns. As more workers reach the official retirement age in the coming years, companies both large and small will face the prospect of a serious memory drain. To prevent this, firms will need an ongoing and detailed record of projects, programs, problems, solutions, results, etc., in a computerized database. When future problems arise, a corporate historian will cross-reference the database for similar cases and create a report containing possible strategies and outcomes. The system will be especially helpful as more companies expand nationally and internationally. For example, a plant manager in Mexico facing quality-control problems may access the memory database and find that a similar problem occurred in Singapore. That plant manager
will be able to consult a detailed report of every action that was undertaken to diagnose and fix the problem. Such a report might even include a list of outside contractors that were called to resolve the issue, and a review of each contractor ’s performance. The corporate historian will ensure that the information in the report is relevant, accurate, and easily accessible.
Chief Health Officer As corporate health-care costs continue to spiral out of control, many companies will consider abandoning employer-sponsored health insurance. Every company, regardless of the coverage they offer their employees, has a financial interest in keeping their workers as healthy as possible. Unscheduled absenteeism or “sick days” cost employers an average of $610 per employee every year (2004 CCH Unscheduled Absence Survey). In the future, more companies will insist that their workers follow certain health practices in order to help contain these expenses. One Michigan company has already established a policy forbidding its workers from smoking—even off the job. Other companies are encouraging employees to lose weight and exercise more. Some companies have well-equipped exercise areas. An in-house health-care officer could oversee a variety of corporate wellness programs. The officer might rewrite the company’s healthinsurance policy to account for demographic shifts that occur within the company over time. He or she might also conduct longitudinal studies to pinpoint the sorts of illnesses that the company’s employees suffer from most frequently, and then make appropriate recommendations to management. The officer might manage a small staff, including a corporate nutritionist and a personal training professional.
Eco-Relations Manager Companies are finding out that it pays to be green. According to the group Lifestyles of Health and SusFuture Careers 9
tainability, the U.S. market for sustainable products and services was estimated at $76.5 billion at the end of 2004. In an effort to tap into this market, General Electric recently announced a new initiative dubbed “ecomagination” that will focus on the research and development of eco-friendly products and services. Both Republican and Democrat leaders are eager to help private enterprise develop greener products and practices. The Bush administration has called for tax incentives totaling $4 billion through 2009 to promote cleaner and more energy-efficient technologies. The payoff of a greener economy could be substantial in terms of new jobs. A study by the Wisconsin Energy Bureau concluded that investment in renewable energy creates three times as many jobs as the same level of spending on fossil fuels. One job that could result is that of eco-relations manager, who will coordinate efforts to seek eco-friendly policies, products, vendors, etc. This person will communicate and work with consumers, environmental groups, and government agencies to develop and maximize ecological programs. For example, an ecorelations manager might conduct environmental-impact surveys prior to the construction of new company facilities. He or she might work with Congress to acquire federal grants to help the company meet new fuelefficiency standards. This manager would also arbitrate between suppliers to find the best price for energysaving devices, such as photovoltaic solar panels or bulk recycled material.
Manager of Faith-Based Relations and Initiatives As business becomes increasingly global, companies are encountering a growing diversity of religions. In some areas of the world, religion can play a powerful role in consumer habits. Even in the United States, conservative religious groups are gaining power and are more willing to flex that power to influence political as well as consumer behavior. Presi10 Future Careers
The Manager of Faith-Based Relations will work to ensure that the demands of work don’t interfere with the demands of religious faith, and vice-versa.
dent Bush has made faith-based and community services a centerpiece of his administration. Faith-based organizations received $2 billion in federal funding in 2004. As religious groups use the power of their growing numbers to effect change, companies with religiously diverse workforces will have to establish a special representative to work with these parties to ensure that lines of communication remain open. The manager of faith-based relations will work to mediate the demands of work and religious faith. He or she will also seek out new business opportunities connected to religion in society. This manager might also oversee how company goods and services are marketed abroad, especially in places like the Middle East where the decision of what product to market is as important as the manner in which that product is marketed. Another job for this manager might be organizing volunteer information sessions to help employees better interact with their colleagues of different religious backgrounds.
Coordinator of Workforce Development and Continuing Education Severe labor shortages are likely to return in the next decade. Some companies may begin feeling the pinch within the next few years. Certain industries, such as health care, are already suffering. Ironically, even as society becomes more dependent on technology, com-
panies in the future will face a shortage of technologically skilled workers. Fewer young people now enter college on a technology-oriented track. A survey of colleges found that enrollment in key courses for computer science majors was down anywhere from 10% to 30% in 2002. The skills gap will be evident not just in tech, but in all aspects of business as students continue to lack proficiency in written and verbal communications, organizational skills, and problem solving. Employers have a vested interest in making sure that there are jobs and skilled workers to fill them domestically, if for no other reason than that these companies rely on those same workers to consume their products and services. This is where the coordinator of future workforce development and continuing education will assist. This coordinator might manage a program to help qualified employees attain advanced degrees in their areas of specialty. He or she would run a series of Web-based information sessions to teach employees how to use the latest software, or organize a “tech retreat” for the same purpose. Finally, the coordinator could manage a “virtual internship” program to tap talented youth across the world and expand the company’s technological knowledge base. Business as a whole can work to close the skills gap by contributing to school-to-work programs, particularly programs reaching down to the elementary-school level. Unfortunately, federal funding that helps communities establish such programs has been cut in recent years. Such programs will be instrumental in developing the future workforce. ■ About the Author John A. Challenger is chief executive officer of global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. From 1999 to 2002, he served on the Labor and Human Resource Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. His address is 150 South Wacker Drive, 27th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
Career Planning for the 21st Century
PHOTOS.COM
By Joyce Gioia and Roger Herman
A liberal arts degree, a varied background, and a willingness to learn new things may be the best preparation for the job market of tomorrow.
any of today’s young people will hold jobs in their lifetimes that don’t even exist today. The best preparation is probably a formal liberal arts education combined with skill and specialty development through internships, work, or other nonacademic experiences. Job candidates with broad, interdisciplinary backgrounds have become increasingly attractive to employers, and this trend is likely to continue in the future as more professionals are called on to perform an increasingly expanding range of tasks. Students in the liberal arts will be uniquely suited to these looming challenges, having developed a familiarity with a wide variety of ideas in both science and culture. This broad worldview will enable them to understand the relevance and context of seemingly disconnected ideas. These well-rounded workers will possess a nice mix of hard skills and soft skills, which they will apply to tasks ranging from delicate negotiations with people from other nations to daily interaction with complicated equipment and com-
M
puter programs. All of these skills will be essential in the job market of tomorrow.
What Will the Job Market Look Like? Indications are that the economy will continue to grow in the United States and around the world for at least another decade. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Report for 2005, the U.S. economy is expected to add 21 million jobs by 2012. In the near term, jobs will continue to move from place to place, and so will workers. New jobs will be created at a rate that will give workers a variety of choices about where they work and what kind of work they’ll do. The World Future Society’s 2005 “Outlook” report states that the fastest-growing field will be professional and business services, which are expected to gain 5 million new jobs by 2012. At the same time, lowFuture Careers 11
INDRANIL MUKHERJEE / AFP / GETTY IMAGES
skilled and menial jobs in areas like manufacturing and mining will face continued threats from outsourcing and automation. In the last decade, almost 10 million low-skill manufacturing jobs were lost due to automation, according to Harvey Cohen of the research firm Strategy Analytics. In other words, just as the economy will create new opportunities for employment, many jobs will be lost. Workers will have to be wary. Some occupations will change in name only. As we continue to move deeper into what may be the most severe shortage of skilled workers in history, clever recruiters will become increasingly anxious to fill vacant mission-critical positions. They will apply new names to old jobs in efforts to attract applicants. In the past, job titles such as mobile accumulation sanitary engineer have been applied to people who ride on the back of garbage trucks, and sewer workers have been reclassified as subterranean engineers. Competition for talent—or even warm bodies—will force employers to manipulate job titles in ways that will be surprising. Other jobs will evolve gradually until they no longer resemble their current predecessors. These incremental changes will be unnoticeable and will occur mostly in response to slight changes in the expectations of superiors, customers, or workers. Some of the modifications will be driven by technology, changing the way tasks are performed, if they’re still performed at all. The same technological advances that eliminate the need for some jobs will create new needs for creativity or mechanical and operational know-how. Some changes will be more radical. New positions will be created to do work that has never been done before. Most of these jobs will develop in response to shifts in the marketplace or due to advancing technologies. An example of these new jobs is the U-Scan operator, the person who supervises customer use of selfcheckout stations at supermarkets and retail stores. This technological advancement has eliminated many cashier positions, while creating a 12 Future Careers
new, more highly skilled occupation. The IHL Consulting Group has suggested that sales for such self-service scanning devices will grow to $330 billion in the next two years. While checkout personnel might have cause to be nervous about their job prospects, U-Scan operators can look forward to a more secure future. Such radical changes will have tremendous influence on how people work. As we contemplate these future career opportunities, it is important to consider how the job fits in the employment marketplace, what characteristics and qualifications will contribute to high performance and job satisfaction, and what preparation will be required before applicants are qualified for the positions. More employment choices in the years ahead will be based on values. Both workers and bosses will be looking for the ethical “why” behind each task, each decision, and each policy. As we observe workforce trends, we see this attitude becoming more prevalent. Having the right people onboard is not enough. Those people need to be there for the right reasons, too. Competition for talented workers will empower people to choose their jobs, their employers, their location, and even how and when they will work. The sellers’ market for labor will give sought-after specialists the privilege of designing their jobs to fit their preferences, leaving the employer to modify other roles to adjust the distribution of tasks. The workers of tomorrow will need to be as versatile as they are hard working, and as creative as they are knowledgeable. Here is a sample of the types of jobs we are likely to see in coming years.
Telemedicine Technician This individual will serve as part of a multi-site team to provide medical diagnosis and treatment to people in remote areas. They will travel, sometimes with minimal notice, to isolated areas around the world. They will operate auxiliary
The First Global Work Process Coordinator? Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (left) meets with Nandan Nilekani (right) of the Indian Company Infosys to negotiate an $8 million service partnership deal. In the future, global work process coordinators will arrange offshore service contracts frequently.
medical equipment under the supervision of medical doctors and will provide primary and secondary care for a wide range of routine and trauma patients. They will be trained in operating digital equipment and communications gear, and will communicate with base stations via satellite. Qualifications and preparation: Potential applicants for this job will need to complete four-year degree programs at an accredited university and pass a battery of tests on healthcare and electronics. Experience in the field of military medicine, particularly with an airborne, paratrooper unit, would be a plus.
Telemedicine Support Assistants These workers would assist telemedicine technicians in their fieldwork. These assistants would be proficient in using global positioning system (GPS) technology and satellitebased communication devices, and they would have associate degrees in paramedicine, electronics, or spacebased communications.
Global Work Process Coordinator Using computer databases, modeling, and real-time interactive file direction software, these professionals would coordinate the activities of freelance and staff work teams throughout the world. This position would involve project management, negotiation, problem solving, and the ability to respond quickly to
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global developments. Foreign language fluency, particularly in Chinese, Ukrainian, and Spanish, would help these individuals a great deal. Qualifications and preparation: Global work process coordinators will possess four-year degrees in liberal arts with concentrations in international studies.
Chief Innovation Officer This worker will function at the highest corporate levels and will report directly to the chief executive officer, chief operating officer, or chief strategy officer. He or she will interact with employees throughout the organization to research, discover, design, and apply creative ideas to improve business processes, products, and services for the company or its customers. This professional will be particularly proficient in creative thinking, have an out-ofthe-box attitude, and will feel comfortable challenging the system. Qualifications and preparation: The chief innovation officer will have a four-year degree in liberal arts from a nontraditional or liberal arts college. Additionally, he or she may have led a number of both successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurial ventures and may have a reputation for being “wild.”
Executive Chef, Space Airline This person will design menus of balanced, nutritious meals for the crew and passengers of commercial space airlines. Squeezing food from tubes will not be enough; future space airlines, such as Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, will have to cater to a world-class clientele accustomed to high-quality fare. The chef’s creations will be judged for variety, attractiveness, and ease of eating in both weightless and artificial-gravity environments. Qualifications and preparation: The executive space airline chef will have graduated from an accredited culinary arts school and will have at least five years of experience as an executive chef. He or she will under-
The M400 Skycar is the result of 30 years and $100 million worth of research and development. Future skycar mechanics will have to be well versed in both automotive and airplane repair.
stand the dynamics of food conversion to spacefriendly configurations and be familiar with the peculiarities of zero-gravity or low-gravity environments.
Portable Benefits Administrator This information management specialist will serve as an intermediary between individuals and families who hold benefits contracts and the companies that supply benefits services to them. The administrator will preapprove claims and crosscheck post-event records with conf i r m e d ap p rov a l s f o r a c c u r a c y, accountability, and cost control. Additionally, this person will educate consumers about their options and work with them to reduce insurance premiums. Qualifications and preparation: A high-school diploma will be required for this position, though employers will surely favor candidates with associate or bachelor’s degrees (liberal arts). Candidates for this job will need to demonstrate knowledge of the use of computers to manage records, processes, and communication. They will require the ability to learn about special areas of insurance coverage and financial planning, including dental, vision, pension, investment, legal services, pet care, etc.
will use the precepts of consumer behavior and leading-edge research on sensory applications to craft extraordinary experiences that add value to the relationships that consumers and employees have with the organization. Qualifications and preparation: The VP of experiences will need a fouryear college degree in liberal arts with a major in psychology, sociology, or anthropology. He or she will need at least five years of marketing experience within a consumer-oriented service organization. A master ’s degree in consumer behavior would definitely come in handy in this position.
Skycar Mechanic These technicians will provide routine and problem-responsive service to ground–air vehicles anywhere in the world on scheduled and as-needed bases. These professionals will apply their knowledge and skills using satellite-based computerized diagnostics to assure safe and secure operations under aviation laws and guidelines. Qualifications and preparation: Potential skycar mechanics will require an associate degree in jet engine mechanics and a minimum of five years of experience repairing small jet aircraft. They will also need to be familiar with troubleshooting for satellite communications systems and have a previous background in automobile mechanics.
Vice President of Experiences
General Manager, Underwater Hotel
This imaginative individual will design and implement processes and systems to create positive experiences for the organization’s internal and external customers. These experiences may include presentations at conferences and trade shows, media events, or interactive Web sites. Successful candidates for this position
The general manager will lead a team of carefully chosen department heads in the day-to-day operation of a major hotel functioning in totally self-contained and highly unusual environments—namely, under the sea. Patrons of this hotel will expect an extremely high level of service to justify the large bill. The general Future Careers 13
SYSTEM MODERN GMBH
manager will be responsible for making sure that room service is prompt and efficient, that the rooms are comfortable and clean, etc. Additionally, the general manager will have to constantly ensure the safety The Hydropolis, an underwater hotel, is schedof the hotel’s guests in a very uled to open in 2006 off the coast of Dubai. dangerous environment. Qualifications and preparation: The facturing facilities. They will use an underwater hotel manager will have intimate understanding of their cusgraduated from an accredited hotel tomers’ preferences to create personmanagement school and will proba- alized entertainment broadcasts. bly have an MBA with a concentra- These broadcasts will then be transtion in interpersonal leadership tech- mitted directly over headsets, niques. This individual will have surround-sound systems, residential significant experience in managing enviro-sound systems, or embedded progressively larger hotels, including chips. This job will involve consultat least two years managing five-star ing with customers and using menuhotels. He or she will likewise have based computerized programming, experience running at least one com- and will also require an understanding mercial property in a threatened or of satellite transmission technology. Qualifications and preparation: Perprotected environment. Military leadership experience would be an sonalized entertainment programasset to this person, as well as a mers will possess at least one year of experience in broadcast or cable probroad language base. gramming or have related experience in audio, video, or experientialFacilities Engineer, oriented entertainment in an Underwater Hotel employment environment. Many of These professionals will manage them will also have a great deal of the internal and external environ- novice or amateur experience in crements of underwater facilities, as ating personalized broadcasts or well as all the daily maintenance podcasts. They may also have an astasks associated with large hotels. sociate or bachelor’s degree in enterQualifications and preparation: These tainment, cultural studies, art, literaengineers will have at least an asso- ture, or music appreciation. ciate degree in maintenance engineering and at least five years of proJungle Officer, Clearance and gressive experience in that field or its Maintenance equivalent. Employers will give prefThese individuals will provide erence to candidates with a certification in facilities management (CFM) protective support for scientists, from the International Facilities road builders, developers, explorers, Management Association and will or missionaries moving through unrequire candidates to have certifica- charted territory, particularly in tion as a facilities management pro- Africa or South America. They will be responsible for blazing routes and fessional (FMP). protecting their clients from real and potential human, animal, and plant Personalized Entertainment antagonists. Maintenance officers Programmer will be subject to long assignments, These professionals will design perhaps three to six months, keeping multimedia entertainment sequences cleared areas, transportation corrito meet specific needs. They will be dors, and work sites safe and secure. well versed in using audio/visual Qualifications and preparation: In systems found at workplaces, retail addition to being in excellent physienvironments, or high-noise envi- cal condition, these individuals will ronments such as airports or manu- possess combat or wildfire experi14 Future Careers
ence. Many of them will be “hot shot” veterans with a Special Forces background. The ability to learn new techniques, technologies, and languages will be must-have skills for these individuals.
Director of Influence These professionals could be described as the ultimate “schmoozers.” Their duties will range from protocol management and entertaining to coaching teams or individuals in persuasive sales techniques to close deals. In some companies, this position could be handled from home offices. In other organizations, the director of influence will travel extensively, with a work pattern similar to the secretary of state. Some of this person’s work will be highly visible; other work will be covert, with few people in the executive suite even knowing that something is happening. Qualifications and preparation: A bachelor’s or master’s degree in liberal arts will be exceptionally helpful to this person, who will probably need experience in high-level sales and be gifted at expressing intangible concepts in clear, concise, and compelling language. Diplomatic service will also help qualify candidates for this position, particularly if the work includes sensitive operations, complicated negotiations, or difficult relationships. These professionals will have to be articulate in at least one foreign language.
Corporate Alumni Director This person will maintain relationships with former workers to attract boomerang employees and quality referrals. One duty might be to set up a reemployment counseling program to retain workers who have left the firm to pursue important personal goals—such as parenting—and help them remain up to date and in the loop on company policies and directives. This will better enable employees who must take extended absences to return to the companies that most desperately need them. These directors will understand
multi-phasic interactive relational database management, and will be skilled at electronic relationship building. They will have good interactive skills and will coordinate with marketing and human-resource departments frequently. They will also operate indirectly with collegerelations personnel to connect alumni. Qualifications and preparation: A background in administrative marketing and/or sales experience would be helpful in this position, as would an associate degree. This person will require excellent communication skills and the ability to think tactically and act operationally. He or she will also need an understanding of corporate organization and employment structure.
Educational Experiences Designer/Coordinator These professionals will design, develop, and deliver educational experiences to learners of all ages, backgrounds, and growth levels. They will utilize an expanding body of knowledge in learning theories and emerging technologies to enable multimodal learning. This means they will create lessons that can be accessed and absorbed in a number of ways—via the Internet, over headsets, or in a Web-enhanced classroom setting. These professionals will be familiar with distance-based, electronic, and satellite-based education practices. They will also be f a m i l i a r w it h s t a t e - o f - t h e - a r t methodologies such as knowledge osmosis, virtual-reality learning, and audio absorption. Qualifications and preparation: The educational experiences designer will hold a master’s degree in learning or a related field and will be able to demonstrate proficiency in current learning technologies for individuals and groups.
Computer–Human Interaction Technician Employees aren’t the only corporate entities that need to be managed. Machines do, as well. As commerce becomes more dependent on comput-
erized technology, how well employees relate with machinery will grow in importance. Computer–human interaction technicians will manage relationships between humans and various types of computers and computerized functions. They will likely work in educational and research settings, complex manufacturing environments, and healthcare facilities—particularly those with robotic nursing-care systems and telemedicine services. Duties for these individuals will range from education and training of humans and computers to monitoring, counseling, and developing adaptive technologies for both parties to help workers get the most out of the machines they use. Qualifications and preparation: These technicians will need an associate degree in computer science, but most will probably have a bachelor ’s or master ’s degree. Applicants with double majors in psychology and computers will qualify for higher positions and faster career advancement.
Transhumanist Designer/Technician Technological advancements in prosthetic brain function, sensory replication, and sensor-based control systems imply that an increasing number of machine-based technical jobs will open up in the medical field. Transhumanist technicians will design and maintain minor, major, and integrated systems to empower individuals with physical disabilities to full capacity. This task will involve working with people who have suffered such disabilities as amputation, loss of hearing or eyesight, speech impediments, and/or lack of physical mobility. Technicians will assist in building devices and systems, monitoring the functional effectiveness of those systems, and maintaining them for maximum performance anytime, anywhere. They will work directly with people needing artificial support to engineer customized solutions. For instance, such a technician
may be able to help blind people function without a Seeing Eye dog by developing a personalized artificial-vision system based on motion sensing and GPS technology. Qualifications and preparation: An associate degree in biomedical engineering or bioinformatics or a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience will be necessary for anyone seeking this position. Counseling experience, either professional or voluntary, will be helpful. Candidates for this position will need to pass knowledge t e s t s f o r a n a t o m y, t h e r ap e u t i c bionics, and humanistic electronics. Education and experience in physical therapy and/or care of persons with physical incapacities will be a tremendous asset to these individuals. Employers in this field may award preference to veterans with experience as combat field medics or forward-support technicians. Disabled veterans might be granted maximum preference, if other competency qualifications are met. The positions listed above are merely a sample of the sorts of jobs that will be available in the exciting decades ahead. Readers with other ideas for job descriptions and qualifications are invited to send them to f u t u re j o b s @ h e r m a n g ro u p . c o m . Wa t c h f o r p o s t i n g s a t w w w. hermangroup.com/futurejobs. ■
Gioia
Herman
About the Authors Joyce Gioia is a strategic consulting futurist concentrating on workforce and workplace trends. She and Roger Herman have written 11 books and more than 1,000 articles and white papers. Roger Herman serves as contributing editor for workforce and workplace trends for THE FUTURIST. Their address is The Herman Group, 4057 Battleground Avenue, Greensboro, North Carolina 27410. Web site www.hermangroup.com.
Future Careers 15
Tomorrow Is Built Today Founded in 1966, the World Future Society is a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and educational association with approximately 25,000 members in some 80 countries. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the trends shaping the future. Regular membership includes annual subscriptions to THE FUTURIST magazine, the electronic newsletter Futurist Update, and discounts on books published by the Society and on registration fees for the Society’s annual meetings. Dues: $49 per year ($20 for full-time students under age 25). Professional members also receive a subscription to the Society’s scholarly journal Futures Research Quarterly and the latest edition of The Futurist Directory, for which they are invited to submit their own biographical information to be included in the next edition. Professional members are also invited to attend exclusive Forums held in conjunction with the Society’s annual meetings. These daylong events allow profes-
sional futurists in business, government, and academia to exchange valuable tools, resources, and insights on the study of the future. Dues: $135 per year. Comprehensive professional membership adds a subscription to the esteemed Future Survey, a monthly journal that offers abstracts of the most significant new books, articles, and reports relevant to the future. Dues: $245 per year. Institutional membership is also available for libraries and other organizations wishing to make membership benefits available to several individuals. Institutional members receive copies of all publications produced by the Society during the course of their membership term, and they are offered special assistance in locating sources of information or contacts related to their organization’s needs and interests. Institutional members also receive special recognition each year in THE FUTURIST magazine and on the Society’s Web site. Dues: $325 per year for nonprofit organizations; $500 per year for corporations.
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