We’ve watched the rise of automated worlds come to life in mainstream movies like Star Wars, Minority Report, and Black Panther, and we’ve read about it for years and years in classics like Brave New World and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Artificial intelligence has captivated us for a long time now, and for good reason too—automation has a lot of advantages. AI will help increase productivity, and computerized robots may be able to take over jobs that are considered less desirable than others.
It might feel strange to think that this huge shift in work is now upon us, but as you consider what you’re going to major in and what you should spend all that time learning about in college, it’s wise to think about the types of jobs that will hold steady through this 4th industrial revolution—or the rise of artificial intelligence.
So what jobs will continue on far into the future? According to The Guardian, jobs that will be resilient in the future include careers that involve genuine creativity, complex relationships, or jobs that are highly unpredictable. We’ve compiled a list of jobs that fall into these three categories. This is, of course, not an exhaustive list, but it will hopefully assist you in pointing your mind in the right direction as you consider your future.
1. Nursing
There are a variety of jobs that involve the compassionate and patient work of caring for other living beings, but one in-demand career that you can rest assured you’ll have job security with is nursing. As the Baby Boomer generation grows older and declines in health, there will be a vast array of nursing jobs suddenly open as the elderly retire, and more nurses will be needed to help with the influx of health problems.
Nursing involves building complex relationships with patients, and caring for others goes beyond mere physical safekeeping—there’s a lot of emotional and mental awareness that is required in this profession. There’s not a lot that replaces a personal touch, and a robot simply won’t provide the same amount of empathy a real live person will be able to.
2. Graphic design
While we don’t know exactly how creative computers will get in the future, for now, jobs that involve genuine creativity are quite safe from robots.
While a graphic designer may eventually end up utilizing AI tools to help him or her complete a job in a more efficient manner, the creativity that’s necessary for creating logos and charting a new brand for a company is unique to humans. If you’re interested in computers but also tend to be rather creative, a career in graphic design will feed both interests.
3. Teaching
Teaching is another job that involves a personal touch and a loyalty to complex relationships. Even though online courses are popping up all over the place, teachers and professors are still required for one-on-one support for students. It takes a certain sort of person to present a topic to a room full of students with all sorts of different learning styles in a way that will help them truly understand the subject matter.
While you may not be teaching in an actual room a few decades from now, a relationship between you and your students will still be required in order to help them understand the material, as well as provide the proper support.
4. Social work
Working with vulnerable families requires a very specific skill set. It’s important you have a good mix of empathy, analytical skills, and emotional intelligence. That kind of combination isn’t easily replicated by a robot, so you can rest assured that this job will be safe from the threat of automation. This is a great career path to consider, as making a difference in a family’s life can be hugely rewarding.
5. Computer engineers
So who’s making all these smart robots during this rise of artificial intelligence? That’s right! Computer engineers. Computers aren’t going away anytime soon, so if you have a penchant for all things technology, you should strongly consider going into a computer engineering field. Writing code, app developement, and wide bracket of computer-related professions is steadily on the rise. Sure, robots will soon be capable of building other robots, but someone needs to be on the front end of the whole escapade.