Top 10 Jobs in 2030: Skills You Need Now to Land the Jobs of the Future

July 30, 2019

Source: https://www.crimsoneducation.org

Do you remember what life was like before iPhones?

What about YouTube or instagram?

By 2025, we’ll lose over five million jobs to automation. However, there will also be a vast array of new jobs available to university graduates – mostly related to knowledge creation and innovation.

While advancements in machinery and technology may combine to provide graduates with the tools to explore, experiment and find interesting solutions to complex problems, they will also open up a world of new career opportunities.

So what are these jobs of the future, and what areas of study will monopolise the career market of the 2020-2050’s?

According to Crimson Education South Africa Country Manager, Rebecca Pretorius, students can future proof their careers with qualifications in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Quoted in a Business Tech Article, Rebecca suggests that: “Students need to consider choosing a field of study that is ‘future proof’ after graduation. STEM job opportunities are being created at a much faster rate than students can graduate to fill them.”

Of course, humanities students should not abandon their love for the arts, as key to a student’s future success and happiness is the pursuit of a career they enjoy. In fact, five of the key skills for future employment involve the use of key human skills such as:

• Mental Elasticity and Complex Problem Solving
• Critical Thinking
• Creativity and
• People Skills
• Interdisciplinary Knowledge

Surveying the latest list of prospective new jobs of 2050 provides an interesting insight as to where the global career market may be headed. Take a look at a list of five possible jobs of the future along with some of the world leading universities offering courses to launch your prospective career!

Commercial Space Pilot

With SpaceX advancing space travel faster than we could imagine a decade ago, it could be time for potential pilots to reach beyond the skies.

Best universities and degrees

1. California Institute of Technology: Pasadena, California (Caltech): Not only are Caltech’s engineering, astronomy and aerospace curriculums top-notch, the California university also houses the Keck Institute for Space Studies which is a think tank focused on space mission concepts and technology.
2. Princeton University: Princeton, New Jersey: The Ivy League university features a small and globally renowned astrophysics department where classes are very hands on and personalised to your interests. Plus, you’ll have access to some of the best astrophysics facilities and technologies in the world!
3. The University of Chicago: Chicago, Illinois (UChicago): UChicago is always at the forefront of research and its astronomy and astrophysics program will push you to your academic limits.

Extinct species revivalist

Today’s zoologists could play a critical role in recreating species that have already become extinct by reintegrating the newly recreated species into the natural environments of their extinct predecessors.

Best universities and degrees

1. Yale University: New Haven, Connecticut: Yale’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology is home to broad, interdisciplinary and highly collaborative research with particular expertise in evolutionary genetics, developmental evolution, behavioral evolution and evolutionary medicine.
2. University of Michigan: Ann Arbor, Michigan: Not only does the University of Michigan have one of the world’s best Museums of Zoology, but they also boast a world class Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
3. University of California, Davis: Davis, California: UC Davis boats one of the best Animal Biology Departments in the US, with Animal Bio majors using their study to bridge the gap between general biological sciences and applied animal husbandry techniques and evolution.

Alternative Energy Consultant

It is a well known scientific fact that the earth’s population cannot survive on fossil fuel forever, so alternative energy sources are at the forefront of energy science and research. An Alternative Energy Consultant would be a universal expert on all alternative energy sources including solar, hydro, nuclear energy and more.

Best universities and degrees

1. Oregon Institute of Technology: Klamath Falls, Oregon: Oregon Institute of Technology is one of the only colleges in the US that offers a Bachelor’s degree in Renewable Energy and Engineering.
2. University of Texas, Austin: Austin, Texas: As an engineering student at the University of Texas, you have the option to participate in a Sustainable Energy Systems Program that will enable you to explore both traditional and renewable energy resources.
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Cambridge, Massachusetts (MIT): MIT offers an Energy Studies minor which explores the importance of energy across all fields – so that the program becomes a crucial part of your curriculum, regardless of your major. MIT also offers extensive summer research opportunities in the alternative energy field.

Organ/Body Part Creator

Every 12 minutes a new name gets added onto the already long waiting list for organ donors. New progress in stem cell research means 3D-printing could well be used to grow organs on demand.

Best universities and degrees

1. Harvard University: Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology is one of the best in the world. When majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology, students gain the opportunity to explore multiple areas of study including RNA structure, chromosome movement and cell wall synthesis, membrane biogenesis and organ development.
2. Johns Hopkins University: Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins is home to a globally respected medical school, with students from it’s equally as highly regarded undergraduate Biomedical Engineer Program studying everything from computational medicine to bioengineering.
3. Duke University: Durham, North Carolina: Duke’s Biomedical Engineering Program features some fascinating courses in everything from biomechanics to biomolecular and tissue engineering.

Mind Transfer Specialist/Memory Surgeon

With advancements in neuroscience and technology it might be possible to upload a human mind to a computer. Specialised computer chips could provide benefits such as telepathy, enhanced memory and paralysis treatments. Further, Memory Surgeons may be able to remove negative memories to treat depression and other psychological illnesses.

Best universities and degrees

1. Columbia University: New York City, New York: New York’s Columbia University offers one of the most respected Neuroscience Departments and faculties in the world with it’s teaching staff including two Nobel Laureates.
2. University of California, Los Angeles: Los Angeles, California (UCLA): UCLA conducts top-of-the-line research in learning, memory and addiction, which means its Neuroscience Program produces undergraduates with world class knowledge in the latest in memory information and technology.
3. University College London: London, England (UCL): UCL offers a rare opportunity to study neuroscience over a four (as opposed to three) year period. It’s Neuroscience Program is considered one of the best in the UK. The program sees students study everything from neural circuit development and function to biochemical and molecular interactions.

Although a lot of the jobs that exist today will be automated by 2030, you should be excited about the future, not scared of it.

However, you shouldn’t limit yourself to the jobs on this list. Dream up your own list of potential future careers that use the essential skills outlined earlier.

Check out some of the most innovative companies in the world below!