There has been a lot of talk about bringing back jobs to America and bring more focus to vocational schools. With that said, this blog post is not about politics. It’s about my opinion on what the job market is going to look like in the coming years.As a programmer for several different companies and individuals, I’m realizing more and more that there is a huge trend within most companies. It all boils down to saving money by hiring less people and investing in better systems.

Automation

Most of the investments that I’ve seen organizations make have to do with automation. Whether that means digital systems (online or off) or even mechanical or electronic systems, such as robots and drones, companies are looking for ways to cut expenses by removing the most costly expenses, first: People.

We’ve already started seeing this happen at grocery stores, where the self-checkout aisle can handle 6 – 8 stations while only 1 employee oversees them all. We’ve seen some fast food chains replace cashiers with touch screens (image below). As technology becomes more and more sophisticated, engineers, scientists and inventors will create more and more ways to replace people by using systems like these.

It make sense, too. Why continue to pay a person (who makes mistakes) for what a computer can easily do. Once you’ve invested in a system like this, you don’t have to pay it a salary at all. It’s great deal for businesses, right?

But, What About the Jobs?

If reading the above remarks scares you, it shouldn’t. All it means is that jobs are shifting. Not going away. Let me give you an example.

When the above McDonald’s replaced the 3 or 4 people by installing the touch screen system, it, in a sense, hiring even more people to program the system, create the equipment, install the units, and maintain the parts and software. These people might not be employed by McDonald’s directly, but jobs were created to fulfill their need. The difference is that they created highly skilled jobs. Jobs that pay better and require a lot more knowledge and training.

Future Jobs

Here’s a list of what I think the in-demand jobs of the future will look like:

• Programmers – really a no-brainer, and not because I am one. Nowadays, computers are not the only things that need programming. Phones, appliances, cars, household items and even many toys involve some sort of programming. The demand for it will only grow and new technologies emerge.
• Mechanical Engineers – new inventions are being created all of the time and with more and more focus on creating new tech, mechanical engineers will definitely become a necessity. I expect that this type of career will never go away.
• Electrical Engineers – just like the mechanical engineer, an electrical engineers will also be needed to bring power to new projects. The energy scene is constantly changing. From gas and coal to sun, wind and water, one thing will remain the same. Electricity. It’s a necessity.
• Designers – I can attest that the 3 occupations I mentioned above will most likely not have design skills. With new technologies comes the need for unique and creative design. Molding ingenuity into usability is key and a good designer, whether it be graphical, structural or conceptual, will be an integral part of any tech team.
• Fabricators – creating something starts with an idea, but if it’s a physical object that has never been created before, it will need to be created by someone who knows how to take raw material and turn it into something more. This group of people would include machiners, welders and more.
• Scientists – these guys almost always go unnoticed, but they are so, so important. Before new tech can be created, tests need to be done to make sure things are safe and even feasible. Physicists, chemists, geologists, etc. can all make that happen.
• Educators – where would anybody be without our teachers, professors and trainers. As new vocations emerge, we will need even more educators to handle them.

I’m sure I left out a whole bunch of other ones, so feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what you thing the jobs of the future will look like.