55 Jobs of the Future

by Thomas Frey | Nov 11, 2011 | Business Trends

“There is no future in any job. The future lies in

the person who holds the job.” – George W. Crane
One of my primary complaints with higher education is that they tend to prepare students for jobs of
the past. The way a Midwesterner would phrase it, “they are constantly shooting behind the duck.”
Similarly, whenever a column is written about the best paying jobs of the future, jobs like civil
engineers, registered nurses, and computer system analysts, they are all jobs that currently exist
today.
Yes, many of these jobs will still exist in the future, but every one of them will morph and change as
technology and communication systems make their impact.
As an example, technology research firm IDC predicts the amount of data businesses will have
access to will grow 50-fold over the next decade. As data becomes cheaper, faster, and more
pervasive, the nature of our work begins to change as well.
The first wave of baby boomers has now turned 65. As this generation greys, their needs will
change. Their growing numbers and increasing medical needs will require a different kind of health
care professionals to take care of them.
As a rule of thumb, 60% of the jobs 10 years from now haven’t been invented yet. With that in mind,
I’ve decided to pull together a list of 55 jobs that will be in high demand in the future. Read below to
learn more, or feel free to contact me, Thomas Frey, about my services as a professional futurist
speaker and futurist keynote speaker. Let’s take a look.
Jobs Before 2020
Many of the changes we see today will cause new jobs to materialize quickly. This first section deals
will new positions that will likely be spawned within the next 10 years.
1. Augmented Reality Architects – Much like the paint we put on houses and the flavorings we
add to food, the future will seem boring if our reality hasn’t been augmented in some way.
2. Alternative Currency Bankers – According to Javelin Strategies, 20% of all online trades are
already being done with alternative currencies. The stage is being set for next-gen alt-currency
banks.
3. Seed Capitalists – In the startup business world there is a huge gulf between initial concept and
fundable prototypes. This dearth of funding options will require an entirely new profession. Seed
capitalists will specialize in high-risk startups. Counter to todays investment-world thinking, if they
get more than 100% return on their investments, they will be docked for not taking enough risk.
4. Global System Architects – Our systems are transitioning from national systems into global
systems. Architects of these new global systems will play a crucial role in future global politics. More
details here.
5. Locationists – People who specialize in adding the relevance of “place” to our global online
communities.
6. Waste Data Managers – To insure data integrity in today’s fast evolving information storage
industry, multiple redundancies have been built into the system. Achieving more streamline data
storage in the future will require de-duplication specialists who can rid our data centers of needless
copies and frivolous clutter.
7. Urban Agriculturalists – Why ship food all the way around the world when it can be grown next
door. Next generation produce-growing operations will be located underground, often below the
grocery stores where the produce will be sold directly to customers. More details here.
8. Business Colony Managers – The average person that turns 30 years old in the U.S. today has
worked 11 different jobs. In just 10 years, the average person who turns 30 will have worked 200-
300 different projects. Business colonies are an evolving new kind of organizational structure
designed around matching talent with pending work projects. The operation will revolve around
some combination of resident people based in a physical facility and a non-resident virtual
workforce, with some opting to forgo the cost of the physical facility entirely. People who can
effectively manage this type of operation will be in high demand. More details here.
9. Competition Producers – One of the hottest new trends will be to design incentive-based
competitions to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Paving the way has been X-Prize
Foundation’s Pete Diamandis and the success of the Ansari X-Prize. In the future, every major
corporation will have their name on a major prize competition. Similar to buying the naming rights to
a stadium, a well-orchestrated competition has far-reaching branding potential.
10. Avatar Designers – Next generation avatars will become indistinguishable from humans on a
two-dimensional screen. However, avatars will only live in the computer world for a short time longer.
It is only a matter of time before they emerge from the computer and appear as visual beings,
walking around among us. Once an avatar goes through the radical metamorphosis from an image
that we see on a screen to a three dimensional being that joins us for dinner, carries on
conversations with our friends, and serves as a stand-in for us at meetings, we will see work start on
an even more realistic avatar, one that we can touch. More details here.
11. Avatar Relationship Managers – As the foibles of humanity enter the realm of autonomous,
freethinking avatars, people will find it necessary to both manage and limit the often dangerous
relationships that avatars get themselves into.
12. 3D Printing Engineers – Classes in 3D printing are already being introduced into high schools
and the demand for printer-produced products will skyrocket. The trend will be for these worker-less
workshops to enter virtually every field of manufacturing, stemming the tide of outsourcing, at the
same time, driving the need for competent technicians and engineers to design and maintain the
next wave of this technology.
13. 3D Food-Printer Engineers – Pushing the envelope for 3D printer technology even further, will
be the coming age of food printers. Converting 3D printers to work with cartridges containing food-
stocks will prove difficult and demanding on a number of levels. Those who can solve this kind of
problem will be in high demand. More details here.
14. Book-to-App Converters – Over the coming months we will begin to see a form of competition
brewing between books and apps. With both being information products that we interface with
differently, we will begin to see a large scale effort to convert existing books and literature into an
interactive app, similar to the current effort to convert popular literature from print to
audiobooks. More details here.
15. Social Education Specialists – We learn from each other. But what is it that we learn from
others that is valuable? And how do we structure a circle of friends, as a highly influential group that
we rely heavily on, to give us a constant stream of truly valuable information and advice.
16. Privacy Managers – If you think you have lost most of your privacy already, we’ve only
scratched the surface. We are all terminally human, and as such, we do not always make good
decisions. Striking the perfect privacy-transparency balance will require far more than amateur
insights. It will require a privacy professional. More details here.
17. Wind Turbine Repair Techs – The proliferation of windmills around the world will dramatically
drive the demand for repair techs who are not afraid of heights and can solve whatever new
problems this fledgling new industry blows their way.
18. Data Hostage Specialists – Holding people as hostages is very messy. But holding data
hostage is a less-risky crime that can be done remotely, and has the potential for far greater
rewards. This is especially true if the country you’re living in condones your actions. This type of
activity will give rise to the likes of data-hostage negotiators, data-retrieval specialists, and damage-
control analysts.
19. Smart Dust Programmers – In it’s simplest form, smart dust consists of a sensor combined with
a wireless transmitter and some kind of power source. Many are envisioning the power to come from
wireless RF signals. The reason it is referred to as “smart dust” is because the technology is
shrinking in size until it reaches the particle size of dust. Future designs for smart dust involve
detecting everything from moisture content, to soil temperature, to chemical composition. More
details here.
20. Personality Services – Talking back and forth to a computer that has a machine-like voice is
boring. But being able to download specific “personality packages” will add an entirely new level of
engagement for basement-dwellers everywhere. The hottest personalities to download will be
offshoots of existing characters or celebrities such as being able to download a David Letterman
personality, a Homer Simpson personality, or perhaps even a Darth Vader personality.
21. Smart Contact Developers – The idea of “smart” contact lenses, the kind that can superimpose
information on the wearer’s field of view has been around for a while. But the first iteration of smart
contact lenses is already on the market and industry execs are beginning to generate a wide array of
possible applications. More details here.
22. Nano-Medics – The medical problems most people have can be traced to a single cell or a
small group of them. Health professionals capable of working on the nano-level, both in designing
diagnostics systems, remedies, and monitoring solutions will be in high demand.
23. New Science Philosopher-Ethicists – Every new technology creates its own set of unintended
consequences, and people who can ask the tough questions and demand deeper introspection will
be in high demand. Industry sages will serve as both a conscience and a guide for decision-makers
everywhere.
24. Organ Agents – The demand for transplantable organs is exploding and people who can track
down and deliver healthy organs will be in hot demand.
25. Octogenarian Service Providers – As the population continues the age we will have record
numbers of people living into their 80s, 90s, and 100s. This mushrooming group of active oldsters
will provide a demand for goods and services currently not being addressed in today’s marketplace.
26. Elevated Tube Transport Engineers – The next big infrastructure project on planet earth will be
a human and cargo transport system designed around a network of vacuum tubes with maglev
tracks. Operating at less than 2% of the cost of today’s car, truck, jet, ship, and train systems, this
emerging tube transport system will be a massive undertaking that demands talented new-age
thinkers for decades to come. More details here.
The Dismantlers
Over the coming years will see a number of industries dismantled requiring a skilled workforce of
talented people who can perform this task in the least disruptive way. Most of these industries have
been built around aging facilities and infrastructure that will become unnecessary and unsustainable
in the future. These will include:
27. Prison System Dismantlers – More details here.
28. Hospital and Healthcare Dismantlers – More details here.
29. Income Tax System Dismantlers – More details here and here.
30. Government Agency Dismantlers – More details here.
31. Education System Dismantlers – More details here and here and here.
32. College and University Dismantlers – More details here and here and here.
Jobs in 2030 and Beyond
A number of technologies currently on the drawing board will require a bit longer lead time before the
industry comes into its own. Here are a few examples of these kinds of jobs:
33. Drone Dispatchers – Drones will be used to deliver groceries and pizzas, deliver water, remove
trash and sewage, monitor traffic and pollution, and change out the batteries on our homes. Skilled
dispatchers for future drones will be high demand. More details here.
34. Brain Quants – Where the stock market manipulators of the past meet the brain manipulators of
the future to usurp control of Madison Avenue.
35. Tree-Jackers – Plant and tree alteration specialists, who manipulate growth patterns, create
grow-to-fit wood products, color-changing leaves, and personalized fruit. More details here.
36. Plant Psychologists – An entire profession dedicated to undo the damage caused by the Tree-
Jackers
37. Extinction Revivalists – People who revive extinct animals.
38. Robotic Earthworm Drivers – The most valuable land on the planet will soon be the landfills
because that is where we have buried our most valuable natural resources. In the future, robotic
earthworms will be used to silently mine the landfills and replace whatever is extracted with high-
grade soil.
39. Gravity Pullers – The first wave of people to unlock the code for influencing gravity.
40. Time Hackers – If we think cyber terrorists are a pain, it will seem like nothing compared to
devious jerry-riggers who start manipulating the time fabric of our lives.
41. Clone Ranchers – Raising “blank” humans will be similar in many respects to cattle ranching.
But once a clone is selected, and the personality download is complete, the former clone will
instantly be elevated to “human status.”
42. Body Part & Limb Makers – The Organ Agents listed above will quickly find themselves out of
work as soon as we figure out how to efficiently grow and mass produce our own organs from
scratch.
43. Memory Augmentation Therapists – Entertainment is all about the great memories it creates.
Creating a better grade of memories can dramatically change who we are and pave the way for an
entirely new class of humans.
44. Time Brokers – Time Bank Traders – Where do you go when you run out of time? Naturally, to
the time-bank, and take out a time-loan.
45. Space-Based Power System Designers – At some point, the burning of earth’s natural
resources for power will become a thing of the past. Space-based systems will capture and transmit
power far more efficiently than anything currently in existence.
46. Geoengineers – Weather Control Specialists – We are moving past the age of meteorology
and climatology to one where the true power-brokers will wield the forces of nature.
47. Plant Educators – An intelligent plant will be capable of re-engineering itself to meet the
demands of tomorrow’s marketplace. Plant educators will not work with lesson plans or PowerPoint
presentations, but the learning process will be even more effective. More details here.
48. Nano-Weapons Specialists – Many of the weapons of the future will be too small to be seen by
the human eye. And naturally, these will be the most dangerous. More details here.
49. Lip Designers – If you could have any lips in the world, what would they look like?
50. Mass Energy Storage Developers – As a society, we have become very good at generating
electricity, but are still terrible at storing it from one day to the next. Once mass energy storage
systems are developed and installed, our total energy needs will drop precipitously.
51. Earthquake Forecasters – Everything we know about the inside of the earth has been
developed through indirect evidence. We have no maps of the center of the earth. We have no
accurate diagrams, no understanding of motion, fluidity, or changes happening with any degree of
accuracy. While scientists are developing skills to work with nanoscale precision on the earth’s
surface, the best we can muster below the surface is blindfolded guesswork done with 100-mile
precision. What we don’t know is literally killing us – over 226,000 killed in 2010 alone. But that will
change over time as we begin to understand the inner working of the earth and accurately forecast
when the next big quakes are about to hit. More details here.
52. “Heavy Air” Engineers – Compressed air is useful in a wide variety of ways. However, we have
yet to figure out how to compress streams of air as they pass through our existing atmosphere. Once
we do, it will create untold opportunity for non-surface based housing and transportation system,
weather control, and other kinds of experimentation.
53. Robot Polishers – If we are going to have robots, they will invariably need to be polished.
54. Amnesia Surgeons – Doctors who are skilled in removing bad memories or destructive
behavior.
55. Executioners for Virus-Builders – In the future, virus-builders who get caught will have a
choice. They can either go to the electric chair, or spend some quality time with the Amnesia
Surgeon.
Final Thoughts
The jobs and occupations listed above are just scratching the surface. This list is intended to help
stretch your imagination and start you down a path of imagining your own future.
But I’d love to hear your thoughts. What am I missing? Where have I gone off the reservation and
missed the big picture entirely? Are there better names for these professions? And most importantly,
how can someone today prepare himself or herself for the changes to come? Contact me and my
professional services as a futurist keynote speaker today.
Yes, this column includes far more questions than answers. But when it comes to understanding the
future, it all begins with asking the right questions.