They say change is the only constant in life. Everything around us seems to be taking on a new form; landlines have become smart phones, paper maps are now mobile GPS, newspapers are now news alerts on your phone, movie rental stores are now Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc. There is change in every sector of the world and employment changes are one of them.
New forms of jobs and job titles are emerging and very soon, some of the conventional jobs that are all the rave now will phase out. These new jobs require certain kind of skills that many may not be accustom to. And this is because these new jobs are as a result of the changing times.
Here are some examples of New and Emerging Jobs
- Software Tester: One in every five jobs in the IT industry. They set out to find software bugs, errors or other defects before a package goes on the market.
- Ethical Hackers: Companies hire experts to purposefully hack systems in order to pinpoint problems in security measures before their less-ethical counterparts get the chance.
- Solar Thermal Technicians: They design, develop, install and maintain solar thermal systems used to heat water and produce energy.
- Nursing Informatics: It’s a nursing specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice.
- Social Media Managers: They use social media to create awareness and communicate brand ideas.
Gen Z
The millennials are phasing out of the work force and the estimation is that in 4 years the Gen Z will take over. Gen Z is the generation born between 1994 and 2010. This generation has grown up learning from the millennials and adapting to their ways. But a wave of change has set in -career wise, and the Gen Z has to be ready to learn and adjust or else they would not be able to find employment in the new era that is arising.
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Employment Changes
With the use of AI (Artificial intelligence), robots and machines have begun to perform some of the jobs that us humans used to do. For example, some companies no longer require the services of a receptionist. Robots have taken over those jobs. Boston Consulting Group predicts that by 2025, smart software or robots will replace up to a quarter of jobs.
Some skill sets needed to succeed in today’s world and in the future are:
- Curiosity: Love learning and seeking.
- Creativity: The future needs a lot of creativity. Add value and Be unique.
- Taking initiative: Not waiting to be told what to do at every point.
- Multidisciplinary thinking
- Empathy
- Problem-solving, team working, and communication (commonly known as “21st-century skills”)
- Digital literacy and Entrepreneurship
- Focus on process (not tools because these change)
- Critical thinking: Companies can outsource the simple questions to technology; they can’t outsource quality critical thinking.
- Resilience: People must be prepared to adapt and work in a world of unknowns; with the confidence that, by asking good questions, thinking critically, collaborating with others, and persisting, they can learn whatever is necessary.
These skills, interestingly, are the skills specific to human beings that machines and robots cannot do.
As a parent, how can you help your Gen Z child prepare for Employment changes?
- Prepare your children for an unknown rapidly changing future by educating them and encouraging them to ask questions.
- Teach your child that it is important to be flexible and not always stick to one way of doing things.
- Emotional intelligence is also important. Help your children develop this as only people can have empathy not machines.
- Young people have an innate affinity with technology. If your child is tech savvy, encourage that child to utilize the knowledge effectively.
- The basics will always be important – reading, writing, mathematics in addition to values and respect. Ensure your child excels in these areas.
- Educate your children on the value of Teamwork because in future, Jobs will require many professionals to collaborate with robots.
- Encourage your children to love to learn and do it constantly. As the days of getting a degree and being ok is gone with things changing so fast.
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Being a parent is a full-time job. Your children depend on you for guidance and direction all the time. Which is why it is very critical and important to be abreast of the changes going on around so that you can better inform and prepare your children for theses changes that they are bound to face.
For more information see [How To Prepare Young People For Jobs Of The Future]
