Welcome to Career Clinic!
Consult with Authors of the Best New Career Books!
This year Daniel joins with DeVry University in publishing his list of “12 Career Certainties” that will not only transform careers in every industry, but produce new ones as well. He describes all of these global business game-changers in his Career Clinic column, all based on proven methodology highlighted in his latest best-selling book, Flash Foresight: How to See the Invisible and Do the Impossible.
The 12 Career Certainties are based on Daniel’s scientific method that separates “Hard Trends” (trends that will happen) from “Soft Trends” (trends that might happen). The difference, writes Daniel in Flash Foresight, is that hard trends “are driven by immutable forces that [can] be counted on to continue.” For example, Baby Boomers will get older, smart phones will get smarter, and after the 4G wireless we will get the 5G. Soft trends are often influenced by our behavior and choices, like the exact timing and extent of a rise or fall in the stock market, or whether a business leader will take advantage of a game-changing technology.
Distinguishing between hard and soft trends over time can mean success or failure for a company—or for the future of your career. As you read “12 Career Certainties,” try to determine which of them will impact your company—and your career—over the next five to ten years. Then decide what you must do about it—now.
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Career Clinic features the best
new career-related books, magazine articles and survey results--capsulized in periodic blogs written by the authors. Comments and questions will be answered as the authors' schedules permit.
12 Certainties That Will Transform Every
Career—and Create New Ones
By
Daniel Burrus
As
technology continues to impact our lives, workers in today’s
ever-changing labor market need to be prepared with skills to adapt
and succeed in the workplace.
The
problem is, we live in an uncertain world, and because of the high
levels of uncertainty we all face, people of all ages and career
levels are finding it difficult to know what new skills to learn,
what courses to take, and what degrees to earn that will provide them
with the most opportunity going forward. Uncertainty keeps us stuck
in the present.
Certainty,
on the other hand, gives us the confidence to make a decision, to
move forward, and to invest time and money to learn new things. Over
the past thirty years, I have developed and proven the power of the
science of certainty. The science of certainty involves a scientific
method of separating Hard Trends – trends that will
happen – from Soft Trends – trends that might
happen. This method is currently being used by many Fortune 500
companies, including IBM, Deloitte, and Pratt & Whitney to name a
few, to provide an accurate roadmap of the opportunities that are
ahead.
That’s
why I’m launching a list of 12 Certainties that will transform
every career, and create new ones. By providing an accurate roadmap
for all those who wish to increase their personal career relevancy in
a world of transformative change, career and education decisions can
now be made with confidence. The list highlights technologies that
transform now—and will continue to transform—all present and
future careers. As you read through the list, ask yourself how each
one will play a key role in your industry and your personal career
path.
- Mobile Hardware, Software and Services will continue to rapidly evolve creating many new careers, as all phones become smartphones and our primary computer and tablets continue to evolve as our laptop replacement. This new level of mobility will allow any size business to transform how it markets, sells, communicates, collaborates, educates, trains, and innovates.
- Remote Visual Communications will become a primary relationship-building tool for businesses of all sizes as employees use smartphones, tablets, and laptops, in combination with current video conferencing systems, to communicate at new levels with customers, partners, and employees.
- Social Business Enterprise Management will grow rapidly as organizations shift from an Information Age “informing” model to a Communication Age “communicating and engaging” model. New careers will emerge as Social Software for business rapidly grows with applications to enhance relationships, collaboration, networking, social validation, and more. Social Search will increasingly shape careers as marketers, researchers and those on Wall Street create applications and services to tap into millions of daily tweets and Facebook conversations, providing real-time analysis of many key consumer metrics.
- Cyber Security and Forensics careers will grow rapidly as we become increasingly connected and dependent on computer systems and machines using intelligent sensors connected to just about everything. Careers in data and information forensics will grow rapidly as the need to solve cyber crimes increases.
- Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) will create many new careers in manufacturing as this revolutionary technology allows any size company to manufacture quickly, locally and with far fewer costs. Additive manufacturing builds things by depositing material, typically plastic or metal, layer by layer until the final product is finished. Examples of final products today include jewelry, iPhone cases, shoes, car dashboards, parts for jet engines, prosthetic limbs and much more.
- Gamification of Education will create many new careers as corporations and educational institutions at all levels accelerate learning by using advanced simulations and skill-based learning systems that are self-diagnostic, interactive, game-like, and competitive, all focused on giving the user an immersive experience, thanks to a photo-realistic 3D interface.
- Cloud Services and Virtualization will be increasingly embraced by businesses of all sizes, as this represents a major shift in how organizations obtain and maintain software, hardware, and computing capacity. IT is rapidly becoming an on-demand service that is rapidly transforming all business processes, resulting in a rapid evolution of current careers, as well as creating new careers in every functional area.
- Big Data and Real-Time Analytics describe the technologies and techniques used to capture and utilize the exponentially increasing streams of data with the goal of bringing enterprise-wide visibility and insights to make rapid critical decisions. This new level of data integration and analytics will require many new skills and cross-functional training in order to take advantage of new opportunities, as well as break down the many data and organizational silos that still exist.
- Intelligent ePersonal Assistants using natural language voice commands was launched with Apple’s Siri, which was rapidly followed by Google, Microsoft, and others all offering what will become a mobile electronic concierge on your phone, tablet, and television. The technology will rapidly evolve and soon every profession from retailers to maintenance workers will have a Siri-like assistant. Adding an e-personal assistant to support an existing product and/or service will create many new careers.
- 3D Web will transform today’s Internet experience (which is like looking at a flat piece of paper with a few photos, embedded video, and a few hyperlinks) to a true 3D experience, similar to todays video games, where you can virtually walk into a showroom, look around and both listen to and see the new car you are interested in, or whatever the website is trying to show you. This will employ many new graphic artists, designers and programmers.
- Connected Intelligent Objects using chips, microsensors and both wired and wireless networks will create a rapidly growing “Internet of things” sharing real-time data, performing diagnostics, and making remote repairs. Many jobs will be created as we add intelligent connected sensors to bridges, roads, buildings, homes and much more. By 2020, there will be well over a billion machines talking to each other, and people will be needed to install them.
- Advanced Robotics and Automation will take a giant leap forward—thanks to networked sensors, artificial intelligence, and Siri-like voice communications—taking the next level of repetitive jobs from humans. This will create many new career opportunities: from design, programming and installation, to service and maintenance, to name just a few.
You
don’t have to know the physics of a telephone in order to use it.
You do have to know it exists and how to creatively use it to
accomplish your goal. Don’t wait until next year, or the year
after, or until you’re laid off. Invest the time to identify what
you need to learn right away, so that you will thrive both now and in
the future, either in your current career or a new one.
______________________________
Daniel
Burrus, founder and CEO of Burrus Research, is the author of six
books, including the New York Times
bestseller Flash
Foresight. Since the early 1980s he
has established a worldwide reputation for his exceptional record of
accurately predicting the future of technology-driven change and its
direct impact on the business world. He has been the subject of
several PBS specials, and has appeared on news outlets such as CNN,
Fox Business, and Bloomberg. He also has been quoted in a wide
variety of publications, including The
Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Fortune, and Forbes.