Given the accelerated rate of change, by 2025 the world will be a significantly different place for job hunters. But there are some changes that are easier to predict and prepare for. Here are some industries that are likely to be offer high-demand occupations in a decade's time.
Drone operations
By 2025 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), popularly known as drones, will be zipping across the skies, bringing you everything from fruit to gadgets. Apart from shopping deliveries, drones will also be used in agriculture, construction, search and rescue, firefighting, disaster management, sports coverage and many other industries. Controlling these airborne machines will be legions of highly trained — and highly paid — drone specialists.
What to study: Oklahoma State University in the US offers a Masters of Science in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, which covers design, construction and navigation of UAS. Students also benefit from advanced research opportunities in this emerging industry.
Renewable energy
Following Bertrand Piccard’s solar-powered circumnavigation of the globe (pictured above), professionals skilled at exploiting renewable sources to meet rising energy demands will be tomorrow’s saviours as global resources are depleted.
What to study: Dubai’s Heriot-Watt University offers a master’s in Renewable Energy Engineering. It lets students understand how the sector is changing due to the integration of wind, marine, biomass and solar technologies. The University of Sharjah also has a bachelor’s in Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering.
Caregiving
The elderly will outnumber children by 2030, according to the UN’s new Economic and Social Affairs report. By 2050, there will be more people aged 60 or over than adolescents and youth. Expect major demand for professional caregivers and registered nurses.
What to study: Flinders University in Adelaide offers an Aged Care Nursing postgraduate programme, where students explore issues associated with nursing an older client and help shape policy in this regard.
Urban agriculture
The UN expects the world will be home to 8.1 billion people in 2025, with five billion living in sprawling megacities. In the future, you’ll increasingly hear about food security, urban agriculture, sustainability and vertical farming.
What to study: The University of Edinburgh offers a master’s in Sustainable Plant Health, which is ideal for careers in plant protection, plant health inspection, research and conservation management.
Biomedical engineering
The cyborgs are coming. By 2025, augmenting our bodies with artificial organs and other parts will be lot more common — especially swapping out the defective bits with lab grown or 3D-printed custom fits. We may aso be walking around with biosensors and high-tech implants planted under our skin.
What to study: Brown University claims to provide cutting-edge education that is at the interface of engineering, biology and medicine. The Biomedical Engineering graduate program covers futuristic research areas such as mechanobiology, regenerative engineering and neuroengineering. Apart from clinical experience, students can look forward to internships at companies specialising in biomedical technologies.
Space tourism
“In the coming years, all aspects of the study of space will undergo astronomical changes as space tourism is introduced and exploration continues,” states the US-based Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “With this comes the need for a new generation of space professionals.” This includes sub-orbital spacecraft pilots, flight crew, and on-ground support staff for operations and passenger safety.
What to study: Embry-Riddle offers degree programmes such as Space Physics and Commercial Space Operations. Students can leverage university alliances with the likes of Nasa, SpaceX, Boeing and Virgin Galactic.
