The world of work is set to change dramatically. A report from McKinsey predicts that 12% of people will have to change jobs by 2030 because of technology, and the World Economic Forum (WEF) has found that nearly two-thirds of children starting work today will work in jobs that don't even exist yet.
But what careers could be on the horizon for the next generation? Click or scroll through some of the roles that will be up for grabs in the not-so-distant future.
Countries around the world are already implementing initiatives to make their cities as smart as possible. This means connecting infrastructure and devices to what's known as the Internet of Things (IoT), so that data can be collected and help to run the city more efficiently, for example, warning of traffic jams.
Of course, in order to keep this technology running smoothly, a human touch will be needed in the form of a Smart City Analyst. Not only will they analyse the impact of such technology, but they will also act as a city planner, managing technological resources and the security of smart devices, as well as looking to improve on the smart solutions a city is employing.
Artificial intelligence (AI) software isn't actually born smart. It takes a lot of human time to train these systems in order for them to be able to make decisions on their own. As a result, as AI becomes more prevalent in daily life, more people will be required as trainers.
For example, in December 2017, Google announced plans to hire 10,000 new employees to moderate YouTube content, which will aid machine-learning software in identifying similarly inappropriate videos in the future.
While healthcare assistants of the future will still need traditional nursing skills, there will also be an increased need for people who are tech-savvy.
These employees will use things like in-home testing systems, wearable technologies that track a patient's vitals, and portable video devices to check in with a patient virtually.
Drones may have been around for a while now, but it's only more recently that they've taken on a more commercial role. Lots of industries and companies are already using drones for tasks such as inspecting buildings, delivering packages, capturing news footage, and surveillance.
As this continues to grow, more jobs will become available too, not only for pilots but also for mechanics and people selling and insuring them.
As more and more drones hit the skies, along with self-driving vehicles, highway controllers will be needed in order to regulate roads and airspace throughout each city to prevent crashes.
Now read about the other ways drones are being used today
Driverless cars are already here, with tech giants such as Apple and Google launching their own versions. However, there have been worries about safety following several fatal accidents involving Tesla and Uber's self-driving cars.
This clearly demonstrates the importance of solid engineering in order to make autonomous vehicles a viable investment, and several companies, including Udacity, are offering Self-Driving Car Engineer courses.
The desperate need for organ donors increases everyday. In fact, it's estimated that a new name is added to the waiting list every 12 minutes. Bioprinters are already being developed, and it shouldn't be too long before they are able to produce new organs, under the guidance of skilled technicians.
In April 2019, Israeli scientists created the world's first 3D-printed heart, however it didn't beat and was too small to be implanted in a human.
Robots have begun to enter various workplaces, particularly factories. While they may do their jobs efficiently, they still need human eyes and hands to ensure they're performing correctly.
As a result, there is likely to be a huge demand for people trained in robotics to manage these new industrial 'employees'.
There are already apps available that let you talk to loved ones who have died. The systems collect and analyse conversations and posts from social media in order to communicate as the deceased person in their tone of voice.
There could be similar solutions in the future for those who are suffering from memory loss; memory 'curators' will collect data from people, the media, and other sources to comfort elderly people by replaying their past experiences.
As our use of technology in the workplace increases at rapid rates, it becomes more important to ensure it is being used ethically. A 2018 study from Deloitte found that 32% of business executives ranked ethical issues as one of the top three risks of artificial intelligence.
Chief ethics officers are already in place at some big companies such as Google and Salesforce, and the role is set to be adopted by plenty more in the near future.
The global plant-based meat market reached $5.06 billion (£4.2bn). But soon, synthetic meat created in a lab could completely disrupt the market.
There are currently around 170 companies in the world working to develop synthetic meat, but US company Good Meat is currently the only one with approval to sell its produce to the public.
Good Meat began selling synthetic chicken in Singapore in 2020 and also has plans to build bioreactors that will grow more than 13,000 tonnes of chicken and beef a year, which could potentially supply tens of thousands of restaurants.
In January 2019, news broke of twins being born in China with modified DNA. The pair had the gene CCR5 deleted from their DNA as embryos, with the aim of making them immune to HIV.
However, it was later revealed that deletion of the gene is also linked to cognitive ability, so the children could be higher achievers as a result.
With these issues becoming more prevalent, a new breed of diversity officers will be tasked with ensuring a fair and inclusive work environment.
While entering a completely different world used to seem only possible in science fiction, today entire virtual worlds are being created. Through the use of technology such as Virtual Reality (VR) glasses or even bionic contact lenses, we can experience new places and do things we'd never be able to do in the real world.
As virtual reality becomes commonplace in society, people skilled in VR design will be more and more sought-after.
VR seems like the logical next step for the influencers that dominate social media. According to Bank of America, it would be a "natural extension of the social media influencer phenomenon happening today."
Soon the likes of Kylie Jenner could be more in virtual 'reach' than ever, and a new crop of influencers will be wanting to make the most of the technology to enhance their careers.
It is already a challenge to protect your privacy online, and with continual advances in technology with tools such as facial recognition becoming commonplace, things are only likely to get tougher in this department.
In the future, if you want to prevent strangers on the street from accessing data about you based on your facial profile or deal with any other privacy concerns, you'll likely seek the advice of a tech-savvy adviser.
Remote surgery has been in development for over a decade, with the first-ever remote brain surgery reportedly carried out in China in January 2019, using robotic arms. The introduction of 5G technology has made the process more viable, allowing doctors to perform operations in their specialism from anywhere in the world.
However, remote surgery could go one step further, whereby surgery would be "so small on a nano-scale that patients could be ‘swallowing the doctor’ to enable mini robots to cure them," according to Bank of America.
A distinctly low-tech job of the future, traditional companions may be in demand more than ever thanks to the rise of technology. As those born in generations that didn't grow up with such advanced technology begin to age and live longer than ever before, it's not surprising that they may feel isolated due to increased usage of automation and AI.
Therefore, jobs requiring people to simply spend time and talk face-to-face with seniors could be more in demand.
With warnings about global warming becoming increasingly dire, experts are looking more into the controversial process of geoengineering. Lowering global temperatures could involve techniques such as using microbubbles to reflect more sunlight from the ocean and sending giant mirrors into space.
If this type of technology is developed fully in the future, engineers will be needed to plan, implement, and monitor it.
It's not just through technology that climate issues will create jobs. One way to capture emissions from fossil fuel use is by using farmland and forestry, as trees absorb carbon dioxide.
As climate change becomes an even more urgent issue, the Bank of America predicts we will need agriculture rewilding strategists to plan how to repurpose and use land to help protect the planet.
The race for space tourism is on. As commercial companies such as Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX take civilians to space, new roles will be created. And that's not only on the technical side; roles such as space tourist guides, to manage people's intergalactic travel experiences, will also be necessary.
In fact, there will be a wide range of new careers, from mission planner and simulation expert to ethics officer and launch manage
With so much technology available, it can shape our everyday lives both at work and away from it. Therefore, technology coaches may become a popular position in the future.
Basically a tech-savvy life coach, these people will help their customers make the most of technology depending on their individual needs, whether this be in the form of wearable devices, social media, household systems or even microchip implants.
Mind uploading is an incredibly complicated process, but in more simple terms, it involves scanning a brain and making a complete model that can then be transferred onto a computer.
There's still a lot of work to be done before this process can become a reality. But if it does, 'mind uploading specialist' will become a necessary job role in the future.
A WEF study found that business bosses believe more than half of the current tasks in their workplace may be carried out by robots by 2025. With such a rapid rise in AI, staff will be needed to ensure smooth collaboration between machines and humans.
There shouldn't be any need for hard feelings, though. Given the millions of jobs worldwide that robots will help create, there will still be a place for humans in an AI-society.
Read more about who's winning the electric car race
Digital currencies have been around for a while now, but as people become more distrusting of government controlled currency, the likes of Bitcoin and Ethereum are only going to become more popular.
As a result, financial advisors who are knowledgeable about cryptocurrencies and the best ways to invest in them will be in high demand. Degrees in computer security and financial management will be especially useful for those looking to get into this line of work.
With technology becoming a vital part of our daily lives more and more, could the conventional locksmith become extinct?
As more people choose smart locks to secure their homes and cars, they will rely on a tech-savvy digital locksmith to lend a hand when things go wrong. While the annoyance of losing your keys may be a thing of the past, unfortunately, even advanced technological software is bound to fail sometimes.
It’s not just smart locks: our houses are set to become more technologically advanced thanks to home automation systems. This innovative tech allows us to control everything from household appliances and lights to alarms and air conditioning, all from the convenience of our smartphone devices.
As more people look to turn their abodes into "smart homes", home automation contractors will be needed to install these systems and configure them to meet individual needs.
Web managers already exist to handle the online presence of brands and businesses, but will also exist in the not-too-distant future to manage people's personal online image.
As people grow increasingly aware of their digital footprint and concerned about what information anyone, from a potential employer to a new love interest, could learn about them from a simple Google search, it will be a personal web manager's job to hone one’s online presence. These social media savvy individuals will combine the skills of a publicist, life coach, hacker, and security agent.
First it was driverless cars, and now autonomous boats are set to be the next big innovation. British car manufacturer Rolls Royce plans to unleash its first unmanned and remotely controlled ship on the seven seas by 2030.
However, these digitally operated vessels are vulnerable to hacking. To ensure a safe voyage and that the ships aren’t the target of cyber attacks from tech-savvy pirates, maritime virtual security officers will be in high demand.
It’s been suggested that robots could one day put psychologists out of business, and there are already AI-driven mental health apps like Cogniant and Woebot available to download that seemingly prove this theory. However, many believe that, in actuality, human psychologists will counsel bots.
As AI advances and becomes more human-like, there might be a need for human interaction to help manage the emotional wellbeing of the robot. "As the world develops more artificial intelligence machines, the AI itself will need to be kept on the straight-and-narrow to overcome technical issues brought about by being able to think for itself," said Darain Faraz, head of global consumer communications at LinkedIn.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, workers around the world traded in their office attire for far cosier pyjamas. And when restrictions were finally lifted, many workers chose to continue working from the comfort of their own homes rather than return to the office. In fact, according to an Owl Labs study, 16 percent of global companies are now fully remote.
Cue work from home facilitators. Well versed in health, safety, ergonomics, and mental health, these experts would be on hand to ensure a productive home working environment for both businesses and employees. In addition, they'd also write remote work policies.
Though it seems like something out of a science fiction movie, in the future, humans could live longer than ever before thanks to technological advancements. Altos Labs is currently working on anti-ageing tech that could extend the human life-span by 50 years. It would work by transforming adult cells into stem cells, which could then be turned into any type of cell, and Amazon Billionaire Jeff Bezo (pictured) has invested his mega-bucks into the project.
If this exciting technology becomes a reality, it will create a brand new job title of life extension technician. But the question is, how far would your wallet have to stretch to afford the luxury of an extended life?