It’s no secret that the economy’s fucked at the moment. Day by day, more jobs are drying up, and everyone’s looking for new career paths – but what exactly are they?
A new report from ING has found that while almost half of young Aussies who are considering changing career paths, most of us are unsure of how to achieve this.
We chatted with futurist Anders Sörman-Nilsson to find out what exactly a medical tele-storyteller or digital ethicist is, and how to prep to get these kinds of jobs in order to start killin’ it again once the pandemic is over.
What are the best skills to hone right now?
There’s no silver bullet to upskilling while off work. Even though it sounds clichéd as fuck, having the right attitude is the most important skill of all.
“While each industry requires individual talents, the most important skill you need is simply the ability to learn new skills,” Sörman-Nilsson told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
It’s not just about taking in more knowledge. It’s about unlearning, and re-learning, and just being conscious of your own ability to better yourself. Everyone learns differently, so find what works for you.
“You essentially want to become the master of your own Research and Development department,” he added.
What skills will be essential in the workplace in future?
More holistic skills are the ones to concentrate on. It’s time to flex your emotional intelligence and your ability to develop a personal brand.
Boosting your emotional intelligence is not only good for your job prospects; it’s good for your own well being, too. And thankfully, it’s not necessarily a skill you need to study for.
“A keen awareness of those around you and being in touch with your own emotional world will be some of the key leadership traits of the future, helping to set you up for rewarding personal relationships too,” Sörman-Nilsson said.
“The great news is that emotional intelligence is not static and is an area that you can upskill in by doing more mindfulness meditation or even attending online webinars on wellness.”
He also explained that it’s important to differentiate your personal brand, and that one of the best ways to do this is by demonstrating you can think creatively, innovatively, and just out-of-the-box in general. Sometimes creativity means challenging the norms – politely and constructively, of course.
But having a personal brand is no good if you can’t communicate it to a potential employer, or even during a job.
“Storytelling has never been more important than now,” he said.
“Whether it is a sales pitch, a marketing campaign, an innovation competition, or a new strategic direction you are involved in, being able to win the hearts and minds of your audience through evidence-based storytelling will help set you apart.”
What industries are set to blow up down the track?
Anything to do with technological innovation is were the most opportunities will be, post-coronavirus.
The report specifically mentioned new roles like medical tele-storytellers, agricultural technologists, and cyber security defenders will be in increasingly high demand. Old professions too, like financial coaches, will also be needed as people try to recover from the current economic shitstorm.
Sörman-Nilsson said robotics will play an increasingly important role in in workplaces, and we’ll need people to develop them. On top of that, he said robots will never replace human creativity and emotional intelligence. Robots aren’t necessarily coming for your jobs – they’re creating them.
Meanwhile, anything to do with sustainability and renewable energy will also be on the rise as the world looks to slow climate change.
These industries also present opportunities to change the way society works in general.
“There is a shortage of female talent in emerging fields like artificial intelligence and machine learning, which means AI could be skewed towards male thinking and biases in the future,” Sörman-Nilsson told P.TV.
“So this is a field where we need more diversity.”
