We live in a world where technology is growing faster than we can comprehend. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and virtual reality are being rapidly integrated into various parts of society.

Throughout the years, machine technology has naturally replaced the jobs of many humans. Fast Company have already given their take on which jobs machines are or will be having a greater stake in.

Careers in insurance, banking, finance, construction, inventory, agriculture, and manufacturing can expect to be negatively impacted as the role of technology continues to progress.

None the less, it will be interesting to see which professions become more in demand in the future, as well as which become more lucrative.

Which Careers Will Become Less Lucrative?

As more and more careers become replaced by machine technology, let’s highlight which careers will likely become less lucrative in the future.

Finance

A venerate career path that promises wealth and prestige, you may be surprised to know that the finance industry is one of the most at risk of automation.

Financial institutions such as Bridgewater Associates have already begun preparing for staff cuts as a result of A.I. hedgefund automation. Financial institutions have begun to integrate robo-advisors such as Betterment and Wealthfront to automate the financial management process. 

With an increasing amount of finance startups attempting to disrupt the industry with the use of artificial intelligence and various automation technologies, finance might not be a good career to consider in the future.

Medicine

Being a doctor has always been recognised as a very lucrative profession. You’ll be pleased to know that the work provided by doctors and other medical practitioners will continue to remain incredibly important.

However, with a growing population, and increasing numbers of diseases, comes the demand for more efficacy. It has been noted that there are some fields in the medical industry that are perfect for automation and would produce results quicker and better than humans.

These fields include medical imaging, radiology, pathology and dermatology. IBM’s medical imaging has been recognised as being at least as good as a professional radiologist at analysing images and diagnosing patients.

Newer industries such as telemedicine and mobile medical devices are predicted to heavily disrupt the industry as technology progresses.

While medicine becomes less lucrative in various ways, it also produces more opportunity. Those interested in medicine should be mindful on the types of skills that will be in demand and use this for guidance when developing a career in medicine.

Law

Depending on your specialty you might still be able to work as a lawyer for quite some time in the future. However, the majority of lawyers spend much of their time collecting and analysing data, creating and reviewing legal documents, as well as a number of administrative tasks.

The work done by these lawyers is already being replaced by automation and there are more than 1,500 startups entering as disrupters aiming to streamline the law industry.

It seems as though the lucrative nature of the law business will be in favour of law specialists, while more general roles are to be replaced.

Which Careers Will Increase in Demand?

With so much of human activity now occurring in the digital space, let’s take a look at some of the professions that might be a great career for you to invest your future in.

Big Data

As technology grows, so does data, and with it the demand for more data analysts, as well as engineers.

Every developing industry has data. As technology grows and more data comes in, the demand for basic processing and analysis increases the demand for the data analyst. As the demand for integration and management of processed data increases, so too does the demand for the data engineer. Once big data has been prepared within an appropriate infrastructure by data engineers, there comes the demand for data scientists to apply big data to solve large organisational problems.

With this seemingly endless scope, it seems careers in data will prove popular and fruitful for a long time to come, making a career in this field a worthwhile consideration.

Computer Systems and Information Security

Computer technology continually advances in its ability to deliver innovative and dynamic experiences to its users.

However, alongside increased growth in the technology sector, comes the inevitable need for solutions to address the latest problems which arise in its wake. As companies develop better computers, so too developers deliver better software, and with more software comes more trouble shooting.

Careers in computers systems analysis will thus increase in demand, ensuring that tech companies are able to provide solutions for the problems that come with modern technology.

As more companies and people begin to increase the ways and modes in which they use computer technology, so will the risk of having sensitive information stolen as a result of cyber theft.

The risk of having sensitive company data, personal information or banking details stolen, increases the demand for information security analysts, who’s role is to make sure that the best security systems are set in place to keep hackers at bay.

What should you do to secure your work future?

Now that you have some insight into a few careers that will unlikely prove to be as lucrative in future as they are today -  as well as a few that will increase in demand - you might be considering what your next step should be.

It isn’t necessarily a case of just abandoning your sector completely and becoming a web developer! In times of change, some people will look upwards as if the sky is their oyster, opening up to vast opportunities, some people will look down to the ground fearing the uncertainty and assuming it can only lead to bad times ahead.

The reality of change in the workplace is actually somewhere in the middle ground. The way to navigate through the uncertainty is to use it as a time to review, realign and rethink so you can look straight ahead and know where you are heading for.

True job satisfaction comes from a career aligned with your core values, skills and interests so it is important to be self-aware in order to identify options which would be a good fit with your natural inclinations. In some cases, this means staying in your current sector but changing your role, allowing you to retain your authenticity at work. While you can be good at your job without being authentic, you are unlikely to enjoy it.

So, you may be pleased to know there are many creative ways to expand and apply your natural abilities to adapt to technological advancements within the workplace. There are many areas where individuals with the right skills are still needed to bridge the gap between real people the capabilities of machines and this can often be within your own sector.

If you would like to know more about how to retain your authenticity while navigating an ever-changing working environment then do not hesitate to contact us. We can offer a process of reconsideration, reflective review and exploration of options to create a course of action that is aligned with your authentic self, helping you to achieve greater resilience as you adapt to the changing landscape of work.