The skills of the future are related to solving problems, navigating an unfamiliar environment, using new technologies, and learning and adapting constantly.
The most successful will be those people who are taught to learn, who are taught to think, and who knows how to adapt and live with the idea of change every day.
We all know the challenges we have gone through in the last 2-3 years. How has technology helped us deal with them more easily?
We are witnessing total digitization in all spheres: from education and healthcare to industry and agriculture. The pandemic has shown us that through technology we can work remotely, that there is no need to meet face-to-face for whatever, that we can study remotely and go to the doctor remotely, use banking services without going to the bank, pay each other taxes online and hundreds of other reliefs in the busy schedule of modern man.
Even before these things were possible, somehow people were used to doing everything live, and the technologies of remote work and remote digital services were not widely used. Today they are already standard. The pandemic has made us use technology to avoid unnecessary commuting when we can do the work from home, faster and at a convenient time. That’s the positive side.
The downside was the social distancing of people from each other and the lack of live communication. We know how many areas online cannot work effectively, for example teaching young children online is difficult, as well as being an exhibitor at a conference online and trying to find customers and partners from a virtual booth.
The digital transformation of our daily business and personal communication and the forced work from home in most professions have taught us higher efficiency and helped us not to be completely socially isolated during periods of lockdown and physical isolation.
Which professions maintained stable positions during the pandemic and after it, and have the prospect of developing in the future?
In times of pandemic and forced social isolation, the digital professions that drive digital transformation and innovation in all sectors of the economy and society have grown the most: programming and software technologies, digital marketing, design and creative, online commerce, cloud services, and many others technological occupations.
When many people lost their jobs (for example in tourism, the restaurant industry, and transport), we saw significant growth because more young people turned to digital professions. What better time to change your profession from waiter or travel agent to something more technological and with perspective: programmer, software quality engineer (QA), or graphic designer?
First of all, I expect that in the next few years the digitization of the economy and society will continue and the huge demand for specialists in technological and digital professions will be maintained. It’s never too late to get into technology jobs, regardless of your age and the industry you’re currently working in, as innovation and growth in the economy will be driven mostly by digital jobs and skills.
In the last 2-3 years, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud technologies, and financial technologies (fintech and blockchain) have been developing most seriously, which are already everywhere and are increasingly entering all spheres of life and the economy.
I expect increased investment, growth, and demand for specialists in even smaller technological areas such as metaverses, virtual reality, blockchain, Defi and NFT, industry 4.0 and robotics, digital health, digital agriculture, digital education, digitized and automated transport, Internet of Things (IoT), smart buildings and smart cities.
I also expect gradual growth in many digitally and technologically driven sectors of the economy: biotech, genetics and pharma, digitization in areas such as green technology and energy, food, apparel and fashion, defense, military technology, cyber security, media, marketing and advertising, trade and sales, property and construction, climate technology, space technology and many more.
And should we expect completely new professions in connection with the unceasing technological upsurge?
Yes of course. New professions emerge naturally as a result of new technological opportunities and new needs in business and the economy. Some professions are transformed and modernized, but completely new professions are also coming. In recent years, we have witnessed new professions arising from the development of digitization, for example, “TikTok Marketing Expert”, “Metaverse Specialist”, “NFT Technology Engineer”, “Agriculture Technology Expert”, “User Interface Expert ( UI / UX)”.
In the more distant future, I expect professionals such as a “remote driver” to assist autonomously moving cars or a “robot trainer” to train, tune and optimize robotic systems for their effective application in certain industries will emerge. New professions related to green energy, climate change, new technologies in medicine, transportation, and many others will emerge.
The professions of the future will be related to everything that is not robotic work, i.e. repetitive action of the same type. More and more traditional occupations will be automated and optimized so that they become easier for the people who work them.
For example, if you are a cleaner, instead of cleaning by hand, you will operate machines and robots that clean. If you’re a builder, you’ll be managing machines and robots that do the hard work. If you are a driver, you will supervise and assist an artificial intelligence that drives for you. If you are a doctor, you will be assisted by artificial intelligence (a medical expert system) and receive advice, guidance, and instruction.
The skills of the future are related to solving problems, navigating an unfamiliar environment, using new technologies, and learning and adapting constantly. The most successful will be those people who are taught to learn, who are taught to think, and who knows how to adapt and live with the idea of change every day.
How do the new universities contribute to the provision of personnel for the professions of the future?
Through the comprehensive software engineer program, for example, we provide our thousands of students with the opportunity to learn from scratch current software industry professionals and start working with the skills they have acquired.
Every year we update the study specialties, plans, and programs and currently offer comprehensive training and specializations in the following areas: Java developer, JavaScript developer, C# developer, Python developer, software QA engineer, C++ developer, DevOps engineer, AI engineer, cybersecurity engineer. To date, in the IT professions related to programming, there are nearly 17,000 SoftUni graduates who have found employment in the labor market.
Through the comprehensive digital marketing program, our students master modern marketing principles and modern technologies and marketing tools in a digital environment: social networks, search engine marketing, marketing content creation, email marketing, marketing analytics, and more. 1,500 graduates have acquired a profession in the field of digital marketing and started working in this field.
The comprehensive program in design, creativity, and multimedia, named provides modern education and practical skills in the fields of design, computer graphics and animation, 3D modeling, visualization and animation, user interface design and user experience (UI and UX), and other related technologies with modern digital design. The graduates of our academy who acquired design skills and started working in the technology industry number 900 people.
Our private vocational high school for digital sciences is a modern school for the digital professions of the future. In it, students learn professions such as applied programming, cyber security, graphic design, animation, video, and digital arts, digital business and e-commerce, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship through a lot of practice and with a proven educational approach. Along with the compulsory academic subjects (mathematics, history, geography, physics, biology, etc.), specialized subjects in the chosen profession are studied in high school, starting from the 8th grade. During the five years in high school, students learn in-depth about the chosen profession and do internships and practices long before they graduate. High School is the best start in the digital professions of the future, right from school age. At the moment, over 8,400 students – future digital leaders – are being educated at the high school.
The Children’s Academy of Programming for Children and Design develops digital skills for children aged 1-6 grades. The training is present and exceptionally online for greater efficiency. The programs introduce students to programming, robotics, and design through interactive activities, game development, and multimedia projects.
In the educational ecosystem, we regularly conduct in-depth studies of the labor market and prepare forecasts for new trends so that we are always prepared with the appropriate training, which is led by proven practitioners, and so our students not only collect knowledge but are also truly prepared for the real work environment. It is proved by the tens of thousands who have already completed the educational programs and successfully realized themselves in the digital professions.
