What careers are future proof?

[9hdtvey54r]

I am thinking of retraining and wondering what careers do you think are future proof? I think the trades are e.g. plumber, electrician etc - any other thoughts? Thank you.

I've heard people say AI will replace teaching, but what that would look like, I don't know. If that means my 30 children each plugged into a laptop with tech that is good, new and maintained enough to meet their needs, then that's going to be pricey in itself. Plus someone to tell the children to sit down, stop hitting the computer or poking a pencil in the USB slot. I suppose you could have a member of support staff to remind them to go to the toilet, wipe their noses, change their nappies etc

If multi level hydroponic systems are ever developed, a computer looks after the needs of a plant. How much nutrient, light water etc…
Probably robots to harvest and plant too.

As is HR!

There are companies working on this and outcomes are surprisingly positive.

There was a Japanese company who developed care robots which many elderly people actually welcomed. They were reliably stable so far less fear of falls; they were fully present, not talking to colleagues or worrying about stuff at home; patients did not have to be naked before strangers. They felt safer and more dignified going through care routines in private.

Your concerns are certainly valid, but I think most of those issues could be detected with the right equipment. Care robots are coming and will be welcomed by lots of people. In an ideal world, we might find human care staff would have time to actually talk to their clients.

My husband receives care visits during the day while I'm at work. He would far rather that a machine was helping him stand, dress, wash and use the commode rather than having to do it all in front of others. He doesn't need anyone to talk to him. He's a private man who would prefer to do things independently and without the need for small talk while someone moves his penis.

As to patients whose behaviour challenges, it's probably better that they punch machines than people. No doubt there would be potential for different grades of robustness.

after a trip to physio with my child I came home thinkjng, now that’s a profession a robot couldn’t do. But when I googled to see if ai could take over physiotherapy I found an article saying a ai physio clinic had already opened in nhs fife

Anything in healthcare - medics, nursing, midwives, AHP’s.
Vets
Teachers / nursery staff
Swimming teachers / football coaches

These are exactly the sorts of profession that AI is coming for. Anything desk-based, knowledge reliant is vulnerable.

Healthcare pretty much guarantees a job but often not the type, pay level or location you want.
There’re hundreds of redundancies in each trust about to happen over the next year to balance the books.
My entire department of clinical staff are waiting to apply for our own jobs later this year. In some ways we’re “lucky” as they don’t plan to get rid of any staff as there’s such a shortage of our profession now (there’s been a 40% cut in training places at universities across the country in the past 5 years). However, the aging population and everyone living longer with multiple chronic conditions, means the demand for our work increases every year.
We’re facing a restructure so eg. instead of 3 x Band 7 we’ll have 1 x Band 7 & 2 x Band 6.
This is people who’ve been in the profession for 20-30 years with a vast amount of clinical experience. To be facing a downgrade (but the same work will still need done) and the prospect of not being able to afford to stay in your own house because of the increased cost of living plus partners facing the same job changes…..
I’m devastated and shocked how things can have got to this stage.
25 years ago is was very common for those in healthcare to have children following into the trade. I don’t know a single person in our profession who would recommend it now.

Those mentioning finance, data analysis, coding etc are underestimating how much AI is already encroaching.

You're right, of course, if the current 39-week/32 hour Monday-Friday model continues unchanged, and you carry on teaching in the way that you are required to do at the moment.

This model of education is Victorian and reflects the needs of the new industrial workers of that era. The overall school/academic year reflects an earlier medieval religious/agricultural calendar.

So, the structure of the school calendar has never really been about the needs of children. Now, it's completely outmoded and doesn't reflect the way many adults and families function in the 21st Century.

Now imagine an education system free from these constraints. A system based on the needs of the child, not the institution. A system with bookable holidays (imagine!) and flexible end-point assessments.

With creative thinking we could have a compulsory education system that fits around families, not schools, but delivers results and, most importantly, reminds parents of their duty to bring up their child.

Of course the unions will fight any change, but their self-interest means that they don't - and haven't as far back as I can remember - have the interests of teachers, children or parents in mind anyway.

OK, have a giggle at all of this ... but just imagine how it could be.

As I understand it these direct cremation companies use their own crematoria - they just have someone to collect the body from the scene of death / mortuary, take them to be cremated at their own crematorium and then have someone to deliver the ashes back. No need for local funeral directors, embalmers, pall bearers, crematorium staff etc

This is really interesting. I'm in the charity sector and have been considering studying accountancy but am being told its not future proof hence this post. It's an area I'm interested in and I like that I can stay in the charity sector but the skills are transferable, as you say.

They take the body direct from scene of death and cremate them??

Anyway a career involving the 'care' of the deceased is 100% future proof for the OP.

@9hdtvey54r have been considering studying accountancy but am being told its not future proof

I think that's partly true. I suspect the accountancy part (the technical bit of the job) will move over to AI, but you will still need people to run accountancy companies and (perhaps) offer bespoke services.

And many didn’t. I will always need a hairdresser

Dog walker/trainer surely cannot be replaced by ai

Hmmmm....I think this is going to go the way of department stores. Won't be long before Amazon deliver a casket to pop the deceased in, then deliver the ashes back to you (free if you have Prime).

Anyway a career involving the 'care' of the deceased is 100% future proof

Not many want to do that type of work though

No, neither would I, but the question was what careers are future proof. Only the OP knows what she actually wants to do.

Dog walking is not a job that many families / people can make a living off though, you would need to walk a hell of a lot of dogs and be doing it night and day to pay off most peoples mortgages and living expenses

I wouldn’t say design is coaching nor bullshit. Consultancy - potentially lol 😂 it’s pretty obvious stuff most of the time.

This is true. But still it is one that’s difficult to replace with ai. Just not a very lucrative career

The next significant phase will be how humans and AI/robotics integrate. Augmentation. Hybrids. It still seems a bit sci-fi now, but could and will develop rapidly. Our youngsters will know this world - if we've not already destroyed the planet.

Does anyone else wonder what the point of it all is?

Freight train driver