Quick Highlights:
- Two of the best careers for the future are in sustainability and robotics.
- Fields like business analytics and biomedical engineering are highlighted for their growth potential and relevance to current market trends.
- The careers emphasized are diverse and suggest a broad range of opportunities for future professionals.
- Knowing which jobs will be in demand in the future can help you make informed career decisions.
If you’re reading this, then you’re pondering these questions:
What field should I go into?
What are the best careers for the future?
What are the top degrees in demand for the future?
With so many careers to study, you want to narrow one down that excites you!
The job market has changed rapidly even in the past few decades, and like they say, “The only constant in life is change.”
For high school and early college students, finding a career that will deliver both personal satisfaction and financial security can be stressful.
However, young individuals also have technology at their fingertips, which offers an immense opportunity to explore different fields and job functions unlike ever before.
If you want to know which careers will set you up for personal and professional success for years to come, you’ve come to the right place. These top jobs for the future are technology driven, in high demand, and offer financial security.
Check out the 10 best careers for the future.
Related: Highest Paying College Majors
Top Careers of the Future
1. Sustainability
Our environment faces significant challenges, and they aren’t going anywhere. A degree program in sustainability or environmental science is among the best degrees to get for the future. A sustainability degree opens up a range of careers in areas like:
- Advocacy
- Policy
- Communications
- Public service
Students who graduate with an environmental degree enter the workforce with the knowledge needed to protect the environment.
Individuals who earn a degree in sustainability will study:
- business
- science
- law courses
- Additional emphasis is put on ways to manage resources and ethics.
As the threat of climate change worsens, sustainability careers in the United States are only expected to grow in the coming years. If you’re environmentally-minded, sustainability degrees can lead to some of the best jobs for the future.
Related: Best Undergraduate Public Health Programs
2. Robotics
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), about 146,000 new jobs are expected to be added to the architecture and engineering space between 2020 and 2030, which includes careers in robotics.
Why is robotics one of the best careers of the future?
Every aspect of modern life is being influenced by robotics including:
- healthcare
- civil development
- business processes
In healthcare, for example, anesthesia bots powered by artificial intelligence are being used to assist with surgery.
Oceanographers use robotics to help them map the watery depths where humans cannot travel. As space travel becomes more important, robotics are used in surveying the surface of foreign planets and engaging in exploratory missions.
Robotics also play a role in automation, where they help businesses reduce time spent on mundane tasks like data entry.
Individuals who work in robotics will likely study areas like:
- mechanical
- electrical
- software engineering
Related: Top Master’s in Computer Engineering
3. Healthcare
Healthcare will always be an in-demand field because we constantly need:
- well-trained doctors
- nurse practitioners
- physician assistants
- other medical professionals
Given the COVID-19 pandemic, along with an aging population, the public health sector will only grow over the next decade.
Individuals who choose to pursue work in a medical field have a wide variety of jobs to choose from. For example, they can work in a lab and study public health as a research analyst. They can also work as a physical therapist or team health services aide in an athletic setting.
Healthcare professionals can work with hospitals and directly interact with patients. Or, they can work with nonprofit organizations. They provide low-cost and free healthcare to individuals in their communities and around the world.
Healthcare professionals will always be needed. Healthcare is one of the best careers to study for the future.
Related: Best Online Bachelors In Nursing Degree Programs
4. Business Analytics
As long as there are businesses, business analytics will be an essential job. And as social media, e-commerce, and new technologies in software continue to rise, job growth in business analytics will remain high.
Business analytics majors are experienced not only in core business methodology but also in industry trends.
Those who pursue business analytics will study the best courses to study for the future:
- computer software
- math
- statistics
Students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business or entrepreneurship will also need strong communication skills to deliver information to business stakeholders.
Students may also decide to pursue a master’s degree in business analytics by receiving an MBA, leading to additional roles in business management and operations.
Related: Best College for Business Intelligence Degree
5. Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineering is one of the best careers to study. This is particularly for those who want to learn about the correlation between life that exists on the planet and cutting-edge engineering. Biomedical engineers focus on applying technology and medicine to make advancements in human health.
Biomedical engineers are at the forefront of creating lifesaving apparatuses such as artificial organs. A good example of this is the artificial kidney. This has improved the lives of more than 2 million individuals since its creation.
It’s easy to find a full time job in this field after graduation with a bachelor’s degree, simply because biomedical engineers are in high demand. The BLS says this industry is expected to experience a growth rate of 6% (faster than average) until 2030.
Related: Top Bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering
6. Biometrics
Another top job for the future is biometrics. Biometrics is the field that teaches individuals how to make devices that recognize living organisms.
A good example of this is the facial recognition system. Over the next few years, biometrics and biometric readers will replace conventional forms of identification.
They will also replace many of the passwords that individuals use on their electronic devices. Examples of this can be seen by smartphones, smart devices, and laptops that allow their owners to login using their fingerprint as a password as opposed to typing in a password manually.
According to the Grand View Research firm, the biometrics field will have job growth of nearly 20% by 2025.
Individuals who get a degree in biometrics can work in the design of the different biometric systems that security agencies use, or become security intelligence analysts. Overall, they have access to some of the fastest-growing jobs available today.
Related: Best Bachelor’s in Software Engineering
7. Forensic Science
Forensic scientists will always be needed, especially when it comes to using some of the modern technology that has been designed to investigate crimes. Forensic scientists use technology as a way to help them better examine and better understand evidence that is produced in cases.
Students who choose to study forensic science spend a good portion of their university time learning math and science, and the criminal justice system.
Forensic science is also becoming an increasingly digital field involving many technological advancements. There’s more need for skill sets in computer science and information systems. These professionals can provide software platforms for processing forensic evidence.
Related: Top Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Programs
8. Computer Game Design
Computer video game design is a field that is expected to continue to expand over the next few decades.
Designers must understand:
- complex mathematics
- animation, audio
- programming
Video game and computer game design is not just for entertainment. There’s also job opportunities in safety and military training game design. Software developers can create simulated, augmented reality, and virtual reality games. The teach firefighters, military personnel, and other first responders on how to react during an emergency.
It is estimated that by 2025, the video game market is going to reach $268.8 billion worldwide. This means that this is an area where the potential for growth is unlimited.
Related: Best Video Game Design Degree Programs
9. Petroleum Engineering
In recent years, advances in technology have made it possible for oil companies to retrieve oil from shale formations that just a decade ago could not be tapped. Because of this, petroleum engineers are in high demand. This growth rate of petroleum engineering is supported by the fact that more than half of the current petroleum engineers working plan to retire within 10 years.
Petroleum engineering brings with it salaries that start in excess of $100,000 annually. Individuals who graduate with a degree in petroleum engineering will be able to pursue a career path as:
- drilling engineer
- production engineer
- reservoir engineer
Petroleum services managers oversee operations at different stations. This provides an opportunity for management in the field. With plentiful job openings, these are some of the best jobs for the future.
10. Cyber Security
Every single year there are new major attacks on computer systems around the world. For this reason, governments and large companies are aggressively doing what they can to protect their computer systems. This includes revamping their cyber security goals.
The Internet of Things has increased the number of people who work and communicate online in the digital world. This means that more cyber security professionals are needed. In addition to jobs with the government, individuals who understand cyber security will find jobs at:
- healthcare firms
- energy firms
- any form of security firm
Students who work in cyber security must understand how to lift the hood of computer programs and understand how and why certain programs operate to understand potential weaknesses. The cyber security field holds some of the most promising jobs of the future.
Related: 5 Best Bachelor’s in Information Systems Security
Choose the Best Careers for the Future
It’s important to consider the future outlook of a career path when you’re deciding on a major. The best jobs for the future boost:
- long-term security
- innovation in the job sector
- potential for high earnings
When you have a clear idea of which jobs will be in demand in the future, you can make a more informed decision that’ll help you as a new college grad later. For more information and support on preparing for college and the future beyond, visit CollegeRank.