20 Top Jobs for the Future

Choosing a career path is one of the biggest challenges any of us faces in our lifetime. The choices you make early in life dictate the education and training you need, the qualifications you gain determine whether you enter your chosen field at all, and you then face several decades of tireless work to gain promotion and reach the top.

To avoid becoming obsolete over the 40-50 years of your working life, you need to think ahead and decide which professions, skills and disciplines you believe will be in greatest demand in 5, 10 and 25 years' time.

Of course it's possible to retrain and change careers later in life, but most people prefer not to return to university as a mature student. With that in mind - and in no particular order - here's our pick of the 20 top jobs of the future:

1. Energy Efficiency and Renewables

Renewable energy is a mature market but the technology continues to evolve and become more resource and energy-efficient. One major challenge of renewable energy is the carbon footprint and energy cost of initial manufacture.

This is a vastly broad field, requiring engineers to build more efficient wind turbine gearboxes, materials scientists to build strong yet lightweight turbine blades, electromechanical engineers to design the generators in hydroelectric systems, and so on.

Science and engineering skills are highly sought after anyway, so as renewable energy reaches maximum efficiency, you should find there is still plenty of demand for your expertise.

2. Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals

It's a simple fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has given many people newfound appreciation for the healthcare sector, from the doctors and nurses who treat patients, to the pharmaceutical companies who develop therapies and vaccines.

As the world recovers from Coronavirus, there will be much greater awareness of the risks of another pandemic in the future - and this is likely to increase demand for skilled healthcare workers and pharmaceutical researchers as we try to stay ahead of any future emerging viruses.

3. Architecture and Construction

A growing and ageing population, particularly in geographically small countries like the UK, presents challenges in terms of where we will physically live and work in the future. Architects and construction workers have the skills to rise to those challenges, by creating versatile, flexible residences and workspaces that make the best use of the land available.

Innovative construction techniques that allow building work to take place on brownfield land will also be required - and it may be that we see entirely new types of foundations used to elevate buildings in high flood risk areas, similar to those used in Venice.

4. Data Analyst

Big Data is not going away. As more corporations conduct their business online, the option to collect and collate detailed data about customers becomes increasingly tempting. Analysing this data is crucial to gain competitive advantage.

Future data analysts must be able to manage vast and complex databases, no longer containing siloed information from single sources, but cross-referencing the entire digital fingerprint of a customer across all the channels they use to contact a company.

5. Cyber Security

The counterpoint to Big Data is the risk posed by a significant data leak, which could compromise customers' usernames, passwords, contact details and, in extreme cases, credit card and bank account numbers.

As the potential value of data hacks rises in the coming decades - as it has already done in recent years - the number and scale of attempted hacks will only increase too. As such, skilled cybersecurity experts could find themselves at the very top of a 'name your price' career path.

6. Remote Chauffeur

Self-driving cars have been a growing trend in recent years as vehicle AI has developed to become more aware of road hazards and the streetside environment. However, traditionally a human operator must be in the vehicle to take control if the AI fails.

In 2018, the California DMV launched a trial using remote operators to take control of vehicles in an emergency, without being physically located inside the car. If this takes off, this kind of 'remote chauffeur' could be a much more common occurrence.

Remote drivers might remain a safety feature, but the technology could be commercialised in different ways - making the iconic Johnny Cab from Total Recall a reality within touching distance for those embarking on their career path in the 2020s.

7. CG Artist

CGI and VFX have become crucial roles in TV and film production, but at the start of the 2020s output has reached new heights, with movie-quality series produced by the major streaming platforms and CGI-driven blockbuster hits in cinemas multiple times per year.

As more of us stream on-demand cinematic series equivalent to a feature-length movie each week for three months, CG artists could find themselves in short supply, allowing the best to pick and choose which projects to work on, and at what price.

8. Mental Health Professionals

Physical health is not the only concern, and mental health is increasingly viewed on an equal footing. Yet health services around the world have far more doctors and nurses to treat physical ailments than counselors and psychologists to treat mental health problems.

As governments continue to tackle this disparity, mental health professionals will be needed in greater numbers. At the same time, it is likely advances will be made in the way we understand mental health conditions, leading to new opportunities for employment in the discipline.

9. Aircraft Maintenance

Fast, cheap air travel has made the world a global village over the past 50 years or so. In the next 50 years, we will see more efficient aircraft, perhaps using renewable energy such as solar wings to reduce carbon emissions and jet fuel consumption.

There will be an increased focus on maintaining these aircraft and their sophisticated flight and control systems, not to mention the renewable power systems built into them, and the discipline of aircraft maintenance will be much broader and in greater demand as a result.

10. Web Designers

More and more of our daily tasks involve interacting with a website or app in some way, and good design goes to the core of enabling those tasks to be completed without a problem. A well-designed app or website also maximises revenues and supports successful marketing campaigns.

Even more than is already the case, future web designers will need to develop sites that look great graphically, load fast and work smoothly behind the scenes, offer intuitive interaction and navigation, and generally optimise the user experience.

11. Plastics and Petrochemicals

Despite recent efforts, the world is not going to lose its obsession with plastic in the foreseeable future. Instead, there will be more focus on renewable plastics that biodegrade quickly if they are released into the environment as litter.

There is so much potential in the eco-conscious future of petrochemicals and plastics, and we are just at the start of this discipline as young, talented scientists embark on a carbon-friendly career path with better awareness than ever of the environmental consequences at stake.

12. Opticians, Optometrists and Ophthalmologists

Eyesight is important and with people spending more time looking at screens, especially as more of us work from home in the years ahead, it will become increasingly important to get regular eye tests and eye health check-ups.

More demand means more need for supply and/or higher salaries, making this likely to be a secure career path over the coming decades for qualified eye doctors of all kinds.

13. Higher Education Teachers

Teachers on the whole do not get the recognition (or remuneration) that they deserve, but at higher education level conditions do improve somewhat. As we move towards the middle of the 21st century, more technologically skilled jobs will mean more demand for graduates.

Again, greater graduate demand means greater demand for higher education teachers, including university lecturers and professors, as well as private tutors. We can only hope this feeds through into better appreciation for those with the knowledge of their specialist subject and the communicative skills to teach that knowledge to others.

14. Financial Analysts

Financial analysts bridge the gap between the massive amounts of data generated by the ever-changing stock markets, and the individual and corporate investors looking to generate the best possible return on their investments.

It's a desk job, which many people will find appealing, but it's also an extremely rewarding discipline for anyone with a head for numbers and an interest in investing. Stock markets tend to just go up and up over the long term, making this a career that should only get more valuable.

15. Speech Therapists

Clear and effective communication is a highly sought transferable skill, but it starts with the ability to speak clearly in childhood. In an increasingly mediated world, kids will need to be understood over telephone, microphone and webcam in order to prosper in remote careers.

Speech therapists play a crucial role in helping young people to overcome any abnormalities in their vocal development. If we continue along the current path of more people working from home and communicating digitally - not to mention voice recognition on electronic devices - speech therapists are likely to find themselves in demand.

16. Veterinarians

Veterinarians, better known to most of us just as 'vets', help keep the furry members of our families in good health. This has always been important and will remain so in the future, but there are reasons to think vets will see even more prosperous years ahead. That's thanks to societal trends including more affluent households with the budget to spend on keeping a pet - and keeping it in good health.

17. Statisticians

Statisticians work across all sectors to crunch the numbers and provide understandable insights to managers. From professional sports to financial services, statisticians see the world Matrix-style, combining a high IQ and masters-level education with detailed spreadsheets and computer tools to deliver results to their employer.

This is another job that thrives in the world of Big Data, and as we know, the amounts of data generated via day-to-day business activities will only continue to grow in the future, putting even more responsibility firmly on the shoulders of the most qualified statisticians.

18. Interim Managers

Businesses have always needed effective leadership, but the rise of global megacorporations in the 21st century has raised the stakes significantly. The world market is fast-paced, led by agile digital organisations with public shareholders who expect a consistent - and consistently increasing - share price.

Good succession planning is essential, but in the absence of a permanent replacement, interim managers can steer the ship until a new leader is found. Interims can also helm new departments or guide projects to completion, giving large corporations a little extra expertise at the top of the tree when they need it most.

19. Mobile Doctors

An ageing population means more people need medical care in their own homes. Remote medicine will become a significant element in treating patients in the future, with diagnosis via webcam or even using automated AI 'doctors' to recognise conditions based on inputting symptoms into a web page or app.

However, sometimes a face-to-face consultation is the only way to be sure. For this reason, there will be a likely increase in mobile doctors, perhaps using a model similar to Uber to allocate a doctor in your local area, working as an independent self-employed contractor.

20. Creative Roles

Creative roles are not always valued as highly as they should be, but they are unlikely to become obsolete in the foreseeable future. Even as AI evolves, it is difficult for machines to fully appreciate the emotional element of art, literature and even commercial disciplines like sales and marketing.

If you have creative talent and you are able to monetize that talent now, it's very likely you will find your skills required throughout your life, especially if you are able to build a reputation, portfolio or proven track record.