One of the hot reports circulating the IT world comes from the US Department of Labor. A federal government report that’s hot? Seems like an oxymoron. Nevertheless, lots of IT gurus are quoting it, zeroing in on the bald statement that 65% of today’s schoolchildren will eventually be employed in jobs that have yet to be created.
What does one do with such an extraordinary prediction? The Computer Business Review reaches the stunning conclusion that the career market is changing quickly. We didn’t know that?
What seems incomprehensible is that experts are using the report as a springboard to encourage IT workers to embark on careers related to big data, social media, the Internet, and 3D printing. All good suggestions. Because those fields are in demand right now. Interactive websites and social media are increasingly important for business success. The huge amount of data being generated means that analytics has become a core part of IT. 3D printing is poised to revolutionize everything from spare parts to spare rations. So pursuing those fields is a sensible course of action. For now.
But if we believe the Labor Department report, the jobs of the future haven’t been created yet. How can you be trained for something that doesn’t even exist? It’s like asking an architect to design a building with materials that have yet to be invented – or even imagined.
Obviously, you can’t train for a nonexistent job. But you can remain flexible. You can keep up with changing fields and be ready to re-invent your career as the need arises. Of course, this advice isn’t new. IT workers have long known that the success of their careers depends on their ability to adapt to new technologies. The Labor Department report just confirms the prudence of that strategy.
Want to draw your own conclusions from the Labor Department report? Read it for yourself. You will find all eight parts, appendices, endnotes, tables, charts, and boxes at: http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/herman/reports/futurework/report.htm.