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The world is ever in flux, but it feels like even more so these days, where change comes quicker than in the past. The internet and all the technological advancements of the past couple of decades — particularly the smartphone — have fundamentally changed the world, forever. Because so much money has been directed towards the tech companies, who have then been able to change the fundamentals of how we live, we’re soon going to see big changes in the working world. Indeed, somewhere in the region of 40% of jobs could be lost in the coming two decades! The good news, however, is that new jobs will be created too. If you’re looking forward and thinking about what you might do for your career, then it’s advisable to, you know, think about whether it’s going to exist in the near future.

But who wants their job to just exist? When you’ve got the whole world open to you, you could select to work in an industry that’s going places, one that’s going to be among the leading industries in the world. You might have a sense of what they are now, but what are they going to be in the future? We take a look at a few that will soon be big players.

Everything Connected

It would be wrong to suggest that the Internet of Things (IoT) is going to be big in the future, because it’s already pretty big now. There are more than eight billion items that are connected to the internet — that’s more items in communication with the web than there are people on the planet. But if that sounds a lot, then hold your horses — this number is going to triple in the coming couple of years. Soon, every daily item you could use will be connected to the web. Now, having your toothbrush store data about how much time you’re spending brushing your teeth isn’t all that exciting. The real power of the IoT will be felt outside of the home — it’ll help optimize traffic flow, for example, or help ensure that the roads are safe. If you’re excited about the potential of the IoT, then you might want to consider finding work in this industry, which could soon be worth some $11 trillion a year.

Home Printing

If you’ve never seen a 3D printer do it’s thing before, then you might want to find some simple 3D plans, get down to your nearest tech center, and see it in action. If you’ve got the 3D file, you can print hard to find tools in under an hour. No delivery, no waiting time, little cost. It’s pretty cool. At the moment, these printers are expensive, and the files that are available aren’t all that diverse. But there’s great potential in these printers, especially when they find their way into the home. Some experts say that in ten to twenty years, Americans will be able to print most household items. You won’t go to the store to buy a toothbrush — you’ll just get the plans, fire up the machine, and wait.

In the not too distant future, we’ll be printing everything — and by that, we mean everything. Your Christmas dinner will come from the printer (if you want it to). Everything that you would have previously visited the shops to buy — such as, say, clothes — will be made onsite, to your own specifications. It’s hard not to get excited about such a thought! If you don’t want to work in this field, then you may consider investing in it. There are plenty of people who think that the value of these stocks are going to skyrocket, especially since in the coming years it’s possible that every American home will have one. It could be like investing in the telephone way back when.

Healthcare Advancements

The advancements we’re making in the world of healthcare don’t always get as much credit as they should. There have been gigantic strides forward over the past few decades. It’s worthy of celebration! Looking forward, we’re going to see even more advancements, ones that take humankind to the next level in their battle with the old age nemesis – Mother Nature. There are some people who say that we’re not all that far away — perhaps just decades away — from achieving longevity escape velocity, which means, in short, that people don’t die. Now, it’s best not to get too excited about that prospect, but it is something that is at least out there as a non-ridiculous concept, which is the first step.

In the immediate future, we’re going to see better treatments, prevention methods, and services made available to patients. Things like wearable tech, gene editing technology, and artificial intelligence (more on that later) will all transform the face of healthcare in the coming years. While it’s always a good idea to enter the healthcare field, now is a particularly exciting time, since there are so many huge breakthroughs just on the horizon.

Artificial Intelligence

There’s been a lot of debate about artificial intelligence in recent times, and with good reason — it’s not so far away from being introduced on a large scale, yet no-one is certain about the effects that it’s going to have on, well, the security of mankind. Several influential people – including Elon Musk – have warned about the dangers, which could involve the destruction of humankind as we know it. The other side of the coin is that it could truly liberate civilization. Things that could humans years to figure out could take AI a few minutes. In short, it could change the world exponentially for the better.

Renewable Energies

That the world needs to switch to more sustainable energy sources is obviously clear. The people know it, the governments know it, the people in charge of the companies who don’t want this to happen know it. While this switch might not be as quick as some people would like, it is happening — and with carbon emission targets to be met by countries around the world in the coming years, it’s only going to speed up.

As you can imagine after 150 years of infrastructure being based on non-renewable energies, this process is going to be a big one. They’ll need people to figure out how to power vehicles, homes, offices — everything, essentially. And we’re not quite there yet in terms of figuring out what’s needed, or how it’s going to be implemented, or how different areas will need different sources.

Decentralized Currencies

We’re talking about industries of the future, but one of the biggest changes that could happen is actually the death of the one that, technology companies aside, essentially rule the world — the banks. It’s possible that in the coming years, the banks, and traditional money, will be decentralized. This will have ramifications that extend far beyond what can be covered here, but essentially, it’ll mean capital (and thus power) more evenly spread out across the world, and a decrease in fluctuations between currencies.

Changing Travel

We already know that transport as we know it has to change. Individual transport in cars that run on fossil fuels, and which, of course, are prone to human error accidents, will likely come to an end in the next few decades as we see the emergence of self-driving cars. In cities, cars might be banned altogether in favor of mass public transport systems, and there’s also the possibility of high-speed train-style transport, like Elon Musk’s Hyperloop system, which is soon to be trialled in France.

Consuming Entertainment

Of all the big changes that have happened in the past, say, fifty years, the one that’s least talked about is how we consume entertainment. It wasn’t so long ago when the first video game was released, and now the industry is worth considerably more than Hollywood! Moving forward, we’re going to see the rise of virtual reality, augmented reality, and other immersive experiences. It’s also possible that television, in the traditional sense, will fall. On a much cooler note, the live concert experience will be transformed — they’re not so far away from creating CGI shows for artists who have longed pass away.

Conclusion

It has been a long time since the world stayed long for any meaningful period of time. Prior to the industrial revolution, you could say things were relatively stable — but it wasn’t out of choice, it’s just that they didn’t have the same tools to transform the world as we do now. With the rise of the internet — and all the collaboration and potential for productivity that it brought — the world began to move faster and faster. Now, we’re beginning to get into a space where several great shifts are going to come all at once. It’s not going to be a smooth transition moving from manpower to AI, from diesel to eco-friendly energy, but it is going to happen. The best way to make sure that you’re not caught in the crossfire is to find a position in an industry that’s going to be at the forefront of the change.