A new study by Kaspersky Lab asked students what they thought about their future careers post-university, and 40 per cent reported that they believed they were preparing for jobs that don’t even exist yet.
Advancements in technology mean that jobs are changing all the time. Even traditional roles in medicine and agriculture are constantly evolving to adapt to the technology they have come to depend on. Just some examples of the jobs today’s students are gearing up for are:
- Tele-surgeon: Surgeons will no longer need to be directly in the operating room; instead, they’ll be operating intelligent machines remotely without laying a finger on their patients.
- Human/Robot Interaction Specialist: If robots are expected to work and live alongside humans, they’ll need to be taught how to interact with the intricacies of human emotions, and humans will need training on how to effectively communicate with a machine.
- Augmented Reality Architect: Augmented reality enhances experiences by mapping virtual images onto real ones. Augmented reality architects will be able to virtually map 3D models of a building onto the space it will stand in to see better than ever how it will fit into the surroundings.
- Smart-home Developer: A smart home requires an ecosystem adapted to the owner’s habits, needs, space and family dynamics. Creative developers will need to develop systems and algorithms that adapt to a huge variety of unique household set-ups.
- 3D Printed Fashion Designer: Clothes will be increasingly computer generated, revolutionising the manufacturing process. The 3D designer will need to design items that can be created by machines in their complete form.
Steve Sully, Associate Director from global recruitment agency Robert Half Technology said: “It’s surprising that only 40 per cent of students thought their careers didn’t yet exist, as nearly all careers in their current forms will change exponentially in the next 20 years as technology and industry 4.0 – and especially AI – revolutionises the world of work and skills in demand s. Adaptiveness and lifelong learning is key, so students should always consider how their transferrable skills could map across any career path they end up choosing.”
Underpinning all of these future jobs, which will be entirely reliant on technology and connected systems, will be the requirement for cybersecurity specialists.
Eugene Kaspersky said: “Cybersecurity is crucial today and will be even more so as technology becomes the main facilitator for these future jobs. From patient safety to protecting humans from AI gone awry, security needs to be factored into all technological processes, as the bad guys will continue to attempt to exploit the opportunities created by an increasingly connected world. Currently there’s a real skills shortage in the sector, so I urge students to consider entering this critical industry.”
Kaspersky Lab is encouraging students to be creative when thinking about how to secure ourselves against the threats of the future with its new student competition: The Secur’IT Cup. The competition is open to students from all over the world and from any academic background. Participants have the chance to win $10,000, as well as benefit from competing alongside like-minded students and building an understanding of what it is to work in the industry. The work streams this year aim to solve problems that just a few years ago seemed like problems of the future, but that for today’s technology and industry are very much a reality:
- Connected health – secure connected machines tele-surgeons use for critical operations from malware and compromised control.
- IoT – the smart home ecosystem will need to be secured against the threats caused by weaknesses allowing a hacker into a network.
- Personal safety – creating strong and ethical rules for human-robot interactions will be one of the most crucial jobs of security experts to ensure the safety of the robots as much as of the humans.
Patimat Darbisheva, one of last year’s finalists who worked on a project aimed at preventing industrial espionage, said of the competition: “Participation in the Secur’IT Cup gives you an opportunity to get experience in solving interesting, real world tasks that cross over into different fields and areas of expertise. It allows you to apply your skills in practice, even if you are lacking in technical experience. It’s not even necessary to have in-depth knowledge or experience in IT as the competition is more about having an open and curious mind, being able to solve problems and, crucially, presenting it all beautifully! The whole exciting atmosphere of the competition really helped me believe in myself and I loved meeting so many new people from so many different backgrounds and places in the final.”
For more information about the Secur’IT Cup, including how to enter and the prizes on offer, go to: secureitcup.kaspersky.com
