If you’re looking for a job or a career that you can join now so that you don’t have to worry ever again, then there’s some bad news. I don’t think there is any such future-proof job. Every job will be under some sort of pressure in the future. And we don’t know how most jobs will change over time or what kind of new jobs will come up as a result of the changing times.
But the good news is that people have feared job losses at a massive scale many times before and every time, new technology has only added more and newer jobs! So there’s no need to worry about the future.
Instead of looking for future-proof jobs, it will be easier to become future-ready. Then you’ll be able to not just survive but flourish, irrespective of what the future has in store for you.
What will you need to be future-ready?
Skills: This 2016 article by the World Economic Forum lists the skills needed to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution e.g. complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, decision making etc.
Mindset: Having the right mindset is even more important than acquiring skills right now. A growth mindset will drive you to pick up whatever skill you’ll need.
Practice: Get more comfortable with throwing yourself in at the deep end. If you actively seek challenges where you know you’ll fail, you’ll keep expanding that comfort zone of yours.
Purpose: Find a purpose for your life. It may sound very philosophical and not connected to the question. But if you can find a purpose for your life, it will be much easier to use the conditions at hand to serve your purpose.
People have solved these problems already. We don’t have to find new ways to solve them. We just need to find time and a deliberate system to work on them and get better. That’s what will put you on the path to future-readiness. It’s a journey, not a destination because the future will always be a moving target. And you will need to keep adapting to stay future relevant. If you’re looking for a system, you can check out the FutureStack, from CTQ Compounds that helps you stay future relevant. (Disclosure: I’m a co-founder of CTQ. CTQ Compounds is a CTQ venture.)