The world is changing and so are the career opportunities available to us. Up to 30% of existing roles will become automated within the next 15 years, says a report by the consultancy firm PwC. This leaves the workforce facing a real dilemma – stay where you are, or swap career paths?
A role in the technology profession is a great way to secure your future earnings and here’s why:
New Jobs
Technological advances are wiping out steady jobs of old, allowing companies to hire less and earn more. Supermarkets are no longer needing to hire as many cashiers, with self-scan tills becoming a convenient and quick alternative. Manufacturers are also under threat, with an estimated 1.2 million at risk of losing their jobs. Even surgeons are seeing their roles being overtaken by a robotic surgical system.
However, with such advances, a new wave of opportunity has been created. “Automating more manual and repetitive tasks will eliminate some existing jobs but could also enable some workers to focus on higher value, more rewarding and creative work, removing the monotony from our day jobs,” says John Hawksworth, PwC’s chief economist.
A study looking at the last 140 years states that technology has created more jobs than it has destroyed. Although certain roles are no longer in demand, the amount of new opportunities that have arrived due to new developments is soaring – and appears likely to continue to do so.
Flexible Working
Gone are the days when a set shift pattern was seen as a luxury to employees. Millennials now make up over one-in-three of the workforce and bring with them the ideology that flexible work schedules make you happier.
Business magnate, Richard Branson, is quick to acknowledge this necessity and fully expects this to take a firm hold on the working environment. He believes that offering flexibility attracts employees and encourages them to ‘stay and fulfil their potential’.
“Hopefully that’ll be the world of the future,” he says. “That’s something we’re working towards. Trying to get more flexibility in the workforce generally.”
A role in technology normally offers exactly that. With round-the-clock attention so often required, the chance to avoid the nine-to-five regime is high for anyone in the tech world.
Remote Working
Alongside a flexible work pattern, the chance to work remotely is a real incentive to join the technology brigade. A recent salary survey by tech recruiters, Anderson Frank, shows that over half of respondents in a permanent position currently spend part of their working week working away from the office environment. Data also showed that 80 per cent of contractors in the industry complete their tasks completely remotely.
This helps to eradicate the stress, wasted time and inconvenience the dreaded commute to an office encounters. With the amount of working hours increasing, avoiding the idol time spent recruiting can help to keep the work/life balance at a happy median.
David Nimmo, a senior software engineer at Click Travel, insists he is much more productive since changing to solely remote working. “I don’t set an alarm anymore. I just wake up whenever I naturally wake up, have a shower, and then go to work, and this has had a very positive effect overall,” he says.
“I’m much more productive [working remotely]. And from there, it just makes sense, right? If I’m more productive working from home, and I don’t have to spend hours per week commuting, why would I not want to do that?”
Salary Potential
Money makes the world go round – fact. With pay in the tech industry ranking considerably higher than the national UK average, it’s clear that the industry is a good place to if you are motivated by your salary.
According to CW Jobs’ salary checker, the average annual wage for a tech professional has risen by nine percent in May 2017 to £62,500. With the average UK employee taking home £26,955 in the 2016/17 tax year, the significant difference holds a job in the tech industry as a very promising proposal.
Variety
The tech world has a vast number of roles. Currently, popular areas of the profession include software, communications, high-tech manufacturing, and computer-related services. Constant updates and advances are allowing industries across the board to introduce roles which were never previously available.
This has allowed people to connect their passions to the world of technology, leading to a happier work environment. Whether you’re a problem solver or have a creative mind, there’s plenty of opportunities out there in tech roles.
Because of the fast pace that roles are evolving, a tech position also means that two days are never the same. The monotony of routines of old are quickly evaporating and with it, dull days are becoming few and far between.
So yes, the world is changing – a career in tech is your chance to change with it. Ride the wave of technological progression and enjoy it. If you’re caught out by change then you could see that job you once dreamt of fading away.
With a tech profession, although there’s no guarantee, your skills are more likely to be more in demand as the years creep by. Evolve with the roles technology can provide and you will hold a better chance of realising your potential.
