5 weird jobs that will be needed in 20 years

Computers will replace accountants, drones will replace taxi drivers, there are too many economists and lawyers. What specialties will be at the peak of popularity two decades later? What to prepare children for so that after school they will not be out of work?

We took the Atlas of Future Professions prepared by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the Skolkovo Business School as a benchmark: it contains about 100 professions that will be in demand in 15-20 years. However, specialists in some of them are sorely lacking even now. For example, here are five professions that are very interesting and strange for today’s us.

Who is this? Biotechnologists are specialists who develop new types of drugs, food products, perfumes, cosmetics, fuels, and building materials. Moreover, all this is made from living organisms, including fuel and building materials. It is on biotechnology that the stake is placed in the fight against cancer and other diseases, and it is biotechnologists who can save humanity from the garbage problem by creating a biodegradable analogue of plastic.

How can you prepare? Biotechnology is an interdisciplinary industry, that is, it combines the tools of different sciences. Primarily organic chemistry and biology. Accordingly, they should be studied. Boring? Yes, these subjects are often taught in a rather boring way at school. But if the teacher not only told, but also showed experiments, there is nothing more exciting than experiments! But there is additional education. For example, on the program “World of Henkel Researchers” children playfully conduct laboratory experiments and learn the basics of chemistry and ecology. The most important thing is that the guys learn to independently put forward hypotheses, think over the course of experiments and analyze the results, as real researchers do. These are the skills that future biotechnologists will need, from which society expects new discoveries and breakthroughs. By the way, some experiments can be done at home. And you can start from the age of eight.

Who is this? The planet – or rather, humanity on the planet – needs to be saved. Melting permafrost, the Pacific garbage patch, pollution – these are all long-term problems that need to be addressed. And having solved them, you need to prevent repetition or the occurrence of similar ones. This will be the task of engineers working with environmental disasters, real superheroes of the 2020st century. According to forecasts, they will appear even before XNUMX.

How can you prepare? You can get closer to this specialty through an in-depth study of geography, biology, chemistry. But school subjects alone are not enough. The child also needs to be introduced to the discipline of “ecology” and the principles of sustainable development. Here, joint classes with parents, as well as documentaries or films on the topic, are suitable. Even a thoughtful watching of WALLY or Lorax cartoons, for example, will help children to understand the question. In parks and other urban spaces in the summer, master classes and lectures on ecology are often held, where they explain the importance of recycling waste, reducing emissions into the atmosphere, etc. It is best to devote time and attention to such events, at the same time it will be possible to diversify summer vacations. In addition, the new knowledge will be useful for the child in everyday life, if he nevertheless chooses a different vector of development.

Who is this? Human life is more and more outside the Earth. And very soon the word “cosmonaut” will not be enough to cover the entire spectrum of specialists working in outer space. One of the in-demand professions of the future involves the search and extraction of minerals on the Moon and asteroids – geology on space objects.

How can you prepare? Astronautics fascinates children much easier than adults. In order for dreams to ever turn into reality, this hobby should be supported – for example, by reading the Roscosmos blog or astronauts together, going to thematic museums. In the school curriculum, special emphasis should be placed on physics, geography, mathematics. Moreover, it would be nice if this knowledge was presented in an accessible and interesting form. You should start learning programming and robotics as early as possible, for this there will be enough good online courses and suitable toys. In addition, one should not forget about physical preparation – at the school stage, the habit of doing exercises every day and going for a swim will be enough, which will not only maintain health, but also train the vestibular apparatus.

And experts also argue that soft skills or supra-professional skills will be of no less importance for professional success in the future. These are systems thinking, sociability, the ability to act in conditions of uncertainty and multiculturalism – one should also not forget about the education of these qualities.

Who is this? Technologies and arts are often opposed to each other, while history itself shows us: new scientific discoveries and inventions develop art, replenish it with new genres and directions. When the camera appeared, some doubted that this device could become a creative tool, others began to fear for the existence of painting. Ultimately, photography not only did not supplant fine art, but contributed to the emergence of new trends in it. The same process is happening today, but with other inventions. Gradually, it appears and is formed as a separate direction of science-art – a symbiosis of science and art. Its adherents create art objects using the latest scientific achievements and discoveries.

How can you prepare? You need to learn to understand art, understand and love it from a young age. The mere name of the profession science-artist implies that a specialist must be grounded in both the exact sciences and art. Take your child to exhibitions, performances and concerts and at the same time pay attention not only to classics, but also to modern art objects. Study at home or in special children’s courses in the history of arts, music and theater, devote as much time to the XNUMXth and XNUMXst centuries as to the Renaissance or Enlightenment. At the same time, study science and make the class fun. You can focus on simple yet entertaining home experiments that are easy to replicate at home. For example, try making a non-Newtonian fluid. All she needs is starch and water, but she’s overwhelmed with fun and inspiration! Read popular science magazines and blogs with your child, discuss new achievements and fantasize about what you could do with their help.

Who is this? Good deeds are a rapidly growing trend. Charity takes on more and more forms: anyone can subscribe to a monthly donation, transfer a large amount to the foundation, give a friend a donation certificate instead of a material gift. People more and more often take the initiative themselves and do not just make a one-time contribution to clear their conscience, but direct their efforts and resources towards solving a certain problem that worries them. And it is increasingly difficult for large, clumsy organizations to fulfill such frequent and varied requests. A more flexible and personalized care platform is needed now. Such platforms will help people who need help, find those who are ready to provide it – a kind of social network. By the way, in the west there is already something similar – the GoFundMe website, where they collect money for a variety of things, from urgent operations to gifts for children.

How can you prepare? To become a moderator of such a platform, you need to have knowledge in the field of sociology, as well as be savvy in IT. Discuss new technologies with your child, find interesting programming courses for children, follow the stars of this industry. It is important to delve deeper into the field of charity, tell the child why it is needed, and show how it works. Look for the whole family for “kind” projects that you like the most – donate things and toys to an orphanage, visit a shelter for homeless animals, read about various social assistance projects. Show that charity is not always about donations. This can be physical assistance, unnecessary things, or even just like on social networks.