What are the best careers for the future? How will everything change? Is it possible to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow—today? Many of us would love to have definitive answers for these questions. But, of course, nobody can say for sure what the future holds. The best we can do is make educated guesses based on past and current trends. Still, even educated guesses can help us imagine some pretty astonishing possibilities.
Here’s one thing we know: Change will keep happening. America and the rest of the world will experience social, cultural, economic, environmental, and technological changes. Some of these changes can be foreseen (such as the likely impact of climate change). But many of them can’t be predicted. New challenges may arise without any warning. And “happy accidents” may lead to positive new discoveries that solve long-standing problems.
So predicting the best jobs for the future requires understanding that all kinds of variables will interact in complex and surprising ways. Many of tomorrow’s jobs will likely result from today’s scientific and technological advances. But most jobs of the future probably don’t exist yet, and a lot of them haven’t even been imagined. In fact, according to one estimate, almost two-thirds of today’s kindergarten students will eventually have occupations that don’t currently exist.1
Of course, many of today’s occupations will continue to be part of the future, but they’ll undergo changes just like everything else. And many occupations will transform into something entirely new—or disappear altogether. It’s a lot to think about, let alone visualize. After all, many of us have a natural resistance to change and uncertainty. We might feel a little too safe or comfortable with the status quo.
That’s why it can pay to explore and imagine career possibilities like the 51 listed below. They can reveal new paths forward or suggest ways that you may want to adapt in order to prepare for the future’s most interesting or plausible scenarios. Many occupational categories are already changing and overlapping with one another, which is a process that may accelerate. But don’t let that overwhelm you. This article will show you several good career options to start considering.
Wondering what will drive the demand for a lot of jobs? Some of the best careers of the future are likely to be good options because of:
- Biomedical advancements and ever-smarter machines
- Cultural, demographic, and economic changes
- Global challenges and crises
- The human drive to play and explore
Jobs That Already Exist
Many kinds of tradespeople and professionals are in high demand today and will probably continue to have great opportunities over the next few decades. Other kinds of workers are doing jobs on the leading edge of technology and cultural change. For them, opportunities aren’t widespread, but they could be very soon. The following examples represent several existing jobs that may be top careers for the future.
