The world’s economy is changing rapidly. The COVID-19 pandemic has driven people indoors to work-at-home employment and other types of jobs where they are not dependent on an employer. Many jobs including repetitive, production-line manufacturing jobs and service jobs have been replaced by machines and artificial intelligence while the demand for other skills like robot trainers and big data analysts has grown.
A number of professions are requiring re-skilling and many employers are trying to meet workers’ demands by reconfiguring the job descriptions in a way that allows the workers to work remotely from home.
Many industries including food services, transportation and tourism have suffered during the pandemic while others such as cleaning services, the gaming industry, delivery services, grocery stores, used car sales and home, telehealth and behavioral health services have not only weathered the pandemic but are actually thriving.
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Work From Home Facilitator
With the increase in people working from home comes a demand for people to coordinate those work-from-home positions. Tech companies such as Quora, Twitter, GitLab and Facebook have already created a job description that tasks someone with ensuring the quality of work done by people working remotely from home and other companies have begun to follow suit.
The facilitator is responsible for keeping remote workers on the same page as in-office employees, both those who work from home a few days a week and those who work from home full-time. S/he must have the background to coordinate work schedules and projects, make sure that all workers have access to needed technology, hardware, software, communication tools and information and data to allow them to do their work efficiently and effectively.
Companies hiring WFH facilitators will be looking for an individual who is familiar with the company and company organization can demonstrate an ability to oversee organization-wide integration projects, has strong inter-departmental collaboration skills, possess a good understanding of digital technology and can select, assess and budget for digital communication tools as needed.
Gaming Design and Development
The gaming industry has seen a huge increase in engagement during the pandemic and that growth is expected to continue even after the pandemic subsides. From the spring of 2020 when the pandemic hit until today, gaming has demonstrated that it is one of the most popular activities. User engagement and spending have increased by double-digit percentages in all sectors of the gaming industry from social media gaming to playing video games to online casino gaming.
Game design, development and publishing companies are already starting to search for new talent in fields such as game design, animation and other art audio engineering, translation and interpretation, testing, tech support and software development and computer programming.
Each specialty comes with its own set of skills but increasingly, colleges, universities and community colleges are offering courses and degree programs that will provide potential industry workers with the required knowledge and skill sets.
Smart Home Design Manager
As our homes become more tech-enabled, smart home design managers are increasingly in demand to help coordinate the various smart home devices and make sure that the devices are synchronized with the owner and with each other.
Smart home devices include devices for home entertainment, smart lighting, appliances, utilities, blinds, surveillance cameras. Home sensors, door locks, garage door openers, eco-friendly products, window controls, voice recognition/activated products, remote controls and apps.
A smart home design manager will coordinate the various products to make sure that they function in tandem with one another. In addition, the design manager will be responsible for making sure that everything is installed in a way that keeps the family safe and secure.
Cybersecurity
There are already many unfilled cybersecurity roles in the United States and observers expect the field to open even more in the coming years as online hackers continue to menace companies’ digital security. Companies with job descriptions for positions of managers, analysts, consultants, software engineers, systems engineers, network engineers penetration testers and vulnerability analysts are all reporting openings worldwide.
Many of the job openings are for in-company jobs where the company wants someone in-house who can respond to breaches and help employees deflect hacking attempts. An IT security manager may be responsible for numerous tasks including for installing, administering and troubleshooting security protocols, staff trainings, writing up security policies and more.
Requirements vary but generally include having a background – either hands-on or through coursework – in digital security. Some job descriptions require advanced education but not all – there are online courses that you can take that give you the outline of much of the information that you would need to know for a job like, for instance, a cybersecurity specialist. For other jobs like a chief information security officer or a cybersecurity engineer, you would almost certainly be asked to show a Bachelor’s Degree.
Sport Therapist
If the pandemic taught us one thing, it’s that sports entertainment is something that most people aren’t prepared to forgo. During the pandemic lockdowns of 2020 the news focused heavily on which sports teams were postponing games, which seasons were cancelled and when sports fans could expect to see their teams on the field. eSports viewership skyrocketed and esports became a recognized sport worldwide.
Sports continues to grow on all levels and so does the need for sports therapists. Sports therapists examine and assess injuries and plot out a course of therapy and exercise to help the injured athlete recover. They treat and manage injuries, rehabilitate injuries through manual therapy techniques, work on strategies to alleviate pain and focus on therapeutic modalities as needed.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career as a sports therapist, you can almost certainly find a job. You need an undergraduate and graduate degree as a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) to join the Society of Sports Therapists from one of the society's partner universities and complete a residency or fellowship program.
