Institute For The Future

People regularly ask me for career advice—What job should my son be applying for? What are the career tracks of the future? How do I keep growing in my field? With the economy in recession, these questions are not only on the minds of the transitioning workforce, but they are serious questions of the current and future student body.  

Last Sunday I presented some insights on Work Skills for the Future in a keynote at the National Council on Workforce Education Annual Conference. There are many drivers affecting the world of work, and the types of skills we will need to navigate that world successfully in the years to come. There are online staffing agencies that can organize teams in the cloud, like Elance. Freelancing opportunities abound, while stable 9-5 positions are becoming harder to find or transition through. I often use the example of the org chart from the gaming company Valve as a signal of the possible structure of new work environments. There are some very creative titles and work flows listed in their Handbook for New Employees (I particularly like their chapter heading “Welcome to Flatland”). 

While we can’t predict the categories of future jobs—in fact, do not believe anyone who tells you otherwise—it is helpful to think about the skills and proficiencies that will be useful in coming work settings. The research from the Institute for the Future on Future Work Skills 2020 is the model for my answer to friends, students, and anyone who asks for the advice of a futurist to navigate the working world. Don’t focus on job titles, career tracks or even stable professions. Instead, look at your own passions and the skills IFTF outlines, and see where to build on what you already have.