Study: University students are preparing for jobs that don't yet exist

Kaspersky Lab conducted a study asking students about their careers after graduating from university, and 40 percent said they thought they were preparing for jobs that don’t even exist yet.

Technological evolution also means that crafts are constantly changing. Even the traditional roles in medicine or agriculture are adapting to the technology they have come to depend on. Here are some examples:

Tele-Surgeon: Surgeons will no longer have to be in the operating room, but will conduct smart devices remotely without touching the patients.
Human-Robot Interaction Specialist: If we expect robots to work and live with people, we need someone to teach them how to interact with the labyrinth of human emotions, and people will need training on how to communicate effectively with a device.
Augmented Reality Architect: Enhanced reality overlaps virtual images over real ones, and virtual reality architects will be able to build 3D models of a building on the space where it will be built to better see how it will fit into the area.
Smart house developer: A smart house needs an ecosystem tailored to the habits, needs, space and dynamics of the owner’s family. Creative developers will need to create systems and algorithms that adapt to a huge variety of housing.
3D Object Designer: Clothes will be more and more frequently generated by a computer, revolutionizing the manufacturing process. The 3D designer will have to design objects that can be made entirely by devices.

Steve Sully, Associate Director at Global Recruitment Agency Robert Half Technology, said: “It’s amazing that only 40 percent of students have been thinking about careers that do not yet exist, because almost all professions in their current form will change substantially over the next 20 years as technology and industry 4.0 – and especially AI - will revolutionize the labor market and the skills it requires. Adaptation and lifelong learning are key elements, so students should always think about how their skills could be transferred to any career they choose.”

Support for all these future professions, which will depend entirely on connected technology and systems, will be the responsibility of cyber security specialists.

“Cyber security is crucial today and its importance will become even greater, as technology becomes the main facilitator of these future professions,” says Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky Lab. “From patient safety to protecting people from the artificial intelligence that might be crazy, security needs will be part of all technological processes, as” bad boys” will continue to exploit the opportunities created by a world that is more connected. There is currently a huge staff shortage in IT security, so I encourage students to consider the possibility of entering this critical area.”
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Kaspersky Lab encourages students to be creative when they think about how to shelter ourselves against the threats of the future with a new student competition: Secur’IT Cup. The competition is open to students from all over the world and in any field. Participants have the chance to earn USD 10,000, as well as understand what it means to work in this area. The themes aim to solve problems that a few years ago seemed to belong in the distant future, but with today’s technology are as real as possible:

Connected Health System – Connected devices that tele-surgeons use for mission-critical operations, secure against malware and compromise control.
IoT – the smart home ecosystem will need to be secure against the threats caused by weaknesses that would allow a hacker to enter the network.
Personal security – creating robust and ethical rules for human-robot interactions will be one of the most important tasks of security experts – for people’s safety, but also for robots to function properly.

Patimat Darbisheva, one of the last year’s finalists who worked on a project aimed at preventing industrial espionage, said about the competition: “Participating in the SecurIT Cup gives you the opportunity to gain experience in solving interesting and real issues, involving more fields and knowledge. It allows you to put your skills to work even if you lack the technical experience. You do not even need to have in-depth knowledge or experience in IT, because in this competition it is more important to have an open mind and curiosity, to be able to solve problems and to present everything nicely. The whole atmosphere of the competition has helped me to have more confidence in myself and I liked having met people with different backgrounds and coming from different places in the finals.”