In the last couple of months, we witnessed industries being shut, businesses filing for bankruptcy, and the unemployment level on an all-time high. Even major companies like Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, Air Canada, Sephora, and General Electric laid off thousands of employees.
This has made people rethink their career plans. It’s time to understand the cluster of “future-proof” careers.
Whether you’re a student looking to start your career or a working individual wanting to change your domain, here are the top 20 COVID-19 career trends to follow.
Top 20 COVID-19 Career Trends
1. Research
Right from the spread of COVID-19, the need for research analysts has increased rapidly. Be it doctors, scientists, economists, business analysts, or policy professionals. Everyone is relying on research to anticipate future needs.
It is anticipated that research’s importance is likely to increase significantly in a post-COVID-19 world.
However, to make a career in the research field, you will need an honors degree in your area of interest (physics, chemistry, medicine, etc.).
2. Cloud Computing
Cloud will become the backbone of every business in the future. By 2022, the public cloud services market exceeds $364 billion, up from $257.9 in 2020.
The primary reason for the growth of cloud services is that it is affordable, easy to implement, and highly scalable. With enterprises like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft working to improve their respective cloud services further, we can witness significant cloud computing growth post-COVID-19.
To get into cloud computing, it is essential to understand technologies, platforms, and multi-cloud environments (for an upper hand). It is also advisable to get industry training and certifications to increase your chances of success.
3. Content Marketing
The demand for content is increasing, especially after the lockdown started, and it doesn’t seem to slow down anytime soon. Most businesses now rely on content to reach their audience and convert them.
Content could be in any form, articles, blogs, social media posts, or video. Depending on your area of interest, start creating content and build your portfolio to attract potential employers.
However, content marketing requires you to show your creative side to benefit from your efforts.
4. Digital Marketing
With people spending more time at home during the lockdown, traditional marketing was replaced with digital marketing. Brands will likely continue to invest in digital marketing post-COVID-19.
If you are interested in digital marketing, now is the right time to learn and improve your skills. There are various aspects of digital marketing. You could master any of them and still never get short of work. It includes:
- Search engine optimization (SEO).
- Search engine marketing (SEM).
- Email marketing.
- Social media marketing.
- Pay-per-click advertising (PPC).
- Affiliate/Influencer marketing.
5. Cyber Security
With more and more companies adapting to remote working, the need for security has increased significantly. This year, there have already been multiple cybersecurity incidents, like the Cognizant ransomware attack that cost them $50-70 million and the Twitter Bitcoin hack.
As a result, the demand for cybersecurity experts has increased significantly. The best part? The demand is not going to decrease, not even in the future.
However, to start your career as a cybersecurity expert, you need extensive knowledge of how it works. You might even need to do a course in it.
6. eCommerce
Ever since the coronavirus pandemic started, eCommerce witnessed a 17% increase in sales. Besides, the return rate has reduced by 10-30%, depending on the category.
This shift in consumer habits is expected to stay long, even after COVID-19. Both B2B and B2C eCommerce growth rates will outpace earlier levels.
You can consider starting an eCommerce company or joining one (depending on what you want, job or business, and budget).
7. Insurance
As everyone is getting conscious about health, pandemics, natural calamities, and the need for social security, the insurance industry will become more important in the coming months.
Joining an insurance company would be the right choice for people who want a secure future. There are various ways to enter the insurance industry, depending on your degree, knowledge, and skill.
For instance, an insurance company needs IT knowledge to handle their website and back-end operations, salespeople to convert customers, and doctors to verify customers’ health.
8. Digital Payments
The increase in smartphones and higher internet penetration will drive the digital payments market’s growth. Governments across the globe are promoting digital payments.
Even major companies like Amazon have started moving towards digital payments (Amazon Payments Bank).
We can expect many employment opportunities in the digital payment sector across the globe in the coming months.
9. Online Education
Since the start of the lockdown, education was one of the most affected sectors. Schools and colleges were shut. Students were forced to move online to continue education.
In the coming years, traditional teaching standards will become a thing of the past. The primary reason for online education’s growth is the convenience and flexibility of both teachers and students.
If you are interested in teaching, you can consider joining online education platforms like Skillshare, LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, and Coursera.
10. AI Specialist
Amidst the pandemic, when millions of people have been affected by the novel coronavirus, websites, applications, and communications are required to operate 24×7. This makes it imperative to have an artificial intelligence (AI) specialist.
As per TeamLease services, the demand for new-age tech professionals, including AI specialists, would be 4.4 lakhs in 2020, while the supply is projected to be only 2.4 lakhs globally.
This gap clearly indicates that you can increase your chances of getting a high-paying job by specializing in AI.
11. Customer Service
As COVID-19 continues to impact the way businesses operate, strong customer service skills remain vital.
And, at this time, when everyone is stressed about the pandemic, making customers feel valued has become more important than ever. Customer service specialist is one of the top entry-level jobs right now. If you know how to foster customer loyalty, you will never be short of work.
The best part is that you don’t need any degree or certificate to enter the customer service industry.
12. Social Media Expert
With more than 3.6 billion people using social media in 2020, it has become a go-to place for businesses to promote their brand. Since the start of lockdown, people have started spending more time on social platforms, making it even more important for brands to use social media marketing.
If you can write or design compelling social media posts, you can easily get into social media marketing. However, to succeed in social media marketing, you will need a comprehensive knowledge of how it works (including social media ads).
You can also do a course on social media marketing. Sites like Udemy and Coursera offer courses at an affordable price, or you can choose to learn it for free from YouTube.
13. UX/UI Designer
As mentioned above, since the spread of COVID-19, people have started spending more time online. Besides, more and more retailers have begun shifting from offline to online.
During the pandemic, businesses have realized the importance of having an online presence. As a result, the demand for UX/UI designers has increased significantly. And it is not going to slow down anytime soon.
If you are interested in designing, you can consider getting into this field. Depending on what you prefer, you can work in a company or as a freelancer. The best part is that it is not a one-time thing. Most businesses keep tweaking their website design very often, so you won’t fall short of work.
14. Data Science Expert
Since 2012, there has been a 650% growth in the demand for data science professionals. By 2026, there will be an estimated 11.5 million new jobs in the data science field.
Besides, data science is one of the highest-paid careers in the world right now. The primary task a data scientist does may differ from company to company.
However, it is challenging to get a job as a data scientist without relevant certifications and experience. Thus, you might need to do a course in data science or join a university.
15. Big Data Professional
As a service market valued at $4.99 billion in 2018, Big Data is projected to reach $61.26 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 36.9% from 2019 to 2026.
Big data analytics is spreading steadily across sectors, including sales, marketing, research, logistics, and strategic management. Big data is a wide industry, and there are many career paths available for professionals, such as:
- Data scientist.
- Big data engineer.
- Big data analyst.
- Data visualization developer.
- Machine learning engineer.
- Business intelligence engineer.
- Business analytics specialist.
Depending on your interest and potential, you can consider learning big data and make a career in it.
16. OTT and Online Gaming
As people could not go out during the lockdown, they turned towards the entertainment industry to reduce stress. To be precise, OTT (over the top) platforms and online gaming.
When it comes to OTT platforms, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are the leaders, but there’s always a space for new and better platforms. In gaming, Fortnite, PUBG, and Call of Duty are the top games.
In the future, we can expect more openings in both OTT and online gaming sectors.
17. Robotics
Robotics is yet another industry that has seen a surge in demand since the spread of COVID-19. Hospitals are using robots to deliver medicines to coronavirus patients. Some are even using it to test people.
Over time, organizations will test and validate the implementation of robotics for public and personal uses. As a result, we can expect expansion at a large-scale level, from security to manufacturing plants and homes (for cleaning services).
18. Self-Care Industry
Before the pandemic hit the world, we were so busy in our daily lives that we forgot to treat our mind and body well. COVID-19 has shown us the importance of self-care during negative times.
As a result, more and more people have started consuming self-care content online. Motivational content, exercises, and healthy diets saw the biggest surge in consumption.
If you are into the fitness industry, now is the right time to create videos that help people stay fit and motivate them to lead a healthy life.
19. Video Creators
According to research, 80% of the world’s internet traffic will come from videos by 2021. Even people love watching videos every day. People watch one billion hours of videos on YouTube daily.
The numbers clearly indicate that video creators will be in demand even after COVID-19. Even most businesses across the globe are increasing their video marketing budget every year.
The best part about it is that you don’t need a high-end setup to create videos. Also, you don’t need a job to get started with video creation. All you need is an internet connection and a YouTube channel.
20. Transportation and Travel
During the lockdown, everyone was forced to stay in their homes and go out only when necessary. As soon as things start to get normal, people are likely to begin traveling (in fact, some have even started).
Countries across the world are slowly opening their borders for travelers and tourists. While the coronavirus is still a global threat, governments believe after months of restrictions. It’s finally time to restart normal life.
In the next few months, the transportation and travel sector will likely see an upsurge in customers (and revenue). If you are (or want to be) in the hospitality or travel industry, now is the right time.
Conclusion
COVID-19 has shown us the importance of having a stable and in-demand career. It ensures that you don’t lose a job during a pandemic or recession. The 20 career trends mentioned above are not going out of demand anytime soon. If you are interested in any of them, now is the right time to pursue it.
Did I miss any on-demand career? Which one are you most likely to follow? Let me know in the comments.
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