At this stage of the century, new technologies are not so new and the professions of the future are not the future. At least this is the message that emerges from a recent article published by the adviser to the European Commission in digital competences, Silvia Leal, in which this ICT expert has selected the jobs that will arise thanks to technological progress.

Leal, who in 2014 had already indicated that Europe would be needing 850,000 jobs in the technology sector, recalls that according to a study by Oxford University in the aftermath of the digital tsunami, 47 % of current employment will disappear within one or two decades, and 90 % of the professions that remain will undergo some type of transformation and will require the acquisition of new skills.

However, the panorama ahead is not as dull as the data may suggest. On the contrary, unprecedented opportunities will become available to those who are committed to e-renewal, to young people who dare to embark on exploring and driving change. Leal mentions eleven job opportunities for young people:

-Analysts and Programmers of the Internet of Things
300,000 specialised professionals were working on the Internet of Things in 2014. However, this figure will have to be multiplied by 15 by 2020, according to VisionMobile projections for Richmond University. Anything that can be subjected to monitoring and automation can interact. This will be the core principle on which cities and homes are built in the future. Leal says that experts with knowledge in analytics, programming and logic will be needed to exploit the development of these technologies.

-Architect of new realities
Augmented reality is expected to generate 110,000 million euros in 2020, according to the forecasts of the specialized consultant, Digi-Capital, compared to the 4,500 million anticipated for 2016. Therefore, there will be a need for professionals specialising in video game development, sociology and psychology, whose training includes programming, gamification, virtual reality and augmented reality, combined with notions of humanities.

-Data Scientist
This field requires professionals with analytical, programming and logic skills. People trained in mathematics or statistics, who specialise in applying their knowledge to new technologies.

-Custom organ designer
About 70,000 people are on waiting lists for organ transplants in Europe, according to the European Commission. Unfortunately, many die before they receive an organ. However, 3D printing is already being used to make simple organs (such as bladders) and it will soon be making more complicated types. Therefore, professionals in the field of medicine are needed to help consolidate this technology and, above all, to make it available to all.

-Engineer in robotics
Robotics will generate a global turnover of 75,000 million euros in 2020 according to Merrill Lynch. This is the result of the evolution in the costs of robotics, which has fallen in the last decade by 27 % and is expected to fall an additional 22 % in the following decade, and to advances brought about by technological improvements in silicon chips, sensors and computing. This field will require a type of professional with knowledge in engineering and computing capable of developing robots with dynamic stability, intelligence and that can empathize with the people who need them.

-Neural networks and artificial intelligence designer
For this industry to develop, we shall need people who specialise in how our brains function, in the technology required to replicate them artificially, and for such progress to have specific applications and uses.

-Artificial empathy therapist
The arrival of robots to therapies and surgeries will require people with knowledge of psychology, sociology, psychiatry, and, of course, programming and technological skills.

-3D printing experts
3D printing offers entrepreneurial opportunities that would have been unthinkable until recently. However, its capacity to transform many fully-consolidated traditional business models is surprising.

-Robotic prosthetic
Each year, thousands of people around the world suffer spinal cord injuries. The design of mechanical exoskeletons and robotic prostheses opens a huge field dedicated to providing people who have lost limbs with prostheses that are fully functional and controlled by the mind. This means that professionals with knowledge in robotics, 3D printing and biology will be required.
Medical nanorobot engineer