In the coming decades, many of today’s routine jobs are expected to become automated thanks to the coming together of developments in fields such as information technology, robotics and artificial intelligence. The STEM fields therefore offer immense opportunities in terms of jobs in different industries, and this is expected to be the case in the coming decades. Here’s a glimpse of some of the fields that are expected to see a boom:
- Regenerative medicine: Regenerative medicine is all about developing processes and methods to replace, engineer, regrow, replace or regenerate human or animal cells to restore normal function. This is going to be the next alternate medicine industry. It offers enormous research and development opportunities.
- Animal behaviour: The way animals interact and communicate is a growing field of study to understand feeding, mating and survival behaviour. The world currently faces many environmental issues that are impacting the planet’s habitat drastically. The field of animal behaviour offers several opportunities as an animal nutritionist, technician, physiotherapist, academic researcher, nature conservation officer, etc.
- Environmental engineer: This branch of engineering focuses on protecting and conserving the environment. Given that the world faces the threat of climate change and regular extreme weather events, the field of environmental engineering will offer many opportunities.
- Sustainability and climate change research: The biggest crisis our planet faces today is that of climate change. We are on the edge and the only way to save the world from doom is to shift to a sustainable way of living. But what does it take to have sustainable habitats and lifestyles that don’t stress the planet’s resources? Sign up for this relevant field of study to find out.
- Exploration geophysics: The Earth’s geology is mind-bogglingly diverse and fascinating. Underneath and upon the planet’s surface are natural wonders such as minerals, gas, oil. If you like to scratch the surface, then geophysics is the field for you.
- Digital forensics: Now that our lives are increasingly being lived in the digital realm, the world of digital identification, preservation, analysis, documentation, and presentation is finding a firm foothold. This up-and-coming field offers a broad range of career opportunities.
Robotics and nanosystems: The Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence are bringing automation and compact systems to every facet of our lives. Automated robots today find a range of applications including in factories, farm robots and even in housekeeping chores. These systems are expected to rein our lives in 2050, and so the time is ripe to opt for a research and development career in this field.