There’s a whole lot of talk right now about jobs. What jobs are coming in. What jobs are going out. How much money those jobs are going to be paying. How competitive the markets are going to be. But there are a few industrial trades that are going to be safe no matter what. So if you’re looking to approach your professional career in terms of learning a skill that will be applicable no matter what here soon, there are a few short lists to consider.
Five in particular to keep in mind would be welding, robotics, renewable resource power, large-scale 3D printing, and processing miniaturization. They are definitely safe bets if you learn to do them well.
Welding
No matter what, understanding industrial welding is going to be a part of the future. There are going to be things that need building, and an experienced human with the right tools and troubleshooting techniques is going to be the one for those jobs. It may require a few hundred (if not thousand) hours of experience to become an expert, but once you hit that point, you’ll always be a needed member of building teams.
Robotics
The robotics industry is exploding right now, so if you jump into that trade, you’ll be set for life. And it doesn’t matter if you’re learning how to program robots, or build robotics parts, of design robots via various industrial software packages – all of those positions are going to need to be filled. If you don’t want your job to be taken over by a robot, then why not get in on the ground floor and learn to make them or work with them!
Renewable Resource Power
Though there seems to be a push right now to invest in fossil fuels, at some point at those resources are going to be used up, at which point people who have become solar power engineers will rule the energy spectrum of the world. Other renewable energy resources like wind and wave power will be used as well, but the sun is going to be the ticket for a lot of power very soon.
Large-Scale 3D Printing
Right now it’s still in early experimental stages, but as far as industrial potential goes, large-scale 3D printing is going to be a huge deal when it gets up and going. Gigantic crane-style printers are going to be able to make sustainable houses in record time for very low prices, and the people who run them are going to be rich!
Processing Miniaturization
And finally, we’re still in the stages where processing power is getting smaller and quicker. So if you learn the industrial trade secrets behind microprocessing technology, people aren’t going to be able to pay you enough for your extensive knowledge and experience in the field.