The Future is Different, but Alright?

While it is nearly impossible to predict the trajectory of the future, there are typically two drastically different perspectives that come into play. For the most part, I predict that people would automatically go with the worst-case scenario, where the human race is simply useless or even nonexistent. With the ever-speculating possibilities of complete technology takeovers or alien apocalypses, this type of prediction is rightfully popular. And while these scenarios are undoubtedly possible, I choose to believe that humanity will collaborate with technology and have major shifts of trends societally, specifically in education and careers that will drastically influence the near future.

For starters, I think that our education system will have a major transformation. In the past, college degrees were seen as a vital step in achieving success. Today, the value of a college or higher education is already beginning to change. With the upsurge of highly successful entrepreneurs and CEOs with no college degrees, the notion that college is the only key to success is becoming less and less popular. Therefore, I predict that college and other forms of higher education will continue to exist for the purpose of specific career goals. However, I do believe that the natural path for high school graduates will slowly begin to deter from college to other forms of learning and self-discovery. Similarly, I think that public education will also face its own set of transformations. The concept of homeschooling and online, self-paced learning are already increasing in popularity among younger generations who see the benefits of individualized education. Not to say that schools and other institutions will disappear, but I do think the curriculum and overall objectives of classrooms will focus on topics much different from the modern day. To address the human-technological relationship, I do believe that technology will have an even more prevalent existence in society. However, I think that it will be used alongside said educational adjustments, such as having robots that can use holographic projections to assist in learning, for example. Nonetheless, I believe that our society’s education system will become more individualized with the collaboration of technology.  

Furthermore, I predict that there will be enormous changes in career and occupation trends in the future. Even today, many career fields are becoming more and more saturated with people competing for the same jobs. Much of this is due to the way society has reconstructed the standard of achievement. In other words, there are many more people today who are striving to get the top, highest-paying jobs in comparison to previous generations. However, the demand for these jobs is not increasing at the same rate which will have major repercussions for many upcoming generations. Aside from human competition, technology will continue to replace many jobs that are currently held by humans. With today’s trends of home assistant technology that can already complete tasks like vacuuming, turning on lights, and even creating shopping lists based on what is missing in the fridge, it is inevitable that technology will continue spreading to fields like healthcare, engineering, retail, and practically every aspect of human life. We are already seeing fully operating technology replacing what is presumably human labor in places such as Amazon Fresh, where checkout and shopping are regulated through motion sensors. Therefore, it is safe to assume that technology will eventually join, if not replace, human-held jobs today. Together, the over-concentration of human competition combined with the emergence of technology will certainly lead to radical changes in the workforce of society. 

Overall, the trends we see today regarding education, careers, and the increase of technology presence points towards drastic changes in the near future. Nevertheless, I choose to believe that regardless, humanity will flourish and work with technology to create an efficient and long-lasting society for generations to come.