The world of business can move extremely quickly. Employment opportunities change constantly and there are now hundreds of jobs that we would never have believed would be viable, even just ten years ago.
These jobs tend to be media-focused and would have had no place in a world that wasn’t dominated by technology.
Social media influencer
This is one of most rapidly growing fields of employment in recent years but, if you had described it to someone ten years ago, they probably would have laughed and explained why it wasn’t a ‘real’ job. But social media’s biggest names, such as Zoe ‘Zoella’ Sugg and Felix Kjellberg ‘Pewdiepie’ have proved those people entirely wrong, creating multi-million-dollar empires online.
These have spawned clothing and beauty lines, as well as TV appearances and collaboration opportunities with some of the biggest names in business. These people are in charge of most trends that hit the high-streets – they decide what we wear, what we eat, and where we travel.
Bitcoin investment
Okay, so this isn’t as much a job as a money-making investment but it would still be incredible for people in the noughties to hear that we would be investing in a currency that physically doesn’t exist. And, indeed, everyone is surprised by Bitcoin’s popularity and what its future looks like, in terms of money and credibility. It is still fairly early days for the cryptocurrency but it is growing daily and it appears that digital currency is becoming more and more relevant to modern businesses. It means they can access their money quickly, with no centre of control, giving more power to the users – a revolutionary step in finance.
Uber driver
Throughout the UK, taxis are notorious for being over-priced and difficult to procure. 2009-founded company Uber saw this issue and has created a business that goes some way to fixing the problem, in a way that defines the modern world and its needs. The fact that you can get a taxi in under five minutes, simply by tapping on your phone is a concept that would be fairly extreme ten years ago, but today’s users don’t bat an eyelid. We are also able to track our car’s whereabouts as well as being able to text the driver. It is borne through a need for cheap, fast and efficient travel in a time where public transport costs are becoming increasingly hard to afford, and fits with the fast-paced lifestyle of millennials.
App developer
This one is admittedly more likely than some of the above, with smartphones beginning to take over in the late noughties. However, it’s perhaps fair to say that no one could predict that there would be an app for almost everything in life, from language translators to interactive AI that can remind you to drink water. There is an app for everything and this defines the way that the modern world works, making efficient use of technology so that we can do more and more things at once, changing the way that we both work and live.
Data Scientist
This is one of the hottest jobs going, with the average salary being around £45,000 per year, with some professionals earning up to £120,000 per year. It evolved from the business-analyst role, becoming more important as we increasingly use the Internet for our work, leading to a lot of data and the need for someone to tap into that data and analyse it. This is particularly important for companies who market to particular demographics instead of the general public.
Sustainability Expert/Advisor
With an increased awareness of climate change and the impact that our daily lives have upon the planet, large businesses and companies are looking for ways to be more eco-friendly and ensure that both their products and their jobs will be safe in the future. This is a particularly relevant job in the modern world as the population continues to grow, threatening the Earth’s stability. This has led to consumers showing an increased interest in sustainable products and practises, putting more pressure on large corporations to change their behaviour and protect what we already have.
Zumba teacher
This may seem like a trivial job, but Zumba became one of the biggest crazes in both dance and fitness in the mid-2010s and has become a workout mainstay. In recent years, fitness has been advertised as something that should be enjoyable, not a gruelling hour a day that you dread every morning, and Zumba is the perfect embodiment of that. It is fast-paced, set to fun music and usually enjoyed with friends – there are even conventions where fans of the workout can get together and attend classes. It promotes personal health whilst also being a leisure activity that people can attend together.
