The answers to this basic question used to be SO much more straightforward:
Your 20th century kid could be a businessperson, a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer, a secretary, a teacher, an engineer, an architect, a salesperson…
Yawn.
Whoops. Sorry.
21st century kids have more diverse (and WAY more exciting) potential careers to choose from. That’s because advancements in tech, science and maths have led to career possibilities that our own grandparents would have difficulty imagining.
Here are seven gigs that you and your kids can begin to prepare for:
👷🏽♀️ Augmented Reality Architect (ARA) – forget bricks and mortar. An ARA uses virtual reality to imagine new worlds that blend virtual elements with real environments.
👩🏽💻 Cyber City Analyst (CCA) – as our cities become more automated, we’ll need CCA’s to monitor, analyze and service the constant flow of data, plus defend it from cyber-attacks.
🗣 Communicator – as more mundane tasks are handled by robots, businesses will use talented communicators who understand a company’s bigger picture to relay it effectively to clients. THIS IS A BIG ONE!
👩🏽🌾 Urban Farmer – with space being more limited in cities, urban farmers will grow crops in locations like rooftops, warehouses and underground bunkers using hydroponic technology.
👩🏽💼 Data-Driven Life Coach (DDLC) – smart devices are improving our ability to monitor our own physical and mental fitness, so we will need DDLC’s to interpret our biometrics and help us self-actualise. Or something like that.
🤖 Robot dispatcher (RD) – self-driving cars, delivery drones and factory robots are all going to need a boss who knows how to program and run them, so RD’s will be in high demand.
👓 Artificial intelligence assistant (AIA) – actual human intelligence is needed to make machines get more intelligence, so there will be a need for that type of A.I. Assistants.
Cool jobs, right?
And these are just a handful. All our industries are being disrupted by tech, so whatever your little one wants to be - from a fashion designer, to an estate agent, and everything in between, they will need to have strong digital skills to stay ahead.
So, what’s the best way to get your kids prepared for this brave new world??
Begin piquing their interest in all things STEM!
Agent Asha is really REALLY good at coding
For us at Bright Little Labs, that means sneaking learning in. Because we all know anything that sounds like it’s educational, or worst of all, has the rotten stench of something resembling homework, will make kids run a mile.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
- Read the Agent Asha: Mission Shark Bytes Book – what’s more inspiring than a kid spy who can code? Agent Asha is clever, adventurous, and extremely STEM friendly
- Become a ‘Digital Spy’ – Get the Children's Spy Agency monthly spy pack to learn about STEM, coding, and sneaking about
- Educational Games – kids love to play, so find games that teach them something about history, science, maths and technology
- STEM toys – Science, technology, engineering and mathematics related toys are actually FUN and available online and in real-life, everywhere
In the words of the famous philosopher Whitney Houston, children are the future, and, of course, your kids are a major part of that. Enjoy!