It seemed like a good idea to close out 2022 with an overview of the ten most impactful columns of the year. The rating system we used was one where the editors at FuturistSpeaker.com all weighed in and decided which columns would most likely have a significant impact over time. With that thinking in mind, here is what we came up with:

1. We Didn’t Arrive Here by Accident

What do we know about human purpose and whether humans were placed on planet Earth by a divine force or whether our presence is the result of randomness and chance? In this column, I discuss the thinking of several past and contemporary experts, including Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Tony Robbins, Jordan Peterson, Brian Armstrong, and Michio Kaku, on the subject of life’s meaning and purpose. I also discuss the limitations of our current mathematical models and why they don’t make sense. My conclusion is that there are clear signs of intelligent origin and that humans were not placed here by accident, but admittedly, this still leaves far more questions than answers.

2. Hyper-Individualized Learning for a Hyper-Individualized Future

As a futurist, next-generation learning has been one of the topics I’m most passionate about. Our need for hyper-individualized learning is driven by several factors, including our time, our personality, and an overwhelming need to feel unique in a world of over 7 billion people wanting many of the same things. This AI-driven learning system will be driven by personal interests, a hyper-individualized sense of purpose, and a set of milestones to help define progress. Unlike traditional institutions that only credential their own in-house courses, this system will test, assess, and grant micro credits for virtually all topics, subjects, and forms of learning that align with the user’s interests.

3. Inventing the College Equivalency Scale

We have information flowing continuously from thousands of different sources, and it’s preposterous of us to think that only credentialed learning has any value. One of the first tasks for the designers of this future learning system will be to establish a universally accepted equivalency scale based on micro-credits. The equivalency scale will be based on an additive barometer of lifetime achievement. It will show users when their credits and micro-credits add up to the equivalency Bachelor, Master, and Ph.D. It will then add hundreds of levels beyond Ph.D. onto the accomplishment scale. Micro-credits will be used to assess learning in far more granular forms by using a learning measurement scale where 100 micro-credits are the equivalent of 1 college semester credit.

4. Will AR Smart Glasses Replace Smartphones and Become our Personal Buddy Bots?

The third part of future learning will involve smart glasses or contacts, which may even replace smartphones if they can figure out the right interface. People consume a ton of information every day. Bookworms spend countless hours reading. And YouTubers, gamers, music lovers, TV addicts, Twitchers, and networking junkies each have their own way of absorbing knowledge. But we currently have no way of monitoring what we’re being exposed to or measuring the salient pieces of wisdom being added to our working memory. The early monitoring devices will likely be incorporated into something like smart glasses to see what we’re seeing, hear what we’re hearing, and will have sensors to feel, touch, smell, and taste everything we’re experiencing. This device would complete the future learning trifecta that I’ve been envisioning. So will AR smart glasses replace smartphones? I believe the more relevant questions are what portion of our online time will be spent utilizing smart glasses and how soon will that happen?

5. In Case You Didn’t Get the Memo, the Nature of Work Has Just Changed

We are seeing a growing number of companies implementing a four-day workweek and the benefits it can bring for both businesses and employees. A study by Ernst and Young found that 40% of companies in the survey have implemented or plan to implement a four-day workweek. This trend is also seen in other countries such as Iceland, the UK, Japan, and New Zealand. Both businesses and workers prefer the four-day workweek as it can increase productivity, improve employee satisfaction, and allow for greater flexibility in scheduling. The psychological effects of the four-day workweek have shown that employees are more focused and committed to their work when they have a shorter time frame in which to complete it. The four-day week will likely become far more widespread in the future as it offers a balance between work and personal life and may be better suited to the needs of a modern workforce.

6. Thorium Reactors – The Future of Energy

The future of energy will involve transitioning from fossil fuels to alternative sources, such as renewables and nuclear power. Renewables, including wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and biomass, currently make up about 12.5% of energy usage in the US but face limitations due to the need for invisible energy and the backlash to visible infrastructures like wind and solar farms. Nuclear energy, which currently only accounts for 8.9% of energy usage in the US, is projected to become a primary energy source in the future. Thorium-based reactor systems have several advantages over uranium-based methods. Even though most changes in the power industry are slow, it is expected that nuclear power will eventually surpass fossil fuels and renewables as the primary energy source.

7. Four Laws for Managing the Laws

The U.S. has more laws than any other country, and that has contributed to the U.S. having a higher percentage of prisoners than any other country. To address this issue, I have proposed a four-step approach to correcting the situation. Essentially, “Four Laws for Managing the Laws”:

1. Public Access Requirement: All laws must be posted in one central online location. Any laws not posted on this website will be deemed unenforceable.
2. Sunsetting Laws: Any laws that have not been applied or enforced in the past 20 years become unenforceable and must be removed from the list.
3. Simplification: All laws must be written at an 8th-grade comprehension level. No new laws can go into effect or current laws enforced until they’re certified to have reached this standard.
4. Code of Government Ethics: No governmental entity shall be allowed to profit from the enforcement of its own laws. After all, whenever there’s a direct profit motive that links enactment with enforcement, the nature of government changes, and our humanity becomes compromised.

8. Self-Cannibalism and the Extreme Possibilities of Cell-Cultured Agriculture

As an avid researcher, I’m constantly tuned in to progress being made on the stem-cell-derived meat front. We’re still very much on track for widespread production and consumption, given the investments we’re seeing from major players, including individuals and even meat processing companies. With the outlook for lab-grown, often called slaughter-free meat, wide open, it’s time to take this to a new level and push the envelope of our stem-cell lab programs for the benefit of humankind. At the macro level, cultured meat technology, combined with others like precision fermentation-derived microbial proteins, and good “old-fashioned” plant-based meat products, could fundamentally change our food supply in a way that wouldn’t dramatically affect our consumption experiences but improve our world in many other ways.

9. Private Space Stations: The Future Portals for Private Space Commerce and Tourism

In the future, space research and development is expected to be driven by private enterprises on privately owned space stations. As the International Space Station deteriorates to the point of becoming unusable, NASA and other agencies will begin renting space on privately owned, Earth-orbiting laboratories. In addition, space tourism companies will use private space stations as space hotels to offer tourists the opportunity to vacation in space. Private space stations will gradually be upgraded to offer more comfortable living arrangements for tourists and, over time, will be located in other locations beyond Earth’s orbit, such as the moon or Mars. Private space stations will also serve as staging areas, regional offices, and warehouses for commercial ventures in space. There will likely be additional space structures along well-established routes for resupplying, deliveries, and other functions.

10. Drone Delivery: A Massive Huge Industry Coming Soon to a Doorstep Near You

While some challenges related to the technology and logistics of drone delivery have been addressed, others still need to be resolved. However, these challenges should not hold back the widespread implementation of drone delivery, as we saw with the introduction of cars in the early 20th century. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will allow the drone delivery industry to progress if appropriate safety measures are in place. Within 4-6 years, most people in the U.S. will be able to receive drone deliveries, and the transition will happen even quicker in other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The widespread implementation of drone delivery may seem gradual, but we are on the leading edge of a massive new industry, and the transition will be breathtaking.

As we step into 2023, last year’s thinking will begin to fade into the tombs of ancient history. But rest assured, we’re in for several crazy years as the path of transition we’re going through still has a long way to go.

In hindsight, it’s easy to see that in nearly every generation, innovation impacted job markets and employment trends. It’s not news that human workers are replaced by new technology and that, fortunately, new technology spurs the creation of new jobs and job categories. The list of outdated or diminished jobs is almost nostalgic: switchboard operators, travel agents, librarians.

And twenty years from now we might be fondly recalling our former interactions with the likes of postal carriers, taxi drivers, flight attendants, and bank tellers.

In fact, the job market is an excellent barometer of society’s priorities and technology trends. Pick nearly any futurist topic we’ve explored this year and it’s not too hard to imagine the new jobs that will surround it.

In many cases, the new jobs and categories of jobs will be quite technical as people work to bring blockchain, cryptocurrency, the metaverse, self-driving transportation, and other IT innovations to fruition and then into our daily lives.

Further below, I’ve identified 57 technology-related new jobs in 15 industries that will directly support or respond to these kinds of technology breakthroughs.

It’s Not Just IT

But before we get there, we should recognize that in some cases, technology breakthroughs will lead to more than just technical jobs. Take geriatric services, for example.

Thinking beyond COVID, medical technology is extending life expectancy for seniors. That trend will continue to drive a critical demand for a variety of personal care services for retirees, who are likely to enjoy over 20 years of time after retirement at 65.

And not to overgeneralize or typecast seniors, but as technology increasingly supports our daily lives, many of them will need personalized support just to keep up. Their challenge today may be programming the TV remote or the thermostat, but it’s only going to get more complicated from there. The solution? Personal IT assistants and generalized IT help desks. Sounds like a mission for AMAC and AARP!

IT Redefining Jobs

I should also note that technology is also changing and even upgrading certain jobs, but not necessarily doing away with them. Construction workers and auto mechanics, for example, used to be generalists. But with new technology-based tools, and the need for training on those tools, specialization in these kinds of blue-collar jobs will increase. This specialization increases these workers’ labor clout, market value, and compensation.

There’s another category of jobs enhanced by technology and other tools where the job is the same but the work is not. Recently I’ve watched laborers build a retaining wall and a brick wall on the property across the street. Back-breaking work, right? Not so much as you’d think anymore. These laborers now have access to specialized backhoes, caterpillars, and other equipment downsized for residential work compared to what you’d find on a typical commercial construction site. Thanks to this equipment, you don’t see anyone carrying heavy bricks from the truck to the wall or using a shovel.

What About Retail?

The future isn’t as bright for the approximately 32 million Americans who work in retail jobs. Consumer demand isn’t going away, but how retailers choose to meet that demand will continue to evolve with technology innovations that drive efficiency.

Current trends in e-commerce and in-store automation mean there will be fewer traditional customer-facing jobs. But some of these will be replaced by new jobs managing these platforms and servicing these systems. As with the next generation of blue-collar jobs, these specialty positions may require specialized skills with a level of IT training.

Basically we will see technology taking away much of the mind-numbing tedium of retail just as it did for so many factory workers.

The Cool New Jobs

So far we’ve only talked about incremental changes and the evolution of current employment situations. On another level, we’ll see entire new professions within entire new industries built around new technology. We’ll see job descriptions that weren’t even imaginable 20 years ago.

Yes, there will be high-level computer science jobs with smart people creating new breakthroughs and new versions of breakthroughs.

But at the same time, there will be the need to define and fill some less-obvious positions along with spin-off jobs made possible and necessary by those breakthroughs.

57 Jobs of the Future

Here’s a sampling of future jobs. Some may already sound familiar and plausible. Others are just a few years away. But it would be relatively easy to concoct others and maybe add over a hundred more to this list:

Metaverse Jobs

1. Metaverse World Designers
2. Avatar Designers
3. Metaverse Storefront Creators, Developers, and Operators
4. Metaverse Law Enforcement
5. DAO Attorneys

Cryptocurrency

6. Crypto Coaches and Advisors
7. Crypto Mortgage Specialists
8. Decentralization Managers

Future Entertainment

9. Robot Personality Engineers
10. Macro VR Projection Artists
11. Entertainment Trends Analyzer

Commercial Drone Industry

12. Swarmbot Engineers
13. Swarmbot Entertainers
14. Drone Command Center Operators

Smart Cities

15. Insect, Rodent, and Snake Monitors
16. Noise Analyzers
17. Police Drone Operators

Healthcare

18. Amnesia Surgeons – Doctors who are skilled in removing bad memories or destructive behavior.
19. Memory Augmentation Therapists – Entertainment is all about the great memories it creates. Creating a better grade of memories can dramatically change who we are and pave the way for an entirely new class of humans.
20. Digital Implant Architects
21. Genetic Troubleshooters
22. Body Part Fabricators
23. AI Health Managers

Digital Twins

24. Sensor Engineers
25. Remote Operation Designers
26. Digital Twin Command Centers

Big Data

27. Privacy Strategists
28. Personal Data Managers, Archivists, and Protectors
29. Blockchain Designers
30. Vulnerabilities Analyst

3D Printed Houses

31. 3D Print Architects, Designers, and Engineers
32. Fabrication Engineers
33. Site Prep and Planning Crew

Autonomous Transportation

34. Future Highway Architects and Designers
35. Traffic Analyzers
36. Drone Taxi Ground Crew

Cultured Meat Industry

37. Growth Process Technician
38. Vat Managers
39. Demand Tracking Planners

Future Education

40. AI Memory Assessment Engineers
41. AI Coach-Bot Designers
42. AI Teacher-Bot Developers

Future Agriculture

43. Soil Analyzers, Preppers, and Managers
44. Crop Techs
45. Harvester Team Planners and Supervisors
46. Irrigation Managers

Commercial Space Industries

47. Space-based Power Generators
48. Asteroid Trackers
49. Space Pilots
50. Space Journey Attendants

Robots

51. AI Capabilities Engineer
52. Robot Classification Gurus – Different laws will apply to different classifications of robots
53. Operator Certification Specialists

Other

54. De-extinction Engineers
55. Can We / Should We Ethicists
56. Ransomware Hostage Negotiators
57. Ransomware Police

As we’ve discussed in earlier columns, our primary and secondary school systems need to be thinking outside the box. That includes K-12, trade schools, and colleges. Each one should continually evaluate and revise their curricula and major courses of study so that we’re well-prepared to fill future jobs like these – and the hundreds of others that come to mind – so we can fully employ our future workforce and meet the needs of future societies.