The 3 most in-demand careers in the post-pandemic world.

While we wish for the COVID-19 pandemic to end soon, we understand that
it has made lasting effects on the way we interact with other people, the way
we view our health, and the way we work. As we look forward to the future, we
want to be more prepared, change-adept, and resilient so that we won’t be as
unaware or as helpless as to how this pandemic caught us. 

 

The pandemic has become a tipping point for many of us to reconsider our
options. Many of us ask, “Am I pursuing a career or college course that would
eventually be rendered useless or obsolete?” As we now can observe, the
pandemic has introduced shifts in our behavior that also created new needs and
demands for governments, schools, and businesses. The shift to the new normal
demands expertise that can only be filled in by new and emerging disciplines
that we thought we didn’t really need a few years ago. 

 

According to the World Economic Forum, the “job of tomorrow” is about
maximizing the potential in the interaction between “humans, machines, and
algorithms.” For those looking for a sensible course to take in college or for
new career options, you might want to consider some of the insights here that
would help you and the people around you to make significant progress in the
post-pandemic world. 

1. Digital
   Marketing

The pandemic gave all the reasons for companies to go digital,
especially in their sales and marketing. According to the COVID-19 Digital Engagement Report by Twilio, the pandemic broke down the
traditional barriers of getting executive buy-in, lack of clear strategy, and
lack of budget to push through with their digital transformation. 

 

With the lockdowns during the pandemic, the market has nowhere else to
go but online. Accordingly, companies have nowhere else to go but where their
market is. Companies that invest in their
digital transformation have been more resilient during the pandemic and are poised to
enjoy market preference in the long run due to their responsiveness to their
customers’ needs. 

 

The World Economic Forum projects digital marketing to be an even more
relevant field in the post-pandemic economy. We will see the rise in demand for
the following:

• Social
  Media Managers


• Content
  Creators


• SEO
  Specialists


• Website
  Designers and Developers


• Software
  and Applications Developers 

 

Communication, Information Design, and IT graduates are seen to benefit
from the rising demand for their expertise in the current and emerging economy.
While colleges and universities offer courses in Communication, Advertising,
and Business, among other related fields, there are schools that offer
multi-disciplinary courses that combine the traditional with emerging hybrid
disciplines.  

 

STI College, known for its IT programs, started offering a four-year
Bachelor of Science in Retail Technology and Consumer Science and a two-year
Associate in Retail Technology in 2020. These courses were co-designed with
industry experts in order to equip students with in-demand specialized skills
in the areas of retail marketing, consumer psychology, information technology,
and data science ― key areas that STI College believes to be the competencies
for success in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

 

“In the academic sector, this retail revolution has made us keenly aware
of the need to equip our graduates for more lucrative job and business
opportunities in retail and e-commerce. Elsewhere in the world, colleges and
universities in countries such as the United States, Canada, Sweden, Ireland,
South Africa, and Singapore are now offering retail management programs in line
with this vision,” shares Aisa Q. Hipolito, STI Vice President for Academics.

2.             
Data Science and Analytics

 

The post-pandemic economy will be largely data-driven. While there has
been an exponential increase in the demand for Data Scientists and Analysts even
prior to the pandemic, the crisis itself has highlighted the relevance of
data-driven strategies both for the public and private sectors. Corporate and
government leaders and managers now heavily rely on data to fuel their decision-making.

 

In the Philippines alone, there has been a shortage of data scientists
and analysts to support the growth of industries through the use of data,
automation, and Artificial Intelligence, especially in the retail sector. The
government, through the Department of Science and Technology, has been
encouraging young Filipinos to take up data science related courses in order to
bridge the shortage of data scientists in the country. 

 

According to iACADEMY School of Computing Dean, Mitch Andaya, “there’s
an increasing demand for data scientists in virtually every industry in the
Philippines. Our country produces about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data daily and
we need help from data scientists to make sense out of this much data.”

 

Most major universities in the Philippines, including Ateneo De Manila
University, De La Salle University, University of the Philippines, and
University of Sto. Tomas have general data science subjects in the tertiary
level. However, schools such as iACADEMY offer specialized courses on data
science to directly address the emerging needs of both local and international
industries. iACADEMY’s Bachelor of Science in Computer Science major in Data
Science program was launched in 2020 to help the country cultivate more
world-class professionals in software development, systems and business
analysis, database administration, software testing, web development.

3.             
Cybersecurity

 

A number of business leaders forecast that remote work is here to stay even after the pandemic. With this
shift, they foresee that most companies would follow suit and invest heavily on
their cloud infrastructure, online collaborative tools, and e-commerce. With
the conveniences ushered in by these tech enhancements, companies that migrate
most of their resources online and shift to more tech-driven operations should
also expect to brace for tech-related problems such as cybersecurity.

 

According to Forbes, healthcare, manufacturing, financial
services, transportation, and government are the industries that are most
exposed to cyberattacks. We cannot afford data breaches and system hijacks in
these industries, especially when they largely affect the safety and security
of people’s lives. 

 

Through the Department of Information and Communication Technology’s National Cybersecurity Plan 2022, the Philippines recognizes the need
for more cybersecurity experts as part of the government’s mission to “ensure
public safety and welfare.” As most companies and schools are just adapting to
the emerging cybersecurity needs of both local and international industries,
the Philippine government encourages more young Filipinos to also consider
taking ICT-related courses, which are also largely offered by ICT-specialized
schools such as STI and iAcademy.

 

It is noticeable that the projected in-demand jobs of the future are
more tech-related and focus on developments such as remote work, e-commerce and
automation. McKinsey’s study projects that more people may see the
need to switch careers due to the changes in working conditions during and
after the pandemic. We may be among these people who need to consider a more
sustainable career path. By considering those previously mentioned, we may see
ourselves more adapted to the new normal.