Looking to the future

The pandemic and lockdown have accelerated the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which now has new career paths and opportunities for matriculants who are uncertain of what to study in future.

Future careers will increasingly require those skilled and qualified in spheres involving cloud, internet, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, machine learning and big data, said Nola Payne, the head of the faculty of information and communications technology at the Independent Institute of Education.

“These fields will undoubtedly continue expanding and will need to grow their workforce. So, these are excellent options for young people and matrics still uncertain about what they would like to do with their futures.

“Because many existing jobs can be future-proofed by acquiring additional skills and knowledge and adapting to move applications and systems to the cloud, those who already started on different career paths are also in a position to future-proof their careers with a little additional investment in their education,” Payne said.

What is 4IR?

Micheal Goodman-Mareme, knowledge manager at educational publisher Via Afrika, says 4IR is a fusion of technological, digital and physical worlds.

“[It] is characterised by the fusion of the digital, biological and physical worlds, as well as the growing use of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, robotics, 3D printing, the internet of things, and advanced wireless technologies, among others.

“This modern technology-driven era in which we are living, sees technological devices and the internet becoming increasingly important in the workplace and our day-to-day lives, blurring the lines between physical and digital life.”

What 4IR has to offer

To promote social progress in the 4IR era, Huawei South Africa, internet service provider Rain and Wits University jointly launched Africa’s first 5G laboratory for students to build knowledge of the technology.

The 5G Innovation Lab, which is situated at Wits’ Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, aims to drive innovation to promote social progress for the country in the digital and 4IR era.

Huawei offered free online training in artificial intelligence to information and communications technology (ICT) students.

“To function in the emerging [4IR], ICT skills will be indispensable – for organisations, for individuals and for society,” Huawei
chief executive Spawn Fan said.

Some of the popular fields of study matriculants can pursue include web or mobile app development, cybersecurity expertise, software engineering, 3D printing and network engineering.

Mobile app development has been one of the fastest growing sectors, as functionality and operations is moving to mobile devices which has a big skills gap.

“So, there are many opportunities in this field and it is also a good fit for those interested in becoming entrepreneurs,” Payne said.

The increase in social media advertising has increased the demand for web developers.

While software engineers and database administrators are existing careers, they are frequently evolving due to changes in the cloud and on digital devices.

“Additionally, there is a massive and growing demand for improved security, with databases and application systems [needing to be] shielded from attack while being properly managed and networked,” said Payne.

While parliament passed the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill recently, one of the professions most in demand has been cybersecurity, needing experts who can shield companies from cyberattacks and hacks.

These professionals need to anticipate and correct flaws and back door access to sensitive data, know how hackers operate to access secure sites and ensure authentication for sites with sensitive information such as banking.

Network engineering integrates and connects computer systems and networks across various platforms, such as mobile devices and the cloud.

“More than ever, business is being conducted online, translating to increased job opportunities for network administrators and
network managers who can help businesses securely use their technologies,” said Payne.

Those with an analytical brain who enjoy mathematics, statistics and programming should turn to data analytics to analyse users’ interaction on web pages, to customise their experience and respond to the client’s needs.

3D printing, robotics and artificial intelligence are expected to grow exponentially in future.

Institutions offering such courses should show strong industry connection and evidence of work-integrated learning to solve real-life scenarios as theoretical knowledge on its own was not sufficient, said Payne.

“The developments of the past year also provide increased clarity about career paths, and students still undecided, or people already in employment who want to set out on a new path, would do well to investigate and consider careers where qualified professionals are likely to remain in high demand in coming decades.” Payne said.

– rorisangk@citizen.co.za

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