When I began researching the college major I should study, I was surprised by the number of jobs that might become obsolete soon after I graduated! Technology is making processes more efficient but by 2030, some of the common jobs we know of might become automated or outdated.
It’s better to avoid waste time and skills by considering what the future holds beforehand. So I looked at the common occupations that are trending toward becoming obsolete so that I can avoid these jobs! Read on to find out what these jobs are.
Travel Agent
I remember the time when every time my family decided to go for a vacation, we had to book an appointment with the travel agent in order to pick the best vacation spots and to find out which of these places is within our budget. The travel agent would find these details for us and help us book the trip.
As technology began playing an important role in our daily lives, the need for a travel agent has become very minute. If you have access to the internet, you can compare travel destinations online yourself and if you own a bank card, you can book your entire trip in no time at all!
Websites like Trivago, Opodo, and Skyscanner are your best bet to provide you with discount prices and dates, all from your own computer or mobile phone via their handy apps. Most travel agencies have also understood the need to switch their business online rather than have a sales representative present in their branches.
Cashier
Most of the transactions nowadays have switched to cashless payments, and more of this is expected in the future. Contactless payments have become quite the trend too as Apple Pay and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have replaced the need to use cash for payments in mainstream society.
Even though many people still prefer to use cash, one thing is for certain: you don’t need to have a person standing there constantly to deal with payments.
Many retail, grocers, and fast food service establishments now have self-service tills so that there’s no need for a person to take your orders or bill for your groceries, you can do it yourself! Hence, in the future, it’s likely that there might be no need for cashiers anymore.
Printing Press Operator
This one wasn’t even a shocker for me. I haven’t read newspapers in a very long time, and I’m sure that goes the same way for many people besides me! The future of print media has become shaky because most have started turning their content into material that can be read online.
The printing media industry has received the signal that people nowadays do not want biased and mainstream sources – the printing media needs to evolve or much rather, get extinct. This is the reason why printing press operators have been facing a decline in demand.
Newspapers are a thing of the past. I wouldn’t want to wait till tomorrow to hear about the news because I’d rather open my phone and read from online sources that can update me in seconds!
Sports Referee/Umpire
I never really had a knack for any career related to sports, but if you do, maybe it’ll be wise for you to think twice if you plan on becoming a sports referee or an umpire. Goal-line technology has become quite a standard when it comes to sports and many top European leagues also use the video assistant referee system (VAR).
In soccer, FIFA has already started to implement ideas related to introducing technology into games. Other sports like tennis, rugby, and cricket have been using technology in their games for a very long time and rely on it for important decisions during the games too!
I believe that the introduction of technology in sports could be a positive thing making human errors a thing of the past and decisions enacted without bias. Though still a controversial change there probably won’t be a need for sports umpires in the future!
Retail Jewelers
Jewelers are not threatened by technology as of yet, but the biggest problem they face is the reducing demand. The job of a retail jeweler is in jeopardy simply because of changing spending patterns and buying trends. In fact, in 2018 the jewelry industry shrank nearly 4% and many businesses in the US went bankrupt.
New generations just aren’t interested in stocking up on expensive jewelry, and the industry has been facing falling demand due to this trend. If I talk about myself, I don’t have that much of a disposable income to spend on jewelry, so I’d rather not even think about buying diamonds.
There’s also been a trend of Millennials buying from small businesses and thrift stores to practice ethical fashion, so they would rather not buy from established luxury brands. This means that high-end jewelry brands might be seeing their last few years until customers completely shift their focus from them!
Lumberjack
Sustainability is the goal of everyone’s future and most of the businesses that were paper-oriented have now shifted to the online platform, which reduces the need to have paper. Governments and corporations have also adopted this sustainable approach, not only because it’s green-friendly but it’s also cheaper.
As everyone begins focusing on ensuring a green and sustainable environment with a reduced need for paper, lumberjacks are on the endangered list of occupations too! Human labor in every way is beginning to be replaced by advanced technology, so lumberjacks will become outdated in the future.
People have been spending a lot to ensure that materials that they use are recyclable and eco-friendly and because of that, in the long run, people may even forget what lumberjacks were even used for!
Fisherman
Our world is suffering from many problems, and overfishing is one of them. Imports of seafood and fish are cheap, and that is the reason why the UK and the US have been the biggest culprits behind overfishing. If the countries began adopting a sustainable approach, they might cut down the fishing and save marine life from any type of disruption.
Not only this, but overfishing affects the ecosystem and the food chain. Climate change is already taking a huge toll on the stocks of fish available in the market and this is not good news for professional fishermen! Fishermen may be subjected to further quotas and have lesser yields.
The fishermen who still remain in the profession might be driven out of the market by technology in which robots may be able to catch fish efficiently and effectively better than humans can.
Fast Food Cook
Every business wants to operate at lower fixed costs – wages are another huge burden on restaurants as their service is quite labor-intensive. Technology is becoming easier and is cutting costs for restaurants. Automation could end up reducing the need for having a cook present in the kitchen to make orders.
According to a study from 2013, automation threatens the fast-food industry greatly and the industry has an 81% chance of being taken over by technology. Cooks, in particular, may be replaced by technology in order to speed up the process and reduce operational costs as well.
Don’t believe me? There’s an actual restaurant called ‘CaliBurger’ that is testing automated burger-flipping kitchen assistants that are completely driven by artificial intelligence (AI).
Mail Carrier
I haven’t written a letter in the last five years. That alone speaks volumes over why we wouldn’t be seeing many mail carriers in terms of future prolific occupations. People may still be needed in order to deliver parcels over through courier, but letters might probably stop existing in the next ten years!
Bills are being paid online, statements get viewed online, any need for professional letters has switched to emails, and nobody writes personal letters anymore anyway. Hence, a mail carrier might become an obsolete profession soon enough!
Bank Teller
Did you know most of the banks are now switching to online processes in which customers can easily open up a bank account or sign up for services online without having to visit the branch? Local branches are disappearing because of this very reason.
Making transactions online is super convenient and you can manage your own bank account through the comfort of your own home! Many banks have begun using this user-friendly system in order to provide convenience to their customers.
However, people may still need to make investments and require financial advice from a bank teller, so branches would still be open in the future. We might just see very few of them, though!
Final Words
In short, it’s very surprising to see where the future will be taking us in terms of technology! Many of the professions will become a thing of the past, and the future will hold much more technology than we could’ve imagined.
