The Fourth Industrial Revolution is bringing change at a speed, scale and force unlike anything we have seen before. All these changes are going to affect every industry – and engineering is no exception.

Old business models are going to become obsolete. Businesses resisting change will cease to exist. New business models in each and every industry are going to be transformed as part of the whole digital transformation.

And it’s changes like these that will see a rise in demand for soft skills, also called interpersonal skills, that many engineers perhaps don’t have today.

A good dynamic set of both technical and soft skills may be what is going to make a difference when employers consider candidates for joining their team. Yet, these skills are often neglected by professionals in the engineering field, since these professionals quite often focus on the hard skills alone.

Here, we have a look at some of the most common soft skills that are useful for today’s engineers.

Adaptability  

An engineer with good adaptability skills is able to identify solutions to unforeseen problems. Then, the engineer can make the necessary modifications to adapt to the new situation or new environment.

This also happens at a fast pace, since often the success of a project depends on assessing the problem fast and finding a flexible and thoughtful solution to it.

Collaboration

Engineers usually work with fellow engineers and also with other people from other departments. This implies working and interacting with a variety of different people, different personalities, and different levels within a chain of command.

In such cases, the ability to apply skills like verbal communication and body language as well as demonstrating a solid character and personality are crucial.

Communication

Communication skills are pretty much linked to being successful in team environments. Yet, many engineers underestimate the importance of brushing up their communication skills since they believe their technical skills are the only ones that matter in their profession.

Being an adequate speaker, writer and listener is important in the engineering field, where clarity and understanding are required for completing teamwork projects. Public speaking and making presentations are also often in the engineer’s agenda, particularly when companies participate in trade shows and conferences.

Attention to detail 

Engineers often work with complex projects. Having an eye for spotting a small detail that, if unnoticed, can cause the failure of the project in the future is a valuable soft skills an engineer should develop.

Creative thinking 

Here is where thinking-outside-the-box becomes essential. Creative thinking is a skill required by many jobs across different industries. It becomes particularly important in engineering.

Finding ways to apply existing knowledge in a new and creative way can take you further in your engineering career. Problem-solving is a key requirement of a successful engineer. Possessing or developing creative thinking is as valuable as the technical skills you use to identify and troubleshoot the source of a problem.

Creative thinking is a soft skill that more engineers and others in the STEM field should cultivate to become truly valuable as both a team member and as a leader.

Leadership 

As you advance in your career and your technical abilities improve with time, your expertise is going to be required in order to manage projects.

Your new position as a project manager will require you to manage and motivate other engineers as well.

Delegating tasks, managing teams of people, and coordinating complex projects are going to be on your everyday list. To become a top leader, therefore, implies that you need to master as many soft skills as leadership requires.

What kind of soft skills do you think you need to cultivate and advance your career?

Source: Edited from original article https://interestingengineering.com/engineers-should-master-soft-skills-for-a-successful-career

“Machines are great, but we must be able to build them.”

At a recent indaba on the future of mining in SA, the head of the Association of Mineworkers & Construction Union, Joseph Mathunjwa, emphasized the need for South Africa to better prepare its  youth and workerforce for the 4^th Industrial Revolution.

This does not necessarily mean everyone must become a digital expert. What it means is we must generate the necessary skills to manufacture the machines that will take human jobs.

It’s no secret that Artificial Intelligence and mechanization will replace people in many industries. The key to meeting the social and economic challenges this presents is to develop a “build local” mindset and strategy across all industries. As well as focusing on the need to upskill workers to operate these new machines, South Africa must become industrialised to manufacture them.

“There are things you can’t avoid in the world. In South Africa we must be careful not to allow a playing field that isn’t level. Automation must not just come as a vertical workforce revolution. It must be informed by changes to our education and skills development system,” Mathunjwa said.

“Automation will reduce workers. We can’t run away from that. We want the endgame to be skills developments that allows us to manufacture locally, not just to operate machines and programs.”

It’s a simple truth that machines can’t build themselves. We need people to design, engineer and manufacture the machines that are revolutionising industry.

By Allan McDonald

Many careers require human characteristics that machines cannot replace. Recent research shows that the job categories needing the following skills would not be replaced by machines:

Then there are those careers where human abilities are enhanced by automation, such as in sectors of the economy where skilled artisans are in growing demand due to urbanization and infrastructure development.
It is highly unlikely that machines will replace skilled boilermakers, plumbers, electricians or carpenters. Their tools might change, their environments might change, but their skills will always be in demand.

 Body part maker
Advances in science will make it possible to create living body parts, so we could need living body part makers, body part stores and body part repair shops.

Nano-medic
Advances in nanotechnology for creating molecular-scale devices and treatments could transform personal healthcare so we would need a new breed of nano-medicine specialists to administer.

Genetically engineered crops and livestock farmer
New-age farmers will grow crops and keep animals that have been genetically engineered to increase the amount of food they produce and to include proteins that are good for our health. Scientists are already working on a vaccine-carrying tomato and therapeutic milk from cows, sheep and goats.

 Old age wellness manager/consultant
We will need specialists to help manage the health and personal needs of an aging population. They will be able to use a range of new emerging medical, drug, prosthetic, mental health, natural and fitness treatments.

 ‘New science’ ethicist
As scientific advances speed up in areas like cloning, we may need a new breed of ethicist who understands the science and helps society make choices about what developments to allow. It won’t be a question of can we, but should we?

 Space pilots, tour guides and architects:
With companies already promising space tourism, we may need space pilots and tour guides, as well as architects to design where they will live and work. Current projects at SICSA (University of Houston) include a greenhouse on Mars, lunar outposts and space exploration vehicles.

Vertical farmers
Vertical farms growing in skyscrapers in the middle of our cities could dramatically increase food supply by 2020. Vertical farmers will need skills in a range of scientific disciplines, engineering and commerce.

 Climate change reversal specialist
As the impact of climate change increases, we will need a new breed of engineer-scientists to help reduce or reverse the effects.

Quarantine enforcer
If a deadly virus starts spreading rapidly, few countries, and few people, will be prepared. Nurses will be in short supply. And as death rates rise, and neighborhoods are shut down, someone will have to guard the gates.

Weather modification police
The act of stealing clouds to create rain is already happening in some parts of the world and is altering weather patterns thousands of miles away. Weather modification police would need to control and monitor who is allowed to shoot rockets containing silver iodine into the air – a way to provoke rainfall from passing clouds.  

Virtual lawyer
As more and more of our daily life goes online, we will need specialist lawyers to resolve legal disputes which could involve people living in countries and regions with different laws.

Alternative vehicle developers
We need the designers and builders of the next generations of vehicle transport using alternative materials and fuels. Could the dream of zero-emission cars or even underwater and flying cars become a reality within the next two decades?

Waste data handler
As data and information about us increases on computers everywhere, we may need waste data handlers to securely get rid of our data so we can’t be tracked or have our identity stolen.

 Virtual clutter organiser
Clutter managers will help us organise our electronic lives. They would look after our email, make sure our data is stored properly and manage our electronic passwords and profiles.

• 100 years ago we thought the world was flat (hey, some still do!).
• 30 years ago the smartphone was science fiction.
• Who knows what the jobs of the future will be?
  You can be sure, the careers above are a fraction of the ideas already being tested, though!

If you’re in a job with high automation potential,  it may be wise to start thinking long and hard about what you can offer beyond your existing set of skills and competencies.

Jobs most at risk of being automated:

Telemarketer
Insurance underwriter
Bookkeeping clerk
Legal secretary
Credit analyst
Loan officer
Real estate broker
Payroll clerk
Accountant
Budget analyst
Pharmacy technician

How to survive the AI Revolution

All evidence and research points to the fact that soft skills, those human attributes still required in any business, will be the best foundation to build upon. These include things like the ability to communicate and work well with others, solve problems and think outside of the box, as well as other aspects of emotional intelligence such as motivation, empathy, curiosity and social skills. Careers in the fields of people management, coordinating with others, decision-making, negotiation, and customer service will all be important in the future.

Source: Oxford University

Pic: Unsplash

10 Years ago, none of us had iPhones, and we were all just getting the hang of the Facebook deal. Not only has the world changed drastically over the last 10 years, the workplace has also undergone a significant facelift, to say the least.

Job aggregator Adzuna reports that 50% of modern day job seekers are able to apply for jobs that we could hardly conceptualize a decade ago. Another study estimate suggests that this rate of change isn’t about to slow down, with roughly 65% current primary school children who will end up working jobs we aren’t even dreaming about at the moment.  The World Economic Forum’s Human Capital Index tends to agree.

From Social Media Managers and Cloud Specialists, here’s a roundup of 10 innovative jobs that didn’t exist 10 years ago.

1. App Developer

Apps, which are used solely for smartphones, weren’t really a big deal 10 years ago since the iPhone first saw the light of day in mid-2007. Things have evolved pretty quickly since half of the adults in the world now own smartphones. App developers are in high demand especially since Android’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store have been releasing 1.6 million and 1.5 million apps annually since 2015.

2. Social Media Manager

In retrospect, nobody would have ever thought that social media would become such a big thing in 2017, but with Facebook now boasting more than 1.5 billion users, businesses are leveraging its power. This, in turn, created a job position for social media managers within companies who are able to manage their online presence with the likes of Twitter and Instagram as well.

3. Uber Driver

Founded in 2009, Uber, the app-based taxi-hailing company created millions of jobs for people around the world. It’s rated as one of the world’s most valuable startups, and with the company’s vision of expanding into the self-driving car’s market, evolution is the name of Uber’s game.

4. Cloud Computing Specialist

Modern society would have thought you were mad if you announced that you worked in ‘the cloud’ a decade ago, but today, everybody has an idea of what you’re referring to. Google’s approach to software – a.k.a. cloud computing – might have its humble roots planted in 2006, but today it is estimated that over 50% of all U.S. businesses use cloud software. This means that jobs in cloud management, strategizing, and engineering is still opening up for thousands of job seekers across the globe.

5. Data Analyst

Data within the business world grows with an average of 40% annually. This means that companies now have the need to employ professionals who are able to analyze and process all of this information.

6. Content Creators for YouTube

Video-sharing platforms such as YouTube have made ‘vlogging’ (video blogging) a very real, highly paid career. Become a star in vlogging these days and you could be earning millions, thanks to the power of social media, sponsorships, and the right marketing.

7. Sustainability Manager

Besides the fact that ‘green’ companies are popping up left, right, and center these days, even the businesses out there that don’t do business with the green image are hiring sustainability managers. Why? Well, because sustainability is becoming more and more important to companies. They’re looking at innovative ways in which they can use the resources they have at their disposal more effectively and how they can run their businesses on a more environmentally-friendly basis.

8. Millennial Generation Expert

Sure, the Millennials of today were still in school ten years ago, but today, we need experts who understand the way Millennials operate and think. That’s exactly where the position of Millennial Generation Expert came into existence. Millennial Experts help businesses better understand what core values and expectations they should value in order to better communicate and engage with these types of employees within their companies.

9. Drone Operators

10 years ago, the only drones most of us were aware of were the ones used by the military. Today, drones are used for hundreds of purposes, and they also need experts ‘driving’ them. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International goes as far as to state that they expect more than 70,000 jobs being created within this industry over the next few years.

10. Chief Listening Officer

The role of a Chief Listening Operator is to tune into and monitor what’s happening on social media channels. These personnel members engage with a business’ audience and keep management informed about what their customers think about the brand. Mentions of companies are now being monitored thanks to the help of software like PeopleBrowsr, a tool enabling them to ‘listen’ to what their customers are saying across various social media platforms.

Final Thoughts

It’s clear to see that technological advances haven’t only changed the way we lead out lives these days, but that it has also impacted the kind of jobs we’re able to apply for in modern times. More new jobs keep on being created within the technology and green markets, and as time passes, these numbers are only set to expand even further!

There’s a great deal of worry around the subject, and much of it is justified. It seems like every day there’s a new, terrifying media report about how robots will lead to mass unemployment.

According to a recent survey of business leaders in the UK, automation could take 4 million British private sector jobs over the next ten years. In the U.S., 47% of jobs are considered to be in the ‘high risk’ category when it comes to being lost to AI. And the former president of Google China warned that AI will destroy half of all jobs during the next decade.

With all this doom-mongering, most people could be forgiven for feeling just a little anxious about the future when it comes to technological advancement.

But there may be no need to worry. While negative predictions dominate the press, there are also plenty of reasons to feel hopeful about the rise of machines in the workplace. They could make our work easier, and even lead to the creation of new jobs.

The real impact of AI

There’s no doubt that AI is going to massively change the face of employment and industry.

As technology becomes more powerful and accessible, it’ll become possible to automate more and more activities that were previously done by humans. Driverless cars could replace taxi drivers; self-service machines could wipe out the supermarket cashier.

It’s feared that millennials and younger generations will take the biggest hit — as lower-level employees will be easier to replace than those higher up the corporate chain of command.

And of course, some areas are more at risk than others. Jobs in finance and accounting, along with retail and transport, are considered to be at much greater risk of automation than careers in healthcare and education. There’s a good reason for this — there are some jobs where robots are far, far away from being able to match good old squishy humans.

Machines might be great at processing complex mathematical problems, organizing spreadsheets, and carrying out thousands of tasks in the blink of an eye. What they aren’t so good at is empathy, forming human connections, reacting quickly in unfamiliar situations.

So teachers, nurses, and care workers are just some examples of professions that are — for now — safe from the robot revolution.

In these areas, robots will support human efforts, instead of replacing them. They can take care of mechanical tasks like monitoring a patient’s vital signs and keeping a ward clean, leaving human staff free to attend to more compassionate needs.

This is why many high-profile figures, including Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, believe the threat from AI has been greatly overestimated. Not only could the technology support and improve existing jobs, it could also create new ones.

AI and job creation

As the numbers of machines and AI devices increase, so will the need for jobs surrounding them. Robots can’t yet look after themselves — they need human intervention at regular intervals to keep them running smoothly.

This means there will be a demand for people at every stage of the AI journey. From development and testing, through to support, maintenance, and programming, these devices will not be able to function without constant attention from human beings.

In fact, it’s thought that out of all the new jobs created just one third will be filled by actual AI machines. The remaining two thirds will be made up of professional services, performed by people.

In a recent study of 1,000 companies, implementing AI created job opportunities in 80% of cases.

It goes deeper, too. There is already a big demand for microtasks in the AI world — jobs like analysing data and images that rely on humans. These are generally done online, outsourced to remote workers around the globe. Some platforms like Amazon MTurk and Dbrain already provide such service.

This means there’s a growing market in developing countries for workers who can do these kinds of tasks. They can earn rates that are comparatively high in their economy, while companies end up paying less than they would to a worker based in a developed economy like the U.S. or Western Europe.

Not only is this a smart economic move for large companies, but it’s also an example of AI giving rise to new jobs in some of the poorest countries on earth.

The future looks certain to be dominated by talk about AI and how machines will impact our lives. The workplace is one area where advances in this kind of technology will soon be impossible to ignore — but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

By anticipating how artificial intelligence will change the nature of employment and how we do business, it’ll be possible to take advantage of this new technological landscape. Instead of living in fear of robots taking our jobs, we’ll be able to create new roles based around AI, and improve the employment prospects of people around the world.

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