Three Career Paths That Are Set to Survive the Pandemic

COVID-19 has disrupted the workforce in a way that has never been seen before in all of history. The most influential change has been the widespread switch to remote work. Companies have traditionally not supported remote work due to fears that employees would lose their productivity, but this pandemic served as a trial by fire for such companies.

As remote work has taken hold of the country, some companies have been quite pleased with their employee’s results. For example, CNN examined some of the top companies considering keeping remote work semi-permanent after the pandemic.

In that, they referenced how Mark Zuckerberg discussed that up to 50 percent of his employees may be working from home for the next five to 10 years. A number of traditional career paths have been lost due to the onset of remote work and the pandemic, but if the trend continues, then there will be even more job losses. Fortunately, there are a number of remote careers set to survive this pandemic, and below are three of the most prominent paths.

Full Stack Development

The fact that the number of websites around the world is increasing at an unprecedented rate is no secret. With 4.57 billion active Internet users per month, according to Statista, it’s clear that the future of business is on computers. Keeping this in mind, websites are the landing places for those billions of people and they do not build themselves.

Full stack developers are experts in both front end and backend development. This means that they design the barebone aesthetics of websites and can also work on the software side as well. In short, full stack developers are capable of completely creating and maintaining a website. As remote work rises, a byproduct will be the increased number of companies needing comprehensive websites to conduct online business. Due to this, the number of job openings in this field is likely going to increase drastically.

Fairly extensive knowledge of coding is required to enter this field, however, which can be difficult to achieve if you aren’t currently in school. Fortunately, there are coding bootcamps in cities around the world that can teach anyone the skills needed to enter this long-lasting field. 

UX Design

For the more creative people in the world, becoming a UX designer is a path that will become heavily favored in the next few years. This is due to the fact that little tech skill is required, unlike the majority of tech-based jobs. UX designers handle the design of the website and typically have an understanding of human psychology, so as to guide website traffic to certain parts of the page. 

This career, as with full stack development, is set to see massive growth due to the speed at which websites are appearing. As more businesses transition online, their websites will need to appeal to more people than their competition. That’s where UX designers will come in. With an average salary already sitting at about $85,000 per year, according to Glassdoor, it is obvious how valued these professionals are.

Unlike other tech-based jobs, UX design will appeal to more people because it is one of the easiest careers to transition to from a non-tech job. With only a creative eye and graphic design experience required, this will be a career path that could become saturated, so getting involved now is the best way to make a name for oneself. 

Software Engineering

Truthfully, software engineering is probably one of the most difficult career paths to break into once you pass your educational years. However, the path to becoming a software engineer is not impossible and, if achieved, would provide an employee with a versatile career. Software engineers, similar to full stack developers, design web applications and operating systems that can be used.

Coding and programming are, perhaps, the two most important skills to this profession, and attending a trade school may be a smart option for anyone looking to break into this career. This path is only set to grow for the same reason as the careers listed above. As technology continues to advance, as well as remote work, professionals capable of working with and on computers will be required.

Conclusion

There are a number of traditional career paths that are going to see a decline in the coming years. Keeping this fact in mind, taking preemptive action, and developing the skills needed to enter a tech-based job may just save your career later down the line. The full effect of the disruption from COVID-19 on the workforce is yet to be seen, but getting ahead of it all by pursuing tech-based jobs is the best way to get a leg up on the future competition.