The job title Social Media Expert didn’t used to be a thing… here are some other jobs that have cropped up in recent years.

As history has marched on, many jobs have fallen by the wayside thanks to advances in technology. At the same time, new careers have taken their place. This is something we are continuing to see today, thanks in no small part to the rise of the digital age.

Here are some jobs that few people would have heard of ten to fifteen years ago.

Social media expert

It has almost been ten years since social media became part of our daily lives. It created a new way of staying in touch with friends past and present and gives everyone with a device and a connection the ability to share the content they find interesting.

As social media hit the mainstream, brands and businesses around the world quickly realised the opportunity social media provided to reach new customers. From this, the Social Media Expert was born.

These digital marketing specialists may seem to have a job that involves sharing memes and engaging pictures on the internet, but underneath what looks like a lot of fun this is a great deal of strategy, thought, and data-driven understanding of a product or brand’s target audience.  

Aerial Drone Specialist

Beyond wedding photography and property videos, drone technology has potential benefits for the insurance industry, disaster recovery providers and risk assessors by providing a bird’s eye view from hard to reach angles.

Wireless communication allows operators to control drones from distances of up to several kilometres. They can ‘pilot’ these machines and take videos as well as thermal images to provide important information.

It’s not as simple as buying yourself a drone and popping an ad on the internet, either. The industry is strictly regulated, meaning you must be qualified and hold an operator's certificate to legally operate an aerial drone for profit. 

Airbnb host, Airtasker, Uber driver

Airbnb, Airtasker, Uber and other services focused on the sharing economy have created new opportunities for people to earn a living or supplement the money they get from their day job.

While there are prerequisites to signing up, which change depending on what service you’re looking at, in many respects you are able to run your own show. Once approved, you can open your home to strangers, decide what jobs to take, or pick up passengers as often or as little as you like.

The use of simple customer feedback systems means that unreliable hosts, Airtaskers and drivers don’t get far in these industries. This same review system means the best can establish themselves as safe and reliable, potentially turning their side hustle into an income.  

Data Scientist

Data and statistics have exploded over the last ten years. Where you once had to manually keep a record of your customer activity or set up an expensive survey to ask your buyers what they want, websites are now able to track user behaviour automatically and in great detail.

It is easy for businesses to discover what demographic their users fall under and how long they spend on a website. They can learn whether users come to their site via social media, a search engine or a referral from another website.

Now, what to do with all this information? Data scientists and analysts work with outlets ranging from government organisations to corporate bodies, often to identify trends and anticipate what consumers want more and less of.

On a more scientific level, big data can be used to forecast weather patterns and predict future traffic demand. It can help identify communities at risk of disease outbreaks and provide police with information they can incorporate into crime prevention strategies. 

Digital Product Manager

The role of a digital product manager is to listen to consumer feedback, consult with stakeholders and work with internal teams of online developers and engineers to make an online product better for its users.

For example, Google has different product managers for areas like Maps, search and Gmail. These professionals are constantly looking for new opportunities to build revenue, increase user numbers and deliver great customer experiences.  

Blogger

In case you’d always wondered, the word ‘blog’ is short for ‘web log’, which once referred to keeping an online diary. This became popular around the mid-noughties, when people realised that, as well as sharing their thoughts and daily travels, they could share their skills, advice and opinions.

Many of the world’s most visited websites, including Mashable and Buzzfeed, started out as blogs. Some world-famous (and very well paid) bloggers include Perez Hilton and business coach Gary Vaynerchuk. 

Telemedical officer

Is there a doctor in the house? Virtually speaking, there can be at any time.

Telemedicine specialists consult with patients over the internet, using video or phone chat to provide a consultation, diagnosis and even a prescription.

While speaking to a doctor on the phone isn’t strictly a new thing, connecting via video is. In the US, the number of patients accessing telehealth is expected to reach 7 million by 2018.

This is facilitating a new breed of physicians who are able to provide their skills while working flexible hours from home.  

Artificial Intelligence Engineer

Machines are getting smarter... but someone has to make them that way.

Many new digital age jobs relate to designing and engineering the artificial intelligence behind technologically advanced machines and software. Computer scientists who specialise in AI are in high demand, as are researchers who investigate what machines are capable of.

Even scriptwriters are finding work in this field一they create the dialogue that bots and AI assistants use to interact with you.  

As technology helps drive change within our culture and industries, new kinds of careers and jobs will continue to appear. On the horizon might be self-driving car mechanics (a blend of mechanical and computer knowledge) and digital currency advisors (dealing specifically in bitcoin). You future child may even end up working as a Mars relocation consultant… after all, anything is possible! 

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