A job that robots won’t be able to steal - being a superhuman

Soon, robots will take over mundane tasks, and therefore people will have more time to be creative at their jobs. But using digital tools seamlessly will be a must, Jevgenij Abdulajev, Head of Sales and Business Development at Vilnius CODING School, told CyberNews.

Technology revolutions are not something new. But as the world is in the middle of the 4th industrial revolution, it’s become clear that most of the workforce will need good technical skills to adapt. The good news is that jobs that require human qualities, such as team work or psychology knowledge, will not be replaced by robots. Not yet, at least.

“Programming is not enough anymore,” Jevgenij Abdulajev said during the LOGIN conference. Shortly, people who manage to be good both at managing robots and communicating with people will benefit the most.

Programming is not enough

Technology revolutions are not something new, states Jevgenij Abdulajev, Head of Sales and Business Development at Vilnius CODING School.

“During the first and second industrial revolution, the success of a worker was determined by how good he is in a particular area, such as manufacturing or sewing. It was also important to have the ability to stand long hours at the factory machines, and sometimes perform not the most interesting tasks,” said Jevgenij Abdulajev.

During the third industrial revolution, when computers replaced computing machines, people still had to have good knowledge of what they were doing, plus technology knowledge.

“With the spread of digital tools, the demand for specialists who could create software grew. Also, we learned that a programmer is the most desirable occupation there is,” Jevgenij Abdulajev said. 

Even though programmers are in high demand, just writing code won’t be enough.

“Nowadays, technological skills are not the only important thing. Human qualities, such as teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills are crucial. During the 4th industrial revolution, so now, we already have hybrid jobs that require both technological and human skills,” he said.

What are hybrid jobs?

At the moment, we are doing hybrid jobs. This means that we need both technology and human skills. Let's take a look at a programmer. These days, he or she is not only writing code, but needs skills to communicate, to provide insights, to work in a team, and understand the business process of the particular industry.

The product manager is another example of a hybrid job. That person has to be good at organizing, communicating, problem-solving, and technology.

“In order to be successful, he has to be able to understand what a programmer tells him,” said Jevgenij Abdulajev.

A marketing specialist nowadays is also a person with a hybrid job as he has to be creative and communicate efficiently. Further, marketing specialists need to learn and use data analytics tools to make better campaigns.

The future is for superhumans

“Robots don’t get sick. They can do some tasks more effectively, faster, and not get tired. Jobs that have more technical elements will be automated faster,” Jevgenij Abdulajev said.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), around 75 million jobs could be displaced because of robotization. But, over the next decade, around 133 million jobs globally could be created because of the rapid technological advances. 

We already work hybrid jobs, and soon we will have to learn even more about how to work closely with robots and algorithms. We will, as Jevgenij Abdulajev puts it, be doing superhuman jobs.

We already work hybrid jobs, and soon we will have to learn even more about how to work closely with robots and algorithms. We will, as Jevgenij Abdulajev puts it, be doing superhuman jobs.

For example, the man-machine teaming manager is a future job description.

“This is a person responsible for the efficiency of human and robot teamwork. He will need both biological and psychological knowledge and the ability to understand robotics. He will have to effectively communicate with humans and manage robots, as well as understand the surroundings that he will be working in,” told Jevgenij Abdulajev.

It is a super job for superhumans. “This is an evolution of hybrid jobs....Humans will work in a team with a robot. And that’s why we will have to gain new competencies, learn new things, know how to combine old and new skills to find the most effective solutions,” he said.

Master the pivot

“Requalification that now is associated with the fundamental changes in life, will become quite an ordinary thing in the near future,” Jevgenij Abdulajev thinks.

According to him, people may make radical career changes at least a few times in a lifetime. The good news is that there will be jobs in the future that robots still will not be able to perform. 

“A person who will be performing a super job will have to master not only intercultural communication but also inter-technological communication because we will work in teams with people, robots, and algorithms,” he explained.

A person who will be performing a super job will have to master not only intercultural communication but also inter-technological communication because we will work in teams with people, robots, and algorithms,

said Jevgenij Abdulajev.

Human characteristics will be the main requirement to get a job in the future. But technology skills, of course, will be a must as well.

“It is a fact that a person will have to learn new things. To have a hybrid job or super job, a person will have to be tech-savvy. Technology changes the job market,” Jevgenij Abdulajev told CyberNews.

Some technology may be easier to understand and master, but the willingness to learn all the time is the key. According to the expert, it will become even more popular to learn by doing, and not spend long years in universities just to learn another skill.

“Even now, there are a lot of companies that offer you internal internships. The main thing will be the learning through practice so that a person could start applying his skills at once,” he said.