NEW ENGLAND CAPITAL VENTURES

What does the job scene for the next 5-10 years look like?

1. Network Engineer: So the folks who thought networking was dead need to think again. Key word here is 'convergence'. Everybody talked about it 10 years ago and finally we have managed to show meaning behind this jargon. Every consumer electronic item, automobiles and kids toys are connected. Media gets richer, cross-compatibility between devices gets more and more pervasive, supported platforms get wider, bandwidth needs get bigger, need for performance gets push and security cannot be ignored.
2. Storage: Face it, humans like to hoard! We save everything. It makes us feel secure. Our ability to generate content gets easier and richer. Buying a 10 MP camera under $200 is no big deal anymore as is buying Full HD hard drive based tiny hand held cameras. Amount of music being sold w/o DRM is getting commonplace with Apple's recent announcement. Many may argue about cloud computing or SoA driving content push to devices but somewhere somehow this needs to be stored, managed and delivered. And let's not forget Life Sciences. Do you know the amount of data generated from just 1 DNA strand or a Head CT Scan?
3. IT Project Managers: If you can code, talk business & finance, manage people and get things done politically - you're the man! Problem is, people who write code don't understand balance-sheets or manage budgets and people who manage people can't code . . . and so on. It's a tough find. You will be paid top dollars if you have these skills. Also think about all the initiatives in place today - especially with the Government, Healthcare ($75 Billion proposed for EMR implementations in the US by Obama), Transport, etc . . . think outside your traditional indusry of finance, media, tech, etc. This is traditionally a 1st step towards a CIO.
4. Primary Care: Have you tired to get an appt. with your doc recently? Access to care, quality of care and ability to receive pro-active care are major issues in care delivery for US. If you want a guaranteed job that pays above $120k annually, suck it up and go to med school. You will save the world, make people happy and have a job. Period!
5. Nurses & PA (Physician Assistants): Need for medical care is ever expanding. Look around you and tell me the ratio of older folks vs. younger folks. The baby boomers are coming guys! They will be sicker and will demand attention than your grandfather. They WILL ask you to give them their meds and follow-up over the Internet with their nurse.
6. Defense: We need our army more than ever right now. West Point requires you to give at least 5 years of service after you graduate. The % of active enlistees from west point has gone down over 50% in the past few years. This is not just the army, navy & air-force. I am talking about counter terrorism (think Jack Bauer from 24), intelligence gathering and everything in between. FBI's recent announcement to hire 2000 personal was just the start. If you are in this sector, you will again - save the world (or try and make it a better place) and serve your country and have a job for life.
7. Car Tech: I opened the hood of my new car of 2 weeks - it looked like a HP Proaliant rack-server to me, not a car. I spoke to a friend I went to grad school with who works at the Toyota plant in Japan and another friend working with Hyundai Motors in Korea. Their current models pack less than 5% computer equipment. 2010 and beyond release plans engage over 30% of the car managed by computers, on-board and in-engine. This information can't be more fresh! If you are a car mechanic, you are easily looking at pulling $80 - $120k a year.
8. Environmental Tech: Global warming or not, we have seen more natural disasters with greater severity in the past 5 years than we had in the past 2 decades. There's got to be some God damned reason for it. Extreme weather conditions will continue and we need people who can prevent loss of life, property & create an ability for early warning systems. Problem is - we have very few of these folks. So can someone please go to school for this. I hate when the Boston Globe misdirects me with their weather forecast and I land up spending 4 hours on the road. Look at incidents in Indonesia, Japan, China, etc in the past 24 months. You will see what I mean.
9. Genetic Counselors: I can get my DNA mapped for $399. Problem is, my doc can't interpret the results neither do I know what to do with it. The report states you could be at 40% risk for diabetes by age 50. Well - so what can I do . . . . that's where a Genetic Counselor comes in. These folks will be in demand as much as nurses or PA's in the coming years.
10. Entrepreneur: I will always state this - if you can work for yourself, do it. There's always money if you know where to look for it. And sometimes you don't need a heck of a lot of it to execute your idea. Entrepreneurship will never die because our spirit to face odds will never die.

I am sure there are others in this list but I wanted to communicate my top 10. Notice I deliberately skipped finance! That's a separate conversation and maybe I will address it someday when I am feeling generous. Till then, get to work.

posted by Janak Joshi @ 1/15/2009 10:54:00 AM