Due to the global outbreak of the pandemic Covid 19, life is never the same again.  Mankind must change in every aspect, be it something micro, like a personal habit, or something macro like the field of education, economy, career, the community and even in respect of international relations.  Scientists and medical experts are unable to cope with the unpredictability and the rapidity of the viral mutation.  With the wide and rapid spread of the virus of Covid 19, mankind must adopt a new norm in every aspect of life and take on a new direction in the future development of civilisation.  In pertinent to that, when deciding on the course to pursue and deliberating the career choice, a student must take into consideration the changes that are currently happening in the world.

With the requirement to be physically distanced in today’s social interaction between people, we must adopt new methods in carrying out our activities and doing businesses, as face-to-face interactions, common gatherings and manual services need to be reduced as much as possible.  To replace the conventional ways, it is none other than the digital technology.  The Internet and the digital technology will play an enormous role in future trading, education, online services, virtual reality and augmented reality.

The inception of the 5G technology has opened up and sped up the establishment of a new realm named ‘The Internet of Things’.  Such an advancement has made possible many inventions which were once deemed impossible, such as the fully automated machines and machinery, high-speed transportations, high-accuracy medical equipment, unmanned delivery services and the remotely controlled household appliances.  Hence, when choosing a course to pursue for future studies, one should consider the fields of data analysis, technology communication, automation technology, smart mechanical engineering, multi-media content designing and creative engineering as these fields offer promising career prospects.

Business giants like Amazon, Google and Microsoft have invested tremendously in the development of Artificial Intelligence.  That will be the pivot for mankind’s future development.  In relation to that, students should consider pursuing courses that could prepare them to be data scientists, data analysts, machine learning engineers, business intelligence developers, natural language processing personnel, computer software engineers, computer science engineers, robotics engineers, medical engineers, national security personnel, Internet security experts and other experts working in the field of artificial intelligences.

In order to prepare yourselves for the new career trend in the coming ten years, students must start planning from now.  You must be knowledgeable in digital operations and have the skills for digital businesses.  You must possess the ability to analyse data and the willingness to involve in the research and development of the artificial intelligence industry.  You must also equip yourselves with knowledge pertaining to the multiplatform content creator and be a part in the development of renewable energy and the cutting-edge medical field.

When planning for future career, students must avoid jobs or fields  that are replaceable or will be taken over by automations or unmanned machines, such as counter services, banking services, F & B businesses, fast food businesses, accounting, telemarketing, printing and many others.  Other than the field of hard technology, with the technology advancement and development being ever-changing and ever-improving, students can also consider other fields such as computer programming, software engineering, music, graphic designing, game programming, image editing and other creative and artistic fields.

The coming ten years will be the deciding decade for students who are ready to embrace the new norm of the world.  As the saying goes, “the early bird catches the worm”, be prepared and equip yourselves well while you are young.  Excellence Begins with You; Versus Novus Sublimitas.