Look to the future and what do you see? Flying cars? Steampunk kids riding hoverboards? Downtrodden dystopias with Harrison Ford-alikes running around in long brown overcoats?
Well, while these visions of the future might never happen, one thing is certain – some jobs will be obsolete, so you have to make your education count.
It’s a tough call to make. But some jobs will always be vital, no matter what era we live in.
So here are a few future-proof college majors for you to study, whether we move into a glistening or a downbeat future.
The children are our future
Despite declining birth rates in the western world, the need to look after and understand the needs of children is greater than ever.
But that doesn’t exclusively lead you towards childcare. For high wages and the chance to work out your brainbox, try studying for a degree in child psychology. Relative to other medical fields, psychology itself is in its relative infancy, making the possibilities for unique advancement high.
Knowing the inner workings of a child’s mind will never go out of style.
Digital love
You can see the impact of the internet on businesses already. As high street stores close their doors and indie retailers struggle to stay afloat, internet giants like Amazon dominate the marketplace.
The future is now in the digital world. As the tech for the internet unfurls before us, the reality is clear – the net is going nowhere.
As such, there are now countless avenues of study for a life in the digital world. Web development, computer programming, app design, game design – the list goes on. Some colleges even offer the chance to study the cultural impact of the web on society.
Not only is the world of the web putting convenience at our fingertips – it’s giving us the jobs of the future.
Get arty
We’ve all dreamed of it in some form or another – wearing a beret on the south bank of the Seine, Paris, you pen your latest novel, pursing a cigarette between your lips and living the life of the moody artiste.
But the successful artist – be they pretentious poet, literary heavyweight, beard-stroking filmmaker or agent provocateur raconteur – is usually one in a million. Yet however precarious a career as an artist might be, it will never go out of date. While the modes of distribution might change, the need for art won’t.
A degree in fine art, illustration or any other creative subject, won’t guarantee you a job straight off the bat. However, many people learn to combine a side job with their artistic aspirations. Creation may not pay amazingly – but it’ll never age away.