We can only guess what the future holds. Technology is changing the way things are done and the pace of change is accelerating dramatically.

So, what is the likelihood that a particular career path will be irrelevant in, say, 20 years’ time? Let’s take a look at which ones I think are most likely to survive.

• IT and robotics. Clearly it will be a long time before robots can design robots.
• Physicists and other researchers. Physics is, to my mind, the ultimate science of discovery. Forever probing deeper into the universe and the nature of matter. The tools which researchers use to develop and support a theory are becoming more and more sophisticated, but the search for knowledge will go on forever.
• The Arts. I can’t imagine sitting in a theatre, virtual or otherwise, watching robots dancing, acting in a play, playing classical music or singing in a choir. Yes, the nature of the musical instrument will continue to change, but art is, by its very definition, a result of human creative skill and imagination.
• Priests and politicians. I put these together because they are both there to influence how we live our daily lives and, in a manner of speaking, use the performing arts to guide (priests) or control (politicians) us.
• Archeologists. I guess there will always be something to dig up.
• Business person. Yes, there will always be economic activity and it doesn’t happen on its own. It needs drivers.
• Attorneys and advocates. Hopefully, we will always have courts of law and legal argument. In my wildest imagination, I can’t see this profession going downhill.

And what about these?

• Medical practitioners, including surgeons. These are already being squeezed out by Google, Artificial Intelligence ( AI) and robots.
• School and higher education teachers. Maybe they will survive in some form, but mostly, I think, to write teaching programs.
• Accountants, auditors, architects, quantity surveyors, actuaries. In fact, just about all the professions will become redundant as AI replaces them.
• Public servants as seen in the various Government Departments. They could largely have been replaced by technology a long time ago.

This has just been a quick look. More to stimulate your thinking than to provide a definitive answer. I would welcome comments.