As technology rapidly advances, many older tech specialities are becoming obsolete. To stay ahead of the curve, it’s essential to know which things will soon be phased out. Here are 10 tech specialities that will become obsolete in the future.
In this Article
1. Typographers
Typographers do things like implementing proper kerning, leading, and tracking into their designs, as well as proofreading for typographical errors. In addition, they make sure that a design looks right when put together with the elements of a page—fonts, spacing, layout.
2. Graphic Designers
Graphic designers typically create logos and other graphics on websites or printed materials such as brochures or posters. For example, they create Facebook cover photos and Twitter backgrounds. In the future, however, computers may be doing this type of work instead of humans—much like Photoshop is doing now instead of graphic artists. The main reason that this job will become obsolete is that computer software can do a lot of the same things that graphic designers do, but more efficiently.
3. User Interaface Developers
User interface developers work on how a website or app feels when a person is using it—they make sure that everything loads correctly, buttons are in the right places, and screens flow seamlessly from one to another. In the future, computers will be doing this type of work instead of humans—much like Apple has been doing with iOS lately. This job will get obsolete because computers already have user interfaces that improve efficiency for both humans and machines alike.
4. Network Administrators
Network administrators connect all of the devices in a network to communicate with each other and protect data from being transmitted or lost. They ensure the network is safe, working correctly, and not overloaded with data. This process can be done by machines now; robots are already used to help automate data collection in many settings (from Mars rovers to model assembly lines). Therefore, many network administrator jobs will soon be replaced by machines—much like what you see happening at your local Walmart checkout lanes where automated cashiers have been installed.
5. Computer Repairmen
Computer maintenance specialists repair computers when they break down due to hardware damage or software bugs. In the future, however, computers themselves will take over this type of work—computers could fix a problem for a human just as well as a human could fix a problem for a computer. Therefore, this job will become obsolete—much like how your car mechanic repairs your car for you if it has issues and the computer diagnostics system can’t fix it automatically.
6. Programmers
Programmers write code to produce applications, games, and other programs that can be used on PCs or mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones. Computers are already developing programming languages such as Swift and HTML5 touch typography because they allow machines to do complex tasks more efficiently than humans can. For example, Flash was once one of the best ways to create animation content for websites. However, Adobe Flash is not commonly used in many technologies and has been replaced by HTML5 animations. This will be the fate of many programming jobs—they will become phased out, much like older programming languages such as AppleScript and Java.
7. Graphic Animators
Graphic animators use various techniques to create animations that can be used in films or on websites. Their software counterparts are well-documented—computers have been doing this type of work for decades with rendering programs such as Maya and Adobe After Effects. In addition, graphic animators usually earn less than they would if they went into another industry since their skills are becoming obsolete due to technology advancement—much like how Kodak’s photography department was dissolved when digital cameras became popular instead because the process demanded fewer people than to produce the same quality results.
8. Audio Engineers
Audio engineers work in a studio to record vocal tracks and instrumental music, adjust sound levels while editing, and mix all components to make a finished track or album. In addition, they also help produce live concerts or events. However, computers are taking over this type of job because it is easier for them than humans—they can hear tiny details in noise that no human could ever notice, making this process much more efficient than before when it was done by hand during the creation of vinyl records (the method used before digital audio became popular).
Therefore, there will be fewer jobs available for audio engineers in the future since machines are better at doing what they do than humans are—much like how we don’t have many music composers today since it is much easier for a computer to generate the same quality of sound.
9. Software Testers and Quality Assurance Specialists
Software testers and quality assurance specialists read through software’s code line by line to find bugs or errors and provide feedback about whether the product is “fit for release” so they can be reported to programmers or developers. However, this process is difficult for programmers since coding requires precise instructions to be followed precisely to run correctly.
Therefore, this role will become obsolete because machines will soon fill this gap (much like how voice recognition technologies such as Siri or Google Now can complete tasks much more accessible than humans ever could due to the way machines programmed them).
10. Customer Service Representatives and Tech Support Specialists
Customer service specialists troubleshoot problems provide support for computer products such as cell phones, printers, fax machines, routers, etc., to customers on a customer-service line in a call centre setting.
Computers are taking over this type of job because it is easier for them than humans—they have been doing this type of work very well for years with robotic telephone systems that place your phone calls for you when you need something from a company such as changing the order or updating account information. Therefore, these jobs will become obsolete since technology has advanced so far that machines can replace humans in this role (much like how people rarely go to a bank in person for this type of service since ATMs and online banking have become so accessible).
As technology evolves, so too does the field of tech specialities. Unfortunately, this means that older ones eventually become obsolete and newer, more advanced ones. So if you want to stay ahead of the curve and avoid becoming obsolete in the future, it’s essential to be aware of which tech specialities are on their way out.