8 Emerging Careers from 2012

Sharon Jones of Career Thought Leaders

Data science, geospatial technology, homeland security, and entertainment technology are some of the new and emerging occupations I blogged about last year:

1. Data science

Big Data staff analyze user behavior in unstructured data (e.g. web clicks, audio, video, blogs, forums, search terms) to make content appealing and profitable. From fanalytics (think Moneyball) to Presidential election and Hurricane Sandy predictions, data analytics skills are hot.

Job titles: data management analyst, data engineer, data scientist, statistical analyst, analytics architect, clinical data analyst, business intelligence analyst Continue Reading

Do You Want “Mathemagical Superpowers?” Prepare for an Emerging Career in Data Analytics

Sharon Jones of Career Thought Leaders

The movie Moneyball showed Oakland Athletics’ use of performance data to recruit talented baseball players with good ROI. The new big thing is fanalytics, applied to a wide range of sports: basketball, hockey, motorsport, tennis, and more.

Bill Wilson (sports fan and recovering lawyer) wrote a blog about the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference:

Geeks Seek Reap From Tweeps in Seats (brewonsouthu@yahoo.com)

Doug Henschen, executive editor of InformationWeek, wrote that analytics are used in decision-making from “ticket and merchandise sales to labor agreements to player contracts, to TV and digital media deals.”

Computer modeling enabled meteorologists to give a heads-up warning to government agencies about Hurricane Sandy. The presidential and Senate race outcomes were accurately predicted by statistician Nate Silver and neuroscientist Sam Wang, respectively.

Healthcare providers seek data scientists at all levels to lower costs, improve patient care, provide pricing transparency, and enhance treatment decisions consistent with best practices.

“Data is the new oil.” Continue Reading

Discover the Best Graduate Degree for Emerging Careers

Sharon Jones of Career Thought Leaders

Are you looking for a way to qualify for “hot jobs” in a poor economy?

Instead of aiming for a graduate or professional degree which personally interests you (folklore or film, anyone?) or impresses friends and family (M.D, MBA, J.D.), let’s consider more objective criteria:

1. New and emerging occupations
2. Positive job market outlook
3. Good return on investment
4. Breadth and depth; interdisciplinary with focus
5. Experiential (internship, co-op, or capstone component) Continue Reading