Professions you Should Never Join and Why?

What is a profession?

A profession is a paid occupation that requires prolonged training or special skill and it might require a higher level of education.

Given the rate at which technology is increasing, most of the day to day activities are done linked to it. Although this may be a good thing, it has a negative effect on many careers which are becoming more and more automated. Nowadays most professions are phasing out due to these developments. Therefore, it is important to avoid selecting a field that is made up of declining jobs.

1. Pilot

Training as a pilot these days is a bit risky because nowadays modern commercial aircraft reply to flight plans, which the pilot inputs and then determines and applies the best way to get there. There seems to be less need for somebody to actually fly the plane. Flight crews have already been reduced from 3 to 2; it is anticipated that running the cockpit would need only one supervising officer by 2030.

1. Lumberjacks

Given that more and more paper products digitalize, corporations and governments push towards a more sustainable world, lumberjacks are becoming increasingly endangered species. This is mainly because human labor is being replaced by more sophisticated and advanced technologies.

1. Travel Agent

Research, performed by KAYAK.co.uk travel search engine, was conducted from 10-14 January 2019 among 1,007 adults in the UK. In their findings, they discovered that decrease can be mostly brought down to the growth in those now doing online booking holidays. About three-quarters (73 percent) state they booked their last vacation electronically, 4 percent of which booked it on their desktop, rising to 7 percent for under 35s. In fact, 20% of adults say they have never been inside a travel agent branch. They are booking online because it’s just easier, you can find almost everything a travel agent has offered online and a travel agent is expensive. This indicates that in the future there might be no jobs of this form anymore. Hence it’s safer to avoid joining the travel agencies.

1. Pharmacy aides

The decline is due to pharmacy technicians taking on many of the responsibilities of pharmacy aides, such as answering phones, stocking shelves, and administrative tasks. From 2006 to 2016 there had been a decrease in pharmacy aides of 11.1%.

1. Radio and television announcers

The consolidation of radio and TV stations, the growth of other media sources, and new technology are contributing to the decline. Also, the field is very competitive, with many more job seekers than jobs.

1. Cashier

Due to the rising cashless society, self-service tills are already in most supermarkets and some payment being made online, the demise of the cashier seems to be inevitable. Low-wage jobs have always been part of the economic landscape but for many years now wages have been suppressed. The cashier is one of them. For someone who has big ambitions and is looking for a career, Cashier is not for you since the income is very low and will not cover all your needs.

1. Marriage and family therapists

This is one of the lowest paying jobs considering that its typical entry-level degree requires a master`s degree. Nowadays fewer people are going for therapy due to lack of money.

1. Bank Tellers

While banks will not entirely disappear; many local branches will and have already closed. This is because of the ease and user-friendliness of electronic and mobile banking, where you can easily make deposits and monitor your account–and all from the comfort of your own home, bus or anywhere.

1. Insurance underwriting

With the increase in the availability of different data sources and maturing conversational AI technologies, the insurance application process for a majority of applicants would be automated.

1. Photographers

Due to the use of mobile phones by the majority, people are now able to do their own photoshoots. There might be no need for photographers in the future,

How to choose a profession

When choosing a new job, you have to consider a few things. For instance, make sure the job cannot be replaced by computers. You need to be more creative when choosing a career. Relationship-based occupations are also a good career, for example, medical professions, roles that require nurturing and building relationships with other people. There is also an unpredictable job like engineers, those needed in emergencies like plumbers. Paying jobs are also a necessity given that everyone has basic needs that need to be covered.

Keithley Tongai is a Consultant intern at Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, a business management and human resources consulting firm.

References;

1. https://www.traveldailymedia.com/kayak-travel-agents-research/
2. https://www.careeraddict.com/disappearing-jobs
3. https://www.boston.com/news/jobs/2013/12/30/30-of-the-fastest-declining-occupations