Career · Guide + framework
Emerging Careers: What's Actually Growing, and How to Test Them Before College
Emerging careers without hype: what employer data says is growing, the three kinds of emerging career, and how Class 10–12 students can test them.
By the Editorial Team · Updated
Quick answer
"Emerging careers" come in three kinds: new roles that barely existed a decade ago (such as AI and machine learning specialists), transformed roles in established professions changing fast (such as law or medicine working with AI), and growing roles expanding in number (such as nursing and renewable energy engineering). Employer surveys point to growth in data, AI, cybersecurity, fintech, clean energy and care work. Most are reached through established degrees plus specific skills and projects.
Why "emerging" needs careful handling
Lists of "hot new careers" spread quickly online, and they carry two risks for students:
- Chasing a title rather than the work. A role can be growing fast from a very small base, or the job title can change before you graduate.
- Ignoring routes in. Many emerging roles have no dedicated undergraduate degree. People reach them through established fields plus specialised skills.
This page separates what the evidence says from what it doesn't, then gives you a way to test any emerging career while you're still in school.
What employer data says is growing
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 surveyed over 1,000 employers across 55 economies about expected changes to 2030 [1][2]. Its findings on jobs:
Fastest-growing in percentage terms. In the report's words, "Leading the fastest growing jobs list are roles such as Big Data Specialist, FinTech Engineers, AI and Machine Learning Specialists and Software and Applications Developers" [1]. Others among the fastest-growing include security management specialists, information security analysts, autonomous and electric vehicle specialists, environmental engineers and renewable energy engineers [1].
Largest growth in absolute numbers. Frontline and care roles lead: farmworkers, delivery drivers and construction workers top the list, and nursing professionals, social work and counselling professionals, personal care aides, and university and secondary teachers also feature. Software and applications developers appear on both lists [1].
Declining. Among the fastest-declining roles, the report lists cashiers and ticket clerks, administrative assistants and executive secretaries, printing workers, and accountants and auditors [1]. It notes that graphic designers and legal secretaries sit "just outside the top 10 fastest-declining job roles", which may illustrate generative AI's growing capacity to perform knowledge work [1].
What this does and doesn't tell you
| The data tells you | The data doesn't tell you |
|---|---|
| Which kinds of work employers globally expect to grow | What will happen in India, in your city or in your specific field |
| Where technology, the energy transition and demographic change are pushing demand | Which job titles will exist in 2035 |
| That both technical and human-centred work are growing | That any one career is "safe" or "future-proof" |
Treat these findings as a map of pressures, not a list of guaranteed jobs.
The three kinds of emerging career
1. New roles
These are occupations that have appeared or become distinct recently.
| Area | Examples of roles | Typical routes in (undergraduate) | School subjects that help |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI and data | Machine learning engineer, data scientist, big data specialist, AI product specialist | Computer science, mathematics, statistics, data science, engineering; sometimes economics with strong quantitative training | Mathematics, computer science |
| Cybersecurity | Information security analyst, security operations specialist | Computer science, IT, electronics, specialised cybersecurity programmes | Mathematics, computer science |
| Fintech | Fintech engineer, payments product specialist, risk analyst | Computer science, engineering, finance, economics | Mathematics, economics, accountancy |
| Electric and autonomous mobility | EV systems engineer, battery engineer, autonomous systems engineer | Electrical, electronics, mechanical, mechatronics engineering | Physics, mathematics |
2. Transformed roles
These are established professions that are changing quickly. They're often overlooked because the job title stays the same.
| Profession | What's changing | What to add to the traditional route |
|---|---|---|
| Law | Legal research tools, contract analytics, technology regulation, data protection | Comfort with technology; an interest in policy and regulation |
| Medicine and health | Digital health records, telemedicine, AI-assisted diagnostics, health data | Data literacy; understanding the limits of AI tools |
| Journalism and media | Data journalism, verification of AI-generated content, audience analytics | Data skills; verification methods |
| Design | UX and interaction design, service design, design for AI products | User research, basic coding and prototyping |
| Teaching | Blended and digital learning, learning analytics | Digital literacy; design of learning materials |
| Finance and accounting | Automation of routine tasks; growth in analysis and advisory work | Analytical and communication skills over routine processing |
3. Growing roles
Some established occupations are growing in number because of demographic, environmental or economic change, even when they aren't new.
| Driver | Examples | Typical routes |
|---|---|---|
| Energy transition and environment | Renewable energy engineer, environmental engineer, sustainability analyst | Engineering (electrical, mechanical, civil, environmental), environmental science |
| Care economy | Nursing, counselling, social work, allied health | B.Sc. Nursing, psychology, social work, allied health programmes |
| Education | University and secondary teachers | Subject degree plus teacher education, or integrated teacher-education programmes |
How to test an emerging career while still at school
The best way to judge an emerging career is to try a small version of the work. Use this five-step test on any role that catches your interest.
| Step | What to do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Describe the work | Find three real job descriptions for the role. List the five tasks that appear most often. | 1 hour |
| 2. Find the route | Look at the profiles of five people in the role (for example on professional networking sites). Note what they studied, and whether they came from one field or several. | 1 hour |
| 3. Try a mini-task | Do a small version of the work: clean and chart a dataset, complete a beginner capture-the-flag cybersecurity exercise, design an app screen and test it with three people, or estimate your school's electricity use and the potential of rooftop solar. | 3–6 hours |
| 4. Talk to someone | A 20-minute conversation with a practitioner. Ask what surprised them, what a normal week looks like, and what they'd study again. | 1 hour |
| 5. Reflect | Did the mini-task energise you or drain you? Does the route fit your subjects and constraints? | 15 minutes |
After five steps, you'll know more about a role than most online lists can tell you. Add the result to your Career Explorer options sheet.
Worked example (illustrative)
A fictional student, to show the test in action.
Rohan (Class 11, PCM) is drawn to "AI careers" after watching videos about chatbots.
- Describe the work: three machine learning engineer job descriptions mention data cleaning, model training, evaluation, deployment and collaboration with product teams. There's much more data preparation than he expected.
- Find the route: of five profiles, three studied computer science, one electrical engineering and one mathematics. Two have master's degrees.
- Mini-task: he follows a free beginner tutorial to train a simple image classifier. He enjoys analysing why it gets things wrong more than the coding itself.
- Talk to someone: a family friend who works in analytics says evaluation and explaining results to non-technical colleagues takes up much of the job.
- Reflect: Rohan likes the analytical side. He adds "data science / ML" to his options, alongside a B.Sc. in mathematics and statistics as a flexible route, and a B.Tech in computer science.
Rohan didn't decide on AI because it was trending. He decided because a small test showed him which part of the work he enjoyed.
Common mistakes
- Choosing by headline growth. A fast-growing role may still be small in absolute numbers. Look at both kinds of growth and at where the demand is geographically.
- Assuming you need a degree with the role's name in it. For most emerging roles, established degrees plus demonstrable skills are the usual route.
- Ignoring transformed and growing roles. The biggest opportunities are often inside established professions that are changing, and in care, education and energy work.
- Treating "creative" as automatically AI-proof. The WEF's 2025 report shows graphic designers close to the fastest-declining roles [1]. Creativity is still valuable, but combining it with research, strategy or technical skills matters.
- Relying on unsourced salary claims. Salary figures for new roles vary widely and are often presented without a date, location or sample size.
Checklist
- I've identified whether the career I'm curious about is new, transformed or growing.
- I've read at least three real job descriptions for it.
- I know the two or three most common degree routes into it.
- I've done a mini-task version of the work.
- I've spoken to, or heard directly from, someone in the role.
- I've added it to my options sheet with a clear "next thing to find out".
What to do next
- Add tested roles to your options sheet in the Career Explorer.
- Check the routes in Career Options After Class 12 and Courses After Class 12.
- Build the skills these roles share, using Future Skills for Students.
- Weigh your options with the Career Decision Framework.
At the programme: the Career & Future Skills Programme includes future-skills sessions and expert interactions, and may include a Future Skills zone depending on the school. They're good places to do step 4 of the test and ask practitioners what the work involves. Explore the Career & Future Skills Programme.
Related resources
- Future Skills for Students
- Career Explorer
- Career Options After Class 12
- Career Myths vs Reality
- Course vs Career
Sources
- World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2025, chapter 2, "Jobs outlook" (January 2025): fastest-growing, largest-growing and fastest-declining roles, including the note on graphic designers and legal secretaries. https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/in-full/2-jobs-outlook/
- World Economic Forum, press release, Future of Jobs Report 2025 (January 2025): survey scope of over 1,000 companies, 22 industries and 55 economies. https://www.weforum.org/press/2025/01/future-of-jobs-report-2025-78-million-new-job-opportunities-by-2030-but-urgent-upskilling-needed-to-prepare-workforces/
Information checked: September 2026. The WEF report is a global employer survey of expectations to 2030. Update this page when a new edition is published.