RMIT University organises ‘Future of Work Talks’ in Sri Lanka
The way we work has changed, and at the forefront of this change is technology. One of the best ways to prepare for the inevitable is by putting yourself in different environments. Travel if you can, spend a day in an organisation that’s completely different from yours. The things you will learn will help you adapt to changes as they come. It’s important that you learn teamwork, collaboration, communication and working with humans, since humans can be difficult. You must have a broad range of skills.
You need to learn how to learn. People say that with automation, jobs will be lost. I say they will be displaced instead. Jobs like Cyber Security Engineer, Drone Engineer, Human AI Designer, will soon come to exist if they don’t a l r e a d y. Po s i t i o n s like Accountants are more susceptible to change. This does not mean that you shouldn’t continue studying them. After your degree, the kind of job you will do is not what is done today. That’s all it is.
Dharshan Shankavaram is globally responsible for overseeing and building up CapGemini’s Digital Customer Experience delivery, IP and portfolio of Digital Customer Experience.
Speaking about how technology is causing industries to evolve, which therefore directly affects our lives, Dharshan highlighted that there is an information overload. By streamlining and determining what it is that a customer wants, industries can better adapt themselves to produce a quality product that is in demand. Using AI and IT, industries can now give a better customer experience online, using algorithms to sense what the customer needs and then conveying the look and feel of the actual product so they can make a decision.
With time, skills that will be harder to replace are the ones that are more human. Emotional intelligence, decision making, innovation. These are things that are innately human.
Understanding this, RMIT prepares its students to face the ever evolving world of work by incorporating a practical aspect into their curriculum. Tom Gifford, the Assistant Director of International Recruitment highlighted that RMIT provides students with the opportunity to gain supplementary credentials while completing their selected programme. He advises that students make the most of this, so they are better equipped to adapt to the evolving world of work.
Reshmi Dutta, the Regional Manager and in charge of recruitments from Middle East, Africa and South Asia, points out that it is important that students consider what their aspirations are, before choosing a destination and university. You need to plan ahead.
A common theme that was expressed by all speakers was that disruption to the way we work is definitely coming, and you need to be prepared for it. The only way to prepare is by learning how to learn and by gaining as many skills for yourself as you can. The expectation is that in the future, you will have many jobs over a lifetime, in many domains.