I’m dating myself now, but when I was in university, the Internet did not exist. Well, okay, it existed, but few people had heard of it and almost no one accessed it at home. It wasn’t widely used as a communications or research tool. Research was done in libraries and archives were stored on microfilms. Nobody used email.

It was emerging though. I had one course in third-year university about the potential of the Internet. That professor passionately explained how this was the medium of the future and how it would change the way so much of the world worked.

My point is that despite the fact that I began studying for my Bachelor’s Degree in a pre-Internet world, almost all of my professional jobs since have been online. The changes in technology and culture opened up whole new career paths that could not have been predicted even a short time earlier. It happened fast.

That is why it is important for young people to keep up with the latest cultural and technological trends as they pursue their education and first jobs. The career paths of the future are still being mapped out, and they change all the time.

From our most recent Thinkopolis research report, here are ten up-and-coming jobs that are in high demand right now that didn’t even exist a decade ago:

    1. Online community manager
    2. Mobile applications developer
    3. Search engine optimization specialist
    4. Sustainability expert
    5. Web content strategist
    6. Elder-care services coordinator
    7. Yoga / Zumba / Pilates instructor
    8. Big data analyst
    9. Privacy officer
    10. User Experience Designer

Just a few short years ago, Facebook and Twitter did not exist, and now people with social media skills are amongst the most sought-after on the job market.

For those people looking to gain their first on-the-job experience, here are the top ten most common jobs posted on Workopolis for student and entry-level candidates:

    1. Administrative assistant
    2. Customer service representative
    3. Merchandiser
    4. Personal banking officer trainee
    5. Physiotherapist
    6. Receptionist
    7. Registered nurse
    8. Sales manager trainee
    9. Sales representative
    10. Technician assistant

Some of these jobs require a completed education, but they are posted for entry-level candidates because the demand is such that new grads are snatched up right out of school.

The real wages of your first jobs are the ability to build a reputation as a conscientious hard worker, and learn the transferable skills that that will help you throughout your entire career. Along with communication skills these include: relationship building, problem solving, entrepreneurial thinking, collaboration and teamwork, leadership abilities, and more.

These soft skills will always be in demand, and having a variety of short-term or part-time jobs can be a great way to learn them at the same time as experiencing different kinds of roles, jobs and industries in the ever-changing world of work. That is the best way to prepare for the job market of tomorrow.

You can read the complete report and more research and insights from Workopolis at Workopolis.com/research.

[VIDEO] Workopolis VP of HR Tara Talbot discusses the Thinkopolis report on Canada AM.

– Peter Harris

– Peter Harris on Twitter