Manufacturing is changing, and so are the jobs associated with factory work. As more of the process becomes automated, the goal is to free up people to learn new skills and perform more meaningful work. As smart factories are more connected and collected more data, there will be a huge demand for people to analyze and make sense of the data so companies can make better business decisions. The World Economic Forum reports that 38% of businesses believe AI and automation technology will allow employees to carry-out new productivity-enhancing jobs while over 25% of companies think automation will result in the emergence of new roles and impact the future of work.
Our world is constantly changing and so is the demand for the jobs that go along with it. Technology has changed dramatically from its early days and is ever-evolving. Technology changes so quickly that it feels like once we’ve finally understood something, there is another new thing to learn. As technology continues to improve, so do the opportunities to learn and grow along with it.
Industry 4.0 provides an abundance of STEM career opportunities to choose from. The list below highlights some of the most in-demand Industry 4.0 jobs.
Data Scientist
Artificial Intelligence has created a growing demand for jobs such as robotic engineers, machine learning engineers, and data scientists. Data scientists are one of the most in-demand and high-paying jobs on the market today.
Data Scientists are responsible for:
- Identifying relevant data sources for business needs
- Collecting structured and unstructured data
- Sourcing missing data
- Organizing data into usable formats
- Building predictive models
- Building machine learning algorithms
- Enhancing the data collection process
- Processing, cleansing & verifying data
- Analyzing data for trends and patterns and finding answers to specific questions
- Setting up data infrastructure
- Develop, implement, and maintain databases
- Assessing the quality of data and removing or cleaning data
- Generating information and insights from data sets and identifying trends and patterns
- Preparing reports for executive and project teams
- Creating visualizations of data
Your education should consist of at least a bachelor’s degree in data science for this career path, but you’ll probably have more success with a master’s degree.
The salary of a data scientist varies, but according to Indeed, a data scientist makes approximately $140,000 per year as a base salary.
Artificial Intelligence Specialist
Recently, AI has created an abundance of new and emerging careers. As this continues so does the need for humans to increase their skills. Predictions are that at least nine industries will benefit from AI advancements, such as the automated transport sector. AI-self-driven vehicles have already become a massive investment for companies like Google and Uber, but the industry that will gain the most is healthcare. There is an estimate of an increase of 97 million AI job opportunities in the future! This also opens the door for the AI maintenance workforce as it becomes more widely used. Being a major part of the data science environment, machine learning can activate digital transformation more effectively in bioinformatics and other industries.
Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learners are responsible for:
- Analyzing source data and data flows, working with structured and unstructured data
- Manipulating high-volume, high-dimensionality data from varying sources to expose and highlight patterns, anomalies, relationships, and trends
- Applying AI and Machine Learning technology to solve complex, real-world problems
- Analyzing and visualizing diverse sources of data, interpreting results in a business context, and reporting results clearly and concisely
- Fulfilling problem formulation and ML technique consulting requests in a timely manner
- Communicating and presenting analytical models to business customers and executive management
- Working collaboratively with different business partners and be able to present results in a clear and concise manner
For this career choice, your education requirement is a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, Economics, Mathematics, Business or Physics or related field. Additional experience in software development and working with AI is extremely valuable.
The salary of a Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning specialist varies, but according to Indeed, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning jobs make approximately $125,000 per year as a base salary.
3D Printing Experts
Most of us have heard of 3D printing and we think we have a pretty good idea of what it does, but how can you make a career out of it? It turns out there are numerous options available. 3D printing is most effective when used for advanced manufacturing of small parts for the automotive and medical industries but is also useful for larger-scale items.
3D CAD Modelers are responsible for:
- Creating & revising product components and assembly models and associative drawings for engineering staff utilizing NX Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools. Must apply and enforce Nexteer modeling, drawing, and data standards.
- Using Siemens Teamcenter PLM and NX CAD Design software to create, revised, and release 3D models and drawings of assemblies and component drawings for steering and driveline systems.
- Using Teamcenter to import and export files and create design proposals to fit the vehicle packaging environment for the customer and internal design team. Examples include CATIA, Q-Checker, Transmagic, Parasolids stl, and other formats as required.
- Using Teamcenter to create, revise, and release product designs and BOMs – this includes workflows, validation rules, and relationships between parts and specifications.
- Working with Engineering Team to develop new designs to meet customer requirements, reduce cost, mass and improve the performance of our products.
This career option doesn’t require as much education as the previous jobs we’ve looked at, but it still requires at least an associate degree in the technical design field. It also requires several skills that include communication, analytical, the ability to read blueprints, and at least 3 years of experience. Interpersonal skills are also strongly recommended for this position.
The salary of a 3D CAD Modeler varies, but according to Indeed, a 3D CAD Modeler makes approximately $60,000 per year as a base salary.
IoT Architects
IoT, or the Internet of Things, has made it possible for us to connect to the internet quickly and easily with objects, such as smartwatches, smart door locks, and fitness trackers. In manufacturing, it refers to interconnected sensors, instruments, and other devices networked together. These objects collect valuable information that can be analyzed for better business decisions. Every day, more companies are beginning to realize the benefits of using these devices. This increased demand has led to career opportunities for IoT engineers, IoT architects, IoT researchers, and IoT consultants.
IoT Architects are responsible for:
- Provision of Cloud Infrastructure and Cloud Foundation in Azure to meet application demands.
- Provide solution architecture and support issue resolution for cloud infrastructure delivery by working closely with applications and teams.
- Build Cloud Foundation to establish necessary building blocks for delivering infrastructure.
- Cloud user management, security, capacity, monitoring, and configuring application development tools.
- Architect & automate templates for deploying IaaS, and PaaS solutions by using Infrastructure as a code and Configuration as a code.
- Standardize offerings to achieve cost optimizations and efficiencies.
- Implement dashboards for managing cloud performance and budgetary alerts.
- Analyze existing on-premises application landscapes to implement refactoring or rebuilding major application initiatives in Cloud.
- Create integrations for Cloud and On-premises Applications and play a major role in redesigning applications with integrations with the mainframe.
This career option requires a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. It also requires over five years of IT experience, experience with cloud-based technologies such as AWS and Azure, and a thorough understanding of IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS services. The salary of IoT Architects varies, but according to Indeed, an IoT Architect makes approximately $133,000 per year as a base salary.
Cybersecurity Professionals
Demand for cybersecurity professionals is at an all-time high. We’re constantly hearing about the next data breach that has occurred and that trend continues to rise. According to Security Magazine, there were 4,145 publicly disclosed breaches that exposed over 22 billion records in 2021 alone. Since almost every business connects to the internet in some way, the need for cybersecurity is essential. This field gives you several career options anywhere from Information Security Analyst to Cybersecurity Manager.
Cyber Security experts are responsible for:
- Monitoring security access.
- Conducting security assessments through vulnerability testing and risk analysis.
- Performing both internal and external security audits.
- Analyzing security breaches to identify the root cause.
- Continuously updating the company’s incident response and disaster recovery plans.
- Verifying the security of third-party vendors and collaborating with them to meet security requirements.
- Assist with security compliance audits.
- Generate reports to evaluate the efficacy of security policies in place.
- Create training programs to educate employees on proper security protocols.
- Performs other related tasks as required.
For a mid-range position in Cybersecurity, you must have a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology or Computer Science and three years of experience in a cybersecurity role. One or more of the following certifications is also required: Certified Ethical Hacker, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, CWAPT Certified Penetration Tester, Certified Reverse Engineering Analyst, and/or GSEC.
The salary in Cybersecurity varies, but according to Indeed, a security analyst in the mid-range makes approximately $85,00 per year as a base salary.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for the types of tech jobs Industry 4.0 is creating, and the demand is only growing. Other careers, such as supply chain analysts, industrial engineers and simulation experts, and predictive maintenance specialists are also in high demand within the workforce—and are some of the most high-paying jobs in the industry. For Industry 4.0 to truly thrive, humans must stay at the center. But the work will be much different and more highly skilled. As factories become smarter and more connected, these high value positions will be the driving force behind innovation and the future of production.
