Currently, when you look at any company’s web page, you’re looking at a 2D website. It’s a flat piece of paper that may have a hyperlink, an embedded photograph, or a video. Regardless, it’s still 2D. 

I have recently used a prototype of a 3D mobile web browser. Based on what I’ve seen, it’s easy to predict that in the near future a 3D web browser will hit the consumer market…and it will literally transform how we design, build, and view all of our websites.

Currently, in order to have a good 3D viewing experience in a movie theater or your living room, you need to wear special glasses. That’s because the viewing angle is wide with many people looking at the same screen.

To view the first 3D web sites, you won’t need to wear special glasses because the viewing angle will be quite small with only you looking at it. That’s because you won’t be 3D surfing using your television in the living room with other people, and you won’t even be using your desktop or laptop at first. Instead, you will be using your primary personal computer, which is now your smart phone and/or tablet, as evidenced by the rapid rise in smart phone and tablet sales globally, and the corresponding decline in PC sales.

There was even a recent Wall Street Journal article discussing a report that Amazon was working on a phone with a 3D screen. So it’s not hard to guess who else is working on this, is it? Remember, if it can be done it will be done, and if you don’t do it, someone else will!

Here’s how a 3D web browser works. Suppose you’re looking to buy a new car, so you go to the 3D web site of your favorite car dealer. Once there, you’ll be able to not only look at the new models available, but also go inside the showroom, walk around, open the doors of the cars and sit inside, check out how much headroom and legroom you have, and look at the interior and open all the compartments. You’ll also be able to start the car and listen to the engine. Having good speakers will help! You can open the trunk and put some virtual golf clubs in to see how they fit. When you close the car door, you’ll hear the slam exactly how it would sound in real life.

Do you want to take the car for a test drive? You will be able to select what road, city, or country you would you like to take your test drive in. All will be available with the point of your finger or the click of a mouse.

As you can see, this technology is going to revolutionize websites. It’ll also revolutionize conferences and meetings. Not only will you go to your conference and visit all the vendors, but you’ll also be able to go to the virtual meeting afterwards, walk the aisles, see what was there in 3D, and schedule a call on a live web wall. In other words, you’ll be able to see the rep right there, even though the conference was over months ago. It doesn’t matter. The conference goes on, now in high definition 3D.

I’ve only given you a couple of quick applications, but I want you to think about this: How might you use a 3D website and a 3D browser to transform your business? I think you’ll uncover some great opportunities.

Interestingly, what we call big data today is going to look puny two to three years from now, because the amount of data being created is growing exponentially. For example, governments, organizations, corporations, educational institutions, and the military are in the process of installing connected sensors to just about everything, from the concrete in streets, bridges, highways, and buildings, to cars, boats, and everyday products, just to name a few. In addition, we are connecting machines to machines on a massive, global scale, allowing them to carry out functions and make repairs all without human intervention. All of this is creating what could be called the Internet of Things. And, all of this means much, much more data!

Going forward, the type, quality, and relevance of the data will become far more important than the quantity of data, so being very good at managing these will create new ways to differentiate as well as find innovative approaches to creating and maintaining competitive advantage.

So with all of this data coming in, it’s clear that competitive advantage is going to be created by your use of data and by your ability to make sure you’re getting good data. After all, bad data yields bad decisions. You want to be able to draw the right conclusions from your data, as that’s what provides new opportunities, better solutions to problems, and new competitive advantage.

At this point you need to ask yourself a few questions, namely:

• What kind of data do I need to get that will give me insights into the causes of problems and new opportunities?
• What sensors could we install right now, wireless or wired, that would give us more real-time information so that we could, as humans, translate that data into actionable knowledge and wisdom in order to gain competitive advantage?
• What machines might I want to connect, wirelessly or wired, so they can talk to each other and operate at a more intelligent level?
• What decisions do I want my machines to make instantaneously in order for everything to run more efficiently and effectively—so the machines can solve problems before they happen and even before a human would notice it?

If you want to solve seemingly impossible problems and find new competitive advantage, you have to look at the type and quality of the data you’re generating and how you’re using it. When your data can empower your people and your machines to make better decisions faster, you’ll have increased competitive advantage.

For example, an online retailer in a shopping mall noticed they had a Telestar iPhone mini projector selling very well at $229. They also saw that a lot of people were writing positive reviews about it in social media. This was valuable, real-time data. So they highlighted that product on their home page right when those sales were looking good. They also sent emails to their loyalty card members about the item and posted it on all their social media outlets. As a result, sales of that projector soared 800% for that retailer. That’s an 800% payoff!

This happened because they were getting the data on what was happening—on what was selling big—in real time. They didn’t have to wait a month or a week to see the trends. They then used that information on their social media and email lists to create an 800% increase in sales.

In other words, the key to using big data is to have an integrated strategy. It’s about using all the data—not just the data that’s in your store. It’s about collecting data from everyone shopping, tweeting, posting, etc. This enables you to really analyze who is shopping where and what they’re buying.

Remember, there are now little cameras on vending machines that can tell who is purchasing from those vending machines. Some of the newer vending machines will even offer special deals on a little screen on the vending machine based on whether the person standing in front of it is a child, adult, male, female, thin, or large. This is what monetizing big data is about—the ability to use real-time data to make offers relevant in the moment.

Therefore, whether you’re a large company or a small mom and pop shop, you need to ask yourself, “How could I use big data? Am I collecting enough quality and actionable data from my customers? Am I collecting the right data to make the kinds of decisions that I need to make? Do I have a system?”

If you’re a small or mid-sized company, can you use a partner that can give you the ability to collect the right data? Thanks to such things as software as a service, hardware as a service, and IT as a service, even small companies can outsource IT functions. As a result, companies of any size can get the benefits of having a super-computer without having to own one, and can access the high-speed data analytics that normally only a big company could afford.

So no matter what size company you have, it’s time to look into creating an integrated big data strategy. This is not something to take a “wait and see” approach on. Big data will transform the business world. Take action now.

Let’s take one of the largest retailers—Walmart. Start by visualizing one five-drawer filing cabinet. Now, think of a room filled with 60 million five-drawer file cabinets. That’s how much data comes from all of the Walmart stores every hour. And as retailers install more sensors to add advanced predictive analytics to real-time sales and customer behavior, that figure of 60 million filing cabinets worth of data every hour is going to increase. For example, retailers are beginning to use mannequins with cameras in their eyes so they can see who’s looking at them and whether they’re male or female, pregnant or not, thin or heavy, etc. And that’s just one little data point.

In the past, I’ve written about how we’re using cameras in the stores, not just for security but also to create actionable data on where people go, when they leave, where they stay, what they buy, and what they just look at and move on. All of this is creating an ever-increasing tsunami of data—so much so that we have to realize it is, indeed, big data, and getting bigger.

What’s even more amazing is that if we look back 20 years, from 1993 to a few years ago, the total amount of data that went over the Internet in a year is now how much data that goes over the Internet in one second. It’s important to note that most of that increase has been in the last few years due to the exponential, and predictable, advances in processing power, storage, and bandwidth. And, by the way, a hard trend certainty is that the amount of data is going to increase as data gets bigger and our desire to get real-time high-speed analytics increases.

So we have to ask ourselves, “What are companies doing with all this data? Is it paying off already, or do we have to wait for the payoff?” The answer is, “The payoff is starting to happen already.”

For example, I was in Canada recently and visited a couple of electronics chains, one called The Source and the other called Charlie Brown. These stores are using real-time analytics of sales to make decisions.

They noticed that in all of their stores a purchasing shift had taken place; several specific upscale electronics items that started at about $650 were selling a lot more than the lower price models, which were in the $150 price range. So they started filling the shelves with more of the higher-priced merchandise and greatly reduced the number of lower priced models. Sales in the categories that they made those changes in surged 40% in a very short amount of time.

A 40% surge is not bad. And thanks to the real-time data, they were able to know exactly which products they needed more of. There was no guessing involved. They could zero right in on a shift in purchasing and make the changes pay off immediately.

They also looked at their lower-end items and noticed which specific items were decreasing in volume, so they discontinued them completely. Again, overall sales and profitability rose, because profitability is based not only on the items that are selling, but also the merchandise that isn’t selling and taking up space in inventory.

Of course, retailers have been doing this for a long time—deciding which products to remove from inventory and which to increase. But it wasn’t done in real-time. It wasn’t done with the pinpoint accuracy that we have today. Thanks to the data that we’re getting in from various sources, retailers can make better decisions faster and increase their bottom line.

Ask yourself: How could we use big data and high-speed analytics to make better decisions faster so that we could gain competitive advantage and drive increase profitability?

Their initial proposal is for $100 million of the president’s 2014 budget. But they will be spending much more than that, because it is very similar to the human genome project that was started in 1990 and completed in 2003. In the human genome project, the total cost over that long period of time was $3.8 billion. While that’s a lot of money, the federal impact study shows that the return on that $3.8 billion, economically, was $800 billion as of 2010, and it’s still producing returns.   

Another non-federal agency estimated that for every dollar spent on the human genome project, $140 was returned to the economy. So the return on these types of investments is very big. Even more important, they have the ability to stimulate the economy in areas where we need stimulation, which is in science, math, computer science, biology, and computer technology.

What is unique about the BRAIN initiative, though, is that it’s looking at understanding the fundamentals of the active brain, which we don’t know much about. Why is this important to all of us? Right now, it’s estimated there are more than one billion people worldwide suffering from more than 1,000 brain disorders and diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, epilepsy, and autism. Additionally, these diseases cost many billions of dollars in hospital stays, lost wages, and lost productivity, just to name a few. Having a complete model of an active human brain will definitely lead to discoveries and possibly even cures for these conditions.

This mapping of the active human brain is going to give us incredible insights into perceptions, the actions we take, and not only our conscious mind, but also our subconscious mind. Realize that your subconscious mind is very active. Your subconscious mind is always working on things, even when you’re doing conscious activities like driving, talking on the phone, or washing dishes. Having knowledge of the active subconscious mind, along with the conscious mind, can lead to amazing insights that have yet to be defined.

It’s important to note that the results of this initiative will affect far more than just biology, neuroscience, and nanoscience. It’s also going to affect all areas of science and technology. In fact, there is already strong interest in the initiative from companies like Google, Microsoft, and Qualcomm, to name a few, because we’re really talking about medical informatics, new computer modeling, advanced simulations, and the list goes on.

Overall, I see this as an extremely positive move given the high return on investment from other similar programs such as putting a man on the moon and the human genome project. The brain is the most mysterious yet important organ we possess. It controls everything in the human body. And given the cost of all of the diseases that are afflicting so many worldwide (and the fact that the projections are for those diseases to get worse), this initiative is very welcomed, both to the economy and to the scientific world, and it should be welcomed by everyone reading this right now.

It’s important to have big dreams for your future. After all, failing to plan is planning to fail. So if you can’t think big about your future, you’re not going to have a very big future. Big, of course, means a dream that takes you farther than where you are today.  

Success can be defined in many ways, and I’m not telling you how to define it. I’m simply saying to take your definition of success and raise the bar on it.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that when you are thinking big, in reality you’re thinking small. There’s always a bigger big.

When I was in my mid-20s, I thought I was thinking big. But when I look back now, I realize, “Wow, was I thinking small! Too bad I wasn’t thinking bigger. I would have accomplished more, faster.”

What does that really mean in the present? It means that my big thoughts for my future today are probably small. Therefore, I need to think bigger about whatever I’m trying to do before I begin to do it.

So don’t do what your latest big thought was. Instead, think bigger. Ask yourself, “What is even bigger than what I’m thinking, because that’s what I really want to do?” That’s how you raise the bar far higher on yourself.

Right now, think about taking a vacation, and think big about it. Reflect on that vacation for a moment. How would your big vacation compare to a big vacation planned by Sir Richard Branson or Bill Gates? Yes, they likely make more money than you do, but might that fact be because they can think bigger about making money? My point is, there is always a bigger big. If you can’t imagine it, you will never achieve it.

When I was writing my latest book Flash Foresight, I was like every other author on the planet. I wanted my book to be a New York Times best-seller. But then I thought bigger: I wanted it to be a Wall Street Journal best seller, number one on Amazon, and at the top of every known list. At this point, something happens to most of us, in that we get realistic. In this case most authors will think big and then think smaller by saying to themselves, “You know, realistically, I can’t do that. Let’s face it…only one person can be number one on Amazon, as well as a New York Times and a Wall Street Journal best-seller.” So they think small, lower their expectations, and achieve less.

Over the decades, I have learned that making the goal or the dream bigger pays off! You can’t do it if you can’t see it in your minds eye. In the book writing example, I said, “Not only am I going to make Flash Foresight a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller, but I’m also going to make it number one on Amazon in every category. And I don’t want to be number one just on Amazon in the U.S.; I want it to be number one on Amazon in Europe. Not only that, I want it to be a best-seller in Asia. In fact, I want it to be required reading all over the world.”

Once you start to see the bigger big, then you have to ask yourself, “What are the strategies to accomplish the bigger big? What would it take to accomplish my bigger big goal?” Once you have the vision and ask the “What Would It Take” question, the path to get there becomes clear.

In my case, not only did my book make those best-seller lists and become number one on Amazon for quite a long time in every category, but it also was number one on Amazon in other countries, and the largest newspaper in China devoted an entire page to my book. Today, I’m happy to report that the book is required reading for executives from many Fortune 500 companies. Why? Because I had vision that was bigger than big. It was global big.

Over the years, I have applied this principle to much more than books. For example, I’ve started six innovative companies, from experimental aircraft to smart phone and tablet apps, all without investors. Three were leaders in the U.S. in the first year.

My guess is that you have your own examples of times when you thought big and then bigger, with the result taking you to a new level.

What’s your bigger big today? You can apply this to anything from vacations to starting a business. If you’re looking for a job right now, maybe you should be thinking about a career instead of a job. And if you have a career, maybe you should think bigger. And that is, “What’s my real calling? What was I put on this planet to do? What is the one thing that would make me not care whether it’s Monday or Friday, because I enjoy what I’m doing every day?”

So think big, and then realize you just thought small. Before doing your big thing, look at what is the bigger thing, and do that instead. When you do, you’ll find that your future will be far more amazing than your past, and even more amazing than you thought it would be.

The same is true for business. When you give people answers to their questions, you don’t necessarily know how they’re receiving it. Even if you think you can read their body language and facial expression, there are still doubts. Have they really embraced it? Have they accepted it? Do they like that answer? Will they act on it?

The ultimate answer, I believe, is already in the person who is asking the question. That’s why the best answer is to give them a question that helps them clarify the answer they already know. Here’s an example of this.

Years ago, I was out in my front yard when a boy from my neighborhood came walking toward me, crying.

“What’s wrong, Tommy?” I asked.

He told me that his dog had died. He then looked up at me through his tears and asked: “Mr. Burrus, do you think there are dogs in heaven?”

What should I say? I could have given him some religious or theological answer, and it would have meant nothing to him. I could have asked, “What religion are you? Do you believe in heaven or hell? Do you believe in God?” But all of those questions wouldn’t have given him any answers. I could have simply said, “Absolutely! Of course!” but would that reassure him or make him feel any better? I doubted it. After all, what did it really matter what I thought? The real question was, what did he think?

I looked into his eyes and said: “Tommy, would heaven be heaven without dogs?”

He thought for a moment, nodded slowly, and gave a heartbreaking smile. “Thanks, Mr. Burrus.”

Why did that approach work? Because Tommy already knew the answer. What I did was give him a question that clarified the answer in his mind, which made it an extremely powerful answer because the answer did not come from me, it came from him.

For most of the questions people ask, the answer is inside of them—even you. In other words, when someone asks you a question, they already know the answer. It just hasn’t been clarified in their mind yet.

Therefore, a powerful trait of great leaders is to understand how to use clarifying questions to pull the answer out of the person who is asking the initial question. When you use this approach, the answer does not have to be sold; it will be embraced because the answer is theirs. So ask away. The questions, the answers, and the results will surprise you.

In reality, the young and the old are the perfect complementary match. When what each group brings to the table is combined, they can create positive results, competitive advantage, and a profitable future.

The key is knowing the strengths of each group. For example, those in the older generation have wisdom, years of experience, and unique knowledge that’s been acquired over time. And let’s face it…a young person can’t take a seminar on wisdom and walk away with much. It takes time to accumulate knowledge and bring that to the higher level of wisdom.

At the same time, though, the older workers don’t think about and use technology in the same way young people do and typically don’t have a good understanding of new and emerging technology. For example, I understand emerging technology very well and have been using computers for many decades, yet no matter how hard I try, I don’t think like a 20-year-old. So in 2009 when I launched a new company that was developing apps for smart phones, tablets, and smart televisions, I took my experience, knowledge, and wisdom and coupled it with 20-year-olds who had an open mind and who knew the latest technology. Together, we created a number of innovative apps. Within the first week, our first product was the 17^th most downloaded app in Apple’s app store.

How were we able to do accomplish this? Because there was no war between the young and the old.

Younger people use and think about technology in a way that the older generation does not. And that’s extremely valuable.

But the younger generation is also are missing something—experience. That’s why the two generations need to work together and learn from each other.

Of course, each generation can turn their weaknesses into positive attributes. For example, if I were a young person applying for a job, and the hiring manager was older, I’d say something like: “I realize I don’t have any experience in this business, and that’s exactly why you need me—because I have an open mind, and I understand and use technology in a different way than you do. I will be able to think of creative ideas and solutions in new ways because I don’t have the legacy of the business in my way. But I do respect working with people who have been in the business for a long time, who have experience, so that together we can create new solutions and uncover hidden opportunities.”

In that same way, if you’re an older person looking for work, you have to address what you have and don’t have. What you don’t have is a working knowledge of how to use all the newest technology, and you don’t think like a young person. However, you are open-minded and willing to learn, and you have experience, industry knowledge, and wisdom. That’s why you’ve been around all these years in your industry. So you could say, “I’m looking forward to working here with the younger people, because I think together we can solve problems faster and uncover more hidden opportunities together.”

One way to end the war between the young and the old is to try the following powerful strategy. The next time you have a high-level meeting where you’re determining the strategic direction of a product, service, or even your company, make sure the people in attendance are a mix of older and younger employees. Typically strategic meetings are filled with Baby Boomers. If you bring some younger workers into that meeting to get their perspective, it will show that you are interested in their opinion and that you value their thinking. Plus, you’ll get some fresh ideas that you may never have thought of.

In order to get better, we have to learn from each other. So let’s end the war between the young and the old now. Let’s work together in new and powerful ways and take our organizations into a thriving future together.

Regardless of your position today, realize that there are 12 Certainties™ that will transform every career. In other words, no matter what your job is today, these certainties will affect you. The sooner you align your skills to these 12 certainties, the more relevant you’ll be to employers.

The 12 Certainties that will transform every career are:

1. Cloud Services and Virtualization
2. Big Data and Real-Time Analytics
3. Mobile Hardware, Software, and Services
4. Gamification of Education
5. Social Business Enterprise Management
6. Cyber Security and Forensics
7. Intelligent e-Personal Assistants
8. 3D Web
9. Connective Intelligent Objects
10.  Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing)
11.  Advanced Robotics and Automation
12. Remote Visual Communications

(For more information on the 12 Certainties go to www.certainties.com.)

All these certainties are technology-based because technology is literally transforming how we live, work, and play at an amazingly fast speed. But that doesn’t mean you have to become a technologist in order to get a great-paying job in the future. It simply means you have to adapt your current skills so they include a working understanding of these 12 certainties. That’s how you stay relevant.

Let’s look at two very different examples of how a current career will be changed by these 12 certainties—a CFO and a heating and air-conditioning (HVAC) maintenance person. The reason I’m using a HVAC maintenance technician is to illustrate how a job that does not require a 4 year college degree will be shaped by the 12 certainties. So let’s start there.

First, the technician will be using a smart phone and a tablet versus a printed work order and pen and paper. Using the 3D web browser installed on the tablet, the technician will be able to show you the system you have or a mock up of the new one you’d like installed from every angle, and without having to wear a pair of 3D glasses. By tapping into cloud and virtualization services from the maintenance company, the technician will be able to access and report to you every needed detail, from pricing to how much you’d save on your utility bill each month to current installation times. If there’s a part that’s needed to repair your current air conditioning or heating system, the technician will be able use a 3D printer in their service van to print that replacement part for you.

Once the system is repaired or replaced, the technician will connect some sensors to your unit and home so it can be monitored more effectively and save you money. These sensors can show humidity, temperature, and various other data. The technician can then connect your intelligent heating and air conditioning system to your smart phone and/or tablet with a custom app so that you can remotely monitor the system and make changes anytime and from anywhere.

So the more this maintenance person learns about all of these technologies and how to use them, the more relevant he or she is going to be to that company. In contrast, if you have a maintenance person who doesn’t want to use a tablet, isn’t interested in learning about 3D Printing, doesn’t want to know how to install intelligent sensors, etc., that technician is going to lose value and will eventually get replaced.

Now let’s look at a high-level career—a Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Remember, it’s not just the mid-level and low-level jobs that will be affected by these 12 certainties. It’s all jobs. The CFO will be using a smart phone and tablet with an increasing number of enterprise apps. In fact, he or she will have a tablet and smart phone-based dashboard that will be personalized based on their position in the company. In this case, the CFO will be tying into the company’s cloud service and will be getting real-time analytics from the increasing amount of big data feeding in from all operations in real time.

The CFO will use the 3D web to be able to visualize different aspects of the company and analyze different changes that are being suggested. The CFO can then run a simulation to see if costs that he or she is being asked to appropriate are going to be driving sales going forward. Also, he or she will have to be aware of the costs of technologies such as advanced robotics and new automation systems going in, and the payoff in both revenue increases as well as added competitive advantages in order to make the best decisions.

The CFO will also be using gamification systems to personally learn enough about new tools, such as 3D Printing, so he or she will be able to make informed decisions about how, in this case 3D Printing, could benefit the company.

Finally, the CFO will need to understand the benefit of these 12 certainties and what they bring to the enterprise—not only the cost of doing them, but also the cost of not doing them.

In short, all careers will be impacted and influenced by these 12 certainties. So even though we’re told that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” the fact is that humans aren’t dogs. We are infinitely upgradeable! Regardless of your age, it’s time to learn new things.

Use these 12 certainties as a litmus test against the university, school, or training program you’re thinking of attending. Look at the degrees or certificates they offer as well as the classes. Are they preparing you to live in a world that is ceasing to exist? Or in a world that is growing and thriving? When you analyze these 12 certainties, you can see the future your career is heading toward. Make sure you’re part of that future.

The problem is, we live in an uncertain world, and because of the high levels of uncertainty we all face, people of all ages and career levels are finding it difficult to know what new skills to learn, what courses to take, and what degrees to get that will provide them with the most opportunity going forward.  Uncertainty keeps us stuck in the present.

Certainty, on the other hand, gives us the confidence to make a decision, to move forward, and to invest time and money to learn new things. Over the past thirty years, I have developed and proven the power of the science of certainty.  The science of certainty involves a scientific method of separating Hard Trends – trends that will happen – from Soft Trends – trends that might happen. This method is currently being used by many Fortune 500 companies including IBM, Deloitte, and Pratt & Whitney to name a few, to provide an accurate roadmap of the opportunities that are ahead.

That’s why I’m launching a list of 12 Certainties that will transform every career, and create new ones. By providing an accurate roadmap for anyone who wishes to increase their personal career relevancy in a world of transformative change, you can now make career and education decisions with confidence. The list highlights technologies that are now, and will continue to transform present and future careers.  As you read through the list, ask yourself how each one will play a key role in your industry and your personal career path.

1. Mobile Hardware, Software and Services will continue to rapidly evolve creating many new careers, as all phones become smartphones and our primary computer and tablets continue to evolve as our laptop replacement. This new level of mobility will allow any size business to transform how they market, sell, communicate, collaborate, educate, train, and innovate.
2. Remote Visual Communications will become a primary relationship-building tool for businesses of all sizes as employees use smartphones, tablets, and laptops, in combination with current video conferencing systems, to communicate at new levels with customers, partners, and employees.
3. Social Business Enterprise Management will grow rapidly as organizations shift from an Information Age “informing” model to a Communication Age “communicating and engaging” model. New careers will emerge as Social Software for business rapidly grows with applications to enhance relationships, collaboration, networking, social validation, and more. Social Search will increasingly shape careers as marketers, researchers and those on Wall Street create applications and services to tap into millions of daily tweets and Facebook conversations, providing real-time analysis of many key consumer metrics.
4. Cyber Security and Forensics careers will grow rapidly as we become increasingly connected and dependent on computer systems and machines using intelligent sensors connected to just about everything. Careers in data and information forensics will grow rapidly as the need to solve cyber crimes increases.
5. Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) will create many new careers in manufacturing as this revolutionary technology allows any size company to manufacture quickly, locally and with far fewer costs. Additive manufacturing builds things by depositing material, typically plastic or metal, layer by layer until the final product is finished. Examples of final products today include jewelry, iPhone cases, shoes, car dashboards, parts for jet engines, prosthetic limbs and much more.
6. Gamification of Education will create many new careers as corporations and educational institutions at all levels accelerate learning by using advanced simulations and skill-based learning systems that are self-diagnostic, interactive, game-like, and competitive, all focused on giving the user an immersive experience thanks to a photo-realistic 3D interface.
7. Cloud Services and Virtualization will be increasingly embraced by businesses of all sizes, as this represents a major shift in how organizations obtain and maintain software, hardware, and computing capacity. IT is rapidly becoming an on-demand service that is rapidly transforming all business processes resulting in a rapid evolution of current careers as well as creating new careers in every functional area.
8. Big Data and Real-Time Analytics describe the technologies and techniques used to capture and utilize the exponentially increasing streams of data with the goal of bringing enterprise-wide visibility and insights to make rapid critical decisions. This new level of data integration and analytics will require many new skills and cross-functional training in order to take advantage of new opportunities as well as breakdown the many data and organizational silos that still exist.
9. Intelligent ePersonal Assistants using natural language voice commands was launched with Apple’s Siri, which was rapidly followed by Google, Microsoft, and others all offering what will become a mobile electronic concierge on your phone, tablet, and television. The technology will rapidly evolve and soon every profession from retailers to maintenance workers will have a Siri-like assistant. Adding an e-personal assistant to support an existing product and/or service will create many new careers.
10. 3D Web will transform today’s Internet experience (which is like looking at a flat piece of paper with a few photos, embedded video, and a few hyperlinks) to a true 3D experience, similar to todays video games, where you can virtually walk into a showroom, look around and both listen to and see the new car you are interested in, or whatever the website is trying to show you. This will employ many new graphic artists, designers and programmers.
11. Connected Intelligent Objects using chips, microsensors and both wired and wireless networks will create a rapidly growing “Internet of things” sharing real-time data, performing diagnostics, and making remote repairs. Many jobs will be created as we add intelligent connected sensors to bridges, roads, buildings, homes and much more. By 2020, there will be well over a billion machines talking to each other and people will install them.
12.  Advanced Robotics and Automation will take a giant leap forward thanks to networked sensors, artificial intelligence, and Siri-like voice communications, taking the next level of repetitive jobs from humans. This will create many new career opportunities from design, programming, and installation to service and maintenance, to name just a few.

You don’t have to know the physics of a telephone in order to use it.  You do have to know it exists and how to creatively use it to accomplish your goal. Don’t wait until next year, or the year after, or until you’re laid off. Invest the time to identify what you need to learn right away so that you will thrive both now and in the future, either in your current career or a new one.