Navigating the Future of Job Market: What to Expect in the Next 5 Years

How will the job market change over the next 5 years 📊? In the next five years, the job market is unlikely to undergo significant changes, but there will be a shift in roles from unskilled junior to skilled junior-mid-level engineers. Additionally, resumes and cover letters will become even less relevant. This is my amateur opinion based on my experience in the industry.

I have noticed a scarcity of skilled engineers who can quickly contribute to our codebase without requiring 6-8 months of upskilling. This is a problem for an efficient organisation with tight deadlines. Moreover, I have come across many mid-level or senior engineers who claim to have skills but do not have experience in the required languages or technologies. As a result, there is a growing demand for people who have practical knowledge of the technology they will be working on.

As a job seeker, you can take advantage of this environment by focusing on gaining real-life skills. Instead of merely learning technologies, it's best to build real-world projects that teach you all the niches of your preferred language and bring you as close as possible to real jobs. In addition, it's essential to create a lot of proof of work. When someone looks at your CV or profile, they should already have a list of 3-5 projects that you've worked on end-to-end and understand the ins and outs of. This builds confidence in you and your profile.

Networking is also vital. Keep talking to people online, attend meetups, and share your work with those who will appreciate it. Mention that you might be looking for work, but avoid being the pushy person that everyone tries to avoid. Networking can bring a lot of luck your way.

Lastly, casting a tight net is critical. Although traditional knowledge suggests spamming jobs and applying for as many as possible, this is generally ineffective. Determine the type of organisation you want to work for and apply only to those. If you don't know yet, work for a startup for a few years to figure it out. Your learning and future employability will be ten times that of your peers.