The Future of Technology and Career
Looking ten years into the future, the world will likely be a very different place. By 2036, AI and automation will have fundamentally changed the IT landscape. I expect to have transitioned into a role as an IT Director or a Cloud Solutions Architect. While my job five years earlier focused on maintenance, my ten-year goal is to focus on strategy—designing secure, automated systems that adapt to global shifts in the economy and political climate.
The global economy may be more decentralized, and I plan to be an expert in remote infrastructure and decentralized security. I will have been in the field for over a decade by then, making me a seasoned veteran in SWLA technology. I hope to have contributed significantly to the tech curriculum at local colleges or served on an advisory board to help others find the same path I did when I returned to school in 2025.
Lifestyle and Long-term Milestones
Personally, my life in 2036 will be centered on my children entering their teenage years. I hope to have the financial freedom to travel with my wife—revisiting places like Texas but as a tourist this time, not a manager. My lifestyle will be one of "quiet success," where I am respected in my professional field but known locally as a devoted family man. I want to ensure that no matter how much technology changes society, my family remains grounded and stress-free.
Future Career Definitions:
- IT Director
- Responsible for the overall management of an organization's technological infrastructure and strategy.
- Cloud Solutions Architect
- A professional who designs and migrates complex business systems into scalable cloud environments.
- Cybersecurity Strategist
- A high-level role focusing on long-term risk management and data protection against global threats.
I track global economic trends that might impact my career through the The Economist.