The internet has changed practically everything. How we shop, how we research, how we socialize and communicate with our friends and family on a daily basis. The internet is now such a common part of our lives that we fundamentally depend on it for everything. It is indeed “changing the game” in every sense of the word, and the job market is, expectedly no different. Here are some of the top jobs that the internet is entirely reinventing.
1) Internet Lawyers
With the rise and prominence of the internet, there were some great things created and also, some bad. More and more legal infractions are taking place via the web every day. This includes spamming, extortion, robbery, etc. If you can commit a crime in real life, odds are there is some way to do it online as well. Internet intellectual property lawyers now must be incredibly well versed in the laws that govern the internet, and can specialize in data breaches, cybersquatting, defamation, and privacy. This ever-changing legislation can be hard to keep up with. If you have a legal problem that involves the internet or a website, it is a good idea to hire a lawyer that specializes in internet law. Remember, what you do on the internet can have real-world ramifications, so it is incredibly important to play by the rules.
Lawyers are even using the internet to change how their business works. You can even send lawyers your speeding tickets online and they’ll fight for you in court without you having to do anything. With the surplus of lawyers online, many lawyers are trying to be as convenient and easy as possible online so potential clients will select them to fight their case.
2) Travel Agents
Unlike internet lawyers, the internet hasn’t changed what a travel agent career looks like. Instead, it has completely eradicated the need for travel agents. Now that planning trips, booking flights, and finding hotels are all easily done online from the comfort of your home, the need for travel agents is somewhat moot. Now, clients can communicate directly and easily with resorts, hotels, and airlines, cutting out the travel agent middleman.
3) Advertising
Advertising used to be fairly simple; a print ad, a commercial, maybe even a jingle on the radio. The internet has added a whole new dimension to the world of advertising; digital marketing. By using the internet, people can now reach way more customers and potential clients with ease. Social media, websites, email campaigns, search engine optimization, etc. have all made marketing a different beast than what it was in the past. Now advertisers must take into consideration a wide arrange of different platforms to advertise their brand on. This has expanded the marketing and advertising business dramatically.
But even if you’re looking past digital marketing and advertising, there have been some changes to traditional means as well. For example, more and more business are investing in swag, goods that they can give out to others for free and have them advertise their product or service for them. This company, for example, has begun using socks as an effective piece of swag. They claim that not only they are cool, useful, and practical, they’re easy to give away. Not most people say no to socks – and therefore, when they wear them, they’ll be walking ads. It’s a pretty cool development from your traditional 1950’s marketing strategy.
4) Teaching
With new online educational options available, teaching is changing very rapidly. You can now get a college degree online without ever leaving your home. This has changed how professionals teach, forcing them to learn how to make their lessons translate via online outlets to students that they may never meet in person. It is now easier than ever to get a certification or add to your already formal education. There are also programs now where you can train online to tutor. These programs allow you to tutor via webcam and facetime to help kids around the world. From home schooling, online school to virtual school there’s no doubt education is being changed by the internet. That’s not even touching on the world of online higher education, which is becoming more and more popular as time goes on, and can be an excellent way to get top degrees.
5) Recruiting
Finding job candidates has always been difficult, but now recruiters are facing a whole new type of challenge: an influx of people. While recruiting used to be focused on cold calling, it is now done almost exclusively through the internet. This makes it possible for many more eager candidates to contact recruiters and apply for many jobs at once. While a recruiter used to meet with candidates face to face for coffee, now an online chat is more likely. This influx gives recruiters more options but also many more poor candidates to weed through.
6)The Entertainment Industry
While watching a video on a Saturday night used to mean a trip to Blockbuster, it is now just a few clicks of a button to stream a movie on your home device. The music business specifically has suffered financially. Many songs are stolen, or directly streamed through sites like YouTube, and have eliminated the need for a paid download that would benefit the artist. The entertainment industry has changed possibly the most dramatically from the internet. Media is now incredibly accessible wherever you are. Many songs, movies, and TV episodes are downloaded and streamed illegally, costing artists and production companies millions of dollars every year. Physical movies, CD’s and DVD’s have almost been virtually eradicated by the rise and extreme accessibility of the internet.
The internet has changed the world as we know it, and it appears that it will continue to do so. It is essential to keep up with these changes to keep your job and business going strong.
