Every college-aged student has heard that if you want to make the best money and be in demand, go into analytics/computing/programming. The most in-demand graduates are those in machine learning and programming because so much of the world is heading in that direction. People talk so often about the future of technology, but we've finally reached a time where we know that future is happening now. People may worry that automation is taking jobs previously done by man hours, but really, automation is creating millions of jobs, albeit in a different industry. Coming from a computing background, there is no shortage of paths to take and job opportunities, as the world travels to a tech-assisted and, in many industries, tech-led format.

So, how do you get started in this industry? There's no wrong time and there are no late arrivals; whether you haven't left school yet or you're working in a completely different industry, there is a sea of technology-based courses, some generic and many more specific, that can introduce you to the world of automation and data analytics. In the digital age, technology has become our primary source of communication, business management, and even entertainment, so it's no shock that the highest-paid and most in-demand graduates stem from this field.

Why Automation Is the Future

Automation is a very scary concept to some people. Since people started using machines, we have been finding ways to automate jobs. In recent years, many people are afraid of losing jobs and not having the facilities to learn how to program and jump back into the workforce on the other side of automation. For those who are planning on studying in the technology field, however, it's very exciting. Automation can include everything from warehouse machines to translation software to customer service chatbots.

All these machines will have different levels of artificial intelligence. Some, like ultra-precise stocking or construction machines, don't even touch the subject and need to be carefully engineered and re-calibrated quite often. Others, like chatbots, are nothing but machine learning software, ready to respond to your queries like a human, as much as they can. Anyone who has spoken with a chatbot will know they are flawed. Some questions they simply can't answer. What is the solution for this? Well, hire more machine learning graduates and improve the bot, of course. So, from programming to researching new forms of machine learning to mechanical engineering, this is where the jobs are appearing.

It's incredibly likely that more jobs will be made from automation than will be automated, but in different regards. Automation tends to replace manual, strenuous jobs that do not require a high degree of education. In some cases, like translation, this may not be the case, but in these skilled areas it is very difficult, or nearly impossible for now, to achieve automatic perfection. Artificial intelligence is not at the point where it can translate documents or conversations as well as a human can, but it's working towards that point.

For the most part, however, for those jobs that have been replaced, the issue is in education. How can a warehouse worker who has been laid off achieve the funds and time to learn computing and find a job on the other side of the technological wave? Should they have to? These are the important questions raised by automation. Perhaps as more universities hone in on teaching these subjects, there will be exponentially fewer cases of this happening. The more students there are that go straight into computing, machine learning, and automation-friendly courses, the fewer workers already in the workforce will need to start from scratch. The experience will already be there.

What Types of Classes Are Available in This Industry?

Machine learning, computing, data analytics, and robotics are all different branches of the same tree, but they divide at the university and master's levels, so it is important to separate them and have a decision on which way to go. What are the best tech jobs of the new age, and what are the possible routes to them? For those who prefer to take a broader approach, there are computer science undergraduate courses, which then tend to lead to several different branches. Mathematics degrees, or specifically computational mathematics and statistics courses, are very in demand and sometimes required for more analytics-based careers. In any branch of new machine technology, mathematics will play a big role, but a mathematics-oriented course can score big points in data analytics and science.

An increasing number of universities are offering robotics courses, which evidently are a great step into the world of robotics and machines. Robotics encapsulates mechanics, machine learning, and programming of machines, for jobs in several scopes of technology. Some robotics graduates work with what we could call 'robots' (a highly debated term nowadays), or automatons, and work in projects such as the famous Boston Dynamics robots. These sorts of projects are incredibly research-oriented and involve the fine-tuning of both mechanical movement and machine learning. The robot must learn where to go and how to calculate terrain, and be able to move each of its limbs just right in order to maneuver through that terrain.

Where Can You Go from Undergraduate Courses?

The most logical course of action after taking an undergraduate course in the specification you have chosen is to take a master's degree course. Master's degrees simply have more knowledge and an edge in this highly competitive industry. Being able to provide more experience and expertise than others gunning for similar jobs makes you much more preferable as a potential hire. Not only that, but since they jump off of the undergraduate knowledge, master's degrees can be more fine-tuned towards a certain subject. Perhaps with another degree, you can jump into a job that otherwise would have required two or three years of work experience. Computer science, mathematics, and analytics are some of the best-paying master's degrees out there. If you want to be exponentially more in demand, a specialization with a high level of education and experience can absolutely get you there.

Branching Out from the Tech World

We live in an era where technology and work are synonymous. Since the boom that was the internet, the jobs that do not use data analysis, computing, and information systems are few, and decreasing every year. That's the reason there is an IT department in almost every business, even IT businesses that work externally for those who don't have their own. Whether it's an office job, manual labor, or even sports, data and technology are everywhere. This is great news for graduates in these areas. Mathematics, computer science, machine learning, and information degrees can get you miles ahead in not only those specific industries, but hundreds more as well.

For a technology undergraduate, there are waves of master's degrees that may interest you, and they don't need to be in the same field. Some students learn computer science as an undergraduate and in the process gain a love for business. Maybe they want to start their own. Well, computer science skills are incredibly diverse and marketable and can be used to jump into the business world. Click here to see the best MBA concentrations to carve your name in the business world.

Analytics and data science have never been more important in all facets of the world we live in, including business and finance. Spreadsheets are the way we communicate and do business with each other. Numbers are the universal language we all understand, and just a step down from that are programming languages. For those wanting to make it big in other industries, just remember that what unifies almost the entire workforce is computing and data.

Automation is the future, but it is also the present. The great thing about computer science and all the related careers we've covered is that they're all related but incredibly extensive. Those with a passion for technology can find a niche, a job, a career, virtually anywhere, because our lives are so incredibly intertwined with it. There are so few businesses and jobs that do not in some way use data or machines in their work. These courses are an incredible jumping off point to work in hundreds of industries, if you don't want to stay in machine learning, programming, or Big Data positions.

Regardless of where you go, what you study is absolutely in demand and, more importantly, highly marketable. Marketable skills such as a great understanding of mathematics or IT skills are desired in countless jobs. Whether you stop at the undergraduate level, you go on to obtain three master's degrees, or you need a change of career and go back to school to learn again, there will be a place for you in the workforce. There are countless ways to get your foot in the door, so to speak, and provide employers with the skills and knowledge that somebody like you can give them.