“Let me start off by saying, this is no conspiracy theory. Self-driving vehicles, robot cashiers, and smart homes are coming – and quicker than you think! In fact, this is all in motion and set to impact the public marketplace full force in 2020” says Justin Olsen, Founder & CEO of Careers Plus Resumes, LLC – an online resume writing service.

We all know The Jetsons as the American animated sitcom from the early 1960’s which foretold of flying cars and advanced technology. Back then, it was just entertainment. Today, it’s becoming reality. Waymo is a Google self-driving car project that began in 2009 with the goal of making it safe and simple for everyone to get around without the need for a human driver. With the Waymo One app, users can simply enter their desired destination, and the self-driving car will take them there with a stroke of the finger. Sounds easy, right? For the passenger, yes. However, there is a dire need for faster internet technology to drive this car. 5G internet is that technology. Uber is also pioneering the flying car industry. Yes, The Jetsons have come to life! You can watch the video here.

5G stands for fifth-generation cellular wireless and will the catalyst to power self-driving vehicles for logistics and transportation-related industries, department store and warehouse robots, and eventually flying cars. How will this affect your career? Well, imagine a society where almost everything is automated. Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly taking over major markets where automation is the key element of success to keep up with the growing demands of consumers. For example, Amazon plans to open cashier-less grocery stores, possibly licensing its “just walk out technology” to physical retailers as soon as the first quarter of 2020. This technology uses facial recognition software and cameras to charge shoppers as they walk out of the store without having to go through a checkout line.

Other markets, such as the finance industry, will be significantly impacted by 5G as well. Mobile banking will become lightning fast along with money transfers and wireless transaction processing using smart phones. Markets will explode to produce wearable devices for payments and facility security using biometric data to scan users before they are provided access to financial information. This will finally all become possible for everyone with 5G technology. Virtually every industry will be affected by 5G in one way or another. Internet becoming faster speeds up payment transactions, automates logistics, reduces manpower, lowers overall costs, reduces risk, and eliminates latency issues – making businesses more efficient. Efficiency leads to more profitability.

Depending on what industry you work in, your career could be in jeopardy. The transportation industry will be severely impacted. Workers who drive trucks for a living, taxi cabs, or even airplanes, could all see a reduction of hours, and eventually a complete elimination of their jobs. However, 5G will provide opportunities in new sectors for mechanics, engineers, software developers, and IT professionals. In the beginning, there will be a major shift in the job market, causing many to abruptly seek new industries to work in. This may negatively impact the economy at first, but eventually it will level itself back out as more jobs are added that require a demand for more technologically advanced candidates to build and maintain the automated machines.

If you are currently working in one of these industries that might be significantly affected by the 5G revolution, you may want to consider planning a career change now and refresh your resume.