In a world where we are told that our children will be doing jobs that don’t even exist right now, how can we ensure that we ourselves have skills that will be relevant five, 10, 15 years from now?

Panic not, for if you think smart and are open to learning, you can stay ahead of the curve. Remember, just like the revolutions that went before, the technological revolution has the potential to raise our income levels and quality of life.

Here’s why you shouldn’t have to worry

Change makes people nervous, and never more so than when it appears to threaten their livelihood. While there is no doubt that industries such as agriculture, healthcare and manufacturing are changing, it does not as a matter of course mean that all human workers will become obsolete.

In fact, experts agree that the opposite is true – as technology unfolds, exciting new opportunities and careers are being created. The digital evolution is already creating new jobs (app developer, social-media manager) and enhancing skills development.

What skills are going to be in demand?

Obviously those with digital skills will be in high demand. If you understand artificial intelligence (AI) and the ways it can help companies, or if you can provide solutions to companies as technology and automation unfold, the world is your oyster.

But it is not only the tech savvy who will be riding this wave. Those with skills in project management, for example, will be in demand to roll out technology and recruitment agencies will be important for sourcing talent, even though initial screenings may increasingly be done via an online test using an algorithm.

Even if you feel as if you can barely manage your new cellphone, let alone brand-new technologies, there are still things you can do. The trick, say experts, is to keep an open mind, embrace the opportunity to learn on the job and stay abreast of technology as it unfolds – and to keep an eye out for sideline earning opportunities.

‘It is not so much about staying ahead of the curve,’ says Fortune Gamanya, an associate director at Deloitte Consulting and a lecturer at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. ‘Constant change makes it essential to stay relevant and fit for purpose. We need to develop the ability to unlearn, learn and relearn.’ She calls it ‘learning by doing’.

‘It is about constant practice. You can read as much as you like about your current or sideline job, but unless you do it, you will not know what it takes. The gig economy [in which people do short-term contracts or freelance gigs] is growing and people should work on those skills that will grow their sideline jobs more and more.’

What sets us apart from technology?

The good news is that while machines, AI and other technologies might assume the more routine, robotic tasks, creativity, emotional intelligence and collaboration set humans apart.

A Deloitte study that looked at 140 years’ data in the UK found that technology has created more jobs than it has destroyed, and that most of them have been in areas that require the human touch, such as teaching and care work.

Creativity, in this instance, does not mean art or music, but the ability to think outside the box, to come up with innovative solutions, imaginative customer experiences and fresh, competitive ways to use data.

What is becoming important are design and handling (managing, operating and applying) AI or robotics, rather than the way things work, which is pretty much in the bag. In other words, it is time to harness your inner curiosity, creativity and the help of colleagues to come up with the smart solutions and innovations that machines simply cannot.

What you can do to keep up with the times

Step 1: Believe you can change

You need to have an open mind, the desire to learn and the self-belief that you can do it. It may sound obvious, but research from the USA’s Ivy League Stanford University proved that those who believe that they can learn new skills are the ones who manage to do it.

Step 2: Cultivate your creative side

Machines may be able to take over jobs that are routine and repetitive, but humans still have the edge when it comes to creativity. In fact, creativity consistently appears on lists of future skills, so work on yours.

Step 3: Volunteer

While our parents might have had a linear career trajectory all their lives, we have to keep retraining and learning. Be proactive – talk to your manager about opportunities for learning new skills or updating and augmenting the skills you have by helping out in other areas.

Step 4: Find out about courses

Ask your manager or HR department if they have the resources to help you to continue your studies and which courses they can recommend that will give you an appropriate skills upgrade. Investigate online courses, such as GetSmarter’s, or consider a community college that offers continued-education programmes.

Step 5: Get out there and get connected

It has never been more important to network with people from whom you can learn, and that includes younger colleagues.

Step 6: Join an industry association

On-the-ball industry bodies will help you to keep up with the times through courses, conferences, webinars and networking events.

This article originally appeared in Today magazine, issue 1 2019. Read the latest issue here.