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The pandemic has transformed the way people work, live and socialize, while online tools and social media have boomed. In some cases this has even led to the creation of new jobs.
Jobs related to COVID-19 are certainly a development of the past two years, but as we increasingly live our lives online, many of the roles that have popped up are a result of this trend, which shows no signs of going anywhere.
Here are some jobs that would have seemed out of place five years ago but are now part of our world:
COVID Compliance Officer
Dan Schlund was once famous as a rocketman who performed stunts on screen, but after breaking his neck he became a paramedic for film and TV production sets. When the pandemic hit in 2020, Schlund’s business flipped: there were suddenly many union rules for working on productions to keep workers safe. Construction sites also needed COVID-19 compliance officers, and the Texas resident Maw’s life has been busy, he says. While the pandemic has brought tragedy on a global scale, it has also created some opportunities. “COVID has been very good for my business,” says Schlund.
The on-set compliance officer’s job is to test every person on set for COVID-19 every three days, take temperatures and enforce social distancing requirements. Schlund says he also has to patrol the various so-called bubbles on set and keep the actors away from the crew and other parts of the production staff.
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, this job may not last long. The rules for production sets have recently been relaxed. COVID compliance officers aren’t strictly necessary, and most productions don’t pay them if they don’t have to. “Lately it’s shrunk to the point where I don’t have as much CCO work as I do medical work,” says Schlund, who estimates compliance officer positions will be down to about 25% of those by 2022 in 2021.
Salary range: $20-25 an hour
Online fitness trainer
Five years ago, Selena Watkins taught fitness and worked as a professional dancer. She has toured with Nikki Minaj and was a backup dancer at the SuperBowl with Shakira. She also occasionally taught a pop-up class she called Socanomics: a dance-based workout on Caribbean carnival music.
When the 2020 pandemic hit, all of Watkins’ dance performances suddenly disappeared. She immediately started teaching Socanomics classes live on Instagram, then built a platform and started teaching via Zoom. Watkins finds it amazing to see people from London, Chicago and Tennessee attending her classes while she teaches from her Los Angeles studio. “It’s exciting for fitness because the pandemic has made very clear how much we need to focus on wellness as a holistic notion – your physical body, your mental well-being and how you interact in the world.”
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In 2020, the $100 billion fitness industry has been heavily focused on virtual trainers and classes, and the global virtual fitness market size is expected to grow from $11.39 billion a year, according to a report by The Business Research Company earlier this year 2021 to grow to $16.15 billion in 2022. While restrictions on shuffling have largely been lifted, Watkins sees opportunities for further innovation in virtual fitness. She would love to see how fitness works in augmented reality – and she sells her personal retreats with clients from all over the world.
Salary range: $40,000 to $72,000 per year
Wealth Advisor for Cryptocurrencies
The global cryptocurrency wealth management market size was estimated at US$0.67 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach US$9.36 billion by 2030. But it comes with huge risks, as FTX’s recent implosion has shown. Mia Samson, a financial planner at Gerber Kawasaki in Santa Monica, says she became a certified digital asset advisor because she wanted to better serve her clients. “Throughout the pandemic, crypto has grown in popularity a lot,” she says. “It was a space that many of us as investors were interested in ourselves, but our clients came to us with questions.”
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Your company has developed a program to learn more about planning with digital assets. It’s not that different from equities, she says, but there’s a learning curve in how to offer digital wealth planning in the safest possible way. At the moment they only offer Bitcoin and Etherium.
“Like any developing technology, it will take some time for mainstream adoption,” says Samson. “I certainly see a lot of positives associated with this, but there are definitely some changes that need to be made – crypto is evolving so fast and legislation is struggling to keep up. Regulatory frameworks and standards would help build trust in this space to calm volatility and tackle illicit activity.”
Salary range: $60,000 to $90,000 per year
Influencer MBA Professor
Social media influencer marketing is big business, which will be worth an estimated $16.4 billion by the end of this year, doubling since 2019. Even as influence as a company has exploded, business programs have not taught this type of marketing. That’s why Mohan Sawhney, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management, created an executive education program on influence. With applications for regular MBAs declining, offering this alternative to traditional college and university programs could be a smart move.
The whole idea of influencer marketing is a strategic relationship between the influencer’s brand and the company’s brand, says Sawhney. “So think more strategically about influencer marketing, beyond social media, market your transactions and really think about how you build and maintain those win-win-win relationships for the customer, the influencer and the company. “
The course started in December 2021 and provides executives with real-world examples of influencer strategies – and how to measure success. Sahney is already watching the changing landscape of the influencer industry — from people who follow mega-influencers like the Kardashians or Justin Bieber, to micro-influencers, like someone in your network who knows a lot about running shoes. “You might follow someone who you’re going to have a little personal relationship with,” he says, adding that micro-influencers tend to interact one-on-one with their network.
Salary range: $57,000 to $184,000 per year
Telemedicine vet
Just as human medicine has increasingly made the leap into virtual rounds, so has veterinary medicine. Up to 80% of veterinarians under 40 are women and increasingly they want to have a flexible schedule and work on their own terms. In addition, there is a huge shortage of veterinarians in the cities, which leads to long waiting times. That’s where telemedicine can help.
dr Brian Evans is a veterinarian and clinical director at Dutch, a company that connects pet owners with licensed veterinarians via video chat, with plans starting at $15 a month. The company says it has helped 25,000 pets since its launch in January 2021. Evans says the pandemic has really driven change. “Without her, it might have taken another 10 years for people to consider that as an option.”
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He says a lot of the vet’s work involves taking a really detailed medical history, which can easily be done by watching TV. It also allows him to see an animal relaxed and at home without nervously panting on a stainless steel table. However, telemedicine will never replace real-life care. “It’s always going to be an adjunct to in-person care, because telemedicine can’t perform surgery, scan blood, or draw blood — all those things that require hands.” But it can take the pressure off vets and patients alike.
Salary range: $70,000 to $80,000 per year
