No matter what field you work in, if you’re hoping to get ahead in your career, you need to be mindful of technology trends. We’ve seen it all too often in recent history, that a new technology takes over and suddenly those who can’t keep up are no longer needed.

But by educating yourself on what is new, what is growing, what is likely to be the next big thing, you can help tech-proof your career. Below I’ve outlined some of the technology trends I see that will have the greatest impact on a wide variety of jobs and industries — well outside the people in the IT industry who develop, build and maintain them.

• Big DataObviously I write a lot about the impact big data is having and will have, but it will almost certainly impact many careers and fields in the future. Human resources, marketing, scientific and medical research, psychological research, product development, customer service, finance, and manufacturing are all fields beyond IT that will be affected by big data.

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