Social Media Managers

Social Media has existed well over a decade ago, but it was not as important as it is to companies and brands as it has been since the 2010’s. To put it in perspective, Nuffnang, a blog advertising platform that jumped into social media advertising pretty early on, did so via Churp Churp in 2009, indeed, a full decade ago. Even then, this wasn’t social media management just yet. It was just the recognition that social media was the future, but a future nobody had any concrete ideas about at the time.

Why They’re Important: Today, it’s easy for a brand to make or break themselves by just putting anyone in charge of their Twitter account. It takes someone who knows what they’re doing and understands the rapidly evolving tastes of social media to take a brand and get it known for its social media game. Whoever’s running the social media for Angkas, for example, should really get a raise. All the raises.

Grab Drivers

It’s one thing to be a cabbie. It’s another thing to own your car and turn it into a way to make money on the side. While yes, the Philippines is notorious for turning Uber, or in our case, Grab into just another taxi service, you can clearly see how in countries like America, Uber is all about giving car owners another income stream.

Why They’re Important: When you need to get somewhere in a pinch, having the ability to get a ride via your phone in minutes is a technological and logistical marvel. This is especially true when you consider the difficulties of getting a ride in certain places, especially in the Philippines.

Zumba Instructor

Not every job here is a product of technological developments. This fitness craze has taken the world by storm, inspiring countless spinoffs and knockoffs all over. Officially a franchise, this aerobic dance fusion of Latino and Afrodance has helped people get fit much in the same way Tae Bo did during the ‘90s.

Why They’re Important: There will always be a dance-exercise fusion out there that keeps people flocking to the gym. There has to be, because not everybody is fond of just lifting weights and running treadmills. Hooray for variety!

Influencer

There was once a time that someone had to be a movie or TV star to command influence. Those times are over in the age of social media, especially with the rise of Instagram. Thanks to the ability of just about any person to reach an audience of millions through their phone, being an influencer is now a thing. Being famous just because is quite possibly the legacy brought about by reality TV, Paris Hilton, and Kim Kardashian. No value judgments here.

Why They’re Important: Maybe some of us find some of them annoying, and some of them might come across as entitled, but most influencers do work hard on their content and offer something to their audience, which is why their audiences listen to them when they’re talking. We are at a point in time where brands and people have become one and the same, and it’s not necessarily a good or bad thing. It simply is, and those who fail to recognize this seismic shift will have to play catch-up instead of grousing bitterly at some point.

Virtual Assistant

The natural evolution of the executive assistant, which was the natural evolution of the secretary, a virtual assistant allows you to work closely with some of the movers and shakers of the world without being within a mile of them. Working from the comfort of home or wherever you want, you manage their schedule, take or make calls on behalf of your employer, do research, bookkeeping, and all that drudgery minus the close quarters and the need to socialize. Hooray?

Why They’re Important: Being a full-time executive assistant is difficult and often leads to burnout. Most Virtual Assistants do this on a contractual or part-time basis, which keeps them relatively fresh. There’s also that healthy physical distance which allows even the most introverted person a chance to work without all the anxieties of what is normally a socially taxing job.

App Developer

The iPhone came out in 2008. We’ve had apps before, and they were called programs. But when iPhone changed the game eleven years ago, so did the need for app developers. Ever since, we have seen people make their fortunes on just one killer app, be it a game, or something that, as the now-cliche goes, disrupted the industry, such as Uber and Air BnB. The App Developer makes all that possible, and is why they are in high demand, even if most local colleges are barely keeping up.

Why They’re Important: It’s hard to imagine the app or even its very concept going away anytime soon. Even if something were to take its place, it would likely still be an app just with a different name. Now, more than ever, with people preferring not to have to enter a URL into a browser, having an app is an inherent advantage for any company or brand who wants to be accessible at all times.

Sustainability Manager

With the rise of technology comes the question of sustainable development. In the past, we haven’t been as concerned with the environmental impact of the things we do, but in an age where everyone gets called out for something on Twitter, sustainability managers ensure companies can “go green” and minimize their impact on the environment in an efficient, still-profitable way.

Why They’re Important: Because global warming is real, you guys. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Professional Streamer

Professional gamers have existed for a long while, so as shocking as it seems that kids can make a career out of playing DOTA 2, it’s just the logical extension of gaming going digital and prize pools getting larger. What we did not expect were people willingly spending their time and even money to watch people just play video games, even if some of them will never win a tournament in their life. It seems that we as a people have gotten so busy that we’re fine with the vicarious experience of some average but entertaining guy or girl play a video game instead of playing it ourselves.

Why They’re Important: They remind us that sometimes, hard work does indeed pay off. Not all of these guys are tournament winners. Not all of these people are influencers. But they do what they do, and they made a decent living out of it. They remind us that while influence and luck are all important aspects to success, passion still counts for something, which is nothing short of inspirational in today’s cynical world of numbers and polarization.

Which of these would you want to be? Tell us below!