THE MOST IN-DEMAND METAVERSE JOBS IN THE COMING YEAR

The Metaverse is expected to generate a wave of new business and employment opportunities around the world. In this article, we highlight the most interesting jobs that will emerge thanks to it

The Metaverse has already become a reality, and it has started offering great job opportunities. Everyone is talking about it, and many Tech giants like Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Roblox, Tencent and Intel – together with many fashion and luxury brands – have already invested billions in it. But what kinds of Jobs will we do in the Metaverse? Geeks Academy, one of the first companies in Europe to believe in the potential of the Metaverse, together with Skuola.net,?has identified a first list of professional figures that will emerge or will further consolidate as the Metaverse will develop.

But first, a few numbers. In 2020, the turnover linked to the Metaverse amounted to around 50 billion dollars. According to an estimate made by the cryptocurrency asset manager Grayscale, the Metaverse market is expected to reach a value of $800 billion by 2024, and to surpass the threshold of $1 trillion in the following years. And a good part of such investments will be directed to the recruitment of professional figures and "brains" to be put at the service of its growth and development. Let us take a look at some examples from metaverse-related sectors. Last year, blockchain-related job vacancies in the United States increased by 395% and, currently, skills in the sector are the most in demand in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Meta (ex Facebook) alone plans to create 10,000 new jobs for the development of its own metaverse over the next five years. As for salaries and wages, just think that today AR/VR programmers, developers and software engineers earn between $135,000 and $150,000 a year, while a 3D game designer earns around $80,000.

Metaverse Architects

The first to emerge will be the so-called Metaverse Architects (or designers), i.e. the creative figures in charge of imagining and devising completely new and immersive worlds. Today, this category is represented mainly by 3D game designers, who are responsible for designing, prototyping and building virtual environments and all-immersive 3D experiences (not only linked to the gaming sphere). In addition to a solid knowledge of computer animation, 3D modeling, backgrounds, illustration, lighting, game interfaces and more, these figures will also need basic programming skills and to master popular gaming software programs such as Unity 3D, Blender, Maya, and Unreal Engine.

Metaverse Builders

They are the professional figures involved in developing the infrastructure at the base of the various metaverses (such as Meta’s Horizon worlds), turning metaverse architects’ visions into reality. These figures, who mainly include programmers, developers, software engineers and blockchain experts, will need solid programming skills (C, C #, C ++, JavaScript, Python, Solidity and Rust languages), cloud computing and AR/VR skills, as well as a deep understanding of decentralized ecosystems and blockchain-based solutions.

Digital Product & Fashion Designers

Once the infrastructure of the Metaverse will have been created, there will be a need for professionals who work on the development of NFT (Non-Fungible Token) objects, clothes and accessories that can be purchased and used within it. NFTs have already become quite popular in sectors like art, music and fashion, and with the affirmation of the Metaverse, professional figures like digital product and digital fashion designers, who are already active in the gaming and crypt world, are definitely destined to flourish.

Cybersecurity Experts

"Security" is one of the keywords of the Metaverse. Digital worlds are in fact the perfect target for cyber attacks and fraud: hacked avatars, NFT theft, biometric data leaks, etc.

Thus, there will be a great need for figures who control and "patrol" the metaverses, blocking hacker attacks on one hand, and ensuring that computer protocols are updated and able to face new threats. Given the first cases of virtual harassment, security or police officer-like figures in charge of protecting the well-being and safety of virtual environments will also be needed.

Smart Contract Developers

In the metaverses that will arise, all transactions will involve digital assets, and since they will be encoded, they will not require any human interaction – provided that the required conditions to activate and conclude the deal are met. It is for this precise reason that there will be a need for technical figures able to ensure that the interests and terms of agreement of the various users are correctly preserved and encoded in the blockchain layer used for the transaction.?

Privacy & Data Protection Specialists

The same goes for the confidentiality of the personal data belonging to the users who will inhabit those worlds: since in the metaverse everything will be represented by the data, there will be a great need for figures who take care of protecting the privacy and data of the various users. These profiles, aside from being specialized in subjects like Law, EU and International Regulations, management and personal data protection, must also possess strong specific digital skills such as data mining and coding.

From Marketing Specialists to Storytellers and Event Directors

Metaverse marketing specialists are already in high demand. These figures are in charge of conceiving, creating and executing immersive and interactive Ad campaigns or experiences that blur the lines between the physical and the digital. Storytellers, on the other hand,?will have to design engaging experiences of various kinds (gaming, sporting, cultural, musical, educational), as well as virtual tours and immersive quests aimed at allowing users to explore the metaverse and discover its hard-to-sport business opportunities. Finally, the Metaverse will also have its own event directors. Just like in the physical world, these figures will be in charge of setting up virtual concerts (as it already happens on platforms like Fortnite and Horizon Venues), organizing virtual events to celebrate significant moments of our existence (such as births, anniversaries or weddings), breaking down the physical constraints of the real world.

The Era of the Internet in 3D

"We are entering the Era of the Internet in 3 Dimensions – explains Antonio Venece, CEO & Founder of Geeks Academy – the Metaverse will be the continuation of the real world into the digital dimension, within which all the professions already existing in the real world will be re-proposed with digital skills as a common denominator and essential prerequisite". Geeks Academy has already set up training courses with a very practical approach – such as the "Blockchain & Metaverses Specialist Mastery Program" or the "Gaming & Metaverses Junior Professional" – aimed at training the forerunners in charge of tracing the road for the inhabitants of tomorrow.

What if the Metaverse turns out to be a flop??

"What today is called ‘Metaverse’ is nothing more than the convergence of several technologies: virtual reality, blockchain, big data analysis, computational capacity and video game industry – explains Venece to Italian Tech –?therefore, those who are training to work in the new metaverse jobs will acquire skills that can be spent in any of the various emerging technological sectors, like for example that of video gaming (whose turnover by the way already exceeds the aggregate of cinema and music). In truth, everything suggests that the concretization of the metaverse is only a matter of time, a time that is actually accelerating. Let us look at the Oculus sales in the last quarter, or at the imminent release of Apple's new gadget: a VR headset. And let us not forget the rush of those who are currently investing in the metaverse. Think of Benetton, which during Milan Fashion Week announced that it will launch its first virtual store in the metaverse, and which for the occasion even refurbished its store in Corso Vittorio Emanuele in Milan with the colors and design of its virtual store".

Based on the?article?that appeared on the Italian newspaper "La Repubblica" on 03/03/2022.