Top 10 Careers of the Future—in Spanish!
What do you want to be when you grow up? Most of us have no idea which career path we want to choose while still in high school, and you may not know either. Take a deep breath and remember: figuring this out always takes time! Your teenage years provide you with ample time to discover which careers are available to you and how well they match your passions and interests.
You probably already know the benefits of learning Spanish, but did you know that bilinguals have a major advantage in the global workplace? As you continue to improve your Spanish skills, stay motivated in knowing that you will have more job prospects and you’re likely to be paid more if you’re bilingual.
So, what kind of jobs exist to choose from? Let’s take a look at the top 10 careers of the future, while we learn Spanish vocabulary about each one. ¿A qué te quieres dedicar?
Top 10 Careers of the Future
1. Ingeniería en robótica (Robotics Engineering)
Robotics Engineers design and build robots and robotic systems to do jobs that humans cannot or no longer want to do. If you like practical, hands-on problem-solving and working with ideas, this is the job for you. Engineers do the following:
- Construir robots (build robots)
- Configurar robots (configure robots)
- Diseñar sistemas de software para controlar los sistemas robóticos (design software to control robotic systems)
2. Diseño industrial (Industrial Design)
In order to be an industrial designer, you must be highly creative with the ability to transmute someone else’s idea into a practical application or creation. An industrial designer develops new manufactured goods, such as:
- Automóviles (cars)
- Barcos (boats)
- Artículos para el hogar (housewares)
- Equipos deportivos (sports equipment)
- Productos electrónicos de consumo (consumer electronics)
- Juguetes (toys)
- Dispositivos medicos (medical devices)
3. Biotecnología (Biotechnology)
For those who like the idea of inventing things, working within big companies, traveling for corporate conferences, and handling the pressure to perform well for million-dollar projects, biotech is the place for you. Biotechnology, defined simply, is the use of living systems and organisms to create products or render services. Some types of biotech careers are:
- Bioquímico (biochemist)
- Ingeniero biomédico (biomedical engineer)
- Ventas farmacéuticas (pharmaceutical sales)
- Técnico de laboratorio (laboratory technician)
- Investigador asociado (associate researcher)
- Técnico de laboratorio criminalístico (crime lab technician)
4. Enfermería (Nursing)
Nurses are people who love to focus on caring for others and making a differences in their lives when they need it the most. Nurses are hands-on health practitioners who provide personalized care for those in poor health. Nurses do the following:
- Promover la salud (promote health)
- Prevenir enfermedades (prevent sickness)
- Ayudar a los pacientes a sobrellevar la enfermedad (help patients cope with illness)
5. Contabilidad (Accounting)
If you’re meticulous and exceptionally good with numbers, accounting may be the profession for you. Accountants help clients grow in prosperity by analyzing, revising, and organizing their financial documents, statements, and accounts. There are many types of accountants:
- Contador financiero (financial accountant)
- Administrador de cuentas (management accountant)
- Contador de impuestos (tax accountant)
- Contador del gobierno (government accountant)
- Contador de proyectos (project accountant)
- Contador forense (forensic accountant)
- Contador social (social accountant)
- Contador Público (public accountant)
6. Veterinario (Veterinarian)
If you’re an animal lover and you have the capacity to make effective decisions in a moment’s notice, you would be a good veterinario. A veterinarian is a medical professional who specializes in animal health and medicine. Veterinarians do the following:
- Diagnosticar problemas de salud animal (diagnose animal health problems)
- Vacunar contra enfermedades (vaccinate against diseases)
- Medicar animales que sufren infecciones o enfermedades (medicate animals that suffer from infections or illnesses)
- Tratar y vestir heridas (treat and bandage wounds)
- Realizar cirugía menor o compleja (perform minor or complex surgery)
7. Marketing (Marketing)
If you like to understand what makes people tick and using that information to create trends, then you’d be an excellent marketer.Marketers are masters of communication who generate demand and promote products or services to potential consumers or clients. Types of marketing include:
- Publicidad (advertising)
- Relaciones públicas (public relations)
- Planificación de medios (media planning)
- Estrategia de ventas (sales strategy)
8. Psicología (Psychology)
If you imagine yourself devoting your time and energy to helping others overcome adversity, then you’ll make the perfect psychologist. Psychologists work with patients who have mental, behavioral or emotional disorders. They perform the following functions for mental health problems:
- Evaluar (assess)
- Diagnosticar (diagnose)
- Tratar (treat)
- Prevenir (prevent)
9. Derecho (Law)
If you’ve got incredible research skills, the stamina and patience to sift through thousands of documents to create a case, and the will to serve the people who need you most, you are meant to be a lawyer. A law professional works within the system of rules that are created and enforced by governmental institutions. There are many ways to work within the legal system, as:
- Abogado (lawyer)
- Paralegal (paralegal)
- Secretaria legal (legal secretary)
- Juez (judge)
- Ayudante legal (law clerk)
- Diputado de sala (courtroom deputy)
10. Docencia (Teaching)
A great teacher knows how to engage their students and create an important emotional connection of mutual respect.Teachers share knowledge, skills, and discipline with students in order to prepare them for the future. Teachers do the following:
- educar compartiendo información (educate by sharing information)
- inspirar a los estudiantes a amar el aprendizaje (inspire students to love learning)
- aprender la mejor manera de enseñar a los estudiantes (learn how to best teach students)
- mejorar la calidad de la educación (improve the quality of education)
- afectar el cambio positivo (affect positive change)
Work-Related Vocabulary
While you are learning about the top careers that interest you, you may want to discuss other facets of the workplace using these useful words:
| Spanish | English |
| La carrera | career |
| El empleo / el trabajo | Job |
| La entrevista | Interview |
| La carta de recomendación | Recommendation letter |
| Las habilidades / las destrezas | skills |
| El jefe / La jefa | Boss |
| El director / La directora | Director / executive |
| La empresa | Company |
| El reunión | Meeting |
| Los negocios | business |
| El contrato laboral | Work contract |
| La oficina | office |
| el puesto | Position |
| los anuncios | Job ads |
| de jornada completa | Full-time |
| de media jornada | Part-time |
| el turno de dia | Day shift |
| el turno de noche | Night shift |
| solicitar | Apply for |
| la solicitud | Application |
| El currículo | Resume |
| CV | CV |
| Titulado / titulada | Have a degree |
| El empleador / La empleadora | Employer |
| El empleado / La empleada | Employee |
| El sueldo / El salario | Salary |
| Los beneficios | Benefits |
Work-Related Phrases
Whether you’re looking for a job or just like talking about them, here are some great phrases to use:
¿A que te dedicas? – What do you do for a living? (literal: What do you dedicate yourself to?)
¿En qué trabajas? – What do you work in?
¿Qué haces? – What do you do?
¿Cual es tu trabajo de ensueño? – What is your dream job?
Soy… – I am…
Voy a ser… – I am going to be…
Quiero ser… – I want to be…
Me gustaría ser… – I would like to be…
Estoy buscando trabajo – I am looking for a job
Explore the World of Careers
We hope this list of careers of the future inspires you to learn more about what you would like to do when you get older. If you would like to practice your Spanish work-related vocabulary with a native Spanish speaker from Guatemala, sign up for a free online class. Ask your teacher about his or her experience in their career as a docente!
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