Thinking about your next steps? Where to go from here? In the era of the internet, new career choices spring up almost from thin air. Where do you fit in, and how can you learn more? Here are a few career paths that scarcely existed a few short years ago.

Blockchain Developer

Do you miss playing with blocks when you were a kid? Okay, this isn't quite the same thing, but it's just as fun. Blockchain is a decentralized, digital ledger, and it's the next big digital thing. You've probably heard of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, but blockchain's not all paperless money: the technology can be used for online voting, medical records, and even tracking prescriptions. Thanks to its robust protections, blockchain is here to stay.

Learn more about blockchain in George Brown College's brand new Blockchain Development Program.

Automation Engineer

Wouldn't it be great if chores just took care of themselves? Maybe someday, thanks to the tireless efforts of automation engineers. Manufacturers are seeing giant leaps in productivity, where automation is leading the charge in scaling up and smoothing out the processes of making stuff. If you want to build machines to do the heavy lifting for you, consider becoming an automation engineer.

Take a giant leap yourself to learn about automation with Algonquin College's Bachelor of Automation and Robotics.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Researcher

Will robots some day rule the world? AI researchers work to ensure that they (probably) won't. From smart phones to smart homes, AI is everywhere. Robots are already cleaning up in the stock market and helping surgeons in the operating room. Neural networking technology and machine learning, trained and tested with real-world data, guided by AI researchers, are building the world of tomorrow.

Want to learn how machines learn? Check out the Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo for more.

Chief Experience Officer

The world is online. Internet presence is everything, so many of the planet's biggest companies now boast a new type of C-level executive: the CXO. Chief Experience Officers ensure that brands are well represented in the digital age, from a potential customer's first encounter with a website, all the way through checkout. CXOs also safeguard companies' reputations on review sites and social media. Building a cohesive, clean digital presence is the goal of any CXO.

Long to bring some order to the world wide web? Get started with User Experience Design at Humber College.

Cybersecurity Specialist

Who's keeping an eye on all this data? Specialists in cybersecurity work with hardware and software to ensure digital information is protected. Data leaks and privacy breaches are all too common, and companies across the world need skilled professionals to keep themselves, and their customers, safe.

Take the fight to the black hat hackers with Centennial College's Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate.

When thinking about your future, be sure to branch out and explore your world — you just might discover a calling you'd never heard before.

Find out more about careers, as well as the college and university programs needed to secure them, on the SchoolFinder Careers page.