One of the biggest trends over the next decade will be cloud. As far as consumers are concerned, cloud computing would free them of the need of carrying data and would make it possible to create ultra-light gadgets. Cloud computing would also mean consumers would have access to data round-the-clock and through multiple interfaces. Similarly, business professionals would be able to perform their professional tasks anywhere. It will finally be the age when supercomputing capabilities will exist in the most portable form. Cloud computing means my private and professional lives will be more efficient due to easy access to information. I will utilize certain cloud-based services in group projects to improve team efficiency and similarly, I will also educate myself on cloud-based services in order to improve job prospects.
Another big trend over the next decade would be data mining. The businesses often sit on massive amounts of valuable data but they often don’t have the capabilities to make sense of the data. Companies that are able to exploit data create new multi-million and even multi-billion dollar revenue streams. There is still much work to do before the art of understanding data is perfected. Companies like Google and Facebook have demonstrated the value of data and now efforts are underway to learn to better exploit the data being created in unlimited quantity. This trend has serious privacy implications and as a result, I will become more responsible user of internet technologies including social media. At the same time, there will be strong demand for data analysts, thus, I will further improve my programming and statistics skills as a student.

The third big trend will be even greater emphasis on Customer Relationship Management (CRM). The competition has been growing due to globalization because factors of production have become more mobile and manufacturing technologies have become more accessible to everyone. Thus, companies are trying to find new ways to differentiate themselves one of which is unrivaled customer service. This trend means employers will increasingly demand greater levels of soft skills such as communication, social, and customer service skills. In order to improve my job prospects, I will work on enhancing my soft skills in a number of ways including interaction with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, educational seminars on soft skills such as communication and persuasion, and participation in extra co-curricular activities to improve my leadership and teamwork skills.