Following Facebook’s rebranding to Meta, the metaverse has been receiving attention like never before
By 2026, around 25% of the world’s population will spend at least one hour a day on the metaverse, according to tech consultancy, Gartner. This raises the question of exactly how this will affect our everyday lives, especially the types of jobs the metaverse may create. In just three months, the number of metaverse vacancies has grown fivefold and these are some of the key roles being created.
VR/AR software engineers
A crucial role within the metaverse is the software engineers behind it. This role involves working with advanced technology to create interactive experiences on various platforms. Therefore, a coding background is required.
Several well-known companies are already offering vacancies for VR/AR software engineers. Ikea and Amazon are using AR to give customers an idea of how certain products will look on them or in their homes.
Metaverse cybersecurity
Just like security threats to the internet, the metaverse will experience various threats and is particularly vulnerable to data leaks, cyberattacks, and data theft. To ensure the metaverse is a safe space, new levels of security will be needed. This will come in the form of metaverse cybersecurity. Jobseekers for this role will need a background in cybersecurity and programming.
Virtual tour guide
As the metaverse is a completely new environment, first-time visitors will need tour guides. These roles will require staff to guide, advise, and host guests around various spaces within the metaverse. Virtual tour guides don’t require experience as such, but they will need to have extensive knowledge of the spaces.
Hardware engineers
For certain AR/VR experiences, hardware will be required. This means the demand for hardware engineers will only increase. These types of engineers are responsible for the development of new sensors, cameras, headsets, and wearables.
At Meta’s Reality Labs, hardware engineers are helping to build and test prototypes for future consumer AR/VR experiences.
Virtual stewards
Unlike current online games, spaces in the metaverse will allow huge numbers of people to be together at once. This means virtual stewards will be required for moderating the spaces. Virtual stewards will not only be responsible for ensuring that people are following the rules of the space, but also to create a community feel.
This is a great option for people with no experience in metaverse-related fields. As long as you’re good at communicating, roles for virtual stewards will be available on full and part-time bases.
Virtual real estate agents
There are already designated metaverse estate agents, such as Metaverse Property, who are selling and renting land in the sphere. Metaverse Property is currently offering land in five districts in Decentraland.
Of course, in order to sell land, estate agents will be required. People in this role will be responsible for property management, development, consulting, and marketing. In December 2021, the most expensive metaverse property sale was completed. The plot went for $4.3 million. It’s clear to see why some estate agents will consider the switch to the metaverse.
Blockchain engineers
The metaverse is creating a new title of blockchain engineer. People in this role will be responsible for creating and implementing digital blockchain for businesses. Working on blockchain is technical and will require a good level of understanding of the blockchain platforms.
Metaverse marketing specialist
For those already knowledgeable in marketing, becoming a metaverse marketing specialist is a great option in the future. The role could vary from creating billboards in the metaverse to promoting products through virtual experiences.
A project which metaverse marketing specialists could be responsible for is NIKELAND. The mini-games enable visitors to dress in Nike products. This is a great opportunity to advertise Nike’s existing products, but visitors can also buy exclusive products.
Companies currently hiring for metaverse marketing specialists include HSBC and Meta. This suggests the scope of the opportunities that will be available within the field.
Metaverse lawyers
The metaverse is bringing new types of asset classes, requiring new laws to govern how to buy, sell and manage them. Metaverse lawyers will be responsible for this alongside other issues, such as copyright issues with digital art.
Metaverse stylist
Given avatars in the metaverse are a virtual representation of yourself, people will want to look as good as possible. This is where metaverse stylists will come in. They will act as a personal stylist to ensure that people’s avatars are looking stylish.
Given that individuals can make anything from $100 to a huge $20,000 per month, it’s worth exploring the various job titles being created. There will be plenty of jobs available, full and part-time. Rather than taking away jobs, the metaverse is going to create a lot of new opportunities, making it a really exciting sphere to keep an eye on for your next job.
About the Author
Paul Lewis is chief customer officer of Adzuna, the smarter job search engine giving jobseekers access to more than 15 million jobs each month across 20 countries globally. Paul heads up the global marketing team, where he is responsible for growing Adzuna’s audience of job seekers across Europe, North America and beyond, helping millions more jobseekers into new roles as the world gets back to work after the pandemic. He loves combining the numbers and creative sides of marketing to develop the best customer and brand experiences around and in his own words he’s utterly customer obsessed. Paul has over 20 years’ experience scaling high growth digital businesses. In previous roles he was Interim CMO at notonthehighstreet.com, CMO at Hometree, and Director of Marketing at MOO.com. His career also includes household names VoucherCodes, Ancestry and Betfair.
Featured image: ©iBrave
