There are some professions where knowledge of current technology and advancements is more of an option, and then there are industries where comprehension of the latest progress is an absolute necessity. And because of the way culture in society is moving forward, that measuring stick does change, and rather frequently, but there are still ways that you can check in to make sure you understand where you fit into that picture.
Take, for instance, the legal industry, the medical industry, the audio industry, the movie industry, and the political industry. If you plan on being successful, or if you plan on breaking into any of these core groups, modern knowledge of tech is going to be required.
The Legal Industry
For those professionals in the financial industry, the reasons for knowing your tech are simple – laws can and do change, especially regarding regulations, as technology improves. Lawsuits about things like proprietary information, copyright, and technology patents are at the center of many legal implications, and if you don’t know about advancements in these areas, then you quite simply aren’t going to be able to do your job.
The Medical Industry
And if you want to practice medicine, if you want to learn how to be a doctor or a nurse, technology is a key to your success there as well. You can learn about new breakthroughs in medical technology almost every month, and the equipment that makes it possible, and the new scientific tests that are making these improvements possible. You can remain grounded in the principles of medicine that have been around for centuries, but the technical details you have to learn as we continue as a human race.
The Audio Industry
Gone are the days of vinyl, 8-track tapes, cassettes, and even CDs. To handle the audio industry these days, to be a professional audio engineer, you have to have a tremendous amount of knowledge of the latest trends and technologies. You have to understand the mobile revolution and how it intersects with MP3 and streaming technology, and then move forward from there.
The Movie Industry
And you can’t compete in today’s modern movie industry without understanding new technological developments as well. If you have a lot of extra time and money to kill, you can spend a lot of effort and resources going full scale retro, but if you want to be true to modern form, you have to keep up with the latest in movie processing developments.
The Political Industry
Though you might tilt your head at the idea that politics is an industry, consider all of the changes that have been happening this election cycle. The way information moves is dynamically changing, and those in the political game that figure it out sooner, do much better simply because of this knowledge.