6 jobs that will boom as tech companies build the metaverse

The metaverse could redefine how people engage with everything from content consumption to their 9-to-5 jobs — but who is actually responsible for bringing these virtual worlds to life? 

The investment bank Citigroup predicts that the metaverse — immersive digital worlds people can engage in as avatars — could be worth up to $13 trillion with five billion users by 2030. In other words, the future is coming up fast, and tech companies like Meta Platforms (formerly FaceBook), Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Alphabet will need talent from various fields to make the metaverse possible.

“It is only natural that these companies will look to expand their workforces and hire more technical individuals to match the ambitions of a project with such magnitude,” says Jonathan Merry, CEO of BanklessTimes, an online publication dedicated to alternative finance and crypto. “World creation is a meticulous process that requires incredible levels of creativity, which means these companies need all the creative people they can get their hands on.”

Read more: How the metaverse will change the workplace

BanklessTimes listed six fields that will be necessary in creating the metaverse, including augmented reality and virtual reality artists to non-tech jobs like architects, whose expertise will be valued in building life-like digital worlds. Merry notes that what he considers the “real” metaverse allows users not only to see and hear virtual worlds but to touch, taste and smell them. 

The metaverse even extends to the internet as a whole, as advancements in meta technology also change how people interact with digital tools. This evolution is otherwise known as Web 3.0 — the internet is currently in its second phase, but Merry is certain the shift is on its way. 

“It is happening. You may like it or not, but the metaverse is very real and becoming closer to being the next big thing, day by day,” he says. “But while we already have most of the technology for this to be possible, it requires an immense amount of work to create these detailed virtual worlds, so the real metaverse may very well be several decades away.”

Read more: Metaverse of madness: Employers and employees at odds over virtual workplaces

In the meantime, various artists and developers will be in demand. Here are six professions that will make the metaverse possible, according to BanklessTimes.