It has been widely reported that for most of today’s elementary schoolchildren, the jobs that lie in their future don’t even exist yet. While that may be terrifying for those of us in the parenting or education game (how do you prep kids for a future you can’t see?), it should be encouraging to those of us in the unmet needs game. I personally have high hopes for a future world in which I can count on the following service options:

1. Data butler: A highly trained service specialist who exists to keep your data synced across all your future devices, including your seven computers, four smartphones, two MP3 players and in-brain implant.
2. Gadget sherpa: A nimble, well-organized and compact companion who follows you at arms length, wearing a vest from which s/he can produce whatever gadget you are looking for, so that you don’t have to spend 5 minutes rifling through your purse.
3. Home media center sysadmin: A full-time household staff member who ensures your Internet-connected TV is serving you the latest news, Netflix titles, bittorrented TV shows and, you know, actually live TV.
4. Password keychain: A bioengineered synthetic life form who is adapted to recognize your DNA and offer you (and you only) the passwords to all your websites and online services.
5. Identity alt: A human chipped with your RFID tag and sent to an alternate alibi location during any would-be offgrid activities

What highly trained or engineered specialists do YOU anticipate? Let me know and I’ll start prepping my kids.