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Lisa Harris, Giles O'Halloran, Alison Truelove, and Maximilian Walkowiak

Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts. Find out more This course is for anyone interested in how the world of work is changing and how this may affect their current or future career. It’s also suitable for anyone who provides career guidance, such as teachers, consultants and counsellors.

Topics Covered

Read more

Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts. Find out more This course is for anyone interested in how the world of work is changing and how this may affect their current or future career. It’s also suitable for anyone who provides career guidance, such as teachers, consultants and counsellors.

Topics Covered

  • Lessons from historical “technological revolutions”
  • Implications of the digital economy for the nature and location of work
  • Winners and losers in the digital workplace
  • How social changes are shaping the workplace of tomorrow
  • The changing relationship between our digital and physical workspaces
  • Entrepreneurial opportunities in the digital economy
  • Skills required for success in the digital workplace and how they can be acquired

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Reviews summary

Strategic career development for the future

According to learners, this course offers a largely positive and highly relevant overview of the evolving world of work. Students commend its ability to provide actionable insights and practical strategies for career development in the digital age. Many found the well-structured modules and engaging lectures instrumental in understanding future trends and identifying required skills for success. While some wished for deeper dives into specific topics or more recent case studies, the course is widely praised for its thought-provoking content and its utility for both mid-career professionals and those exploring new paths. It serves as an excellent foundation for adapting to tomorrow's workplace.
Excellent overview, though some desired deeper dives.
"This course is ideal for getting a comprehensive overview of future work trends."
"I would recommend this for anyone starting to explore career changes, not for deep dives."
"While insightful, I wished for more in-depth coverage on specific skills or industries."
Benefits from University of Exeter's academic rigor.
"The quality of the content reflects the high standards of the University of Exeter."
"I felt confident in the information provided given it came from a reputable institution."
"The expertise from the University of Exeter was evident throughout the course material."
Clear, concise modules effectively deliver complex topics.
"The content was delivered through engaging lectures and was very well-structured."
"I found the bite-sized modules easy to follow and incredibly insightful."
"The structure made it easy to grasp complex ideas about the changing workplace."
Provides actionable strategies for career adaptation.
"I learned how to use practical tools and strategies that I could apply immediately to my work."
"The course gave me actionable advice for adapting my career to future trends."
"It truly helped me rethink my career path and identify new opportunities in the digital economy."
Mostly current; some wished for more updated case studies.
"The concepts are solid, but a few case studies felt slightly outdated."
"I think the course could benefit from including more recent examples of workplace changes."
"While the foundational ideas are timeless, more contemporary examples would be helpful."

Career center

Learners who complete Building Your Career in Tomorrow’s Workplace will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Reading list

We've selected 50 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Building Your Career in Tomorrow’s Workplace.
This recent book directly addresses the contemporary topic of remote and hybrid work models, examining the challenges and opportunities they present for both employees and employers. It provides practical insights and analysis on a highly relevant aspect of the future of work.
Dives into contemporary topics surrounding the digital economy, specifically the collection and use of personal data by corporations. It's crucial for understanding the societal and ethical implications of digital business models. It provides depth to discussions on data and its role in the digital economy. This is considered a must-read for anyone concerned with the power dynamics of the digital age.
Provides a deep historical analysis of the relationship between technology and work, offering valuable context for understanding the current wave of automation. It's excellent for those seeking a more academic and in-depth understanding of the long-term trends shaping the future of work.
This handbook provides a visual framework, the Business Model Canvas, for designing, assessing, and iterating on business models. It's highly practical and widely used by entrepreneurs, consultants, and organizations to understand the key components of a business.
A comprehensive guide based on the Customer Development methodology, this book provides detailed steps for building a startup. It's a valuable resource for entrepreneurs at all stages and is often used as a textbook.
Reframes AI as a 'prediction machine,' explaining its economic implications in a clear and accessible way. It's excellent for deepening the understanding of AI's impact on business strategy and decision-making, which is crucial for comprehending the future of work in an AI-driven world.
Examines how companies can compete and thrive when artificial intelligence is at the core of their operations. It's highly relevant to understanding contemporary business strategy in the digital economy. It adds depth to the understanding of AI's impact on business models and competition.
This playbook offers a practical guide for established businesses seeking to adapt and thrive in the digital age. It covers key areas of digital transformation, providing frameworks and tools. It useful reference tool and commonly used in executive education programs.
Drawing lessons from the military, this book presents a new model for organizational structure and leadership in a complex and rapidly changing world. It's highly relevant for understanding how teams and organizations need to adapt for the future of work.
Is considered a foundational text on how computer technology is reshaping the job market and the types of skills that are becoming more valuable. It provides essential background for understanding the historical context of the future of work.
Based on research from Accenture, this book provides a framework for how businesses can integrate AI and human talent to create new forms of work and achieve greater innovation. It's a practical guide for professionals and organizations adapting to AI.
A key book for understanding the business models prevalent in the digital economy. It explains the dynamics of platforms and how they create value, which is highly relevant to digital business growth and market segmentation. is often used as a reference tool for strategists and entrepreneurs.
A concise precursor to 'The Second Machine Age,' this book offers a quick yet insightful overview of the initial impacts of technological acceleration on employment and inequality. It's valuable for gaining a broad understanding and serves as good prerequisite reading before diving into more detailed analyses.
Teaches entrepreneurs how to conduct effective customer interviews to get honest and unbiased feedback about their business ideas. It's a crucial skill for validating assumptions and avoiding building something nobody wants.
Focuses specifically on the strategies behind building and managing successful platforms, a dominant model in the digital economy. valuable resource for those looking to understand the intricacies of platform businesses. It adds depth to the understanding of platform economics and strategy.
Explores the global race for dominance in artificial intelligence, a technology with profound implications for the future of the digital economy and the nature of work. It's valuable for understanding the geopolitical and technological forces shaping the digital future. It provides breadth by examining the international landscape of AI development.
Explores the rapid convergence of various exponential technologies and their potential to disrupt industries and transform daily life, including work. It offers a forward-looking perspective on the scale and speed of change we can anticipate.
Offers a broad overview of how robots, AI, and automation are impacting the job market and society. It explores policy implications and potential societal responses, making it useful for a general understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by the future of work.
Galloway analyzes the strategies and impact of the dominant tech companies in the digital economy. is useful for understanding the competitive landscape and the power of major platforms. It provides insights into the business strategies driving a large part of the digital economy.
Lanier offers a critical perspective on the digital economy, questioning the concentration of wealth and data in the hands of a few platforms. is valuable for exploring contemporary debates and ethical considerations within the digital economy. It adds breadth by presenting an alternative viewpoint on the distribution of value.
Identifies twelve technological forces that will shape the next thirty years, many of which have direct implications for the future of work, such as AI, ubiquitous access, and new forms of interaction. It helps in understanding the broader technological landscape.
Ford examines the potential impact of automation and artificial intelligence on employment, a critical consideration in the context of the digital economy and the future of work. It's relevant for understanding the societal challenges posed by technological advancements. It adds depth to the discussion on the future of work in the digital age.
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Challenges the conventional wisdom of extreme specialization, arguing that a breadth of experience and interdisciplinary thinking is increasingly valuable in a complex world. It offers a relevant perspective on the skills needed for the future of work.
Explores new organizational paradigms beyond traditional hierarchical structures, offering insights into more agile, self-managing, and purpose-driven ways of working. It provides a deeper understanding of potential future organizational models.
Delves into the potential of blockchain technology, a key component of the evolving digital economy, particularly in finance and distributed systems. It's relevant for understanding contemporary technological advancements and their economic implications. It adds depth to the understanding of underlying digital infrastructure.
Provides a unique perspective on how legal frameworks shape the creation and distribution of wealth in modern capitalism, with significant implications for understanding power dynamics in the digital economy. It's valuable for graduate-level study and professionals interested in the intersection of law, technology, and economics. It adds a critical and foundational layer to understanding the structures underlying the digital economy.
Explores the role of situational factors in shaping human behavior. It presents a series of classic experiments that demonstrate how even ordinary people can be influenced to act in unethical or harmful ways when placed in certain situations.
Provides practical knowledge on digital marketing strategies, a crucial component of succeeding in the digital economy. It's particularly useful for those interested in the business and marketing aspects highlighted in some of the course names. It can serve as a useful reference tool for practical applications.
A revised and updated guide covering the essentials of starting a business in the modern landscape, including topics like social media, crowdfunding, and cloud computing. It offers practical advice and insights from an experienced entrepreneur and investor.
Written by Google's former head of HR, this book offers practical insights into building a high-performing culture and attracting talent. While not solely focused on the future, it provides valuable lessons from a leading tech company on managing and motivating a modern workforce.
While not exclusively about the digital economy, this book highlights the crucial issue of data bias, which is highly relevant to the fairness and equity of digital products, services, and algorithms. It's important for understanding the societal impact of data in the digital age. It adds a critical perspective on the data-driven aspects of the digital economy.
Focuses on the importance of gaining traction and provides a framework for identifying and testing different marketing channels to acquire customers. It's a practical guide for entrepreneurs looking to grow their user base.
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Considered a classic in understanding the foundational legal and social structures of the digital realm. While not solely focused on economics, it provides essential context for the regulatory challenges and governance of the digital economy. It offers valuable background knowledge for understanding the digital landscape.
A classic text that foresaw the impact of the internet on markets and communication, emphasizing the importance of human voice and conversations in the digital age. While published earlier, its core ideas remain relevant for understanding the shift in customer relationships and marketing in the digital economy. It is more valuable as additional reading for historical context.
Provides a framework for creating clear and compelling marketing messages that resonate with customers. It helps entrepreneurs understand how to position their brand and products in a way that drives engagement and sales.
Presents a framework for creating new market spaces (blue oceans) rather than competing in existing ones (red oceans). It's valuable for developing innovative strategies and finding unmet customer needs. Parts of this book can serve as a useful reference tool.
Explores the psychology behind why people say 'yes' and outlines six universal principles of persuasion. Understanding these principles is invaluable for entrepreneurs in sales, marketing, and negotiation.
Provides a practical guide to developing digital skills for students. It covers a wide range of topics, including using technology for research and writing, managing online learning environments, and using social media for academic purposes.
Provides a comprehensive overview of coding for beginners. It covers the basics of coding, as well as more advanced topics such as object-oriented programming and data structures. It great resource for anyone who wants to learn how to code or improve their coding skills.
Discusses the impact of the internet on our brains. Carr argues that the internet is making us more distracted and less able to focus. It thought-provoking read for anyone who is concerned about the impact of digital technology on our lives.
Documents the decline of social capital in the United States. It argues that this decline has had a negative impact on civic engagement, trust, and community well-being.

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