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Futurists

Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits

Futurists need at least three years of work experience (and demonstrated expertise in a particular field), several years under the tutelage of a futurist mentor, or the completion of a master’s degree in future studies.

Successful futurists have a deep love of knowledge, excellent research skills, curiosity, and a good imagination. It is important that they approach their deliberations about the future with an open mind (i.e., having no opinion about what is going to happen or preconceived notions about potential “players” in future forecasts) in order to provide unbiased projections. Strong writing and oral communication skills are essential because futurists spend a lot of time writing reports, communicating via e-mail, posting their thoughts on social media and their Web sites, and making presentations to company executives and at industry conferences. Other important traits include being comfortable with uncertainty, a willingness to continue to learn throughout one’s career, a deep understanding of systems thinking, foreign language skills, an analytical and detail-oriented personality, and strong critical-thinking skills.

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