While virtual reality (VR) has demonstrated great power and promise in the world of business, from medical training to emergency response training, the benefits of VR can only be taken advantage of when VR systems are designed and implemented correctly. That’s why companies like Google, BMW, and AMC Entertainment have begun to specifically seek out employees who can bring the necessary experience and expertise to VR work, shifting the landscape of the VR job market.
In Google’s job posting, they’re seeking someone with experience in not only computer science, but also in machine learning solutions, computer vision, imaging, and augmented reality (AR) platforms. Companies like BMW and AMC Entertainment have similar requirements as they seek people to “deliver specific data structures that are used in various Virtual Reality (VR) software types” and work as a “virtual reality guest experience specialist.”
It’s easy to take these jobs on the leading edge of technology for granted as we live in an era of rapidly growing technological advancements. I barely squeaked into the ’90’s, being born in ’99, and while I distinctly remember loading floppy discs, printing out directions from Google Maps, and playing Trogdor on the cubic Mac desktop, it barely registers in my day-to-day life anymore that smartphones, laptops, Bluetooth, and Spotify are still very recent developments. However, because technology has taken off at such an exponential rate, things like laptops are now ‘old news,’ and tech companies now seek out greener pastures — like the world of VR.
Forbes has declared that 2019 is the year “Virtual Reality Gets Real.” VR hasn’t quite made the same breakthrough into the popular consumer market as smartphones and laptops, yet. Last year, we wrote about how the biggest challenge for VR was imaging quality. Now, however, leaps and bounds are being made, like this promising head-mounted display (HMD) from Cambridge. Even as of this spring, Sony estimated that they had sold more than 4.2 million PlayStation VR systems worldwide.
More importantly than gaming, VR allows for unique kinds of creativity and innovation for all kinds of advancements. As companies vie for outstanding advancements and products in a fiercely competitive market, they cannot afford to be inefficient or miss out on opportunities for innovation. As more and more companies seek to improve their VR capabilities, the demand for VR experts continues to grow.
