When I substitute teach, I like to tell the kids that during their lifetimes they will probably have more than one career, and at least one of those careers will be a job that hasn’t been invented yet (solar-collector repair on Mars?).

The converse of this is the professions that do not have much of a future due to changing times. In fact, many important and rewarding jobs have become obsolete or simply disappeared. For example, have you ever heard of a costermonger?

Costermongers were like fishmongers, only for apples. They appeared as street apple sellers in medieval London and were especially popular in Victorian times. The word is a combination of the apple variety called costard and monger (seller), and appears in written English in the 16th century. It eventually meant any fruit and vegetable vendor who roamed the streets. This career died out in the second half of the 20th century.

Or how about milliner? Also known as hatmaker or hatter, the word originally meant someone from 16th century Milan, Italy who sold everything from hats to gloves and jewelry. The term evolved over time and in the 18th century more closely identified women who made bonnets and other accessories. Although milliners can still be found today, this can’t be considered a profession with much of a future.

The same can be said for stevedore. Stevedores (or longshoremen in the U.S.) are responsible for loading and unloading ships in port and have been around ever since cargo ships and ports were invented. Today their numbers are dwindling since most cargo travels by container ships which are loaded/unloaded by huge cranes.

So if you’re a young person planning a career, you might be wise to consult the article “Who Woke Up People Before Alarm Clocks? 10 Professions That Went Obsolete” at https://www.dictionaryscoop.com/article/Who-woke-up-people-before-alarm-clocks-10-professions-that-went-obsolete? Don’t consider any of these. Or maybe you can invent your own.