John Mullins

John Mullins is an 

economist in the 

Office of Occupational Statistics 

and Employment 

Projections, BLS. 

He can be reached 

at (202) 691-6547 

or mullins.john@

bls.gov.

When Christopher Kent was a graduate student, he studied the history 

of medieval Europe. But that’s all 

in the past. These days, Christopher uses his 

skills to study the future.

Christopher is a futurist. He examines the 

present for clues to changes that the future 

may bring. His training in history serves him 

well. “As a historian, you usually deal with 

incomplete information,” he says. “You look 

at disconnected clues and information to piece 

together a story about the past. A futurist 

looks at clues and information from today to 

piece together stories for the future.”

Futurists specialize in recognizing upcoming uncertainty and attempting to manage it. They realize that unknown—and 

unknowable—changes will shape the future. 

By identifying a range of possible changes, 

these workers develop alternate visions of the 

future. 

There are different types of futurists, and 

each type has different methods, motives and 

objectives. For example, some futurists’ work 

is primarily academic and focuses on social 

criticism. Others, like Christopher, are professional futurists: They help paying clients—either organizations or individuals—anticipate 

change and make plans and adjustments 

accordingly. 

Professional futurists begin work on a 

project by defining a client’s goals. Then, they 

typically gather relevant information from 

media reports, statistical databases, and other 

sources. Futurists’ skill lies in the ability to 

recognize connections in scattered bits of 

information. These connections are often a 

sign of emerging trends, and identifying them 

allows futurists to forecast likely and alternative futures. 

Alternative futures are presented in a variety of ways. Futurists may develop narratives 

describing different paths that the future may 

follow. Or, they may forecast possible futures 

confronting a specific industry or product line. 

Both the methods used and the project’s 

final product are tailored to fit the client’s 

needs. “One client wanted us to look at how 

different trends influenced specific generations over the course of 10 years,” Christopher 

says by way of example. “We developed an 

interactive, color-coded timeline that allowed 

the client to see the work graphically.” 

Christopher and his colleagues spend 

some of their time working on clients’ custom 

research projects. The focus of such projects 

may be narrow, such as analyzing the future 

prospects of a single product; other projects 

may be as broad as forecasting the future of 

an entire industry. Futurists at Christopher’s 

firm also work on self-directed research 

projects for a research database available to 

subscribers.

One thing futurists do not do, says Christopher, is make predictions. “The P-word is 

a loaded term,” he says. “The future can’t be 

predicted accurately, because it is unknown.” 

Rather than tell clients what will happen, in 

other words, futurists identify what could

happen.

A few professional futurists are self-employed, but most, like Christopher, work for 

futures consulting companies. Some of these 

companies focus on specific topics or indusYou’re a what?

Futurist

42 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Spring 2009
tries. Others, including Christopher’s firm, 

deal with a range of topics and have a broad 

clientele. Clients of Christopher’s firm include 

private companies, government agencies, and 

nonprofit organizations.

In most firms, projects are assigned to 

teams based on analysts’ interests, experience, 

and expertise. But opportunities to work on 

more general projects allow futurists to gain 

new proficiencies. “I enjoy working with 

colleagues on projects outside my specialization,” says Christopher. “It gives us all a 

broader base of knowledge, which can be useful in all projects.” 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does 

not specifically track the employment and 

wages of futurists. And because futurism is 

a broad, interdisciplinary field, these workers may have a variety of occupational titles. 

Anecdotal information suggests that there are 

between 500 and 1,000 professional futurists 

working in the United States.

There are formal programs in futures 

studies at several U.S. and international 

universities. Although graduates of these 

programs may have an advantage in the field, 

there are no formal educational requirements 

for becoming a futurist. Most employers 

prefer applicants who have at least a bachelor’s degree in any subject. Christopher has 

a bachelor’s degree, with a double major in 

English and history, in addition to his master’s 

degree.

After graduating from college, Christopher worked in Washington, D.C., as a public 

policy analyst, forecasting political trends 6 to 

9 months out. He enjoyed forecasting and felt 

that a move to analyzing longer-term futures 

was a logical next step. So, when an opportunity arose in the firm where he now works, 

Christopher decided to pursue the challenge.

Futurists need to be inquisitive, critical, 

and creative. They also must be comfortable with uncertainty. And they should have 

the imagination necessary to envision major 

disruptive events—but be able to let solid 

research guide that imagination.

Christopher recommends the occupation 

for those who like research and variety. “This 

is a perfect job,” he says, “for people who are 

intensely curious and get bored easily.” 

Spring 2009 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 43