Independent education expert Bui Khanh Nguyen stated that current technology enables highly effective remote connections. Email, online meeting software, along with a range of supporting utilities such as translation, note-taking, recording, and AI applications, have helped office work run smoothly even when workers are not present at a fixed workplace.

Engineers in Computer Science, Information Technology, and Data Science, for example, can work in teams or on projects remotely, as long as there is an internet connection. This is also the group of industries that allows people to live the life of a "digital nomad" anywhere.

“the Covid-19 pandemic became a ‘global-scale test,’ proving that remote or work-from-home arrangements can be effective in the new era, especially when connectivity technologies continue to improve to support work, learning, and global connection needs,” Nguyen said.

Not limited to technology, many office-based professions can also be done remotely, such as accounting, law, marketing and communications, and journalism.

According to Nguyen, only certain jobs that require direct physical contact, such as food services, beauty services, hairdressing, repairs, and medical treatment, truly require a specific physical space. Most other professions are already undergoing, or will undergo, digitalization at varying levels.

Nguyen believes that globally mobile professions today are highly diverse, ranging from technology specialists, financial professionals, office staff, marketing specialists, and market development professionals to teachers and online lecturers. The ability to work and connect globally has even become a new standard in the modern labor market.

“Today’s workers are both global citizens and global workers. However, the extent of this ‘globalization’ depends greatly on each individual’s capabilities,” Nguyen emphasized.

The expert believes that instead of asking “which major allows me to work anywhere,” young people should focus more on whether that field of study has the ability to adapt and operate globally.

There is no single pathway to participating in the global labor market. Workers may work for Vietnamese companies overseas, foreign companies in Vietnam, work abroad, or sign remote contracts with foreign enterprises while continuing to live in Vietnam.

“However, each country has its own labor market and legal framework, depending on labor laws, policies, and socio-economic characteristics. Therefore, workers need to carefully research in order to choose an option that suits their abilities and personal circumstances,” Nguyen said.

According to Associate Prof Le Hong Phuong of the Hanoi University of Natural Sciences, current AI tools can assist humans in both specialized and general tasks such as recognition, image and text generation, basic data processing, information search and explanation, automated analysis, programming on demand, and visualizing results through charts and reports. These are tasks that once took humans a great deal of time, but can now be completed in just a few minutes.

However, despite producing results very quickly, AI does not have the ability to self-evaluate whether analyzed data are correct, whether a program aligns with its intended purpose, or whether interpretations are accurate.

Therefore, users of AI-generated results need a solid foundation in AI and data science in order to evaluate and verify those outcomes.

More importantly, humans must retain decision-making authority over the purposes of AI, while also controlling its correctness, usefulness, and non-harmful impact.

When users find that AI-generated results are problematic or suboptimal, data science competence becomes the key factor enabling appropriate corrective action.

"Without methodical training, humans can easily become completely dependent on AI, even failing to recognize when AI provides biased or incorrect results. Conversely, those with a good foundation in data science can understand the nature of algorithms, adjust and improve models," Phuong emphasized.

In the AI era, those who know how to use AI as a type of assistive tool will increase productivity and have an advantage in the job market.

"In the past and up to now, workers in many industries needed computer skills, and in the present and future, workers need additional skills to use AI software and tools. Society is shifting from the computerization stage to the intelligentization stage," Phuong said.

Given the explosion of AI, Associate Professor Le Hong Phuong believes that Data Science students need comprehensive training. First and foremost is the need for foundational thinking to help verify, explain, and improve AI systems. Meanwhile, knowledge of mathematics, probability and statistics, and computer science still plays a core role.

Du Lam