The Extended Reality Blueprint

16The Future

IF THERE IS one thing I've learned by being a small part in this incredible world of extended reality, it's that you must always keep your eye on the future and what's coming next. Information and technology advancements are accelerating so quickly that it's difficult to keep up with the latest and greatest. There are some channels I use to keep an eye on what's coming next, whether it's newsletters, conferences, events, or speaking with my professional peers. However, some of the best practices that help me keep an eye on the future are found by reaching into the past and learning from it.

Entering XR Professionally

Getting into the extended reality field today is both more difficult and easier than it was a decade ago when I started. At the time I was introduced to the technology, I could just push my way in and figure things out as I went. There wasn't a great deal of competition, and while there were skeptics in my network, overall, the sentiment was welcoming. Now, there are more tangible opportunities, but these opportunities also require more experience. There are some parallels that can launch easily into a career in extended reality, such as gaming, user experience design, and creative agency backgrounds. Almost any industry can leverage extended reality, and as you've learned throughout this book, jobs are not limited to developers and digital artists. There is a need for designers, project managers, audio engineers, and any role that exists within ...