Our changing world is affecting many lives more dramatically than at any time since the Industrial Revolution started in 1760.
It’s affecting lives in such a big way because it is changing the nature of work across a huge range of jobs.
Introduction of the calculator, fax machine, personal computer or mobile phone, made us more efficient and made life easier. But that did not immediately make many job categories redundant. The numbers of displaced elevator operators and fax salespeople looking for new jobs was not significant and their skills could often be used in other jobs.
It is not a huge leap from selling fax machines to selling laptops or mobile phones. Nowhere near as daunting as retraining an assembly line worker to become an internet content creator or similar. That’s the fate of many workers being displaced by automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
How do we protect our future in this Changing World?
By preparing.
As much as we might not like the idea of dealing with robots and using self-driving cars, the changes in the years ahead are going to have a huge impact.
For us Baby Boomers, most of us might be fortunate to finish our working lives relatively unaffected.
But if you are under 50 today, you should start thinking about a plan to ensure your survival if your job or main business activity becomes a casualty of the changing world. It does not matter what industry, commercial activity or profession you are working in. There will be changes and redundancies. Automation and AI are displacing humans in a growing number of jobs from farm and mining machinery operators to medical specialists and clerical workers.
The best strategy for survival in a changing world
I will be researching success stories about people who have successfully survived redundancy and succeeded in new ventures in future posts. Here is a link to Mark Schaefer’s recent post outlining three key pieces of advice for surviving in the new era.
His suggestions:
- Master one core skill
- Get the best advice
- Build a network of contacts.
Those are the key points, but read the article there is good advice there.
There is risk in change as I wrote in this post. But there is much greater risk in doing nothing and waiting for the waves of change to engulf you.
Preparation and anticipation will give you a future, blindly hoping it won’t affect you will not.
Start planning.
drawing courtesy wikipedia creative commons.