About your role in the age of automation
“You’re either one that creates the automation or you’re getting automated.”
~ Tom Preston-Werner
In recent years it became popular to condemn corporate jobs. The truth is that many people are in fact happy with their employment and in reality, there is nothing wrong with having a corporate job as long as it serves your purpose.
As we learned in the previous section not everyone is destined to become a great CEO, a Nobel Prize winner or a celebrity. Everyone should be able to find his own place under the sun and feel at peace if his career choice was conscious and if there is love in what he does. However, regardless of what you do for living there is an important aspect of the work-life that has to be considered.
One of the most important things to do at any point in your career is to intensively research the trends of the future.
Artificial intelligence and robotics. Are they real threats and humanity is destined to follow the “Terminator” scenario? Or are they the so long-awaited saviors that will uplift us to unbelievable heights? I am not here to argue about either variation of the future, these questions could pull enough material to write another book. I am here to emphasize how important it is to understand the nature of technology trends to make smart career decisions at an individual level
Automation is here. I won’t list all of the technological advances of the last few years to convince you that the future has arrived. This list’s capacity to impress would depreciate within a week. What wowed us yesterday, today is perceived as normality. Automation is here and it happens at an unfathomable pace. For those who don’t understand it, this future is formidable. For those who do, it is fascinating.
Do your research. Acquire the knowledge and hone skills that will secure your relevance in the job market. Look into work that machines won’t be able to reproduce in an observable future.
Times change and they change fast. These are the questions that will keep your ikigai up to date.
- What is your future-proof job?
- What is the skill set that will keep you in demand for the next 20 years?
- What are the ways you can leave your legacy?
IQ, EQ, and other types of intelligence have been known and used for years but recently people have introduced a new term — the AQ.
Adaptability Quotient — an ability to adapt to the fast-changing world.
Maybe this is the new IQ and humanity will soon develop the ways to make it quantitative and measurable. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes one of the major criteria of employment in years to come.
One thing remains true: the natural selection is ruthless regardless of the age we live in. If you want to survive in the new world, you need to adapt.
Evolve or expire.
Thinking about is unpleasant but imperative.
Thank you for reading my book “Meditations of the Millennial”.
If you want to support me on my mission, please, share this book with someone you love. Maybe they will find what they seek on its pages.
