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| Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash |
In a recent presidential candidate debate, the topic of job
automation was brought to the table by Andrew Yang. In his campaign website,
he speaks about jobs you wouldn’t necessarily think would be on the list for
automation, but his explanation of why makes a lot of sense.
Technology is increasing in leaps and bounds. Just ask Google, Alexa, or Echo. Machine learning has become the thing because it makes life simpler. Feed it enough information and it begins to
learn what your needs and wants are.
Remember the Furby toys? Those
cute, big-eyed furry guys were probably before their time, but they were a
prime example of machine learning. So
smart that they became banned at the NSA
for fear they would learn and repeat secret information. At least they weren’t connected to the Internet,
right? Oh, wait, they are … just
rebranded as Google, Alexa, and Echo. Artificial
Intelligence (AI) has grown to a point that it has been coded to act and think
like humans. If you don’t think your job
could ever be done by an AI computer, don’t be so quick to write-off the idea. There are cars that drive themselves for crying
out loud! And can we talk about the fact
that fifteen years ago, I didn’t think I’d be using my mobile phone to check
the weather, ask a question, deposit a check, learn a language, or even run a
business on social media.
So, with the threat of job automation, why aren’t we talking
and planning more for the future of jobs?
Why don’t we look at what the career environment might look like in two,
five, seven, or even ten years from now?
Andrew Yang sees the importance of bringing the topic to the table and
it got me thinking about what the future might hold. Incidentally, Futuristic is also one of my strengths
from StrengthsFinders
so of course this would interest me.
Along with being a writer, I’m also in direct sales/network
marketing. Anyone in this career will
tell you people often think what we do is a scam or a pyramid scheme because a
couple of other companies gave the establishment a bad rap because they did
operate as an illegal pyramid scheme. People
also balk at the idea of paying for a kit of products to get started because
they’ve been told that any legitimate job doesn’t require you to pay up front
to get started. What people fail to
realize is this isn’t a job, it’s a business you’re investing in AND you are
paying for product to get started with AT A DISCOUNT, I might add.
That aside, because I’m not writing this to argue the merits
of a direct sales/network marketing business, I got to thinking about job
automation and what the future of the job market holds. I had a bit of an epiphany of sorts and it
leads to this prediction: as we see more
jobs done and held by people become extinct, there will be a boom in the number
of people moving out of the traditional (and should I say… eventually defunct?)
workplace and into the direct sales/network marketing arena.
I’m not sure people realize this, but having a direct
sales/network marketing business is pretty easy to get into. You don’t have to rent office space because
you can do it from anywhere and at any time, a computer and/or cell phone is
really all that is required, and there are really no skill or education qualifications. Most, if not all companies, offer you a
supportive team, onboarding and training, and some even offer additional sales
and network marketing training. You may
even think you need to be confident and be a sales person to enter this type of
business, but you don’t! I can’t tell
you how many people I’ve worked with that have learned this along the way. It’s important to note that it’s not easy and
requires a person to be a self-starter and good at organizing and driving your
own day vs. being told what to do.
However, it can be very rewarding to have control over when and where
you work and to make it what you want it to be.
Now is the time to think about where your chosen career
field may end up and if it’s ripe for automation. Working for Corporate America isn’t as safe
as it once was. Although it feels comfortable
because you know how much your next paycheck is going to be and when it will
come … or do you? What would you do if
your job was eliminated tomorrow due to automation? Nothing is guaranteed anymore.
I implore you to begin thinking about the future now and look
into adding your own direct sales or network marketing business to your plate
and work toward that full-time. There
are a lot of options out there: cosmetics,
nail polish strips, chocolate, organizational totes, hair care, bath and body, vacation
or business rentals, etc. The moral of
the story is be ready. Change is coming and it’s coming fast.
