Do you work hard for your money, and are you worried how all the automation and changes in the world today will affect you and your job? Everything is changing so fast! What’s going to happen to your job?
Jobs that once felt so secure are now being replaced or transformed so fast, leaving many of us wondering if the skills or trades we have learned will still be relevant in the future. Will my job even still exist in five years, or even one year? Right now, that’s anyone’s guess.
That’s why so many people are fearful today. This fear of career instability is very real! Ask anyone and see what they say about their own ‘plight.’ Will the rise of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) affect them? All these advances have got people worried.
After all, many of us have worked hard to become experts in our field, and the thought of being replaced by a machine or outpaced by technology can feel pretty bad.
Why Career Instability Feels So Personal
It feels personal because your career is more than the amount you get paid at the end of every week. It is a badge of honor in a way. It’s tied to your identity and gives you a sense of pride. When automation threatens all that, it can feel like you’re going to lose a part of you, a part of who you are and what you have taught yourself. It’s not just about the possibility of losing your job either, it’s also now the fear of becoming irrelevant.
To show you how an automated world has affected many people before, both good and bad, let’s look back in time for a moment. Historically, technological advances have always created waves in the job market. The Industrial Revolution replaced handcrafts with machines, and the digital age has transformed nearly every industry too.
There are so many good examples of how change has been great!
So perhaps we should be looking at all the automation of today as simply being the next chapter in our history, even though its pace and scale feel nothing like what they would have experienced before.
However, today it feels different than before, because it’s not just factory jobs or repetitive tasks at risk anymore, it’s also the knowledge-based roles in areas like accounting, law, and medicine, that are being taken away by technology.
This rapid shift can leave anyone feeling scared and unprepared. How do you compete with a system that learns faster than you, works tirelessly and doesn’t need to eat or sleep, and often costs less than your weekly wage? These questions fuel tremendous stress and anxiety! This is why we need to accept that all this change is inevitable and work on changing our mindset.
The Myths About Automation
Do you feel like we could have all watched too many Terminator movies? For instance, one myth is that robots and AI will one day take over, or at the very least take over all our jobs, leaving us poor humans obsolete. While automation is undoubtedly changing our workforces, it hasn’t replaced all our human skills. I know, there will be some of you who will be saying, ‘Not yet.’
Automation is certainly taking over many tasks. For example, AI might handle data entry or routine analysis, so instead of eliminating roles, automation can help make you work faster and improve your output. That is, provided you’re willing to adapt.
Another myth is that only the tech-savvy people will thrive in the future job market. However, while technical skills are important, they’re not the only ones in demand. Employers also prioritize uniquely human skills. So find the skills they need that machines can’t replicate.
The future of your work position may be uncertain, but your ability to adapt is certain! You can adapt if you want to! The key is to focus on what you can control. You can’t stop automation or AI from advancing, but you can control how you respond to all the changes and how they affect your life.
What you must do is stay proactive, and especially be open to learning, because that way you’ll be better prepared for whatever comes next.
Just remember that it is the ones who stand in the corner and think, ‘Woe is me,’ who are putting themselves at risk of being left behind. Don’t let your fears get to you, instead use your fears to grow and do something you maybe once would have never dreamed of doing!
