Preparing for an Unknown Future: 5 Strategies to Future-Proof Yourself

Big Picture

The rise of ride-sharing apps such as Uber and Bolt is threatening to eliminate the traditional taxi industry. Are you ready if something like that happens to your profession in the next 2 years?

Why does it matter?

All of us have no control of the direction of our professions. You don't know whether your skills will be relevant until retirement. If you look back, you know people whose skills were no longer needed and had to change professions or be unemployed.

Case in point

When I became a contracts drafter in my early 20s, we would use pre-printed templates to prepare the contracts. With pencil in hand, you would cross out words not needed and add by hand anything new. Once you were satisfied, you gave it to auntie Gertrude or Rosemary, the typists.

Unfortunately, before my third anniversary, auntie Gertrude and Rosemary were retrenched. The insurance company had issued each employee a PC. Each contracts drafter had to do their own changes on the PC.

Fast forward 7 years, my manager asked me to train the filing clerk to do some drafting. There was a new automated solution we just received from head office.

The drafting my colleague did was opening a form, completing some text boxes and checking some checkboxes. Once he clicked the "Create", a 30-page legal document was created in a few seconds. The whole process took less than 10 minutes, from start to finish.

It became apparent that my job could be done by a high school teenager after a few hours of training. In fact, come to think of it, nothing stopped the company from getting the client to complete a form online, and get a contract emailed to them automatically.

That is the nature with technology. The skills you took years to hone suddenly can be done by someone fumbling on the internet with no training. How can you be ready for that?

5 Strategies to Prepare for Inevitable Technological Disruption

1) Innovate in your own work: by testing new technologies to solve problems. This might create opportunities for you to be the person driving change in your organization.

2) Stay informed: by keeping up to date with industry news, technological developments, and emerging trends.

3) Develop new skills: by taking courses and attending relevant workshops.

4) Embrace change: and don't be that person who is bemoaning how things were better in the past.

5) Keep building your network: to help you stay informed of new developments and opportunities.

Bottom line

No profession is immune to technological change. You need to take proactive steps to prepare yourself for inevitable technological disruption. Ignoring this reality will force you to switch careers or face unemployment. The choice is yours – take action now!