What To Do When Your Job Disappears

There are many headlines making a lot of us pretty scared of robots taking all our jobs. Or artificial intelligence, or immigrants, or fill in the blank. Here’s something we should notice: 

This has already been happening for a long time.

Technology, by definition, replaces the existing way things are done. And that means jobs will disappear, and that means maybe yours and mine, and that means transition and pain for some. Many bank tellers were replaced by ATM’s, and you probably don’t know anybody running a video store. 

But it’s worth it, because stagnation is worse. If we focus solely on making America great again, a statement that is inherently tied to the past, we will lose. If we focus on reviving what once was, instead of embracing what will be, we will lose. And so will any group that takes on this posture. Coal, just like the horse and buggy and despite all the good it once did, is not the future. 

It’s scary because technology is beginning to infiltrate not only the blue collar jobs, but the highly-skilled jobs. Diagnosing disease may soon be better done by a computer than a doctor. Same is true for much of what lawyers, accountants, and customer service reps do. Every time a new job is in jeopardy, it unlocks the downward spiral of trying to protect it. Taxi drivers and their lobbyists are a good example of this currently playing out. They are naturally trying to protect their livelihood, despite the benefits of the new ride-sharing technology. 

The question we should be asking is not “how to I protect what I know,” but “how do I set myself up for future success?” What jobs are uniquely human? How will typical behavior change as a result of these changes, and how do I provide solutions in that world? 

Here are a few ideas, and a few jobs that will get even more important in the future precisely because they require skills that are uniquely human:

• Childcare - I don’t see this ever being outsourced - I have 3 boys 3 years-old and under and even in my sleep-deprived state I wouldn’t leave my kids with a robot. And when we have fewer truly human jobs, it will increase in importance and quality. 
• Elderly Care - Same story. There are 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every single day, and that is expected to continue for the next 19 years. It’s already begun, but the industry will grow and grow and grow in size, quality, and importance
• Real Estate - Start asking these questions: What happens to all the parking garages if we have self-driving cars? Will the suburbs become more or less desirable? Will towns surrounding big cities become more or less desirable? Will better-looking solar panels change the game for builders and developers? Can you solve the affordable housing problem?
• Commerce - As people begin spending their time in different ways, how can you set yourself up to provide for consumers in that new world? What can you sell to people while they are in a car but not driving? How can you tap into new forces such as voice command, virtual/augmented reality, or alternative currencies (bitcoin, etc)
• Creative Work & Sales - Great storytelling will always be human. Reading between lines of communication, interpreting the unspoken, and using it to inform the work you do is a skill that will always be in demand. Whether it’s building websites, writing, sales, fundraising, making things, or designing houses, you will be rewarded for honing these skills.
• Education - The world of learning, from elementary through higher-ed, will change drastically over the next 20 years. But there is no substitute for the inspiration a great teacher can provide. It comes from an investment of time from one person, pointed towards another. So whether that's done while wearing a virtual reality headset, in person, or aboard a hyperloop pod traveling a thousand miles per hour between cities, the nature of teaching will continue to grow in importance. In my opinion, this may be the most important skill for all of us to learn for our future.

Those who fear the future will surely be left behind. Embrace the change, it is coming whether you want it to or not. And despite the momentary struggle, we will all be better off as a result. 

Onward.

P.S. Go devour the last two books written by Tyler Cohen if you want to dig deep into these concepts. He's about 1200x smarter than me.