I have been in the information systems business for well over four decades. In the 1970s and 80s there was this niggling question I kept returning to. We were justifying expensive systems projects on the basis of improved efficiency. Each project promised to deliver reduced cost because the system would make the business more efficient. Efficiency usually meant the computer would be doing work that had been done by people. The niggling question: what is the logical consequence of that? Would people lose their jobs?
To reassure the workers we said that nobody would be laid off because there was more work to be done than we had people for. So the staff would simply be doing different things. And as the company grew we might not need to hire quite so many as we would have without the system; but the current staff were assured. That was perhaps a bit disingenuous but it was accepted.
Well time passed. Economic downturns occurred. Some people lost their jobs. And when the economy started to pick up, not so many were rehired. Overall unemployment rates started to climb; to the point that governments started to change who got counted as “unemployed.” Why? Because if you counted everybody that fit the original definition it would make those in power look bad, especially if they had campaigned on promises of reducing unemployment.
About 150 years ago, society faced a similar upheaval. Few people recognized it at the time. It was called the Industrial Revolution – the shift from the Agricultural Age to the Industrial Age. At the start of this upheaval about 90% of the population worked in agriculture. Today, because of the dramatic efficiencies of mechanization, it’s less than 1% and farming jobs are gone – for good.
We are well into the Information Age. You can see the same pattern repeating itself. Three decades ago when I wanted to travel I would talk with my travel agent who would book my flights and hotel rooms. Now I can do that online and most of the travel agents are gone. Remember customer service call centers where you would talk with people? Now you talk to a machine or go to a support web site and most of the customer service jobs are gone.
A few years ago my niece graduated from college. She still has not been able to find a job in her field – and apparently the same is true for many members of her graduating class. These are smart and capable people. What are they doing? The fortunate ones get the opportunity to say, hundreds of times a day, “Would you like fries with that?” But guess what? Fast food outlets are starting to install robotic systems to replace workers. Very soon it will be the computer asking “Would you like fries with that?”
These jobs are not coming back. A post secondary education is no longer a guaranty of a job.
If you don’t want to get caught in this trap, at some point you need to start thinking about something different from the old established patterns. Working for someone and trading time for money (so much per hour, week or year) puts your employer in control of your life.
My recommendation is that you start to think about running your own business. As long as you are able to deliver a product or service that people deem to be of value you will always have income. And you are in control.
Traditional businesses can take quite a bit of up-front investment. So that might not be the best approach for everyone. Possibly a more appropriate option to consider is one of the many home-based businesses. You don’t have the expense of acquiring office space. And in most cases you can start on a part time basis, at least until you are earning enough from your business that you are no longer dependent on employment income. I would be happy to chat with anyone who would like to explore that option. I have been running my businesses out of my home for about three decades.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney, co-founder of the Walt Disney Company.
#economy #jobs #homebusiness