The Automation of Everything
In the past twenty years, I have watched many jobs disappear due to automation. I know several people who worked in the printing industry whose shops closed down. One friend retrained as a teacher at the age of fifty-seven! Video stores, camera stores, stationary stores have all become obsolete due to these industries moving into our homes, available at the click of a mouse. Auto makers are being replaced by robots.
The pandemic seems to have exacerbated this process. In Vancouver, our downtown core has become a ghost-town of empty office buildings, as people moved to a work-from-home model. Crime has run rampant, with theft and violence calls up 150%. The service industry, which seemed to be the only one avoiding automation, has been the hardest hit, with many restaurants, hotels and tourist excursions going out of business.
So how does this generation train itself to make a living? Is everyone destined to become a coder to run all this automation? What if you don’t have a math/ logic brain and aren’t cut out for a life in tech? The other industries that seem to be in high demand are anything medical, house construction and early childcare.
Even teachers aren’t immune. With online learning dominating the delivery of information, how many families may opt to keep their distance learning options for their kids once the pandemic is over? Many university students are enjoying the freedom of not having to travel to campus or pay for room and board.
Who is next to lose their careers due to automation? The writing seems to be on the wall for the trucking industry. They are already testing driverless semi-trailer trucks and cars on the highways, with remarkably positive results. Gas stations will become extinct in another 30 years, as gas vehicles are phased out. We had better all become electricians who can install charging stations in people’s homes, or the ultimate failsafe, plumbers who can fix a toilet.
What do you think is in store for the working life of our graduating teens?
