Breaking News!!!

In another riot across the country, this time in Canton Ohio, residents are fed up with computers contributing to the whopping 20% unemployment rate for humans. McDonald’s has replaced 40% of its workforce with computers and algorithms to serve its billions of customers across the globe. Given that the tasks of taking orders, preparing meals, and processing customer’s payment transactions can be taught to machines makes the retail restaurant industry a prime candidate to apply machine learning tactics. McDonald’s CEO, Pescetarian declined for comment, but in a company statement it was said that, “McDonald’s is an equal opportunity employer. We are simply taking advantage of technology available today and finding new ways for our employees to be more productive. Furthermore, we are hiring the most qualified candidate for the positions available.” However, according to the Humanitarian Action Network, based in Newark, NJ, “it is difficult to compete against a machine for a job. Machines are never late, take no sicks days except for upgrades and maintenance, take no breaks, and do not have to take time off for family emergencies. If this rate of technological unemployment continues there will be no use for humans in this society unless you have a great deal of money to have the machines work for you….”

Back to Reality

This may sound like another terrible movie that you watched on the web the other day. But, it is a reality today and a silent epidemic reaching the far corners of the world. This may be before most of our time, but when was the last time you have seen a physical phone operator connect your call? How about a cashier counting up your money by hand or better yet an abundance of bank tellers there to greet you with their best smiles as you cashed your check? You guessed it, these jobs have been replaced by computers and will continue to do so in the near future.

Getting Ready for Change

How can one compete with this evolutionary change in the societal structures of this world? There are two ways. First, position yourself for jobs that cannot be replaced by computers. While computers can simulate communication and the human experience we are a long way away before someone cannot tell the difference between a human and a computer.  Secondly, look for opportunities to manage computers. No, computers will not need someone to perform 360 reviews on them or evaluate their annual performance, not in the direct sense anyway. The way we can manage computers is to be specialized in programming them, teaching them to do the jobs we do as humans, or to quantitatively measure their performance using business and scientific methods. All of this sounds a little sci-fi, but it is happening today and computers will always be subservient and will need a human touch for quite some time.

Safe Jobs 

According to Deseret News there are so called safe jobs that computers will never take from us superior humans.  Some examples are teachers, law enforcement officers, pilots, and even movie producers. On the other hand, there are jobs in Information Technology (IT), Engineering, and the Sciences that are a little far reaching for computers to replace them but, are essentially computer management jobs that help computers do their jobs more efficiently. Given the variety of jobs available in these sectors the hard part is choosing which one(s) to pick. In order to get started visit your local community college or university and ask to speak with  an academic advisor. They can and are willing to help you know what kind of majors are available and the kind of jobs available upon graduation. Another source of information is the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. It constantly publishes the hot and cold jobs across our country and outlays what you would expect should you choose a particular vocation. Lastly, asking friends and family about where your strengths and interests are can also aid in self exploration. But, be careful who you share your dreams with and never let anyone kill them. Know your MATH!