Technology « Dr Alf's Blog

The social self. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dfes sanctuary bdgs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Are you worried about work, for yourself, partner, children or perhaps grand-children? Then you must read this article by Nouriel Roubini, published in Project Syndicate.

via Where Will All the Workers Go? by Nouriel Roubini – Project Syndicate.

So what’s the advice of an old grey-board, like myself?

Firstly, education is still vastly important. Look at unemployment statistics across the world, unemployment is always much higher for the least educated. BUT, choosing the right education and subject specialization is still critical. Also where you live, in terms of state-education is paramount.

Secondly, be prepared to seriously re-skill. In terms of skills, apply some brainstorming. Imagine that you lose your job because you’re surplus to requirements or you have an industrial injury – increasingly many people can’t cope and it leads to drink, drugs or mental illness. So try to take some courses that spread your risk. Language courses are a great choice but try to match it to potential work opportunities. Practical training is always helpful too – by this I mean doing things with your hands not just your brain. You can save money by doing jobs yourself. Perhaps, you can consider a micro-business if you are down on your luck?

Thirdly, you must to your homework on technology development and how it will impact your job, career, industry etc. Remember the lower your education and skill-set, the higher the risk. Try to think laterally. If you have a pleasant, outgoing personality what about enhancing your selling skills?

Fourthly, think about taking some time out and re-inventing yourself. My wife and I are passionate independent travelers – travel will deepen your experience of life and gives you new ideas. Apart from anything else, you will meet new people.

Fifthly, you will probably need help from an independent and experienced mentor. Here there are a number of options. Pay top Dollar for an expensive branded solution. Rely on a trusted friend or family member but they’re not truly independent. Look up the latest trends on the internet and rely on social media – the problem here is that they are all peddling something and will try to hook you. My advice is to go for an old grey-beard like myself or John Gelmini – we are always happy to share our expertise.

Thoughts?

Against Automation (Photo credit: Taxi For Gable)

Let me clarify my recent blog, published by Dr Alf.

I mean that Millennials should create micro businesses and, wherever possible, put any excess to work to create income or more micro businesses. Here are some examples:

If they are educated and can write, they should create e-books.
If they are practical then make things out of wood and sell those.
If technologically inclined, develop software, games or mobile phone Apps.
If they are loquacious and can sell, then sell things etc, etc.

What they cannot do, is expect the Government, or the system, to give them what we (the Baby Boomer generation ) once had – yes, you have guessed it, “a job”!

The Governments do not even grasp the problem. They are fighting “the war of the last century” and are not even acknowledging that the problem of technology, robotics, AI and automation destroying more jobs than can be created to replace them is very real.

Wars and diseases used to solve the problem, by killing off the surplus people and the returning soldiers would be employed in the efforts to create a reconstructed economy.

Surplus product was consumed by fire and destruction so that the cycle could begin again.

Later and now, we have planned obsolescence but people have to have income to be able to buy the replacements.

The “haircutting”and plundering by plutocrats has removed income and capital from the masses and transferred it to super wealthy people who have too much of everything and are not likely to want tat and rubbish.

By hanging on to this wealth, the process of recycling money which generates wealth for those at the bottom and middle has effectively stopped for all but a small percentage of very smart people capable of spotting loopholes and opportunities.

Governments are pretending that everything is fine, that their policies are working. They tell people that it is a matter of young people acquiring skills, developing the right attitudes when the UK reality is that there are 45 people for every vacancy.

In Europe, the figures are worse, yet there is more outsourcing, automation and technology being applied than ever and 3D printing and AI makes factory workers and call center agents eventual things of the past.

Clearly, you either have to increase the number of jobs not being automated or you have to reduce population or you have to find a way to share the benefits of automation more fairly.

It is obvious to me that the course already set is more regional wars in distant places, disinformation about the true situation and about the decisions already made and more oblique ways to thin the population (lowered birthrate, squeezing incomes at the bottom, healthcare rationing, chemicals in food, water and the environment).

The Millennials have to find solutions to all this for themselves with or without the assistance of greybeards. It is time for the Millennials to all become Individualists.

John Gelmini