More than half of Australians training for soon-extinct careers

by
in robotics on (#JQ85)
The article comes out of the Australian press, but unless there's something truly unique about the Australian job market, it's almost certainly true elsewhere as well: a recent study shows more than half of young Australians are receiving college education to persue careers that will soon no longer exist. Thank robotics, industry consolidation, and the nature of the markets for the shrinking number of ways you will some day be able to earn a living.

There's a flip side to the debate, of course: there are certainly new things coming that haven't even been invented yet, that will provide job opportunities. But the trick is positioning yourself appropriately to take advantage of the new chances.
The not-for-profit group, which works with young Australians to create social change, says the national curriculum is stuck in the past and digital literacy, in particular, needs to be boosted. Foundation chief executive Jan Owen says young people are not prepared for a working life that could include five career changes and an average of 17 different jobs.

She says today's students will be affected by three key economic drivers: automation, globalisation and collaboration. "Many jobs and careers are disappearing because of automation," Ms Owen said. "The second driver is globalisation - a lot of different jobs that we're importing and exporting. And then thirdly collaboration which is all about this new sharing economy."
How does one future-proof his/her life and career?
Reply 10 comments

How to future proof? (Score: 2, Insightful)

by Anonymous Coward on 2015-08-28 12:59 (#JQMG)

Make the future happen.

Re: How to future proof? (Score: 1)

by hyper@pipedot.org on 2015-09-01 00:41 (#K1HY)

You don't. Get a degree which gives you a solid foundation in the theory of your chosen paths. Always have an escape plan. Keep up with the latest advances. Self learning and reading to keep abreast of developments can help. Try something new. Have a plan for one year, two years, five years, ten years and update as needed even if the plan is vague.

simple (Score: 2, Insightful)

by gravis@pipedot.org on 2015-08-28 13:58 (#JQTX)

How does one future-proof his/her life and career?
duh, dont choose a career that is formulaic. design is the last thing to be automated, especially software. when machines can design their own software, they will be more than just machines.

Re: simple (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2015-08-29 07:04 (#JT0H)

SAP are trying this. Moving code creation into the hands of business. The result is terrible.

Re: simple (Score: 1, Interesting)

by Anonymous Coward on 2015-08-31 10:05 (#JZ8X)

Genetic Algorithms are doing some very nice design work, software and hardware. That said, not everyone has it in them to be a designer, that's a very visual area. Probably find the top 30% of people are capable of doing it, and nobody else is, so that's not really a solution either...

Re: simple (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2015-09-02 15:44 (#K7E1)

Then you can still be outsourced. The best career is to become a plumber, firefighter, etc. You can also choose to become a politician or a judge, because no they will not allow themselves to become obsoleted by expert systems.

Re: simple (Score: 1)

by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2015-09-02 20:53 (#K8DB)

The best career is to become a plumber, firefighter, etc.
The need for plumbers has been greatly reduced by technology, already. Pipes are designed better and need less maintenance. Clogs can be resolved by chemicals anybody can pour down their sinks. etc. And contractors in general are being undercut by illegal immigrants who will work for less money. If the money is the same, I'd much rather flip burgers than have to travel all over to job sites, work outdoors in the weather, risk serious injuries or death from the power tools, septic fumes, etc.
You can also choose to become a politician or a judge
"Judge" is not a career path. There are no judge schools. You have to be nominated to be a judge, and generally you must be a lawyer, first. Being a successful politician, similarly, requires a lot of luck.

Humans Need Not Apply (Score: 1, Interesting)

by Anonymous Coward on 2015-08-28 15:09 (#JR28)

Humans Need Not Apply

Join the public service (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2015-09-01 08:20 (#K2DD)

Have a job for life. Unless you do something wrong. This excludes, to a very sharp highly flexible degree, the following: fraud, watching porn at work, backstabbing, reading the paper all day, being completely useless, wasting time, destroying other peoples productivity, running your own business on the side, undermining hard workers, theft, running your own business from your desk, simply not being at work, preventing others from working, spend all day talking about your social life, dodge work, or just turn up and play with your phone. Some of these activities may be considered essential for future managers.