I know I'm probably shouting into the Void, but at least it's my Void here....
I've been trying to get a different job since 2023-- because I took the only job I could get when I moved to Boston, As. Soon. As. COVID. Lockdowns. Happened. in 2020-- a warehouse/retail job as a Cashier. I know I've got skills and qualities that employers would love to have access to... I've been promoted to Supervisor back in 2022, so I know I'm not full of shit. But, I'm old school. I don't get the whole ATS thing, spinning my wheels re-crafting a document that's only supposed to be changed with major life events-- the Resume. Maybe I'm just a poor communicator at what I've accomplished? Or perhaps the economy is actually in a Recession, and has been for a number of years, but we've (the general populous) have been lied to by the "talking heads" on television.
I've been thinking about what I've witnessed over the past couple of years-- especially true over the past two years. Companies state they are hiring (including the one I currently work for), and some interviews are done, but nobody actually gets hired. Compound that with the fact that businesses are currently contracting, shrinking their labor force either by layoffs or massively reducing hours, and only hiring people as Part Time, or Temporary Workers. That means there's no benefits that need to be paid out. Pretty neat, huh? I've been around the block a few times. Every time a Republican is elected into Office, there's an economic downturn, a Recession. It's a painful policy point. The Republicans believe that the Wealthy should be treated like royalty, like gods, which stifles the economy. Because the way an economy functions is with the free flowing of currency (current), money. But wealthy people tend to hoard wealth. They dam it up, lock it away into assets.
We're reaching a point of critical mass, where employers have realized just how lean they can run their businesses, how much profit they can pocket to keep the gears turning. Unfortunately, we've got a growing population of people who need to work to stay sheltered and fed, but those safety nets are being eliminated. Again, a Republican ideology. A selfish plan, "money for me, but none for thee-- go get a job, ya bum!" People have massive debts from school loans-- promised as children that these pieces of paper (degrees) would help them get good paying jobs. Just pay the loan back later! From credit card debt-- used for survival, to pay for food, gas, electricity, clothes. "I'll pay it back after I get back on my feet again...." The problem is that now we're competing directly against a computer that can do many jobs, albeit, sloppily, but it's apparently tolerable to the People In Power (CEO's Industry leaders). So long as they continue to make a sizeable profit.
And these people in power are idiots. Because, once again, how does an economy function? If people aren't receiving money, they aren't spending it. When people don't spend money, the economy stalls. Businesses shrink, and then close. So now with all that out of the way, I'll finally get to the point of this post. Learn skills for you.
We're sitting on the edge of a major pivot. A revolution, and hopefully not a violent one, but one that's going to take place quietly. Kind of like how the Industrial Revolution took place. It just kind of happened, replacing 100 workers with a single machine, one job function at a time. And like in the late 1800s, today we have a new technology coming for our jobs-- our way of life, that being Artificial Intelligence.
Sure, AI can do anything mental (digital)-- paint a picture, draft a novel, analyze a spreadsheet, digest a crap-ton of research, and that's for right now, but tomorrow, we'll have humanoid robots that will be able to do physical labor too. Already we're seeing Human Made stickers being applied to various digital wares. This is where people are going to turn to acquire their new things. Anything crafted by a human being. Sure, the price will be more expensive, but you'll be able to sleep at night knowing you've helped to feed actual people, instead of flushing drinking water down the toilet for a Data Center to consume.
I guess I'm talking about entrepreneurship here, but there's also an aspect of community here. But the odds of filling a new role at a company is dwindling, because AI is cheaper to buy then human labor. And the people who own corporations only care about one thing: profit. So, in order to generate some income to eat, shelter, bathe, etc with.... you'll need to do your own thing. Take an inventory of your skills, everything, no matter how mundane or stupid it may sound, and write it down. Then think about how you could use those skills to make something that people need. What problem can you solve? This may not necessarily be something that you want to do, or have dreamed of doing, but at least it'll pay the bills for now. And if you don't like your list of skills, figure out what skills you need and how to learn them so that you can do what you want to do!
There is a resistance forming against the large corporate bloat. People who still have precious pennies to spend, are looking for small, local businesses to shop at. As for me, I'm seriously looking at how to publish stuff, because I enjoy writing, and I love entertaining other people. So, what will you do?
I've been trying to get a different job since 2023-- because I took the only job I could get when I moved to Boston, As. Soon. As. COVID. Lockdowns. Happened. in 2020-- a warehouse/retail job as a Cashier. I know I've got skills and qualities that employers would love to have access to... I've been promoted to Supervisor back in 2022, so I know I'm not full of shit. But, I'm old school. I don't get the whole ATS thing, spinning my wheels re-crafting a document that's only supposed to be changed with major life events-- the Resume. Maybe I'm just a poor communicator at what I've accomplished? Or perhaps the economy is actually in a Recession, and has been for a number of years, but we've (the general populous) have been lied to by the "talking heads" on television.
I've been thinking about what I've witnessed over the past couple of years-- especially true over the past two years. Companies state they are hiring (including the one I currently work for), and some interviews are done, but nobody actually gets hired. Compound that with the fact that businesses are currently contracting, shrinking their labor force either by layoffs or massively reducing hours, and only hiring people as Part Time, or Temporary Workers. That means there's no benefits that need to be paid out. Pretty neat, huh? I've been around the block a few times. Every time a Republican is elected into Office, there's an economic downturn, a Recession. It's a painful policy point. The Republicans believe that the Wealthy should be treated like royalty, like gods, which stifles the economy. Because the way an economy functions is with the free flowing of currency (current), money. But wealthy people tend to hoard wealth. They dam it up, lock it away into assets.
We're reaching a point of critical mass, where employers have realized just how lean they can run their businesses, how much profit they can pocket to keep the gears turning. Unfortunately, we've got a growing population of people who need to work to stay sheltered and fed, but those safety nets are being eliminated. Again, a Republican ideology. A selfish plan, "money for me, but none for thee-- go get a job, ya bum!" People have massive debts from school loans-- promised as children that these pieces of paper (degrees) would help them get good paying jobs. Just pay the loan back later! From credit card debt-- used for survival, to pay for food, gas, electricity, clothes. "I'll pay it back after I get back on my feet again...." The problem is that now we're competing directly against a computer that can do many jobs, albeit, sloppily, but it's apparently tolerable to the People In Power (CEO's Industry leaders). So long as they continue to make a sizeable profit.
And these people in power are idiots. Because, once again, how does an economy function? If people aren't receiving money, they aren't spending it. When people don't spend money, the economy stalls. Businesses shrink, and then close. So now with all that out of the way, I'll finally get to the point of this post. Learn skills for you.
We're sitting on the edge of a major pivot. A revolution, and hopefully not a violent one, but one that's going to take place quietly. Kind of like how the Industrial Revolution took place. It just kind of happened, replacing 100 workers with a single machine, one job function at a time. And like in the late 1800s, today we have a new technology coming for our jobs-- our way of life, that being Artificial Intelligence.
Sure, AI can do anything mental (digital)-- paint a picture, draft a novel, analyze a spreadsheet, digest a crap-ton of research, and that's for right now, but tomorrow, we'll have humanoid robots that will be able to do physical labor too. Already we're seeing Human Made stickers being applied to various digital wares. This is where people are going to turn to acquire their new things. Anything crafted by a human being. Sure, the price will be more expensive, but you'll be able to sleep at night knowing you've helped to feed actual people, instead of flushing drinking water down the toilet for a Data Center to consume.
I guess I'm talking about entrepreneurship here, but there's also an aspect of community here. But the odds of filling a new role at a company is dwindling, because AI is cheaper to buy then human labor. And the people who own corporations only care about one thing: profit. So, in order to generate some income to eat, shelter, bathe, etc with.... you'll need to do your own thing. Take an inventory of your skills, everything, no matter how mundane or stupid it may sound, and write it down. Then think about how you could use those skills to make something that people need. What problem can you solve? This may not necessarily be something that you want to do, or have dreamed of doing, but at least it'll pay the bills for now. And if you don't like your list of skills, figure out what skills you need and how to learn them so that you can do what you want to do!
There is a resistance forming against the large corporate bloat. People who still have precious pennies to spend, are looking for small, local businesses to shop at. As for me, I'm seriously looking at how to publish stuff, because I enjoy writing, and I love entertaining other people. So, what will you do?
