One of my all-time favorite television commercials is the Monster “When I Grow Up” spot (
WATCH HERE)
that debuted during Super Bowl XXXIII. I know I’m dating myself; that was almost twenty years ago! But the ad was effective because it depicted the very opposite of what we aspire to during our formative years. Children speak as jaded adults with less-than-optimistic expectations regarding their work futures. Toward its end, the ad poignantly asks, “What did you want to be?” but soon offers hope in its final frame—“There’s a better job out there.”
The ultimate point of the ad—to not settle for unsatisfying work—still resonates loudly in 2018. Of course, we still want a fulfilling career, but we also want security. Seismic shifts
have
occurred in workforce dynamics as automation advances at an exponential rate. At the time of that Monster ad, things like robotics and artificial intelligence still sounded like science fiction—at least to many of us. Now, they are very much part of our vocabulary because they have arrived and are here to stay.
What does the future hold? No one knows exactly, but we can prepare by taking steps to observe the trajectories that indicate emerging realities for our particular industries. The need to recognize and understand innovation is definite. How might this translate to job security? The new normal will require new skills that necessitate the corresponding type of training. The goal, after all, is a secure career in an age of developing technologies.
And while all this can seem a little uncertain, our work populations have experienced significant change at certain times in history and learned to adapt. The transformation brought about by the Industrial Revolution was both exciting and unsettling. The notion of machines executing tasks once reserved for humans isn’t entirely new, is it? In the boom of technology, the same principle applies. We want to possess indispensable skills that aren’t easily relegated to a mechanized process. This is where upskilling becomes critical.
I hope we’re all pursuing the kind of work we want—now that we’re “grown up.” Instead of being overrun by cynicism or fear, let’s keep our eyes wide open and look to the exciting opportunities that become available as our automated age unfolds. Upskilling is the way to not merely survive, but thrive in an evolving work landscape.
Call one of our advisers at (813) 974-5550 today and have them develop a personalized learning plan for
YOU
.
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