How to get ahead in the “future of work”! (#FutureSeries1)

Triple revolution report delivered in March of 1964 to President Lindel Johnson by two Nobel laureates stated that the US was on a brink of social and economic upheaval because the industrial revolution was going to put millions of people out of work. This report turned out not to be accurate in its predictions but didn’t stop others from predicting the same sort of doom and gloom futures. As a matter of fact, the predictions were contrary to the realities that came forth. More jobs were created, safer working conditions were realized and standard of work and remuneration got even better.

Once again statistics and data are showing us that workers are about to lose out to machines the same way manual labor has been replaced by mechanical processes. The horse population of the United States dropped from 22million in 1915 to less than 3 million in 1960 as cars, tractors and other equipment made work more efficient for we humans. The horses had nowhere to turn and became obsolete in the workplace. Could the same happen to humans? The answer isn’t straightforward as it comprises of both a yes and no argument.

Our future will be filled with thinking, learning and adaptive machines. Abilities which have been exclusive to the human mind. The abilities that have helped us stay on top of the food chain and control the way the world works is slowly leaving the human fold and heading to the artificial intelligent realm.

The term “The future of work” is one of those catch-phrases that may seem like a far-fetched concept to most people. Unless you are of the belief that there will be a major shift in the types of careers and professional services that will be sought after. If this is the case, then we’re glad to say you are keyed into the future of work. This article seeks to breakdown the term “future of work” and transpose the concept into our present reality. How ready are we? What steps need to be taken, What direction do we head in? These and so many more thoughts will be discussed in #FutureSeries2 — stay tuned!

Want to know when #FutureSeries2 comes up? Keep a tab on us by following us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.