The latest stats say that 9.5% of Americans are unemployed.  Many of these people had jobs that no longer exist or exist in another country.  And interestingly enough, their children will likely have job duties that they could never dream possible.  No one would have believed you 20 years ago if you told them you would one day be in charge of online social networking for a Fortune 500 Company.

My point here is that the job market is changing.  Rapidly.  I currently design websites for a number of small – medium sized businesses and I am convinced that I will no longer have work desigining websites a few years from now.  There are programs that make website design so easy that I think it will only be a few more years until website design will be so simple that 2 year olds will begin putting up their own sites.

If I can see that future ahead, what am I spending my time on now knowing that website design is a dying field?  Am I learning new techniques for .html design?  Sure, in the day to day process.  But am I spending the majority of my time on learning a skill that can be done elsewhere?  I hope not.

The way that jobs are done elsewhere is through improvements in technology and through outsourcing (production in another country with cheaper labor, higher skills, or both).  Can the job you are in now be done better by technology or by cheaper labor?  Be honest.  If your job is replaceable, then become irreplaceable within your job, or start learning new skill sets for a different line of work.

A way that I see staying in website design is to become a website consultant.  Sure, design will be a simple project a few years from now, but that doesn’t mean companies will be any smarter in presenting their niche online.  It doesn’t mean individuals will know the best way to promote their music, art, or books online.  A website consultant doesn’t spend time on learning the intricacies of website design.  They spend time learning how successful companies have employed website strategies for building their sales.

On the other hand, if you are getting paid $15 an hour to sew t-shirts, it’s time to start learning some new skills.  Becoming more proficient at sewing the t-shirt will not stop the company from moving to a country where those sewing make $1 an hour.  If you are fighting to hold onto that type of job and spend your time petitioning the government to stamp a quota on t-shirts coming out of Timbuktu, your working days are numbered.

 

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