At 50 You Cannot Trust Your Job
That is of course if you have one.
How much has changed in our lives over the last 20 years? So much and so quickly that it is barely rememberable until you actually take stock and remember the mixed tape, recording songs from the radio, looking up articles from the actual journal and photocopying them, then reading them, or gathering information from microfiche.
If you think you got this far and your job is safe because a) no-one else can do it, b) you have specialist knowledge c) you’ve been there forever and know the ins and outs of the company or d) you have power, you really, really need to get a Plan B and fast.
In the next 5 years so much more will change and 50’s and over are part of the most vulnerable workers. AI (artificial intelligence) is coming at us faster than superman reversing the earth’s axis.
It is impossible to predict what work will look like 5 years from now. We simply cannot predict what the jobs will even look like. The better question to ask, and one that I have asked and answered for myself is this:
What is not going to change?
Take a step back from your day to day world for a moment. Take a look at the demise of shopping centres, large retail chains struggling, franchises crippled, Amazon. To understand where Amazon will be in 5 years you have to read this book. If you don’t get it after that, you never will. This book helped me understand where we are, where retail and business is going and where the loopholes are.
For me it was food, but this was not the only option. Food is going to change and I have anticipated what I think will be the trends in the context of the other changes about to happen to us. The underlying nature of food is that the world has to eat, preferably 3 times a day, but at least once every few days. I want to be on the side of preparation, proving healthy grab and go options for the ever quickening ‘worker’.
Logistics – this will change but will still be a thing – you can still only get freight across the oceans.
Moving – people will always move houses. What they will be moving will change drastically but it is still going to be an industry for quite some time.
Water – Always essential for life but the management of water itself is going to change. How we capture and use it, and most importantly preserve it, will be an ongoing industry.
Farming – we got to eat right? Farming itself will change but the industry will be a strong hold for as long as your tummy rumbles.
Insurance – Already undergone massive change and downgrade, the product itself will be always be available but whether you can afford it, or be employed by it, will not.
Money – Again this will be around for quite some time as an industry, but the industry itself will undergo so much change, the only thing to bank on, pardon the pun, is money itself.
Housing – All the pretty apartments being built for us to live in. Can you see yourself living in one? Really? Think about that and who will actually be living in them and then you will have your answer.
There are lots more, but you get my picture don’t you? Think about what is not going to change, in your view, and steer yourself there as quickly as possible. I know lots of 50’s and over have a grand plan of property investment, and renting these out and living happily ever after. I tried that once. It was not for me. I don’t have what it takes and the hidden costs involved don’t seem to find their way into the magazine articles about how much money you can make.
Your job, whatever it is, how high you think you are or how safe and guaranteed you think you are – none of it is guaranteed in the next 5 years.
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