Artificial intelligence is changing everything.
We often heard people talking about how everyone should "learn to code". That is now laughable advice considering that it will not be long before the likes of ChatGPT are, at a minimum, competitive with most human programmers. The idea that coding was a way around the job destruction from technology is quickly diminishing.
Does that mean all coding jobs will go away? Of course not. In fact, not all white collar jobs are going to disappear. What is obvious is that some are going to be affected more than others. As we will see, take on that debt to get the college degree was likely a dumb move.
Pipe Laying Is Safe
If you want to give your kids good advice, tell them to become a plumber or carpenter. While society looks down upon that, these are areas, for now, that are insulated from the advancement of technology. Naturally, it is impossible to plan a career these days since 20 years means everything will be different.
Here we see the result from research done by the Pew Institute.
What is interesting is how, while many things are affected, nothing is happening in an even manner.
For this article, we will use the overall, 19%, as our baseline. Anything above that is screwed more than those below.
Here is the chart:
While there is some interesting information, scroll down to the bottom. Basically, the smarter you are, at least according to education standards, the more apt you are to get disrupted by AI.
Another way of looking at it, if your profession entails you sitting on your rear looking at a screen, you have a giant bullseye on your chest. The arrows are going to start flying at you in the next couple years.
The Solution: Laying Pipe
No, this is not some euphemism for porn. Those jobs will probably be affected by AI also.
Here we are literally referring to physically laying pipe. In other words, those blue collar jobs that society overlooks will be insulated. They are not at the top of the list for replacement.
That is why, high school grads are only going to be affected at a 12% clips, far below the overall of 19%. It is likely much of that comes from the fast food and retail sectors where automation will creep in.
When it comes to the trades, carpenters, plumbers, and electricians are protected for a while. They are going to be the ones making the money over the next 15 years. At some point they might be targeted also but it is going to take a while.
Suddenly, we could see a massive shift in society. If you will recall, these were often good positions from a societal standpoint. This might return especially as we see the economic fallout penetrate many areas.
What happens when tens of millions of white collar workers find themselves out of work. People may still believe this impossible. However, if we look at the progress of chatbots over the last 15 months, we should be well aware of the pace things are moving.
Do not believe for a second this is going to slow down. The cost of labor, in many fields, is going to plummet. When that happens, millions will lose their incomes.
Of course, due to the monopoly on the high paying jobs, as explained in The Layout For The Globalization Of Real Estate, urban areas are going to be affected the most.
This is where all the people moved to.
Disruption of Society
There is no other way to state this: we are looking at the total disruption of society due to technology.
Over the last few months, we covered a number of different areas that face disruption. All of this is going to have a sizeable impact. When we start to add it all together, and spread it over 7-10 years, we see a completely new society.
The typical responses are already taking place. The fear is starting to mount. We have many opining how horrific things are going to happen. Those who are ill-prepared are already starting to quiver.
Which will lead to the next phase: anger.
Right now, this anger is isolated to fringe groups that are marginalized. It will enter the mainstream. The attacks on robotaxis might seem laughable but they tell a much larger story.
People do not know how to handle the disruption. Quite frankly, this is a societal epidemic since few in leadership are talking about it. In the United States, we have a Senate that is populated by a bunch of fossils. I mean, seriously, these Baby Boomers won't go away.
These people have no clue what is taking place. As we move ahead at a greater pace, we will see the usual nonsense from the likes of Elizabeth Warren talking about regulation, safety of the system, and government control. The foolishness from these people is mounting.
The issue is we cannot solve a problem when most of the people involved cannot identify what it is. Trust me when I say the morons in Congress will offer no solutions that help the population. Even when they do get moving, it will be too little, too late.
As stated repeatedly, how do you replace labor income when it disappears? This is a tough question and one that I think is solved with staking income.
It is why those who are involved in Web 3.0 will end up doing okay. For all the talk about destroying cryptocurrency, it is actually the opposite.
For the rest, best learn to lay pipe.