It’s very clear the impact technology has on our everyday lives. We use iPhones to text our friends, to FaceTime, to waste our time playing mindless games, and to pretend we’re busy in public. Flip phones have evolved into the slender iPhone 6S designs we know today while the giant block computers of the late 1900s have transformed into sleek and portable MacBook Pros. This ongoing improvement in technology will lead us onto bigger and better things…or so we think. What if I told you that robots will soon take over our jobs in the future?
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That’s right. Your job gone in an instant and replaced by a metal droid. It’s a very real possibility that this continuing advancement in technology will result in robots taking over our blue-collar jobs in the future. In his article, Kevin Kelly writes that, “before the end of this century, 70 percent of today’s occupations will likewise be replaced by automation.” Think about that. 70 percent. Although the take over of robots will open up new job opportunities, it leaves the blue-collar workers with no where to go. They probably don’t have the education or qualifications for higher-end jobs. There is just no way to compete against a robot programmed to perfection. In order to avoid abandoning our blue-collar workers completely, I believe that we should work to educate and prepare incoming generations for future jobs that have yet to be discovered. This can be done through a college education.
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College will provide future workers with the skills they need to succeed in the ever-changing world of technology. This higher education will prepare them for a whole new range of job opportunities.
“Well what about blue-collar jobs? Are we just going to forget about them? Don’t they have any worth?”
Yes, they absolutely have worth. Blue-collar jobs can teach you skills and valuable lessons that you won’t be able to learn in college. For example, waiters know how to think on their feet, multitask, and understand the behavior and the needs of their customers. I believe that it’s important to remember the skills enforced by working in physically demanding jobs and to apply them into the future jobs of tomorrow. We cannot forget the value behind the jobs that provided many people with the opportunity to thrive and make a living.
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“Working a job can make a person pretty smart in ways high school never could. Getting another job won’t be a problem and I can just learn along the way.”
Think again. High end jobs want someone who is qualified with a college background and who is immediately ready to start working. People who are unable or unwilling to attend college at all will have a major disadvantage in the future and will be competing against robots (and probably failing). I do believe that the educational background of a person doesn’t determine their intelligence level, however, I also believe that the general intelligence of a person is increased when they attend college. Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s hard to define intelligence the same way in any situation because intelligence is applied and learned differently depending on the task. However, college seems like a pretty good deal and provides you with the best opportunities with a college degree in hand. This increased intelligence will be important when working alongside robots in the future work force.
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“So college will solve future employment?”
Well, not necessarily. It’s important to recognize that there might be inequality among future jobs. What do I mean? Well, clearly people who don’t attend college aren’t helping themselves out; however, I believe that even people who do attend college will face job inequalities and will have to compete in order to obtain a job. With robots taking over the lower education jobs, higher education jobs will be faced with large amounts of competition, forcing inequalities among different jobs in the future. The best and high-paying jobs will come down to the people with the highest degree, the best grades, and the most prestigious schools attended. Unfair, right? Even when considering the fact that obtaining a high paying job won’t be guaranteed, I still believe that college is the best way to educate ourselves for the future.
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“College is expensive, so is it really worth enrolling for only a little more education?”
It’s been proven that earning a college degree increases your annual salary and your chances of becoming employed. Pretty sweet! If that isn’t enough incentive for you, a college degree will definitely help in the future takeover of robots. More importantly, I believe it’s necessary to receive a higher education in order to have the best chances of a stable future while keeping up with the innovative world of technology.
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“Should I be worried?”
To some extent, YES. This issue about robots taking our jobs effects your children’s generation as well as other future generations. You should want the best for your child, and in order for them to live successfully in a world of robots, they need to attend college. It will give them their best chance at not only improving themselves, but the quality of their lives.
Still unconvinced? Check out this article posted by “The Telegraph.” It clearly raises issues about the advancements in technology and how it could mean bad news for our jobs.
Thanks for reading!