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Or is it a question of FTS?
I just finished reading The Most Undervalued Life Skill, According To CEOs. Spoiler alert: pivoting! Author Neeramitra Reddy throws everything and the kitchen sink into his guide to career/life change: quotes, personal experience, corporate examples, philosophy and, especially, acronyms.
Reddy harps on about the somewhat mathematical relationship between Future Certainty (“Our self-awareness, beliefs, desires, and information about the external world”) and Current Knowledge (“Our sense of where our life’s going, where it should go, and conviction in it”).
FC and PC. Yes, well, I’m modifying Reddy’s theme to FUCK: Future Uncertainty + Current Knowledge.
True story! AI is disrupting our entire concept of reality and, thus, our position in the world. At the same time, we know nothing (save conjecture) about where AI is headed.
Regardless, AI is creating an enormous pivot for both society and the individual, redefining the entire nature of work. Go ahead: add AI restructuring to death and taxes on the list of unavoidable events within your lifetime.
Now what?
Reddy is ready with some solid insight into the pivoting process. At the risk of putting the cart before the horse, here’s his take on when not to pivot…
The path seems difficult and "boring" — nothing rewarding comes easy.
Seeing others pivot in a different direction —The Truth > The Majority.
Assuming the grass is greener elsewhere — it’s green everywhere.
Because pivoting seems easier — that’s just a cop-out.
Because an online guru or mentor told you to — listen, weigh it in, but make your own decision.
Fuck that shit. Sorry. I mean, how AI plays out is anybody’s guess (Future Uncertainty), and Reddy’s admonition to ratchet-up self-awareness is easier not done than said (lack of Current Awareness).
Besides, Frank Herbert’s Dune taught us that boredom is the mind killer. The United Negro College Fund definitely taught us – well Boomers – that a mind is a terrible thing to waste. So pivoting careers out of boredom isn’t necessarily bad thing (ask me how I know).
Anyway, I join Mr. Reddy in cautioning potential pivot people to pause and think this shit through.
Reddy’s check list for when you should pivot generally is based on the firm foundation of psychobabble. Still, it’s worth a look-see.
Repeatedly oscillating to and fro for a decision — over weeks, months, and years.
Sudden epiphanies and bursts of clarity — that we brush under the rug.
Rapidly waning interest in something you initially enjoyed.
Deteriorating health, joy, and motivation — in response to internal suffering.
Your gut tugs at you — trust your intuition.
I don’t think that’s entirely helpful for deciding when to modify your employment/life goal in response to AI. But what do I, an unemployable, AI replaceable iconoclast, know?
So I turned the question over to Bard AI. “Act like a career counselor. When should I pivot my career in response to artificial intelligence?”
The decision of when to pivot your career in response to AI is a personal one, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer. However, there are a few factors you may want to consider when making this decision:
The risk of your job being automated. Some jobs are more likely to be automated by AI than others. If your job is in a field that is heavily reliant on routine tasks, such as data entry or customer service, you may want to consider pivoting sooner rather than later.
Your own skills and interests. If you are not interested in working in a field that is heavily reliant on AI, you may want to pivot to a different field altogether. However, if you are interested in working with AI, you may be able to find a way to pivot your career without having to leave your current field.
Your financial situation. If you are not financially secure, you may want to wait until you have a better financial cushion before pivoting your career. This will give you more time to find a new job and to start earning a steady income.
If I’d submitted my resume to the not-so-noble Bard, it could have given me specific advice on the zero-hour for AI-driven pivoting.
If I was a career counselor, I’d be worried. Given the speed, power and yes accuracy of this new meta tool, anyone with a job should be worried.
The missing factor: what can you pivot to?
After listening to Samuel Franklin talk about his book on creativity, I reckon the safest jobs in the Age of AI are ones where you create or fix something from start to finish.
Trade school stuff for sure (electrician, construction worker, mechanic, etc.). Also jobs that require personal responsibility for both the process and the result (farmer, chef, entertainer, dog trainer, etc.).
In these types of jobs, AI will come in handy. But it will not replace human supervision. Put another way, if you’re in charge of quality control for a complex product or service, you’re safe. Otherwise, you’re FUCKed.