The “Get a degree, find a good job” advice doesn’t work anymore, and it’ll never do again, because of the success of Capitalism and the transition to its next stage.
A recent article by Forbes asks if education will be the next industry killed by the internet. The article states “think about it for a moment, we still use the educational techniques of the Early Middle Ages.”
Due to the success of Capitalism, living conditions, wealth and prosperity in the economically advanced countries are higher than ever before, but this starts to change.
Advanced factories powered by robots and automation in general are reducing the demand for labor force and human workers, that results to poverty, inequality and stress that makes people sick.
The recent cashiers-less stores by Amazon and Walmart are a bright example of how most stores will operate in the near future, while the most popular job in America, truck driver, is also getting replaced by autonomous vehicles.
So, what should we do? Should we block the rise of automation and technology? Absolutely not, we just have to adapt to the new reality.
Our goal was to make life easier so we produce, earn and prosper more. A typical 9 to 5 job did that in the past (and rarely today), because labor force that was in demand, so many people could “make a living” of that.
Today, this demand is getting more and more reduced, that means that we finally have the technology and automation to produce and do more without us having to do the hard work. And now we’re getting to today’s situation.
The most popular solution to automation and technology is a Universal Basic Income, such policy should be implemented as a human right, and would guarantee the survival of all, while providing the right to fail and learn, that would result to a boost in innovation and markets.
Humanity worked to make dead things do the work, so with a universal basic income as a new human right, we can do the work that dead things still can’t, we just have to change in order to progress, not reduce progress in order to satisfy our illusions. What worked before now doesn’t.
