Jacksonville, Florida is a
microcosm of a world that’s changing around us. Empty buildings stand as
ghostly reminders of a busy past. In a few cases, these structures were built
as far back as the dawn of the 20th Century. For years, they’ve stood as hollow
shells of businesses that once bustled with activity and life. A few years ago,
I looked inside one of these architectural relics and the only thing I saw was
a nest of pigeons. In other cases, however, businesses recently closed due to
the latest recession.
One cause of our economic misery is technological
innovation. Automation has enabled companies to cut down tremendous amounts of
backlog while significantly reducing overhead. Of course, that means they laid
off workers by the thousands never to rehire them. As with all things,
technology is a two-edged sword. We can either let it hack us to death, or we
can wield it to carve new roles and groundbreaking opportunities for ourselves.
Today, I’ll discuss two opportunities. One of them is self
publication. This opportunity doesn’t just apply to writing books. It applies
to almost any creative or technical thing you do. It is no longer necessary to
submit your work to a publisher. This is one of many ways the Internet and
digitization have leveled the playing field. Seem too simple? Lots of people
are doing it.
For example, people are publishing music on their own and
keeping the profits. They’re also writing every genre of literature, and adding
to their bottom line. A lot of it is drivel, but that’s not a new development.
Moreover, it represents an additional opportunity for freelance editors and
writing consultants to assist with tools that make them more productive and
profitable.
Similarly, it's getting easier to program applications. In
fact, it's so much easier that it’s quickly becoming accessible to the public
with inexpensive tools. This used to be the exclusive domain of highly trained
specialists. No longer! All you need is the idea, and these tools will do most
of the work for you. In a few more years, we'll see many more tools that will
transform our ideas into profitable applications without hiring teams of
developers.
On the other hand, developers can enhance their careers by
transforming their knowledge, skills and experience into marketable services.
For example, they can become consultants for those who need quick advice in
developing their ground-breaking applications and businesses or they can create
code for specialized functions not covered by the standard functions of these
new applications.
Progress is unavoidable, but you don’t have to let it
destroy your future. As long as you can imagine the possibilities, you can
reinvent yourself in a multitude of ways. As I look at those empty buildings in
Jacksonville, I don't see rubble. I see new opportunities to rejuvenate and
transform them into future hubs of innovation. That's what I hope you'll see as
a result of reading this note: an opportunity to reinvent yourself for the
future.
