The Age of Accelerated Technology And Change Is Here- Runyararo

The Age of Accelerated Technology & Change is Here!

A lot of things have happened in 2020, most eyes have been on the COVID-19 pandemic though it’s not the greatest highlight. 2020 was bound to have one calamity or another. Crisis comes with business & economic cycles, I doubt this is mere coincidence but humans finding a fitting narrative to prior year’s sins. So what are the things that 2020 has ushered which will not go away easily?

Social Distancing

You might think it saves lives but social distancing is more than that, long after pandemic is done you will be socially distanced from your workplace, from your school or most human interactions we had come to accept as given. Where I work the office space will be reduced by more than 60%, most people will work from home. The workplace had become a society, think how life was designed around work, people met their husbands or wives in work settings, others in a Matatu queues, we had friends whose names we didn’t know but when we sat next to each other on public trains and buses we had great conversations. All that is going. What will come in its place? Cyber meetings, dating apps and social apps will increase in usage. Where you live will likely become a close work-community though in different companies you’ll become colleagues helping each other with trouble shooting, basic IT support or learning. So new relationships will form that previously were neglected.

Hiring & Job Opportunities

The biggest question on HR today is how to recruit, train & get employees working all by themselves. Previously you had a boss to sit with you many days showing you. It’s about to go, the dynamics of getting jobs will mean radical change to your life. Can you work independently? Can you learn the job alone or via the web? Where you stay matters too, if I’m going to recruit an assistant I’d favour someone close to where I work from home in case of need to meet. If you stay in places where there are few bosses you could find jobs hard to get. Also places with access to internet are a plus on a CV, having fibre line to your home is now a great selling point on a CV. Many might want to trade cheaper rent for higher rent with opportunities.

Playing is Going Cyber

My kids play together while inside the iPad, there are these games where they can see each other on different devices, walking in rooms and exploring the world. Their friends can also join in, all in different locations but interacting via the internet as if they are physically together. The little one’s brains are already being wired differently, we never had those things growing up.

AI & Machines for Our Jobs

Many people are already losing their jobs, office cleaners, receptionists, personal assistants, hair salons & child care workers have had it hard. Some people only needed daycare because they physically went to work, now they work at home so no more day care. In this decade we are likely to see digital money rising from banks so physical cash might be reduced severely. So you might want to develop another means to earn for when your job is taken. We could be entering the time of a Home Assistant and out goes the House Help, the difference being that a Home Assistant has some education, can use technology, teach kids basic school as would daycare workers, help employer answering the phone (previously role of PA). So if you have basic education, you might think working as a Home Assistant as House Helps go.

There’s much to be pondered regarding the change we see (new normal), if you haven’t thought about it, it might be time to do so. There are many opportunities from the disruptions, you would do well to seize them and build some wealth. I’m thinking I could do IT troubleshooting side hustle, though an Accountant, there are possibly many people around me working from home who can’t remove print paperjam, who can’t troubleshoot fibre connections, who can’t setup an IKEA type of desk. My employer knowing I’m multi-skilled can also mean more pay doing other duties. While at it I’m thinking what can I do to make people pay me to make the new normal great? Are you also thinking about these things? Don’t let life catch you by surprise, we aren’t going back to life as it were in 2019.