Future proofing my kids

There has been a lot of talk about the age of robotics and automation that is going to limit or eliminate many future jobs and careers. I am 43 and in banking, a career that has been steadily moving into the future. But I should only have to worry about a couple more decades in the work force. My twin girls are almost 7. It's going to be about 15 more years before they are trying to enter the workforce. If the future still has the population working until their 60's, then I worry about what they will face for the next 50+ years. How can I get them set up or guide them into the future? What careers will be viable during that time?

 

Out girls are close in age.
I don't think we can nail down careers this far in advance (nor would I want them to feel pressured toward something this early in their lives!).
But I think certain critical skills will serve them well, like good reading comprehension, ability to write well, and critical problem solving skills that involve higher math and science.
With those assets they will be ready for whatever the future holds.

 

I agree so much with this. Also, social skills are critical.

I wonder about the work/career future of of my 20-something kid who is currently pursuing a chemical engineering degree. I probably could've given it more thought when he was little.

 

I guess the broader picture is that will the jobs even be there? A lot of talk about the future is that automation is simply going to remove a lot of jobs from the marketplace. One of the reasons that companies are starting to onshore back in the U.S. is because that automation is now cheaper than cheap Chinese labor. I spend time showing people how to do online banking, which means I might not interact with them as much in the future. So unemployment is going to rise, possibly dramatically. Or will people start to be able to work fewer hours? Is a company really going to hire people for 20 hours a week and pay them a living wage just to give people something to do? Doubtful. So the rich are going to become even more insanely wealthy. Where does that leave the general population? Is a government living wage going to become a thing? Are people going to end up with free housing and food and water to keep them pacified?

 

And that's a concern. I think a significant part of the population is going to be out of the loop.
In the book The Diamond Age, by Neal Stephenson, the future is controlled by technocrats and companies. Matter compilers (3d printers on a molecular level) can manufacture literally anything that can be dreamt up and designed. Windows can be made of pure diamond because it's simply carbon atoms linked together. So brainpower is really very important. The people with the best designs have the upper hand. There is an aristocracy of one enclave called the victorians, who model their behaviors after Victorian society, as a way of maintaining discipline and a purity of thought and rigor and instruction. The vickys do hire real old school craftsmen, because to them, a note written on handmade paper has more value than an email. And they have more money than they know what to do with. But in his book, societies have become more splintered and closed off. Knowledge didn't spread, it concentrated.

 

I think this is the biggest question facing humanity over the next 50 years.

 

It is. But I have to worry about my kids. Not to be selfish, but making my kids prepared is most important to me first. I do think there are going to be some serious upheavals over the next 50 years. There are no more typewriter repairmen. Even garbage men will go away when trash trucks have preprogrammed routes and rfid scanners to make sure they grab the right can with an automated arm .

 

I think the most important thing you can do is show them how to transition and give them the tools to make transitions without too much disruption.
I was originally going to going to say 'embrace change' but that is kind of bullshit because there are times when people make changes for no good reason and it's good to teach your kids how to watch out for that too.
The people who get stuck with the idea that their high school years were the best or any time in the past was the best for that matter, are the ones in danger of being left behind.
They miss out on all the cool stuff going on now and get seriously stomped on by the world because they are always looking backwards.
Making sure that they are in the habit of learning new stuff all the time and not deciding that it's time to stop because 'I'm not at school' or 'I'm not going to need this when I grow up' is really important.
Future proofing means making teaching moments out of just about anything, from boy bands to vinyl records.