In Deep Work, author Cal Newport identifies three classes of workers who will survive and thrive in the new economy:
- The Grinders – Over time, common (and employable) skills today will disappear, as technology automates them away. But never fear, there are always new skills to learn, and those that will make the time and effort to learn new skills that others don’t know will find a lot of success. Just look at databases and data science (for one example, there are lots), which were pretty rudimentary until the technology and understanding evolved to the the point where the amount of data collected and the intelligence that interprets and analyzes that data are beyond anything that would have been possible even a short while ago. That evolution didn’t happen overnight, and entire careers have been built (and continue to be built) on it. There will be many more examples.
- The Rock Stars – The new economy isn’t just based on new technologies, it’s also based on unprecedented access to resources and talent. And in a model like that, professionals can’t count on being ‘the only game in town’, with all of the job security that entails. And now, in the post-covid (for now) world, companies and employers have made huge progress in working with remote talent via any number of tools. This means that access to talent is broader and more robust now than it ever has been, and it’s only going to become more so. And when that’s the case, those who can do a task better than anyone else around will find themselves with greater reach to employers, customers and clients.
- The Money People – Let’s face it, those with the gold make the rules, and that isn’t changing any time soon. If you have money, or access to it, there will be a place for you. But the key, in this new world, will be to use that capital wisely. Because now, even more than ever, the foolish can be parted from their money with ever greater speed and efficiency. Don’t believe me? How are your crypto investments working out?
Whichever category you fall into – and these aren’t necessarily the only avenues to success in the future – the point is that the world is not only changing, but the pace of that change is increasing, as advancement builds on advancement to create even more change. With that kind of change will come a lot of challenges, but also immense opportunities. And if you stay flexible, open to those opportunities, and willing to focus on learning and doing the things that others can’t or won’t, you’ll be in an ideal position to take advantage of them.
Want to read more? Why not go to the source!