Are you worried about your job being obsolete? 40% are
Jobs we should look forward to saying goodbye too
We are hiring - Jimmy’s Jobs and Eliza Filby are jointly hiring for a visual content creator
Herman Narula’s Improbable raise from Softbank and Andressen Horrowitz
Opening a bookstore via Substack?!
Appearing on Steve Bloomers Washing podcast
40%
That is the amount of us are worried our jobs could be obsolete within the next five years … That was the eye-opening statistic in a survey by PwC. It’s just one of the scary predictions about how automation is shaking up the future of work — anywhere from 300 million to 2 billion jobs around the world could be consigned to the history books, we’re told.
Dramatic numbers, but I don’t think we need to be so alarmist. Especially when many of the jobs being killed off are either the most dangerous or downright boring. The job most likely to be made obsolete over the next few years according to one study? Telephone salesperson.
I was reminded of the fate of a job close to my own heart this week while watching Dopesick, a dramatisation of America’s oxycontin crisis.
The story looks at how people in a former coal mining community got addicted to high-strength painkillers. The main character, a Doctor played by Michael Keaton comments on stage
“It’s dangerous work. Miners carried the burden of building this nation on their backs. They’re in pain, It is a part of the job”
Imagine that, physical pain just being accepted part of your job!?
I’m from a former mining community and my dad and grandfather were both coal miners. I have written before that I can’t be anything except utterly delighted that Britain closed its last coal mine seven years ago, killing off the country’s most dangerous job, despite anger and uproar from unions at the time.
Industries don’t need to shut down or be robotted out of existence to face dramatic upheaval. As I discovered during my week at the National Farmers Union Conference, jobs that have been around for centuries are constantly changing. Being a farmer — or a lawyer, an electrician or a programmer — is not the same job it was 10 years ago — but we don’t say they’ve been made obsolete, it is just the tools that are being used are constantly evolving.
The story of automation is actually that new, better and safer jobs are coming along all the time. With snappier job titles as well. I wonder how many kids said “Podcaster” when asked what they wanted to do when they grew up - certainly wasn’t on the careers advice I got at school, but then being a radio presenter was?
And what is the difference between being a radio presenter and a podcaster any way!? That is something we’ll return to in the future
We are hiring …
And on the topic of jobs that didn’t exist a few years ago — fellow podcast host and generational historian Eliza Filby and I are hiring a visual content creator to help take our shows, interviews, research and expertise to new audiences.
The key question is can you help two geriatric millennials help spread their message to different audiences?
We are envisaging a four day week, and £40k pro rata.
If that sounds like your thing, or you know somebody who fits the bill, check out the full details here (or even forward them this email!)
Herman’s Improbable fundraise
As broken by our friends at Sifted, Herman Narula’s Improbable has raised another $150 million from Softbank and Andreessen Horowitz, that is on top of the $500 million already raised.
Herman has been building the metaverse for ten years now. He was our last episode Season 4 at Jimmy’s Jobs.
Every word that Herman utters is interesting and is meticulously well thought through … which is why he left such a glowing review of appearing on Jimmy’s Jobs 👇 👇
The full episode is available here.
Opening a bookstore via Substack …
I have worked bloody hard and been lucky to build a decent sized audience through podcasting and these newsletters.
And I like to try and share around stories of others that are building or creating from scratch, as it is really difficult to do.
Which is why I have been so impressed with Tom Rowley, who quit a job at the Economist, to build an independent book store!
He is writing a substack each week, not just on books he has found interesting, but on the mechanics of what you need to open a bookstore.
Tom may not or may not realise, he is writing his own story in public and I find it quite inspiring.
If you have listened to Jimmy’s Jobs, you’ll know that one of my favourite questions is to ask people about books that have inspired them, and so Tom manages to mix all my favourite topics into one substack, entrepreneurs, books and stories.
It turns out that Tom is also thinking about opening a store near my neck of the woods in SW London … so this is also just part of my not so covert campaign to get him to consider close to me …
This was his first substack from a few weeks ago - so you can start from the first page 👇. 👇
More Jimmy podcast appearences
Season four has finished of Jimmy’s Jobs, and if you just cannot have enough of my dulcet tones, I have started appearing on the independent Derby County podcast, Steve Bloomers Washing.
I have been a long term listener to SBW, and think they put a great show together, and think it is a great example of the ‘creator revolution’ that we are living through, that football fans of a soon to be third tier club can make such a good product.
I recently spoke to them to mark the 25 years since Derby won away at Man Utd 3-2 and Paulo Wanchope and Mart Poom made their debuts. It was great to relive some happy memories of being a 10 year old in the away end. It is only available for their patreon members.
However, I have also did a recorded with them this morning on the news that Chris Kirchner has become the preferred bidder for Derby County, that should be out in the next 48 hours.
You can check it out wherever you get your podcasts.
End of the email (note - must think of better ending)
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