Labor Moves in Cycles
If you're in tech and struggling to find work, it might be a good time to look outside the box - because there are many other sectors (manufacturing, blue-collar work, nursing and other skilled labor) that are actually experiencing labor shortages right now. That's where most Gen Zers are getting decent jobs atm - something that a lot of millennials+ tend to miss because they grew up during a time when good jobs = tech, but that may no longer be true today.
Keep in mind that when they're talking about the "AI job apocalypse" they're talking about white-collar work - the tech sector overhired during COVID (the prime destination for remote work) and is correcting itself - a shift from white-collar to blue-collar jobs is a natural part of labor market swings, but the hysteria among those who have something to gain/lose in the scenario is a given phenomenon, every time.
The white-collar industries are afraid that the blues are taking over - a fear not completely unfounded, because unions have made a rebound in the last few years and are actively winning political races now (e.g. "Woke 2.0") - there's the fact that people are looking for something new, yes, but also - the upsets we are seeing in many of the races today actually have a lot to do with an emerging new (and younger) class of voters who are earning their income from different industries/sectors.
What does this have to do with the work we do at teia.cafe with blockchain technologies? (Aside from the fact that I hope this illustrates our ability to be "objective" in our handling of data.) Well, in Web3 we've been living inside of a memecoin casino bubble for a long time and people are now basically exhausted with the whole thing. The way the industry gets a second look is pivoting the messaging towards ideas that matter in the new environment - transparency, collective organizing (functional DAOs), decentralization...the public sector is supposed to be decentralized, after all, at least in theory. If there are interested parties in the future wanting to make that happen, that is where the new opportunities will be.
Making all your income from your art alone is tough, even for seasoned professionals - many folks I know do other things to pay the bills and keep the lights on, and I'm no exception either. But looking for work outside of the usual channels might be a good idea these days - I know a few folks who made a full pivot into blue-collar work and earn a decent income - enough to achieve homeownership and start a family, even.
Change is hard and sometimes scary, but I think that this is the logical outcome of where the crypto industry needs to go and what will eventually get it into the "mainstream". I think a lot of places will get hung up ideologically and won't be able to pivot, but the ones that manage to adapt will set the tone for things to come in the future. 👀
Music: "Institution - Fallout 4 (Fallout 4 Radio Mod)" by Ryan Tanaka (teia.art/objkt/708587)