obsolete jobs

8 Ways to Escape a Dying Industry

Paul Michael — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 08:30:12 +0000

There was a time when you could train for a career, take a job at a great firm, spend 40 years moving up the ladder, and have a retirement party with a gold watch at the end of it. Those days are long gone.

LinkedIn estimates that people in today's workforce will change jobs 15 times in their lifetimes, and that number will likely continue to rise. As technology advances and more jobs go extinct, career changes will practically be a necessity rather than an option. So how can you prepare for the inevitability of being in a dying career field?

1. Look into lateral career moves

A lot of people will tell you not to make a lateral career move. They will say you should always be moving up, getting promoted, earning more money, and so on. But if you're in a career that's dying out, moving sideways into a career that has a future is a wise move.

If the position you hold in your current company is going nowhere fast, look at the internal job postings. Is there a job you can do that has potential? Can you talk to the manager of that department and see if you would be a good fit? Most companies prefer to hire a known quantity than to go outside, and it's also quicker and cheaper. If it's not within your own company, look for lateral moves to other firms. It's better to move to a ladder worth climbing than rise on one that leads nowhere.

2. Get additional training

If your current skill set isn't going to get you far, some additional training could help you survive the coming decline. For instance, a lot of graphic designers are finding it difficult to find work because they do not have programming capabilities. Everyone wants a designer with digital chops these days.

However, great design will always be in demand, so it makes sense for a designer to bolster his or her skill set with some digital training. Courses in HTML, JavaScript, and other coding languages are widely available, and most are very reasonably priced. It's also highly likely that a current employer will help pay for that training if they are going to benefit from it. What can you add to your resume that will quickly remove the "un" from unemployable? (See also: 7 Certifications That Add Big $$ to Your Salary)

3. Research careers similar to your current one

Let's say you're a journalist working for a newspaper. Well, the outlook for that career is fairly bleak. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the industry as a whole, including broadcast news and correspondents, is in decline. It will drop 9 percent between now and 2024, which means fewer jobs and fewer chances for promotions.

However, writing opportunities for online outlets, blogs, and social media are on the rise. It's not a big leap to go from print journalism to online writing. You could also look into writing for advertising, marketing, and PR firms, or try your hand at white paper and fiction/non-fiction books. It's as simple as typing "careers similar to X" into Google and going from there.

4. Retrain completely

If your current career will soon be obsolete, you will have to bite the bullet and go into a different field. This can be scary, especially later in life, but if you aren't ready or able to retire, it's your only choice. It doesn't have to be entirely removed from what you do now.

For instance, some of the skills used in coal mining can be brought to the solar industry, even though substantial retraining would need to take place. However, there are initiatives in place in Kentucky that are teaching coal miners how to code. Although it's a massive adjustment, this places someone from a dying field into one that's thriving.

This may also be an opportunity to try something new; perhaps doing something you've always wanted to do. Look into the top career prospects for your state.

5. Turn a side hustle into your main source of income

These days a lot of people have side hustles. Whether it's doing a little blogging on the side, or buying and selling items on eBay, it can bring in some much-needed extra income for savings or life's little luxuries. But what are the chances of turning that side hustle into your next career? Is it possible? Can you scale it up to become a full-time job, with enough money to cover your health insurance and other expenses?

Perhaps one of the most famous side hustle success stories is Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist. He started it as a small side project in 1995, but by 1999 he had quit his job and made it a full-time business. He's now worth $1.3 billion.

Of course, you probably won't become a billionaire, but if you put in the time and energy, you could turn your little side project into a great new career. (See also: 6 Signs It's Time to Make Your Side Gig Your Career)

6. Be prepared to move

It's possible that your career is dying in your state, but doing very well in others. For example, the economy may have killed advertising agencies in your area, but that industry continues to grow and flourish on the East and West Coasts. If you have discovered that your state is becoming harder to find work in, look around. Are you seeing ample opportunities for your current career in other areas? If so, you may have to consider a move. (See also: 6 Places It Pays to Relocate To)

Of course, it goes without saying that you may also need to move for a different career as well. If you're looking to get into the legal marijuana business, there are only certain states that allow that. If you want to become a voice-over artist, you'd get the most work in California. Understand that a career move might literally mean a move from your current location.

7. Read Who Moved My Cheese?

If you haven't already done so, the book Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, MD, is a must read. On a base level, the book deals with change in the workplace, but it can also be used to help you deal with other life changes as well. Using a parable about four different mice living in a maze, you will learn to spot warning signs that a major change is coming at work.

Maybe you're not being invited to as many meetings. Perhaps your days are less busy, or you are being asked to train someone to do the job you're doing. In some instances, you will see your department become smaller and smaller, withering like leaves on a tree in fall. The signs are all laid out here for you, and there is some great advice about preparing for the future.

8. Milk whatever you can from your current position

You know you're in a dying career. Now, it's time to get whatever you can out of the job while you're still in it. You've already put all the work in; why not squeeze out as much benefit as possible while you can?

Go to your boss and ask for a promotion and a raise as soon as possible. Sure, you may not have that extra money for very long, but you can use it to support your new career search. Ask about getting some additional training from your company. If it's completely unrelated it won't fly, but you can get creative. For example, most big companies like to have at least one notary on staff. If you can get trained as a notary, you can use that to make extra money while you look for a new job. And if you like the work, you have a new career paid for by your old one.

Take a vacation soon, paid for by the company you work at. Use your current health insurance to get procedures done that may not be paid for in the future. Use your current position to generate connections that could be useful to you in the future, especially through a site like LinkedIn. And do not feel guilty about doing any of this. You have spent years of hard work and dedication getting to this point, and life has thrown a curveball. There is no shame in turning this down into an up, and getting whatever you can out of your career while you still have it. Good luck.

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This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

9 Unusual Jobs Technology Destroyed

Paul Michael — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 09:00:40 +0000

Let's talk about technology for a second. There was an ad for IBM done by the firm Saatchi & Saatchi in the early 80s. It featured two men watching a mechanical shovel digging a hole. "If it wasn't for that machine, 12 men with shovels could be doing that job," said one. The other replied, "If it wasn't for your 12 shovels, 200 men with teaspoons could be doing that job."

The point is, technology will continue to advance, and as it does, jobs will continue to become obsolete. Here are nine unique jobs that have vanished due to technology:

1. The Ice Cutter

If you've seen Frozen (anyone with kids has, multiple times), you'll know about the job of ice cutting. Icemen would brave the winter weather and venture onto frozen lakes to collect the surface ice; this could be several feet thick and required either a large, specialized handsaw, or a powered saw blade. This ice would be transported back to ice houses, where it was stored awaiting delivery to the homes of people with ice boxes who wanted to keep their food cold. When the refrigerator was developed, and the air conditioner, this profession melted away. However, it is still sometimes used as a showpiece in ice and snow sculpting events and festivals.

2. The Plague Doctor

A highly dangerous profession for obvious reasons, plague doctors were hired by towns and cities during the time of epidemics. Many were simply people who had given up on a poor-paying profession for one that offered greater compensation — danger pay, so to speak — and had no real experience of medicine. Most notable about the plague doctor was the costume — a heavy fabric overcoat doused in wax, and a face mask that looked like a giant beak, which held scented straw, herbs, and other fragrances to block out the stench of death. Advances in medicine, sanitation, and public health all but eradicated the plague, and thus, the plague doctor.

3. The Rag-Picker

Sometimes called "rag and bone men," rag-pickers would walk the streets day and night, asking for scraps of cloth, paper, cardboard, glass, metals, and other materials that could be recycled and made into other products. However, the rag-picker did not do the recycling; they simply handed it over to a "master rag-picker" in exchange for a set fee (by weight, for example) who would sell it to companies who could convert it back into usable products. Technology, including recycling plants and collection programs, virtually eliminated the profession. However, in third world countries, the very poorest people will still embark on rag-picking as a way to make some extra money.

4. The Scrivener

Sometimes referred to as a "scribe," scriveners made a living by writing and copying court and legal documents, and other written material. They were common in places where literacy rates were very low, and were also responsible for duties including dictation, petitions, and reading letters out loud to clients. Technology, such as photocopying machines and tape recorders, made the scrivener extinct in all but the very poorest parts of the world.

5. The Log Driver

These day, logs are transported to their destination, be it saw mills or pulp mills, via trucks and railroads. This wasn't always the case. A log driver would be employed to move the heavy logs from the cutting site, downstream, using the current of the river. It was a skilled profession, and an experienced crew could guide the logs without any kind of jams, pile-ups, or other major incidents. In peak seasons, logs would literally fill the rivers, making boat travel dangerous or impossible. It was tough, back-breaking, dangerous work, and men were routinely crushed to death by the fast-moving, heavy logs.

6. The Knocker-Upper

Before the invention of alarm clocks, which we all take for granted these days, people needed to make sure they got up on time for work. The task fell to someone called a knocker-upper, who would walk around the streets tapping on the windows of people who paid for a wake up call. It was a job done in the dark, the cold, and the rough streets of major cities, and paid very little. The bigger question is, who knocked-up the knocker-upper?

7. The Switchboard Operator

From the late 1800s up until the 1960s, switchboard operators were the reason you were able to make a call. The job was hectic and mundane, requiring dexterity and nimble fingers to connect lines via a switchboard that had a dizzying number of jacks, plugs, and cords. If you've ever seen an old movie with someone using a candlestick phone, you'll hear them ask the operator to connect them to a number. That was the job, day in, day out. In the 1920s, automated exchanges started being developed. Now, technology has completely eliminated the need for switchboard operators.

8. The Gandy Dancer

Also known as railroad workers, gandy dancers were responsible for laying the many thousands of miles of tracks that span the United States. It was hard labor to say the least, and the wages were very poor. Working conditions were appalling, and men would often sing chants to keep spirits high and maintain good coordination. The invention of track-laying machines did away with the need for the gandy dancer, which is just as well. It was a thankless, underpaid task.

9. The Leech Collector

Once upon a time, leeches were used by the medical profession as a cure for almost anything. As such, the demand for leeches was high, and leech collectors would travel out into bogs and marshes to collect the bloodsuckers. While some used old horses and other animals to lure the leeches, many would simply use their own legs. This resulted in the spread of infections, and a severe loss of blood in some instances. Advances in medical technology, and the ability to collect and harvest leeches in special facilities for modern medical use, led to the profession being wiped out.

What other odd jobs has technology destroyed? Not yours, we hope!

This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: