Friday, October 10, 2014
Retirement and Non-work
I follow with interest all the online discussions of jobs being eliminated by robots and software. It's far more pervasive than most people realize. I've been diligently taking Machine Learning classes on coursera and edx and we are just getting started on this path. Twenty years from now, far more human jobs will be eliminated and the garden-variety human may not have much to offer as an employee over automated systems. I say automated systems rather than robots, because I doubt humanoid robots will be that common. We didn't need a robot to get rid of newspaper ads via craigslist. We didn't need a robot to have online air reservations. You just need computers and a network - and software.
We are beginning to see people talking about a post-work society. Just in case. Just in case people don't have to work, because machines can do almost everything for super cheap and there is just no point to it. It's possible that we would transition to new sorts of "jobs" that do the things robots can't do and everyone would still be employed in a capitalist system. But, I really doubt that is possible. Billions of people don't have such special human-only skills of a sufficient level to entice someone to pay for them. If we got there, it would have to be sort of artificial - like "make work" jobs.
I find this all quite interesting because I am a post-work pioneer. The early retirement experience is basically a post-work one. You don't need to work, so you don't. You think you have better things to do. But, do you? That is a very difficult question to answer for many people, and many people are surprised and disappointed by the result. It does not bode well for a smooth transition to any post-work nirvana. It would require a huge cultural shift. I think I am on a success path finally with retirement, but I do find myself at odds with my culture to achieve this. It will take ten more years to see if I succeed, but I am optimistic.
Here are some observations from my post-work pioneering.
Our lives are structured by work. When you quit working, you lose a lot of structure. There are not good non-work structures to replace some aspects of work. The most glaring one is that some of the best social interaction is done in a context of shared activities and goals. Retirees compensate for this with play groups like golf leagues and bridge clubs, as well as volunteer organizations. But these are not for everyone. Groups that work on mental activities or creative activities are less common. It's not necessarily enough to work alone, but in the company of others. There is something special about working with people towards a shared goal. Work provides this. The downside to work is that you may not even like the goal - or the people you are working with. Non-work could be much better for you. Finding a purposeful community to interact with is hardest for intellectuals whose jobs were primarily analytic. I see some of this forming on the Web now and the Web does provide some opportunities. But they are not as purposeful as they might be. My initial work-around for this was to play multi-player online strategy games. It meets all these needs but unfortunately it's not really purposeful in a real-life sense. I am toying with the idea of finding a kaggle.com team and competing for machine learning prizes, but I suspect it would be less lively and fun compared to the gaming (sort of kidding here, it's a bit of a joke. if i could use smileys, they would be ;) and :D). To be honest, my game buddies are some of the best friends I have ever made and I would be loath to dump them. Think of it like the best bowling team you could ever play with - one that always is there for you with a positive comment. They restore my faith in humanity on a daily basis. The best part of my strategy game "family" is that it's international, multi-cultural and all ages. And free. And available 24/7 whenever I want to interact - or not. The most purposeful aspect to my online game playing is that I mentor college kids, especially the engineering majors. They always need advice. And sometimes I mentor teens on how to work in teams. I do a surprising amount of good in this context and find it emotionally rewarding. So keep an open mind about where to find structure. It does not have to be traditional places that retirees usually find it.
When you are planning to be freed from work, you will have a list of things you have been wanting to do. But those might evaporate because they looked good compared to work, but not compared to non-work. These things tend to be activities that impose structure on your time, cost money, or involve hassle. Work involves hassle and takes up your time, so swapping it out for an activity that seems like less hassle and better use of your time seems like a win. But when you have zero hassle and total control of your time, these things might seem like ------ WORK. Even travel is not that appealing to me, although it is common for my retired friends. The hassle and expense factor generally outweigh the benefit to me. Starting a company? MEGAHASSLE. Writing a novel? Time suck. So what to do?
This leads me to another observation. When all your time is your own, many things that were impractical or impossible can become possible. You fondest hobby can become your main activity. Be open. What you do does not have to "look good" to anyone else. It needs to feel good to you. You had an occupation, but occupation is not the same thing as vocation. Current US society is so focused on money that the idea of vocation has been lost in the search for an occupation that "pays well". Post-work you need to open up your possibilities. There are a lot of things that can be accomplished in 5 years or 10 years or even 20 that you have left, but maybe there is no pay-off until the end. This level of risk makes sense post-work. Take a chance on these things if that is what really calls to you. Because vocation comes from the Latin root for calling. We are all called to something. Sometimes more than one thing. But being occupied is not the same thing as following your calling. Being occupied is just staying busy. If you are busy you won't be listening to your inner voice. You won't know what your calling is.
And that is my last observation. People tend to thrash about when they transition into non-work. Disciplined people might feel compelled to stay busy. Think of yourself as a caterpillar. Time to cocoon a bit. Be still and listen to your inner voice. Waste a little time doing nothing much. Work on re-tooling. You have time now to learn and develop skills. If you always wanted to work with your hands making things, practice, take classes. Maybe you are really a fantastic potter and will leave the world hundred of beautiful pots. If you wanted to be a researcher, take classes on the subjects you are are interested in. That's what I am doing and coursera and edx make this incredibly productive and free. Have faith that at some point you will emerge a butterfly. Then, who knows where you will fly and what beauty you will bring to the world?
We are beginning to see people talking about a post-work society. Just in case. Just in case people don't have to work, because machines can do almost everything for super cheap and there is just no point to it. It's possible that we would transition to new sorts of "jobs" that do the things robots can't do and everyone would still be employed in a capitalist system. But, I really doubt that is possible. Billions of people don't have such special human-only skills of a sufficient level to entice someone to pay for them. If we got there, it would have to be sort of artificial - like "make work" jobs.
I find this all quite interesting because I am a post-work pioneer. The early retirement experience is basically a post-work one. You don't need to work, so you don't. You think you have better things to do. But, do you? That is a very difficult question to answer for many people, and many people are surprised and disappointed by the result. It does not bode well for a smooth transition to any post-work nirvana. It would require a huge cultural shift. I think I am on a success path finally with retirement, but I do find myself at odds with my culture to achieve this. It will take ten more years to see if I succeed, but I am optimistic.
Here are some observations from my post-work pioneering.
Our lives are structured by work. When you quit working, you lose a lot of structure. There are not good non-work structures to replace some aspects of work. The most glaring one is that some of the best social interaction is done in a context of shared activities and goals. Retirees compensate for this with play groups like golf leagues and bridge clubs, as well as volunteer organizations. But these are not for everyone. Groups that work on mental activities or creative activities are less common. It's not necessarily enough to work alone, but in the company of others. There is something special about working with people towards a shared goal. Work provides this. The downside to work is that you may not even like the goal - or the people you are working with. Non-work could be much better for you. Finding a purposeful community to interact with is hardest for intellectuals whose jobs were primarily analytic. I see some of this forming on the Web now and the Web does provide some opportunities. But they are not as purposeful as they might be. My initial work-around for this was to play multi-player online strategy games. It meets all these needs but unfortunately it's not really purposeful in a real-life sense. I am toying with the idea of finding a kaggle.com team and competing for machine learning prizes, but I suspect it would be less lively and fun compared to the gaming (sort of kidding here, it's a bit of a joke. if i could use smileys, they would be ;) and :D). To be honest, my game buddies are some of the best friends I have ever made and I would be loath to dump them. Think of it like the best bowling team you could ever play with - one that always is there for you with a positive comment. They restore my faith in humanity on a daily basis. The best part of my strategy game "family" is that it's international, multi-cultural and all ages. And free. And available 24/7 whenever I want to interact - or not. The most purposeful aspect to my online game playing is that I mentor college kids, especially the engineering majors. They always need advice. And sometimes I mentor teens on how to work in teams. I do a surprising amount of good in this context and find it emotionally rewarding. So keep an open mind about where to find structure. It does not have to be traditional places that retirees usually find it.
When you are planning to be freed from work, you will have a list of things you have been wanting to do. But those might evaporate because they looked good compared to work, but not compared to non-work. These things tend to be activities that impose structure on your time, cost money, or involve hassle. Work involves hassle and takes up your time, so swapping it out for an activity that seems like less hassle and better use of your time seems like a win. But when you have zero hassle and total control of your time, these things might seem like ------ WORK. Even travel is not that appealing to me, although it is common for my retired friends. The hassle and expense factor generally outweigh the benefit to me. Starting a company? MEGAHASSLE. Writing a novel? Time suck. So what to do?
This leads me to another observation. When all your time is your own, many things that were impractical or impossible can become possible. You fondest hobby can become your main activity. Be open. What you do does not have to "look good" to anyone else. It needs to feel good to you. You had an occupation, but occupation is not the same thing as vocation. Current US society is so focused on money that the idea of vocation has been lost in the search for an occupation that "pays well". Post-work you need to open up your possibilities. There are a lot of things that can be accomplished in 5 years or 10 years or even 20 that you have left, but maybe there is no pay-off until the end. This level of risk makes sense post-work. Take a chance on these things if that is what really calls to you. Because vocation comes from the Latin root for calling. We are all called to something. Sometimes more than one thing. But being occupied is not the same thing as following your calling. Being occupied is just staying busy. If you are busy you won't be listening to your inner voice. You won't know what your calling is.
And that is my last observation. People tend to thrash about when they transition into non-work. Disciplined people might feel compelled to stay busy. Think of yourself as a caterpillar. Time to cocoon a bit. Be still and listen to your inner voice. Waste a little time doing nothing much. Work on re-tooling. You have time now to learn and develop skills. If you always wanted to work with your hands making things, practice, take classes. Maybe you are really a fantastic potter and will leave the world hundred of beautiful pots. If you wanted to be a researcher, take classes on the subjects you are are interested in. That's what I am doing and coursera and edx make this incredibly productive and free. Have faith that at some point you will emerge a butterfly. Then, who knows where you will fly and what beauty you will bring to the world?
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