Today, I was reviewing a few French magazines online for a project, and I discovered that by 2015 France will discontinue all public telephones. While it is no secret to why, the reasons are very close to those of most American telephone conglomerates in America. However in France, Belcagom, a Belgium company supplies all public telephone cabines in France. Belcagom has experienced a significant decline in the use of public phones in France since the entrance of cell phones to the market. Last year, the average public phone was used 14 minutes a month compared to 15 hours a month in 1997.
There was a time I never would have thought that public phones would cease to exist in urban cities. It would have been like telling me video stores like Blockbuster and Hollywood would go out of business! Oh my how they have changed! These stores too have been greatly affected by Internet technologies. The disappearance of this social entertainment as a staple brick and mortar business has had a dramatic effect on the local economy. Since Netflix, and Blockbuster have gone online there are a myriad of jobs that have been replaced by a new sector in the work place, leaving those who have not updated their skill set in an undesirable place. Let’s take a look at the jobs that disappeared or have affected other industries with the disappearance of these 2 store chains nationwide:
· Store managers
· Assistant store managers
· District managers
· Sales clerks
· Stock clerks
· Office clerks
· Secretaries
· Distribution warehouses
· Decrease in shipping needs via UPS
Technology is definitely reshaping the labor market in ways we cannot really project. In fact, I saw a great YouTube video entitled What is 21st Century Educaton (2012) by the Smithsonian Student that asserted in 2012 many of the top jobs did not exist in 2002 such as:
· Media Content Expert
· Sustainability Managaer
· User Experience Specialist
· Telework Manager
Video: What is a 21st Century Education?
http://youtu.be/Ax5cNlutAys
The advances in technology are so vast and rapid; it is critical to change how you construct your worldview and the skills that you develop. To compete with your peers around the world, you must have global competencies, such as the following:
· Oral and Written competency in a World Language
· Excellent critical thinking skills
(meaning the ability to take issues, situations, and problems and diagnose root components to have a systematic perspective)
· Ability to communicate and collaborate with diverse global citizens from various cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds
These are only a few. I will write a blog soon about this in the coming weeks!!!
Think Global Challenge:
One of the careers listed below is a career that has already been automatized, and is predicted to be severely on decline in the 10 years as a “stand alone” skill. Choose your answer and post your reasons why. I will post the answer next week.
A. Attorney
B. Accountant
C. Electrician
D. Marketing Director