11–20 of 36 posts
> This scene might feel like science fiction A skilled tradesperson in high demand being able to afford an investment property is science fiction?
Trades still make good money
Hell, I'd kinda rather do something like that, if the money were as good, and I'm already reasonably handy. Pretty sure I'm far from alone, and again, it only needs to be a few percent of laid-off office workers able & willing to train into blue collar jobs to flatten any price spike.
The idea that anyone but capital's going to benefit from this, if any of it plays out the way AI-maximalists think (separately, I think that's mostly BS, but do think this is going to provide the activation energy for another wave of off-shoring instead of hiring back US workers when the AI tools prove inadequate) seems so naïve that it's hard not to read it as deliberate propaganda.
Pretty sure enough (doesn't need to be a high proportion of them, really) office workers can re-train as e.g. locksmiths or plumbers fast enough if the money is really there that a substantial bump from this effect will be short-lived. Hell, I'd kinda rather do something like that, if the money were as good, and I'm already reasonably handy. Pretty sure I'm far from alone, and again, it only needs to be a few percent…
But if you talk to a plumber, you'll quickly learn that while it's a respectable job that can earn you a good wage, it's also hard on the body, and often wildly unpleasant. And that's before you get to the fact that you're often your own boss, which means dealing with disgruntled or difficult customers, sometimes while you're also doing the physically uncomfortable and unpleasant task.
Imagine dealing with someone yelling at you for doing something or being too expensive wrong while you're elbow-deep in literal shit.
I read a bit of this and sort of just glazed over The fact is that people have never been that impressed by job titles, at least not in my lifetime No one's ever been like "oh wow you're a software engineer? That's so incredible" Mostly if they're impressed, it's because it pays well and they assume I'm pretty rich I'm not. I do really well compared to my peers, yes, but ultimately I'm still living the same kind of m…
Lawyers' wages are badly depressed, supposedly, yet "I'm a lawyer" instantly confers better social status than "I'm a software developer" or even "I work at Google". Doctor, professor, those are jobs that come with a little or large bump in social status. "I'm a software developer" is like "I'm an accountant"—neutral at best.
> This scene might feel like science fiction A skilled tradesperson in high demand being able to afford an investment property is science fiction?
Yeah, it kinda shows that the writer is living in a bit of a white collar bubble, doesn't it? Trades still make good money
I read a bit of this and sort of just glazed over The fact is that people have never been that impressed by job titles, at least not in my lifetime No one's ever been like "oh wow you're a software engineer? That's so incredible" Mostly if they're impressed, it's because it pays well and they assume I'm pretty rich I'm not. I do really well compared to my peers, yes, but ultimately I'm still living the same kind of m…
A lawyer can become a locksmith in a few months (weeks? days?). If the flip mentioned is really happening, isn't it temporary?
Can you pay for ad placement on Google Maps and answer locksmithing calls? Yes, probably. Can you join all of the professional circles needed to access all the manufacturer data, parts catalogs, etc. ? Not so easily, I'd bet. I would hope that not just anybody can pay a fee to a safe lock company and get the manufacturer's code, for example.
It occurs to me that your post used to impress people. That era ended, too.
That is, an AI can generate your edgy takes that used to give you reputation and karma, and can do so faster than you can. So your edgy takes don't impress people anymore, either.
(With "you" being understood as not necessarily the author, or the reader, but the kind of people who expected to be able to impress people by social media posts.)