时代浪潮中，没有永远安稳的工作
As technology advances, many jobs from the past have quietly disappeared and now seem strange to young people. For instance, in industrial Britain, “knocker-ups” walked the streets carrying long sticks. They tapped on bedroom windows to wake workers. We rely on alarm clocks today, but this was once a real job that lasted in some places until the 1970s.
Other forgotten jobs include switchboard operators who connected telephone calls by hand, telegram messengers, and lamp lighters who lit gas streetlights each evening. Before modern computers, “human computers” did complex calculations all day. Milkmen delivered fresh milk to doorsteps early in the morning. Thousands of people once worked in these fields, and in countries like Australia they have now almost completely disappeared. Your parents or grandparents may still remember such scenes. Mary Tamvakologos, an Australian industry expert, calls these “ghost jobs”. She says they show how quickly industries can change. People often think the jobs around them will always exist because they are familiar. However, history proves that is rarely true.
The basic customer needs—like information, entertainment, and convenience—haven’t changed. Technology has simply provided faster and more efficient ways to meet them. A good example is the video rental store. In the 1980s and 1990s, chains like Blockbuster were popular gathering places for teenagers. When online streaming services appeared, demand for DVDs dropped sharply, and these stores closed down almost overnight. Another big change was the smartphone. It replaced separate alarm clocks, cameras, maps, calculators, and music players. All these tools suddenly fit into a single device people could carry in their pockets.
Tamvakologos advises companies to watch changes in consumer habits carefully. She suggests owners ask themselves: “If we started this business today, would it look the same?” If the answer is no, change might be necessary. The lesson from all these disappearing jobs is clear: no career is safe forever. The businesses that survive are those willing to adapt before they are forced to.
原创编写 版权所有 侵权必究 每日更新 个性化阅读 英语飙升