Three types of peopleAmong the forces that are emerging in our time, the rise of digital technology has changed our labor market in an unexpected way. As intelligent machines continue to improve, the difference in capabilities between machines and humans is gradually narrowing, and employers are increasingly choosing to hire "new machines" rather than "new humans".
In addition to this, the competition for jobs that only humans can do is fiercer for the simple reason that the development of communication and writing tools has made remote work more convenient than ever. Companies will outsource key positions to industry leaders, and the unemployment rate of local talent will be extremely high.
The good news is,There are three types of people who are on the profit side in the era of intelligent machines and can reap great benefits. The first category of people: senior skilled workers. Those who have the ability to work magically and can create valuable results with increasingly complex machines will succeed. Intelligent machines are not an obstacle to their success, but a prerequisite for their success. The second type of people: superstars. The underlying logic of the Internet is that the winner takes all, and once the talent market can be shared globally, then those at the top of the market will succeed while the rest will suffer. The third type of people: people who have capital. In the new economic situation, those who have capital can invest in new technologies and promote major restructuring. Those who hold capital can bring a huge advantage under the wave of technology.
Two core competenciesThere are no secrets in the world that can help you quickly accumulate wealth and become a big capitalist. For ordinary people, it is achievable to become one of two other types of people, one who is able to use intelligent machines to do creative work, and the other is the best in their field.
In order to become a high-level skilled worker or specialist, it is key to have two core competencies. One is the ability to quickly master complex tools; The second is the ability to reach the elite level in terms of both the quality and speed of work.
Because technology changes quickly, the process of mastering complex things never ends, and you have to be able to do it quickly, again and again. If you want to be the best in your field, skills are required, but not sufficient. If you don't produce, you won't succeed, no matter how skilled you are or how talented you are.
Deep workHow can you learn Xi difficult and complex knowledge or reach an elite level? The answer isThe ability to master deep work.
Professor Anthony's "Intellectual Life" advocates: ".Let your mind become a lens and gather the light of concentration; Let your soul be fully engaged in the dominant thing in your mind and absorb the thoughts to your heart's content. Erikson also mentioned in "Deliberate Xi".(1) Your attention should be fully focused on a skill or concept that you want to improve; (2) You can get feedback so that you can adjust your approach and keep your attention invested in the best output.
Grant is the youngest professor at Wharton, and he has been able to make a name for himself in academia for a simple reason: he is productive. Grant published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers over the course of three years, plus a best-selling book, "Wharton's Most Popular Success Classes."
Grant shared his experience of high-quality output:In a state of no interference for a long time, difficult but important intellectual work is solved in batches. He focused his teaching work on the fall semester, during which time he could devote all his energy to teaching well and making sure that students would find him. Grant devotes all of his energy to research in the spring and summer, and often allocates his energy in batches over a shorter period of time. He sometimes opened his doors to students and colleagues, and sometimes he was isolated. When he is fully focused on a research task, he is completely isolated.
Maximizing concentration at work maximizes productivity per unit of time. As a result, Grant worked a lot fewer hours than the average professor, but he still produced more than almost everyone in the field.
Adapted from Carl Newport's Deep Thinking