Automate Yourself Out of A Job

I have the great fortune to meet many IT professionals in my day-to-day role. People of all technical proclivities, focusses, levels, ages and experience.

One thing that strikes me is that people typically fall into two broad categories - the ones that want to change and improve what they do, and the ones that “just keep on keeping on”.

Both groups often discuss with me concerns around career longevity, decaying or irrelevant skills sets and the like. People want to know they will be productive, valued and relevant in an industry that is changing all the time.

The biggest piece of advice I can offer is to strive to “automate yourself out of a job”. Now this may seem counter-intuitive. If I want to have a job and a career, why would I seek to do myself out of it?

The reason is that WHAT you do is important - HOW you do it is what changes all the time.

There will always be demand for people who can think, who can find efficiencies, who can be creative, who can tackle and solve tough problems. Whist demand for a specific certification or skill-set will wax and wane over time.

In my travels I have often met those “distinct individuals” who have a passion for automating themselves out of their job. Are they constantly unemployed? No! They are in high demand for their true skills - which transcend any technical capability or familiarity with a particular tool.

What are you doing to automate yourself out of a job - and into the next one?