Ask HN: Will technology make me redundant by the time I turn 50?

[boredmgr]

Dear Community, I am Engg Manager in a public listed company where I deliver applications / web apps which use AI models for some/most user journeys.

I am worried that technology will make me redundant in another 8 - 10 yrs time frame. Am I overthinking? if not, what are some suggestions?

[themodelplumber]

That can be a tough concern. And then, "am I overthinking"--this question is often good at stirring up trouble of different kinds, especially if the response is some black-and-white thing like "stop thinking about it altogether".

One alternative is to think differently, by organizing your thinking.

For example, rank your fears as specifically as possible: "The specific technology that does steps X, Y, etc. will make me obsolete", etc. And then even break down and rank the various algorithms responsible for your redundancy.

What this kind of activity will do is give you purchase, or leverage, over the problem. You'll be able to see specific, often immediate steps you can take to make yourself less replaceable.

In my experience it's more likely that one's own changing feelings, tastes, preferences, interests will force them to move on in the 5-10 year timeline. You can also prepare for this in a conscious way so it's easier on future you.

However this works out for you, good luck & keep going with your exploration of the topic--taking some breaks to enjoy the present of course :-)

[LinuxBender]

Not provided that you continuously learn, explore and adapt both to technology and corporate culture. There are plenty of 50+ year old people in development, engineering, etc... Those that kept current can work as long as they wish. Some may choose to retire early if they were lucky.

[legitster]

> Am I overthinking?

Almost surely, yes.

People really misunderstand automation. If automation saves time and money, humans are fully capable of filling that consumption with something new and not yet automated. Some industries even de-automate. Coffee used to be made automatically at home every day for cheap. Now we spend a ton of money to have humans do it.

In addition, now that baby boomers have started retiring, I don't think people fully understand the US labor pool has actually started contracting for the first time... since WWII?

> what are some suggestions

The biggest risk, as always, is that your current skills or knowledge becomes obsolete. And you get to a point in your life where you can't really go back to entry level in a new vertical.

Your biggest hedge against this is make sure you always have a foot in some other technology, or have transferrable people/project management skills.

[boredmgr]

Thanks for the comments. The last 2 statement "you can't go back to entry level" and "biggest hedge against this is make sure always have a foot in some other tech" seems to be a bit contradictory. Pardon me if I have not understood it clearly. But if someone is not able to go back to entry level then how can they have foot in other tech?

[legitster]

Even if you are an expert on X technology, you can still apply yourself to learning Y by involving yourself in projects that feature it.

[dylanhassinger]

invest wisely and retire in 8-10 yrs

[boredmgr]

So, it means, you agree to the fact that a Engg manager will be be a redundant job in 8 - 10 yrs timeframe?