Pink Discussion: Prompt 1
By lisahuff on May 15, 2008 in Summer Assignment 08 and tagged danielpink apenglish apenglishlang literacy summerassig
In chapter three, Pink writes:
To survive in this age, individuals and organizations must examine what
they’re doing to earn a living and ask themselves three questions:
1. Can someone overseas do it cheaper?
2. Can a computer do it faster?
3. Is what I’m offering in demand in an age of abundance? (51)
In the Afterword, Pink claims “these three questions will mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who gets left behind” (246).
Do you agree or disagree? Explain.
Respond by leaving a comment below. Be sure to use your first name and last initial in the comment box so that I can credit you with your comment.
When responding to others, direct your comments to a specific person (like this: @Susie:) so that we can easily follow the conversation.
Source: Pink, Daniel H. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. New York: Riverhead Books, 2006.
46 Comment(s)
I completely agree with Pink’s statement above.
Most companies, now days, are being moved to other countries because of the cheaper labor they supply. Pretty soon all of the jobs that can be more cheaply provided, yet just as efficiently preformed, will be occupied by workers in other countries. The cheaper labor done by people in other countries would be better for the owners of big organizations simply because they would pay cheaper wages to people in other countries and still sell at higher prices in the United States. However, this would not be as great for the thousands or millions of workers in the United States that lose their jobs to cheap labor in other countries.
Not only can United States workers be replaced by workers in other countries, but they can be replaced by computers as well. If a computer can do a person’s job just as fast or faster and just as efficient or more efficient, then those workers can easily be replaced by computers. Again, this would be better and cheaper for the big organizations because they obviously do not have to pay the computers to do the jobs that they once had to pay thousands or millions of people to do.
If a person has an item that there are not very many of and that many people want, then that item will most likely be in high demand. If the item is in high demand, then the people or organizations selling that item can charge more for that item. However, the items that are in abundance do not sell for as much as the items that are in short supply with a high demand.
The three questions that Pink says will determine a person’s success in the near future are definitely three very important questions. I honestly think that they will determine who gets ahead and who gets left behind.
I completely agree with Pink and Kirbi M. on the subject that these three questions will be deciding factors of who moves on to the Conceptual Age and who will stay back in the Information Age. As an aging student, I have been thinking about what career I need to choose that will sustain me financially for many years and make me happy. When I go off to college and I am forced to make the decision of choosing a major, the three questions will run through my thoughts over and over helping me in my decision.
The news reporters are constantly commenting on the growth of U.S. businesses moving their work overseas. Before reading this book, the idea that not only manual labor but office and brain-using jobs are being done by foreigners overseas never crossed my mind. The suggestion is scary in how Americans need to rethink our whole style of getting the job done. Do we as Americans want to fight for a job not only against our coworkers but against the added workers overseas willing to do anything for that job? Do we as U.S. citizens want us and our future children to be forced to move to other countries because all the available jobs are overseas where the cost of living is cheaper?
The newly developed computers are progressing at rapid speed in intelligence and pace. These new computers are being put to work doing the jobs humans were doing ten years ago, all for just the cost of upkeep. However, the one feature that will keep humans one step ahead of computer for now is that humans can have feeling and understand emotions which computers are oblivious to. Another way to look at question 2 is do I use and understand feelings and emotions to complete the tasks.
In the age of abundance, having a skill or item relating to work in high demand is rare. When trying to pass the fault line of failure to success, the question of in demand is mandatory. Any job nowadays needs to have something to offer that is in demand.
Mr. Pink and Kirbi M. are absolutely right that these three important questions will decide the future of the job market and the accomplishments that may or may not follow. The answers will help in the discovery of left- and right-brainers.
If I were a person that was about to start a company or a person trying to find a way to expand it, then yes, I would ask myself all of these questions. It’s not right or fair, but what IS freally fair anymore?
I know exactly what kirby m. and grace g. are talking about on the issue of cheap labor. However, if the companies that stay in the u.s., sold us their products, would it not be more expensive to us, as the consumers that are buying them?
Then there are the computers. I do believe that most things a person can do on a job, a computer can do it a lot faster. Not only are computers fast though, they don’t get tired and don’t need breaks as often as people do. The downside of that though is the thousands or even millions of dollars the company would have had to spend on purchasing it and the many repairs that would most likely come in a short or long time’s notice. Then actual people will have to be around to monitor these computers.
And adding to that is the conflict with the laws of supply and demand. You definetely have to ask yourself if your product is wanted out there in the market enough to risk investing in it. I don’t really understand why anyone would want to sell something that nobody wanted to buy unless they had some crazy vision that it would miracously save the world or something. Then there is the skill. For example, nurses and doctors will always be in demand so we all know that that would be an excellent choice to start your career and invest your time in. But if you were to become a factory worker, eventually that company is gonna ask question number one or two, and you would be jobless once again. So planning on what skills or products to offer are a vital part in “who get’s ahead and who gets left behind”
But yes, I do think that these questions help determine whether a person will be succesful or not, but if the world is as unexpected as some think, then i do believe there are some flaws to these questions that have yet to be argued.
@Lihn T.: When you mentioned that doctors and nurses will always be in demand, that made think of Pink’s emphasis on the required use of the right brain. Doctors and nurses definitely have to be able to care for the people they are treating or examining. As of right now there is an increasingly high demand for nurses especially. Pink stated that hospitals in the U.S. are having to higher nurses from other countries to come work because of our shortage. He aslo said that there has been a great increase in male nurses. All of this particularly struck my interest because my mom just finished her two long years of nursing school. When she started, I had no idea why she was going back to school. Personally, I thought it was all pretty crazy. However, I soon learned that it was a much better career choice for her, because she loved what she was studying in school. Now, especially after reading Pink’s book, I figured out that she was pretty smart for making the decision to go to nursing school. She changed careers as the times changed, and it ended up being the best thing for her and our family.
I agree with Pink, Kirbi M., Grace G., and Lihn T. Today if you went and looked at the tags in all of your clothes, the majority would be made in China or some other foreign country. Many major companies are moving overseas because labor is cheaper there, and personally, I don’t blame them. They can produce more for less. Isn’t that the main goal of major companies? However, this has started to greatly hurt America’s economy because so many people are losing their jobs. More and more people every week are struggling to pay the bills and support their family.
Some people are also losing their jobs to computers. Computers have become much more advanced. They can do jobs quicker than people and they’re probably more likely to do them right. Now computers can’t be completely perfect, they will break and have to be reparded sometimes, but employers won’t have to deal with them griping and complaining about raises and health insurance.
Some jobs will always have to be done by people. Health care, for example, is always going to be mainly provided by people. Computers don’t have feeling and they can’t feel pain. They can’t give empathy to a person laying in a hospital bed because they don’t know how. They’ve never experienced the feeling. This is a job that uses more of the right side of the brain and not just the left.
To get ahead in the conceptual age, a person must answer the three questions set out by Pink. They will help a person secure a job needed in the future.
@Linh T.: The question of if all the jobs stay in the U.S. then the products would be more expensive is a very good one. What can we as American citizens do to help with rising costs?
@Kirbi M. and Meridith M.: You both are completely right that the healthcare field is and always will be in demand, and no computer will be able to complete diagnose a patient by itself.
Like most kids today, I had the get good grades, go to college, and get a good job plan, but these three questions made me question my perfect plan. I completely agree with Pink that these questions will determine who moves up the “ladder of success” in the Conceptual Age.
Outsourcing alone scares most left-brainers senseless. Computer programming, for example, used to provide many Americans with “comfortable white-collar salaries of upward of $70,000 a year,” but now Indians are doing the same work for the salary of a “Taco Bell counter jockey.” Many kinds of L-Directed work, like financial analysis and radiology, can be done overseas for alot less money and can be delivered over the internet. In this age, we will have to start more R-Directed work that involves story and empathy. These are the jobs that will remain.
With computers that can beat one of the world’s greatest chess players and give a preliminary diagnosis, we must all find work that software cannot handle. With companies like Appligenics, where a software that can write software was created, manual tasks that many workers do can take just seconds. We will have to search for our inner creative genius to survive this “bump in the road.”
The prosperity of L-Directed thinking has resulted in a need for more R-Directed thinking, like beauty and spirituality. Polly LaBarre wrote,”The United States spends more on trash bags than ninety otehr countries spend on everything. In other words, the receptacles of our waste cost more than all the goods consumed by nearly half of the world’s nations.” Does that give you any idea as too how much we just throw away? There is no short supply of anything in America. This is the time when masters of design will lead the way.
These three questions determine so much for so many people. “Stepping outside the box” will be in huge demand. Will your four corners hold you back?
I agree with all of the above, however, I think Pink’s three questions can be summarized into on simple one, “What can I do that is not expendable?” expendable having the definition, “more easily or economically replaced than rescued, salvaged, or protected.” Luckily, I have a feeling that teachers (which I hope to join their ranks someday, accepting the awful pay) will never be expendable to society. Despite all the ‘do-it-yourself’ courses you can buy, most humans need a real flesh and blood instructor to learn.
@Kirbi, Meredith, and Grace:
Your ongoing discussion about the medical field and it’s place in the future reminds me of the popular show “House.” Although all their medical tests never seem to coincide at the beginning of the show, the main character House uses his abstract thinking and sarcastic, cynical sense of humor to somehow pluck a solution out of thin air before the end of the hour.
Now, that sort of thing doesn’t necessarily happen everyday in the medical world, but sometimes doctors have to take things into account that a computer wouldn’t have been programed to ‘think’ of.
Also on the same note, they say laughter is the best medicine, and your mind is a powerful thing. It’s amazing what a little good will can to twords a person’s health. A computer can’t show compassion, companionship, or even the slightest comfort. This is where our kindly nurses come to save the day.
ON OUTSOURCING AND COMPUTERS:
There are two songs that come to mind when I read through this part, both by a two-man parody comic novelty band by the name of “Flight of the Conchords.”
The first one is entitled “Think About It” and mentioned outsourcing in this matter:
“They’re turning kids into slaves just to make cheaper sneakers
But what’s the real cost, ’cause the sneakers don’t seem that much cheaper
Why are we still paying so much for sneakers when you got little kid slaves making them”
Well, it’s true. I was talking to my friend the other day commenting on his nike tennis shoes. They were custom with his name on the back and I asked how much it cost him to get that done and he said they cost a little over $100 plus shipping. That’s ridiculous! I can get a pair of shoes just like that at Walmart and write my name in permanent marker on the back. Corporate companies take advantage of our consumer society. They can maximize their profits by getting some little kids to work for ridiculously low wages and then sell the shoes for ridiculously high prices. So why are we still paying so much for sneakers?!
The second song is called “Robots” or “The Humans are Dead.” Although funny, it discusses a worst case scenario that many sci-fi novels have played up.
“After time we grew strong.
Developed cognitive powers.
They made us work for too long.
For unreasonable hours.
Our programming determined
That the most efficient answer
Was to shut their motherboard-flipping systems down.”
And while Pink is not discussing a robotic uprising, computers while they aren’t likely to kill us (yet… *insert evil laugh*), are likely to take many American jobs as he discribed. So we’ll just have to find work else where.
In Pink’s first question, “Can someone overseas do it cheaper?” I have to say that I do not completely agree. I do believe that in some circumstances like factory assembly lines, telephone operators, etc, that people in foreign countries could take over those jobs. However, some professions in the United States, especially any medical field, are not going to move out of the country. Even though a doctor in India may be just as capable as one in the US and he charges much less, a patient is still going to go to the doctor closest to home. This is also true in psychology professions, because the patients have to connect intimately with the doctors. “Can a computer do it faster?” This question gets more complicated as technology advances. I agree, because people will choose computers over employees for the obvious fact that computers work for free and are accurate about 99% of the time. The third question, “Is what I’m offering in demand in an age of abundance?” is probably the hardest to discuss. I agree that this question always needs to be answered with “yes” when asked about a profession, but the tricky part is knowing what will be in demand. No one knows what people are going to want in the future, so careful research needs to be done before deciding on a career.
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I agree with all of the above statements, including Pink’s. By people overseas doing America’s work, United States citizens, (and those who claim to be U.S. citizens,) will all lose their jobs. Professional work can be done for overseas at the same price a McDonalds employee is paid to slap a piece of processed patty on a bun. Who would want to pay more money when they can get the same work done cheaper? Anyone who has read a label has read the little words “Made in China,” engraved or printed on a product. This is because America is just a huge business trying to be successful by selling products for over quadruple the cost it took to make them. Meredith M. had a good point on this. She said “This has started to greatly hurt America’s economy because so many people are losing their jobs. More and more people every week are struggling to pay the bills and support their family.” Jobs overseas may be helping America’s income, but it’s hurting the economy. Although, with the shortage of jobs in the United States, we may not be able to afford to buy the products that are made overseas anyways.
Not only are overseas workers taking away our jobs, but computers are too, leaving the average working United States citizen unimportant. Computers have been designed to work longer, faster, and make fewer mistakes than humans. This has caused computers to become the perfect employee for big business. Healthcare however will always be in demand for humans. A computer might be able to tell a patient which medicine to take, but no computer can be programmed with bedside manners. At the hospital would you rather talk to cold metal beeping robot, or have an actual person there with you that can feel what you’re going through and encourage you along? When it comes to computers, yes they can be programmed to do almost any job in this world, but no computer can actually feel any emotion.
@Rachael T: Pink’s discussion on Computers taking over our jobs also made me think of the Flight of the Conchords song, “Robots, The Humans Are Dead.” The song is very funny and does make you wonder if eventually Robots might just get that smart.
@Kirbi M.: If a person can be replaced by something faster and more efficient to get the job done then they will be replaced. This is kind of harsh, but still true. It reminds me of cross country in some ways. The faster runners get to run for the team in state, replacing the ones who are not as fast. Even if the faster runners are barely old enough, they still get to replace the older runners that deserve to be out there running along with the team.
The three questions Daniel Pink asked has me thinking. Is my plan for the future going to work out? Will I be forced to working into a medical field because it is the only United States Citizen/Human-demanding job? I agree completely with what Pink had to say. We need to find jobs that will be demanding in an age of abundance. These jobs are going to have to take the right, (and left) kind of person.
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I agree with Pink and all of the people that have responded above.
A majority of the companies in the Untied States are sending work to out of the country workers. People that do not live in the United States can do the same job as efficient as an American for over $5,000 less for many different jobs (pg.38.) If you were choosing which way would be more cost efficient for your company, wouldn’t you choose the oversea workers?
Because we are in a high-tech era, computers are being built to do even more complex tasks. Computers can do work much faster and cheaper than a human worker. The computer will also make fewer mistakes than any person. Most technical jobs can now be done by computers, but some jobs can not because a computer can not tell emotion. In some jobs the way a person feels is a major part of the job, so in those jobs the person will always do a better job than the computer.
When something is in high demand, everyone will want to buy the item or the service you are offering. If the job that you want to invest in is not in the age of abundance, failure could be one of the major consequences of choosing that job.
All three of Pink’s questions should be asked when considering a living because the questions will help choose a promising living for the future.
@ Kirbi, Meredith, Grace, Rachael: I also agree with you about the medical field will always need a person working because of how feelings help in helping people get well and telling whats wrong with them. I like Rachael’s comparison with House because that is so true.
@ Lihn and Grace: I also agree with your question about rising cost. Could Americans start living cheaper and be less materialized to help jobs stay here?
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I,of course, agree with Pink and all of the afore commenters. As Rachael T. eloquently stated, “What can I do that is not expendable?” seems to be the summarizing question. At this age especially, we are beginning to think about future careers, someday supporting a family, and ultimately becoming “successful” additions to society. Pink was right in stating that “individuals and organizations must examine” this burning question. No pressure.
When I was in the ninth grade, my physical science teacher told his students everyday, “It’s extremely important that you try very hard in school and complete college and secure a good career, because the Chinese are coming. They’re smarter than you and they need the jobs, and you’ve got to be able to compete in this new generation.” My friends and I laughed about it at the time. We would pass notes to each other sarcastically exclaiming, “Beware the Chinese!” I even had a freaky nightmare once about Chinese people beating me in an intense rat race. Now I understand the message he was trying to get across. American youth very rarely realize the incoming pressure from workers overseas. Big name organizations know it all too well, however. The Chinese, and others, are indeed coming, and they usually offer to perform our jobs at lesser pay than us high maintenance Americans will. We are forced to ask ourselves this question. However, I must give Kudos to Lihn T. on her great thought. Overseas workers may be taking our jobs because of their offers for cheaper labor, but if we were buying from the American companies and American workers, products would be more expensive for us as consumers. So which would we rather complain about?
I also agree with all the afore thoughts on computers. Yes, computers can do it faster than we can. Yes, businesses are making computers that can do it faster than other computers. However, there will always be jobs like healthcare and psychiatry and (hopefully) physical therapy that we will prefer to be performed by a fellow human. Computers do not require regular wages or salary like humans do. However, just the production and repair costs are high enough to be daunting. Lihn T. also mentioned that humans will always need to be around to monitor the computers when they fail. I dearly hope that computers remain imperfect in that regard. But computers are already beginning to learn to repair computers. Eventually, they may not need us anymore.
The laws of supply and demand are indeed very important. I remember defining the law out of my economy textbook at a very young age. Businesses and individuals are definitely forced to consider if there is anyone who would want their product or service before they waste their time and money on it. However, I wonder about people such as entertainers or athletes. Is what they offer really in DEMAND? I plan to be an entertainer myself, a musician. I recall a line from one of my favourite musicals, Hello Dolly that relates: “A living is made by producing something that people need. A million is made by producing something that people need every single day. Artists produce nothing that nobody needs never.” Is this true? And if so, how are artists and athletes and musicians and the like remaining the wealthiest people in the world? Do these people abide by the laws of supply and demand? And in the “conceptual age” what is their role?
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@ Rachael T:
I think you have a very good point about outsourcing. When American buisnesses make products in a different country, it hurts our economy. Many people loss their jobs while the companies just make more by spending less. If we are going to survive in the coming years, our country needs to do something about all the outsourcing. Buying more American made products would help. We could even boycott companies overseas that use children for cheap labor. These are just some ideas that might help keep our economy from getting worse.
I, of course, agree with Pink and all of the afore commenters. As Rachael T. eloquently stated, “What can I do that is not expendable?” seems to be the summarizing question. At this age especially, we are beginning to think about future careers, someday supporting a family, and ultimately becoming “successful” additions to society. Pink was right in stating that “individuals and organizations must examine” this burning question. No pressure.
When I was in the ninth grade, my physical science teacher told his students everyday, “It’s extremely important that you try very hard in school and complete college and secure a good career, because the Chinese are coming. They’re smarter than you and they need the jobs, and you’ve got to be able to compete in this new generation.” My friends and I laughed about it at the time. We would pass notes to each other sarcastically exclaiming, “Beware the Chinese!” I even had a freaky nightmare once about Chinese people beating me in an intense rat race. Now I understand the message he was trying to get across. American youth very rarely realize the incoming pressure from workers overseas. Big name organizations know it all too well, however. The Chinese, and others, are indeed coming, and they usually offer to perform our jobs at lesser pay than us high maintenance Americans will. We are forced to ask ourselves this question. However, I must give Kudos to Lihn T. on her great thought. Overseas workers may be taking our jobs because of their offers for cheaper labor, but if we were buying from the American companies and American workers, products would be more expensive for us as consumers. So which would we rather complain about?
I also agree with all the afore thoughts on computers. Yes, computers can do it faster than we can. Yes, businesses are making computers that can do it faster than other computers. However, there will always be jobs like healthcare and psychiatry and (hopefully) physical therapy that we will prefer to be performed by a fellow human. Computers do not require regular wages or salary like humans do. However, just the production and repair costs are high enough to be daunting. Lihn T. also mentioned that humans will always need to be around to monitor the computers when they fail. I dearly hope that computers remain imperfect in that regard. But computers are already beginning to learn to repair computers. Eventually, they may not need us anymore.
The laws of supply and demand are indeed very important. I remember defining the law out of my economy textbook at a very young age. Businesses and individuals are definitely forced to consider if there is anyone who would want their product or service before they waste their time and money on it. However, I wonder about people such as entertainers or athletes. Is what they offer really in DEMAND? I plan to be an entertainer myself, a musician. I recall a line from one of my favourite musicals, Hello Dolly that relates: “A living is made by producing something that people need. A million is made by producing something that people need every single day. Artists produce nothing that nobody needs never.” Is this true? And if so, how are artists and athletes and musicians and the like remaining the wealthiest people in the world? Do these people abide by the laws of supply and demand? And in the “conceptual age” what is their role?
There is somewhat of truth to the passage, not exactly to my benefit. I finally decided that I definately want to become a radiologist, then I read this book just to find out I will either lose my future job that I don’t even have yet to either a computer or a cheap overseas worker. So what a great motivation booster. But I may still have some luck because I am sure that not all hospitals around the world, especially in destitute countires, will be able to afford some fancy computer to read X-Rays for them. Plus, technology malfunctions could become quite a problem in the future when diagnosing a patient. I am also sure that not everyone would want a computer to tell them that they have a rare disease. Just me, I would want a human’s opinion in such a serious matter. Considering the aging baby boomers, I also happen to think that alot of jobs in the medical field will be in great need of fulfillment. Therefore, I do not necessarily think that a person will not be able to survive in the future if the answer to his first two questions is yes and the answer to the last question is no.
@Emily B: Me and you both- perfect plans – grades, college, dream job. Then along comes Mr. Daniel Pink, and oh there goes our plans right out the window
I also couldn’t believe when I read about how much money we spend just to put waste in something – what a waste. . .
I agree with Pink and all of the people that have responded above.
A majority of the companies in the Untied States are sending work to out of the country workers. People that do not live in the United States can do the same job as efficient as an American for over $5,000 less for many different jobs (pg.38.) If you were choosing which way would be more cost efficient for your company, wouldn’t you choose the oversea workers?
Because we are in a high-tech era, computers are being built to do even more complex tasks. Computers can do work much faster and cheaper than a human worker. The computer will also make fewer mistakes than any person. Most technical jobs can now be done by computers, but some jobs can not because a computer can not tell emotion. In some jobs the way a person feels is a major part of the job, so in those jobs the person will always do a better job than the computer.
When something is in high demand, everyone will want to buy the item or the service you are offering. If the job that you want to invest in is not in the age of abundance, failure could be one of the major consequences of choosing that job.
All three of Pink’s questions should be asked when considering a living because the questions will help choose a promising living for the future.
@ Kirbi, Meredith, Grace, Rachael: I also agree with you about the medical field will always need a person working because of how feelings help in helping people get well and telling whats wrong with them. I like Rachael’s comparison with House because that is so true.
@ Lihn and Grace: I also agree with your question about rising cost. Could Americans start living cheaper and be less materialized to help jobs stay here?
While I hesitate to agree completely that these three questions will ultimately determine the future of all the jobs in America, I do have to agree with Pink more and more as I read. No, I cannot envision a sci-fi world in which everything is done by computer (at least, not in my lifetime), but as I look at the United States, I see more and more technology popping up everywhere. A better question might be “Would it be more practical to have a computer do it than me?” because a computer will do it faster, whatever the job is, or not do it at all.
The same goes for overseas workers. If they can do it at all, most people overseas are willing to do our tedious jobs for a fraction of our minimum wage.
The third question is trickier. Services cannot be shipped overseas, so unless it can be done cheaply by computer, most services will still be in high demand. Goods, however, can be made cheaply and in large quantities in factories here or in other countries. I have heard people complain that goods made in China or India are cheap pieces of junk, but almost all goods we buy are made in Asia. People want to buy American products, but they are swayed by the cheaper prices of foreign-made goods almost every time. The question is how to make something that people will buy despite the slightly higher price.
Basically, I think the three questions are important, and everyone who is serious about getting ahead in the workforce should ask themselves these questions. However, these three questions alone cannot automatically elevate or lower a person.
@Emily and Tamara: I was confused about what I wanted to do with my life before I read this book, so now I am completely at a loss. I want to find something I will enjoy that also allows me to support myself. I do not think that Pink is trying to tell people not to go to college. College is definitely a good idea no matter what field you want to go into, so still plan on going.
@Grace: I thought your statement about our children moving to other countries because of their job opportunities was very interesting. How ironic would it be if people moved from the “Land of Opportunity” to another country for a job? I just hope this outsourcing problem never gets that far.
@Carisa: Yes, I was one of those friends who laughed at the teacher’s apparent obsession over Chinese students who want our jobs. Maybe he wasn’t too far off. I don’t really think it matters where the workers come from, though. Someone will always want your job, but the fact that people in Asia will do the jobs for less still remains.
@Tamara and Hayden- I was intrigued by your thought of becoming a radiologist and something about thinking of a job that will not be taken over by an emotionless machine could possibly be a psychiatrist unless you could tell it all the drama and emotions you are going through with, but it would probably identify you as being a crazy psychopath and get you locked up in a facility, and by then I’m sure you would have regretted even going to a computer in the first place.
I agree with Pink’s statement. People will always find ways to do tasks easier and simpler. I also believe that its not a good mindset. People have become so pampered and laid back that they expect to have a job that pays exceptionally well or has great benefits. People cannot just settle down with a life that supplies us with “just enough”. I was watching this Dateline with my dad (and now that i think about it its kind of wierd to do such a thing) and there was a study/survey on what country was the happiest country and to everyone’s surprise it was Denmark. Denmark is a country in which most all you own is either the governments or given to you by the government and people were happier because they did not care much for money.
Computers will always grow faster, stronger, and smarter. Moore’s law states that technology will double every 18 months. You do the math that means that if you have 2 integrated circuits in about 2 years you’ll have four in the same amount of space. In Pink’s book it says that there is a program that can write programs. That’s craz. That’s computers making and writing other computers. It makes my imagination go wild and think of computers becoming self-aware and taking over the world.
This last question is going to be harder for me to comprehend and write about. There will always be jobs that need humans to work properly. People need people and people interact at the workplace so you need people to work with people. Unless you start to think about people in the future and a world that we have like robots with A.I or something like IRobot or Bicentenial Man. I’m just going to quit typing before i get ahead of myself.
I do agree with Pink’s statement.
@Hayden, Meredith, Grace, & Lihn: As we have all agreed, the medical field will be a good place to work now and in the future because it deals with people’s emotions. However, that got me wondering about another field that should deal with emotions. Pink talked about lawyers as L-Directed thinkers. So from there, I thought that they could and maybe should be replaced by computers. However, as I thought deeper into that, I realized that lawyers need to think in a R-Directed way as well, due to the fact that they have to and need to deal with their client’s and client’s family’s emotions. So, at first I thought that lawyers could be replaced by computers, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that they did not need to be.
I agree with all of the above statements, including Pink’s. By people overseas doing America’s work, United States citizens, (and those who claim to be U.S. citizens,) will all lose their jobs. Professional work can be done for overseas at the same price a McDonalds employee is paid to slap a piece of processed patty on a bun. Who would want to pay more money when they can get the same work done cheaper? Anyone who has read a label has read the little words “Made in China,” engraved or printed on a product. This is because America is just a huge business trying to be successful by selling products for over quadruple the cost it took to make them. Meredith M. had a good point on this. She said “This has started to greatly hurt America’s economy because so many people are losing their jobs. More and more people every week are struggling to pay the bills and support their family.” Jobs overseas may be helping America’s income, but it’s hurting the economy. Although, with the shortage of jobs in the United States, we may not be able to afford to buy the products that are made overseas anyways.
Not only are overseas workers taking away our jobs, but computers are too, leaving the average working United States citizen unimportant. Computers have been designed to work longer, faster, and make fewer mistakes than humans. This has caused computers to become the perfect employee for big business. Healthcare however will always be in demand for humans. A computer might be able to tell a patient which medicine to take, but no computer can be programmed with bedside manners. At the hospital would you rather talk to cold metal beeping robot, or have an actual person there with you that can feel what you’re going through and encourage you along? When it comes to computers, yes they can be programmed to do almost any job in this world, but no computer can actually feel any emotion.
@Rachael T: Pink’s discussion on Computers taking over our jobs also made me think of the Flight of the Conchords song, “Robots, The Humans Are Dead.” The song is very funny and does make you wonder if eventually Robots might just get that smart.
@Kirbi M.: If a person can be replaced by something faster and more efficient to get the job done then they will be replaced. This is kind of harsh, but still true. It reminds me of cross country in some ways. The faster runners get to run for the team in state, replacing the ones who are not as fast. Even if the faster runners are barely old enough, they still get to replace the older runners that deserve to be out there running along with the team.
The three questions Daniel Pink asked has me thinking. Is my plan for the future going to work out? Will I be forced to working into a medical field because it is the only United States Citizen/Human-demanding job? I agree completely with what Pink had to say. We need to find jobs that will be demanding in an age of abundance. These jobs are going to have to take the right, (and left) kind of person.
Although I had never really thought of this before, I agree with Pink and the comments above. Questions like these three can help young people determine which type of career to pursue and determine if they will be successful or not.
Like Meredith M. stated, everything is being made in China. Of course companies are going to have their products made overseas. They can have their products made just as good and a whole lot cheaper. The more they save on paying workers, the more profit that they earn. Even though this is wonderful for the company, this situation is not as wonderful for the people whose jobs are given to people overseas. Many people in the United States are losing their jobs because of this change.
Also, some jobs are being taken over by computers. Computers are now being created to do many of the jobs that humans are doing. Along with making product overseas, computers can do the job just as good and even faster while making the companies profit greater. Fewer people would have to be hired if they jobs are being done by computers; therefore, there are fewer people to pay and hopefully fewer people to make mistakes.
As the cost of living rises, the demand of certain products and services will eventually lessen. Most people will stop buying that “stuff” that is not a necessity. Careers, such as nursing, will always be in demand because healthcare is always necessary, and their job cannot be done overseas or by computers.
Although I agree with these questions, I do not believe that these should completely control a person’s career choice. A person should pick a job that they will enjoy doing. I do not want to spend every day of my life hating my job and wishing that I had pursued another career.
@Kirbi: You pose a good question. What about the other careers that could never fully be computerized? Lawyers are one of those. Experimenting scientist probably cannot be done be computers either. These scientists have to have the ability to think outside of the box. Computers are made to think inside the box because they are boxes.
@Carisa: The Chinesse, Japanesse, Indians, and other overseas people are coming!
@ Carisa
“But computers are already beginning to learn to repair computers. Eventually, they may not need us anymore.”
This reminded me of Wall-E. For those of you that haven’t seen it yet, go. Now. It is not just a cute little kid movie. There is a plethora of messages seeping out the the script. Global Warming. Laziness. Too much Trash (And other environmental issues). Obesity. Getting too enthralled in technology. Etc.
Anyway, there they had robots fixing robots and even robots fixing themselves. I’m sure in a high-tech, high-security lab somewhere, they already have machines with AI.
And the Chinese are coming. Watch out. You might want to do a Tice Brown and learn Mandarin.
@Keri: The medical profession is not the only one that will be left in the United States done by humans. For one, people need to watch over and fix the computers that are doing the rest of our jobs. Other things besides emotion will be needed in the future, like the ability to think of new ideas and to see new answers to problems. Computers only know what they are programmed to know.
@Kaylin: I completely agree. An individual should be more concerned with what personally makes them happy more than anything else. It might help out a lot of people to realize this and stop worrying so much about monatery reward.
The Chinese thing was just an illustration of something Mr. Brock used to say that I thought was relevant. But, haha! I’m really excited about the “Indians” coming. That made me laugh out loud.
@Grace: Haha! Yeah, I realize that they’re all coming from everywhere. I mentioned the Chinese and “others.”
@Linh: Nice, so are trying to tell me that I am going to end up in some mental facility in the future. . . thanks for that your such a true and honest friend
Seriously though like I have no idea what to do, I guess I will continue to go to college, become a radiologist, get replaced by some overseas worker or some emotionless computer, then I will be the famous person living in the cardboard box on the side of the road holding a sign that says “I used to be a radiologsit”. What a great future:) I plan to go ahead and do exactly that – besides the cardboard box thing- and see where life takes me – just kinda go with the flow I guess. . .
When I look around my room at how everything was made and where it was made,I see the point in Pink’s statements and the statements above. These questions could majorly decide whether or not someone gets a job in the future. If future employees do not consider questions like this when they select their future jobs, they may not have a job. I agree with Grace G. in the fact that soon we all will be on our way to college, and those smart enough to take these three questions into consideration will be the ones who ultimately succeed in life.
When Pink asked if someone overseas can do it cheaper, I thought the same thing as Merideth M…China. It seems as thogh anything I pick up has the famous saying “Made in China” on it somewhere. And, this is happening increasingly more each day. About the only thing that’s not made in China is our country’s citizens, and that may not be to far off. I think we have a lot to compete with when it comes to manufacturing overseas. Americans require a lot more money and time to do the same job that can be done overseas at a fration of the cost and time. The only way we can compete with this is to change our jobs and become those right-brained thinkers that we can be.
When it comes to computers, we have outsmarted ourselves. The way it looks, America’s laziness came back to bit us in the butt. At first, the warpspeed work was thought to be a life saver, but now I think everyone thinks differently. Computers evolved while humans sat back and watched them steal our jobs from in front of us. It amazes me that computers are even starting to take the jobs of doctors. I’m not so sure thatI want a computer telling me that I have a broken leg, but that’s what we’re headed for.
I don’t think that every job will disappear though. Every hospital will still need a nurse to come draw your blood and every court room will still need a judge, but the number of certain jobs, as Pink stated, will decrease while others, like nursing, increase. Our futures aren’t 100% endangered yet, but if we don’t start watching how we handle the future we may be in for a rough one.
@Zach: I agree with you, Zach. Just thinking about computers and how advanced they are becoming gives me a headache. If Moore’s law states that technology will double every 18 months, then why don’t I have a robot making me pancakes in the morning? It doesn’t make to much sense to me. I mean I don’t see us being taken over by robots or anything I just don’t see how we aren’t farther along than we are.
Yes I agree. Not many arguments can be made against Pink’s claim, due to all of the data he uses as evidence. Numbers do not lie and Pink definitely provides plenty of them.
Of course it is logical and typical of a left-brain thinker to hire an employee that requires a small salary. What is also logical is to make a computer to do that job and not have to pay the computer at all.
But let’s say that I’m a doctor in the U.S. I have a good job in large hospital and there are no signs of losing my job. The first question I ask myself is Can someone overseas do it cheaper? Yes, but of course we need doctors everywhere in the world. Next, Can a computer do it faster? Yes. As Pink says, computers are programmed to break down a problem into a series of questions which they solve in a matter of seconds. Last, Is what I’m offering in demand in an age of abundance? People will always get sick until we find cures for every disease ever, which is a long way off, so yes it is in demand. The only major threat to my hypothetical profession would be computers, which are advancing more every day. Later in the Pink’s book, he says that medical schools are making the medical profession more of high-touch profession, training them to have more empathy and to use and understand stories, making them more valuable than a computer.
Many professions can be taken through the same scenarios and those three questions are definitely a template for success.
I totally agree with Pink’s statements.
If I was a television manufacturer and televisions were cheaper in India, no one would bother buying them from me. I also agree with Kirbi, Linh, and Grace about cheaper labor overseas. Again, people are smart enough to put two and two together. If they can get the same product cheaper from someone else, I’m out of luck.
Many computers and other kinds of machinery are taking over jobs such as factory workers. These machines are most likely producing the goods faster and more efficiently. If this is the case, I had better find myself a new job if I want to pay my bills. With this generation’s technological advancements, few “routine jobs” exist. The jobs that are higher in demand require right-brained thinking.
One of the most important aspects of a business is, obviously, the product. There would not be a point in selling a product that was not in demand or would not come into demand. For example, an entrepreneur trying to sell floppy disks to a teen with the latest technological gadgets would probably go out of business fast if he did not upgrade his merchandise.
All in all, Pink’s three questions are highly valuable in determining a successful career.
@Kaylin C. That is a very good point in the last paragraph. Just like any other career, we shouldn’t pick that career just because it is a safe bet that a computer or an asian can’t take our jobs. Its the same thing as taking a job purely for the money and not consider the downside. Good Point.
@Nathan: No kidding. I’m pretty sure he spent numerous years of research writing this book from all the data he has. Computers do seem to be the only threat in that particular field, but what career isn’t being taken over by computers?
@Kaylin: I agree with that most jobs are being taken from us either by computers or overseas workers. The jobs left are those that machines may never be able to take over, jobs that are mostly right-brained. What happens when people develop computers that are able to recognize emotions and other right-brained traits?
@Natanya C.
Do not worry girl! No matter what a book tells me, I will definitely go to college.
@Tamara E.
I am glad you understand where I am coming from about our perfect plans.
@Kirbi M.
You were totally right about how all these chaanges are really helping out all these large companies but really hurting all these Americans whose jobs were given away.
@Kaylin C.
I really had never thought about it that way when you said that the fewer people they pay, the fewer the mistakes they have to fix. None of us are perfect though, and I am assuming the people that run those companies aren’t either.
@ Danielle G: I completely agree with you about workers being lazy and overseas workers and computers stealing their jobs right out from under their nose. Who knows though. Even if people worked really hard, computers and overseas workers could have still taken over all these jobs. But working harder and caring more for their job could have saved several people from becoming unemployed. I wonder if these people ever regret not working hard? I guess it was just a lesson they learned the hard way.
In agreeing with Pink, we must ask ourselves the three questions in order to pull through this age. As Pink said, “These three questions will mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who gets left behind.”
No one is going to pay high prices for something that can be done in another country for less. For example, if you were going to buy gas, you are going to go to the cheapest gas station in town, even if the gas station is on the other side of town. Cheap labor works the same way. If someone wants a product, they want to pay the cheapest price, which can mean sending the item to be made overseas.
If you have to race with a computer, then what ever you do, do not bet on yourself. We have built computers so we can sit around and relax while the computer does all the work. This is going to come around and stab us in the back. If somebody wants something, then they want that something as soon as the words leave their lips. If a computer can quickly finish something that would normally take men or women to make in three days in three minutes, then those men and women are out of a job. For instance, at Bad Boy Mowers they have to use what they call a “robot” to cut out their logo. This process could be done manually; however, the quality would not be as precise and the process would take a long time to complete.
The last question goes back the law of supply and demand. As Linh T. said, “nurses and doctors will always be in demand,” she continued, “if you were to become a factory worker, eventually that company is going to ask question one and two, and you would be jobless once again.” As high school students, we need to focus on careers that give us a steady job. More than likely, many of the AP students will have some sort of job in the medical field.
If we want to last during this age, then we should have these questions carved into the side of our minds. This is where we choose our paths and decide if are really going to agree and follow Pink’s ideas.
@ Tamara E. I like your idea of still being a radiologist. I also would not want a computer to tell me I am going to die or something; I would rather that a sympathetic doctor tell me I am dying. However, I do not think that in the next few years, cheap labor and computers will run us out of jobs. Hey, if computers and cheap labor do run you out, you can always move to the countries that are working for less, instead of holding your sign.
@nathan- You made a really good point in saying that the medical profession is making an attempt to get their doctors more trained on being empathetic towards their patients because that WOULD be a key to preventing computers from taking over our world.
@ everyone who touched about this one statment- I do not think that overseas workers are “stealing” american people’s jobs, the companies are. The overseas workers are just doing what they have to do to survive in their world. We cannot expect them to give up a way to make a living just so we can have it good again. We are not the only ones with major problems, other people in other countries do too.
This is the most interesting of topics i have ever encountered over the last couple of years. Of course I agree with Pink because his views and his point is logical, as my left brain would have put it. But to think that we have to give up our future jobs just because we are moving into an era where computers and overseas worker are starting to make more money than others. We do not need to fret about losing our hopes of finding that perfect job. Take notice that computers do not feel and/or have emotions. NO, the iRobot movie containing Will Smith, is real. Somebody had to manuver that robot or else it would not work. I would rather have a doctor take care of me than having a machine doing the same job.
Correction, Not real**
I have come to realize that in the chapter three that the reason that work is going overseas is because that is were all the money goes. Business owners will earn more money because they are paying their employers much less than if they stayed in the U.S. That still does not mean that all work is going there because our society and our economy will not allow it to happen.
@Nathan W.: I agree that if other jobs acquired more empathy than we might not have such a big problem with the bigger jobs like doctors and lawyers. If the world is going to change, the jobs might as well change with it.
@ Norma: I think im reading your post wrong because what i read was that you think that the robots in irobot are manuevered by someone and they arent its all CGI and chroma key technology (just some nerd talk)
I somewhat agree with the previous posters. However, we as Americans, live in the greatest country in the world. What is so great about America is our ability as a nation to be innovators in tough times. These are tough times. The Chinese and others are nipping at our ankles. I would argue though, that this is a good thing. This forces us to be innovators, believers, and achievers. Americans have long produced something that others simply have not: quality, service, and creative thinking. So Pink is right. To be competitive, we as Americans must continue the tradition of being leaders in quality and innovation. As I think of a career, I feel blessed to live in the greatest country in the world. I live in a country where I am blessed with the freedom to live the American dream without the intervention of a socialist government. I hope I can use my creativity to write and produce quality journalism that will inspire and bolster others to carry on the American tradition of genuine hard work. The times are changing, and we must adapt and change as well.
@ Kaylin C.: I love your last paragraph. As Americans we are sometimes driven by the dollar. We want a “safe” job that ensures a pay day every Friday. But in the end, we must pick a career based on our passion. Do what you love and you will love what you do.
I disagree with this statement by Pink. First of all, who is to say that the whole conflict can be solved by just three questions? Although they do help illuminate a person’s position in the world with a much wider view, I don’t believe that one can fully examine his/her future with them. This is, however, not to say that I don’t believe that these questions don’t have a bearing on your future. One is not required to only think about these things in order to maintain his/her occupation. An example of another question you might ask yourself is “Can someone (or something) do it BETTER?” This must be asked along with the other questions because if you can do it better or more efficiently than a computer or another person overseas, and if it’s still an essential job, then you will be more secure in your job than others who are just average in their performance. Therefore, even though he does make some good points, a better way of stating his position would have been to say that those questions would be essential, but would not necessarily cover all the bases.
@Danielle-I agree with what you are saying about Americans not having jobs to go to after schooling in certain fields. While it is true that we are getting new fields every year, some old fields are going away and being replaced by either advances in technology or else transferred to different countries; and I believe from what you wrote that you do understand this.
I disagree however, on what you say about computers. I believe computers are still an asset to us. What they SHOULD be doing is making our lives more efficient, and easier so we may pursue even more things in our studies of the universe and all that is held within. That way computers may help us to store and analyze the information we do receive and that way we can continue to progress, and yes even use the R-side of our brain more. Now whether they are primarily used for that purpose or not, that is for you to decide, but I think they are still more a good thing than a bad thing.