Is Software Eating the World??

Are the answers in the cloud or is for the birds?

A Silicon Valley guru, Marc Andreessen made the proposition that “software is eating the world!” His rationale is based on the effect software is having on industries from customer goods to industrial production to entertainment where it is revolutionising the way businesses are ran in those industries disrupting the standing business models in a fundamental manner. It certainly leaves me nodding in agreement with Marc and his famous saying, wondering what kind of world is rising from the classical business world we inherited from the industrial era.

It’s easier to be…

Who would have imagined launching a website would be about 10% in cost thanks to web applications 2.0 and the cloud platform it sits on. The ability to pay per hour is a major disruption that the technology industry launched against itself. The result has being the explosion of digital opportunity for small to medium enterprises that should not miss out on the bonanza. In Ireland alone, the current spending figure as reported by the ‘Digital Times’ based on a UPC report could rise from Eur6bn to Eur22bn by 2020. This is in my view is generally reflective of the digital marketplace explosion worldwide and small business owners need to learn more about engaging this massive opportunity in the short to medium term. Done right, it can deliver a value proposition to an enterprise that will allow it to prosper.

Is my job safe?

Obviously, that depends on what you do. Think about what you do, where you do it and what your company does??? Is your company a champion of collaboration, new production innovation with you being skilled in IT or using IT in sustainable work practices that can ultimately delight your customers through many iterations of technological breakthroughs?? If so, then your ability to adapt and reinvent yourself in lockstep with your company bodes well for the future and your job security. However, if your company is dismissive of market changes, technological breakthroughs and is led in a more hierarchical manner, then your job security maybe resting upon a very large castle built upon the sands of assumption.

Reinvent yourself… it can pave the way to happiness…

Too often, we hear about or privately accept we are not happy, which is compounded by a possible threat from software disruption endangering our jobs, livelihoods and future. If we are to work hard at up-skilling, getting ahead of the curve and coping with the changes software can bring, then why not think about what truly stirs our passion and can we map a path to becoming that passionate workplace employee who truly loves what he/she does?

Some things to think about when changing careers, which is a reinvention in itself…

Let go of prior norms of entitlement, acknowledgement and expectation as you are starting again. Remember how you started the last time… you climbed in skills, experience, title and competence one rung at a time

Transfer what’s good in your new industry/profession. Leave the bad habits behind as you are not only changing careers, you are “reinventing” yourself! It’s a brand new day!

Understand your end state as much as the immediate steps ahead. Do not expect what was to be what will be. Know what your learning curve trajectory will be in your new profession in terms of content and time, understand and plan your finances knowing the incremental salary scale/norms for your new career will be.

Research your own ability as knowing you are good is allot different then actually being good! Take online courses; get tested in new areas to see if you have the ability you think you have? Verify you have the core ability to successfully reskill to your new career.

Train as hard as you want to be skilled and your commitment will see you get the most out of college courses, online courses and any other training resources you may have access to. It’s an important part of your journey.

Know how to problem solve which should be inherent in your personality. Reinvent yourself with drive, motivation and relentless commitment, which can be driven by your new inherent passion for what you do.

Network in your new career like you are running for office! Understand the nuances of networking like delivering value to new contacts in how you can help them rather then a boast of how good you are. Be forthright in what you can do, where you are at with your retraining and plans with a “watch this space” caveat for your network to feel as much as see.

There is not doubt that software disruption and the information age will be faster and more efficient in changing the landscape of our world then the last “big push” which was the industrial era of the 19^th century. Unlike the industrial era however, the only class that matters today in new careers is the character you bring with your skills, know how and experience to the new job, which can be more productive, rewarding and beneficial then you could ever have imagined in your ‘old life’.