Does Anyone In America Not Have A Computer At Home?
In the age of high technology, internet, and cell phones it is hard to imagine not having a computer at home. It seems that it is just as essential as a fridge, stove, microwave and even a bed. Everything is done on the computer in this day and age. Even my children come home from elementary school and have homework assignments on the computer.
How did we ever do it? How did we ever get along without a computer? This is particularly true of business. How in the world a business ever got along with no computer is beyond the imagination of the new generation. To, manually do the accounting of a business is beyond comprehension of young accountants today. No business owner today would be willing to pay for the time it would take an accountant to do things by hand.
We know that businesses have gained tremendous efficiency from the use of computers in the workplace, but have they lost anything? Perhaps businesses have not, but what about the people and this country? We are going through a tough economic time and many people are unemployed. Are computers the guilty party? Have they taken jobs away from many unsuspecting, hard working Americans?
Certainly computers have created a number of jobs that did not exist before they invention and common use of the computer. All of the technical jobs relating to keeping computers running, website builders and maintenance, ecommerce jobs, computer manufacturers, etc. The computer industry employs a lot of people.
However, we cannot turn our backs on the fact that jobs have been lost because of the computer industry as well. As an example, an accountant certainly can take on a much larger load by themselves because of the computer. Labor jobs are the ones that have been lost as a result of computers.
It is true that total jobs lost versus those that were created all do to the computer maybe a wash. However, there is one thing that is not being taken into account in this discussion. The jobs created by the computer industry are for technical savvy people. The bulk of the jobs that were lost are not. This causes a large divide in the jobs available the skills of those needing employment.
Gone are the days when someone who was at most a high school graduate could make a good living by being a laborer for the same company for many years. In years past, even if someone was uneducated in technical things, they could make a good living by working hard and being loyal to a company. These are the kind of people who have felt the negative impacts of the computer age.
So, should we toss out all of our computers? Of course we shouldn't. That would be incredibly stupid. The computer is not the issue that needs to be resolved. So what is the answer to bridging this gap for this segment of America? Time will certainly help as the new generation grows up saturated with the technology skills that they will need, but in the meantime we need entrepreneurs who care about people and their families more than money.
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