Automation takes the predictable parts of most jobs, which makes learning speed the skill worth building now. The point of the piece is timing - the technologies that displace routine work arrive sooner than the decades people assume, so a career plan resting on one fixed skill is fragile. What holds its value is the ability to pick up a new tool or field quickly, and that habit is built at school, not after graduation.
For context: the graduate employment rate in England was 87.6% in 2024, against 68.0% for non-graduates. — DfE, Graduate labour market statistics, 2024
Recently I came across a clip on Youtube where Elon Musk was discussing one of the many big projects he is working on. It is called neural link - I actually read up about this several years before on Wait but Why (my favourite long form blog site).
He states that his vision for this technology is that it will be implanted in the brain and could eliminate oral communication completely. Frighteningly fascinating. But when will such technology be available?
20 - 30 years down the line? Nope, according to Mr Musk, the tech will be ready for rollout within the next 5 - 10 years!
Yeah, I know. The pace at which technology is innovating and developing is so quick. The lifestyle which we enjoy right now could be so different even 10 years from now.
I have opined to my wife regularly, that our son Yusuf (5 months old today) will not need to learn how to drive when he is older. She thinks I am bonkers.
However as this “progress” continues and the uncertainty of the future increases, we have to also apply an equal amount of skepticism to the career landscape. I am sure the sentiment that the robots are here to take our jobs and take over isn’t one which I harbor alone.
What do I mean by this?
Compared to a few years ago, the inclusion of robots in our day-to-day lives is staggering. The other day I called my internet provider for technical support and I was taken through the whole process step by step by some machine! 2 years ago this was Patel from India!
Many of my friends in the legal industry tell me many jobs traditionally considered the staple tasks for lawyers, such as reading documents, have already been phased out to robots in the bigger firms. Even your recommended Youtube feed is managed by robots. Here is a ridiculously perfect interview with GPT-3 (a robot).
So, as we move forward which other jobs are the robots going to take from us? Well, anything manual or repetitive is almost a guarantee. But why stop there?
Imagine this, the newsletter you are currently reading is written by a robot.
I mean this one isn't, or is it?
No. No, it isn't BUT in the near future that could change!
This article was completely written by a robot! In fact, since 2016, artificial intelligence technologies have been making massive strides in such fields, it is more than likely that the rough drafts of many of the articles you read from big companies such as the Telegraph were written by a robot.
So why am I talking to you about this?Well firstly, I always instill my students with the axiom that they shouldn't learn like robots. What exactly does that mean? Let us break
down a Robot vs a Human:
A Human:
- Needs to eat. (Gets Hungry)
- Needs to go to the toilet.
- Gets tired
- Makes mistakes.
- Costs a lot (Just think about the last time you asked for a promotion/negotiated for a better salary)
- Is slow.
A Robot:
1. None of the above.
So when it comes to hiring in the future, an employer will simply hire a robot as opposed to a clunky, hungry, fee-demanding human.
There is however one thing that is in our favour. Understanding. The only advantage that we have over robots is understanding. A robot doesn't understand why it does something.
Thus I try to instill in students the "understanding" because ultimately that is the only thing that will matter in the long run. Every other factor will be easily replicated and bettered by a robot. But not understanding.
So next time you sit down to memorise the Kinetic Energy Formula, think about the why?
What else is worth reading?
- Why networking is important
- The Advantages of Online Learning for Working Professionals
- The Bright Future of Mathematics Careers in the UK
- The Critical Role of Mathematics in the UK Job Market
- The Crucial Role of Internships and Work Experience in the UK Job Market
What can this guide not tell you about your own pay?
Pay, entry routes and how much demand there is for a role vary by employer and by region, and they change from year to year. Nothing here is a forecast of what you personally will earn or be offered. The current official position for any UK role is on the National Careers Service.
Course claims are checkable, and this is where the numbers come from:
“The data on Discover Uni includes official statistics from national surveys and data collected from universities and colleges.” — Discover Uni, About our data
Where can you check this at source?
Pay, entry routes and duties for any UK role change over time, and the official profiles are the version to trust:
- National Careers Service — job profiles with current pay bands and entry requirements
- Apprenticeships (gov.uk) — how apprenticeships work, and what they pay
- DfE — Graduate labour market statistics — employment rates for graduates against non-graduates