But on the bright side, it’s probably great training for the furniture moving job I started recently. My refrigerator broke down in my apartment. A repairman took it away and said he’d come back with a new one. He came back all right, but he left the new refrigerator outside my door and he was never seen again. I guess he was in a hurry so he didn’t have time to finish the job. Eventually, I installed it myself, but next time, I’m going to ask for a few tools and a dolly for lifting. I mean, they can’t expect me to work for the company without any tools!
One day I was at another store when I got hungry and I saw a sign for hotdogs along with several self-serve vertical panels to learn a new system, select my merchandise, order, pay for, and pick up my own food. “Guess it’s time to work as a fast-food server now, too,” I thought. So, I got to work and learned that job too.
Some people just love these extra jobs, even if they’re not paid. They claim that doing the work yourself instead of being served by people who are experienced, trained, and paid by the organization is a lot faster. All right. If you value speed, doing the job yourself might save time. But as more and more organizations expect us to do everything ourselves, I wonder what’s next.
For example, when it comes to jobs like surgery, I’m not sure speed should be our only priority. Performing self-surgery might be faster than waiting 12 months for bigger operations. But I’d insist on an orientation session and on-the-job training beforehand for that line of work! And on the day of the surgery, I’d ask for a lot of mirrors on the ceiling so I can see what I’m doing to myself while I’m lying down.
Automotive repair is another area where I might be a bit rusty (excuse the pun). I could probably pick up the spitting, swearing, and wearing greasy overalls, but I’m not sure about engine repairs. I guess I could watch a YouTube video or pick up a manual and just ad-lib. But it would be great if a shop mechanic could check my work afterwards, especially when it comes to dangerous things like brake repairs.
I’m sure there will be others coming soon: dentist, paramedic, construction worker, aircraft marshal, firefighter, police officer, crane operator, and the list goes on. Again, I’m going to insist on mirrors for the dental surgery.
As for the paramedic job, it might be tricky to do things like defibrillate myself when my heart has stopped, but maybe I can pick that up somehow. If we’re being honest, we all know that some jobs don’t require much consciousness, so maybe I’ll find a way to pick up that skill.
Something tells me that this is just the beginning!
As more and more companies realize that their profits swell when they hire less staff and get the consumer to do their work for free, the list will likely keep getting longer.
So is it any wonder that the public isn’t applying for more jobs. Maybe we’re just too busy and too tired from doing all of the jobs we don’t get paid for.
