One of my favorite things to do each day at work is to read the trades. I see a lot of people retiring after so many years in the business. And on LinkedIn, I see folks touting longevity in their positions too. But what happens in 5 -10 years? Will we still be seeing this exceptionalism, or will we see so-and-so retired because A.I. was cheaper or, they were burned out after being a utility person for 25+ years and they thought an early retirement was the way to go instead of the alternative.
I used to be of the mindset that I would rise in the industry someday and get some 6-figure gig and have a cozy retirement in a great city. Not to be Debbie Downer ya all, but those gigs no longer exist. When one talent can make hundreds of thousands a year in New York City and another can only bring in $20/hour, there’s a huge problem. And who’s to say one is more talented than the other. It’s relative, no? My point is, when we devalue the worth of humans who have given everything they have for this industry because they’re passionate about their work, they leave dejected. And when the suits start to get creative with where they place humans in the hierarchy, and find new ways to utilize their God-given talent, we’re on to something.
There are great groups on social media where we can cheer each other on, let folks know we’re hiring, and hear about their accomplishments. But I’ve seen the opposite as well, people who were eschewed for some new-fangled piece of equipment, a piece of artificial intelligence, or they were tired of being treated unfairly. And oh boy do they let you know it. I speak out about A.I. often because I don’t want to see humans replaced with machines, but some humans above them get to keep their jobs. Nobody wants to work their tail off to be replaced by a machine, or to be treated unfairly by a bully boss or micro-manager. Can we find a happy medium?
Let’s start a new group – radio human exceptionalism, and let’s share why this medium is worth saving and why our colleagues deserve more.
Just a thought.
