🤖 Jobs on the chopping block – Komando.com

If I could go back in time, put me hosting a radio show in NYC in the ‘40s. I’d be a lucky one; six out of every 10 jobs done today didn’t exist in 1940.

I found some wild jobs tech replaced — plus new titles on the rise.

Dead in the past 100 or so years

Town crier: People used to scream the latest headlines around town to keep everyone in the know. Sometimes, they’d “post” news on the door of a tavern — yep, that’s where “post” comes from!

📰 What killed it? The printing press, designed and built by German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg in 1436!

Knocker-upper: No, it’s not what you think. In the 1800s, if you wanted to wake up on time, you used to hire a knocker-upper to bang on your door.

⏰ What killed it? The first adjustable alarm clock, patented by French inventor Antoine Redier in 1847.

Toad doctor: Two hundred years ago, if you had a headache or skin problem, you’d probably call on the toad doctor. Well, not on the phone … maybe from your horse? Back then, people thought toads and leeches had healing properties.

💉 What killed it? Penicillin. Dr. Alexander Fleming discovered the bacteria-munching mold in 1928.

Dead in the past 50 years

Human computer: NASA used to rely on super-smart humans to do the math for successful launches. The 2016 movie “Hidden Figures” was based on an elite group of black women mathematicians, including Katherine Johnson, who did trajectory analysis by hand and paved the way for the moon landing.

💻 What killed it? Machine computers. The IBM 7090 was one of the first in NASA’s control room in 1960.

Punch card operator: Punch cards were used to manage accounting, payroll and more. Fun fact: Chads, the colored dots of punched-out cards, were a common confetti substitute in the ‘50s!

🧮 What killed it? Texas Instrument’s Cal-Tech, the first handheld calculator, in 1967.

VHS matchmaker: Video dating services exploded in the 1980s. Just send a recording of yourself answering a few standard prompts and voila! Get matched with other singles looking for love.

💔 What killed it? Online dating. Match⁠.⁠com hit the scene in 1995.

What about the next 50 years?

Don’t let the big, bad AI takeover scare you. These were three of the hottest job titles in 2023, and they all pay really well:

• AI ethicist: AI companies keep pushing boundaries, and someone’s gotta rein them in. This job addresses ethical considerations and system biases to keep things from going full “Terminator.”
• Remote work facilitator: During the pandemic, some workforces went 100% remote and never looked back. Remote work facilitators now manage tech stacks and collaboration tools for remote teams to keep company cultures on point.
• Cybersecurity analyst: Cybercrooks get smarter by the day. That’s why we need people like cybersecurity analysts to study their moves and make recommendations to protect organizations and develop new security measures.

My first job was working in the camera department at Target. Oh, I still have flashbacks! Btw, just in case you’re hiring, you can get a free job posting on LinkedIn using my special link.* They have a great, new tool that writes job descriptions for you. Nice!