Over the last few days, this blog has been diving into the career steps that OSS (and tech) specialists can make in readiness for the inevitable changes in employment dynamics that machine learning and AI will bring about.
You’ve heard all the stories about robots and AI taking all of our jobs. Any job that is repeatable and / or easy to learn will be automated. We’ve also seen that products are commoditising and many services are too, possibly because automation and globalisation is increasing the supply of both. Commoditisation means less profitability per unit to drive projects and salaries. We’ve already seen how this is impacting the traditional investors in OSS (eg CSPs).
Oh doom and gloom. So what do we do next?
Art!
That leads to my contrarian interview question. “So, tell me about your art.”
More importantly, using the comments section below, tell me about YOUR art. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
FWIW, here’s Seth Godin’s definition of art, which resonates with me, “Art isn’t only a painting. Art is anything that’s creative, passionate, and personal. And great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the creator.
What makes someone an artist? I don’t think it has anything to do with a paintbrush. There are painters who follow the numbers, or paint billboards, or work in a small village in China, painting reproductions. These folks, while swell people, aren’t artists. On the other hand, Charlie Chaplin was an artist, beyond a doubt. So is Jonathan Ive, who designed the iPod. You can be an artist who works with oil paints or marble, sure. But there are artists who work with numbers, business models, and customer conversations. Art is about intent and communication, not substances.”
If we paint our OSS by numbers (not with numbers), we’re more easily replaced. If we inspire with solutions that are unique, creative, passionate and personal, that’s harder for machines to replace.
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“One of my favorite things about designing software is designing the defaults. The defaults define the experience for everyone out of the box. And, therefore,
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In the last week alone, I’ve had two potent reminders that the world of OSS is simply (pun intended) too complex. This manifests in many
Here at Passionate About OSS, we are exactly that – Passionate About OSS (Operational Support Systems). We’re also passionate about BSS, NMS, or any other names you call the tools that help to operationalise your network.
