Computational technology causes the world to change rapidly.<\/p>\n
Almost 30 years ago I got my first job as a computer programmer<\/a>. At the time, only larger companies with a big administrative overload used computers. Or rather, \u201ca computer,\u201d because it was rare for a company to have more than one. There were no personal computers, no Internet, and no mobile phones. People still used typewriters.<\/p>\n In those 30 years, the way people work and live has undergone huge changes. That is exceptionally clear when looking at the kind of work that people do. Mailmen, for instance, delivered the mail twice per day when I was a kid \u2013 now they deliver mail twice per week, which means that the contingent of professional mailmen has been decimated. Bank offices are closed because banking can be done much easier online. Information desks can be manned by digital avatars<\/a> or replaced by online information systems<\/a>. Large department stores go out of business because people make their purchases online, leading to an enormous decline in the need for salespeople. And though this has currently caused a small increase in the demand for people who work in transportation, we can see self-driving cars<\/a> on the horizon, replacing the need to have any chauffeurs at all.<\/p>\n