the half-life of knowledge colin klein

edc mooc december, 2014

2034santa clarita, california

So how can I become a Master Plumber?

Job growth is projected at 21% over the next ten years. I want that

security.

Used to be that you had to pass California’s Master

Plumbers Certification. And before that, you were

required to either have an associates degree or to have completed a plumbers' union

apprenticeship program.

That’s awesome. Less schooling, less debt

for me. High-demand job, guaranteed

paydays, sign me up man!

But now, you just need to complete a basic plumbing

training program. They want to make sure that you

understand how to use tools and your common sense. You

don’t even need to know basic physics and chemistry

anymore.

Why is that? Can’t you keep track of what is

happening in the field and stay up-to-date and

relevant? You are a Master Plumber man.

You are certified, untouchable.

I make 2/3 of what I made 20 years ago. Does that trend

concern you?

You don’t need to? What, you are willing

to become a dinosaur?

I cannot keep up with the ever-changing

developments, but happily, I no longer need to. I have no need to learn anything new. The pressure to keep up is

long gone.

It knows building codes, does blueprint reading, identifies

tools and materials, installation, maintenance,

servicing components, safety and even physics.

What is there to remember? All facts and procedures are

accessible from the NovitOmnia and displayed in the

Holotek in front of me.

But what about your certification?

Certifications are meaningless. Look, over the last 20 years, technology has reorganized our lives. How

we communicate and especially how and what we need to learn have changed.

But…that’s not…that’s not…not

even human bro.

Look, it’s really this simple. I just show up to where I am

supposed to go and do what the Novit Omnia tells me to

do. I use my hands and make sure that no one gets hurt,

including myself. And then I get paid.

What about being a creative problem solver? Come on

man, to be human is to think, feel, create.

Kid, my pay is the same. If a mistake is made, the NovitOmnia is blamed and not

me. I’m just a pair of hands doing what I’m told.

If you’re just a pair of hands, then you will be

replaced by the WorkDroids. Why am I

even bothering with this false dream? There is no

security here.

The WorkDroids’ AI is fully integrated into the Novit

Omnia so they have nothing to learn. But until their

corporate masters get the battery issues worked out, I

have job security.

But where is the sense of wonder?

My life is predictable and with that there is a certain comfort. I have a roof over my head and put meat on

the table for my family. Look at our culture and social

environment and ask yourself, how is this any

different?