From the 1800s to the 2000s, time has changed; technology has evolved with it. As technology has improved, people’s lives around the world have changed for the better or worse. New technology makes work easier for people around the world, it helps advance modern medicine, and helps virtually all other fields and facets. Technology is more precise than humans and makes fewer mistakes; some people are concerned that these advancements will end up taking jobs occupied by real people, and will serve as a barrier to lowering unemployment rates. Not only this, but people worry technology could take over every aspect of our daily lives.  

People wonder how technology may change in the future and what may happen to their jobs if the new technology becomes advanced enough. If technology is produced that thinks like humans or fill the roles of humans, how might this affect people’s everyday lives?  Some believe the growing use of technology will help future jobs, while others think it will prevent jobs from being produced. 

Proponents of technology believe technology may be influential to future jobs. Technology can provide to be more effective and help someone do a job more easily. An anonymous parent claimed “…technology will be helpful when it comes to future jobs. Even though some people will lose their jobs, they are losing it for a greater cause.” This parent, whose child is a junior at BHS, believes “…technology is supposed to make life better and to make jobs better. It is eliminating the jobs that are not necessary so there is room for other jobs that can actually make a difference.” Although some jobs are being eliminated, this parent believes a difference will be made with this coming change, for the better. Russel Redman, parent of Julia Redman and journalist for 30 years, also believes technology will help jobs. He believes  “ …technology will help workers because, for the most part, it helps people do their jobs better and more easily, as well as opens up new opportunities for employment.” Mr. Redman also believes “… people [can] learn to adapt to technology advances through education and training, which makes them more valuable workers in many fields of employment.” Therefore, this new technology will enable more people to gain an education, which makes them more valuable to employers in the long run.

Others believe increasing technology will harm future jobs. Ramon Garcia, parent of Ace Garcia at Bethpage High School, believes this growing amount of technology will hurt jobs. “As technology improves it definitely will hurt jobs,” says Mr. Garcia. “ Look at the restaurant industry. People wanted $15 [an] hour to work at a fast food restaurant. So the food chains fired workers and installed order taking kiosks.” Since the kiosks are not getting paid to do their job, companies value them more than regular workers. The kiosks work more efficiently but also do not require pay, showing that this technology is favored over workers. 

As technology becomes more efficient and less costly than having workers, people will definitely lose jobs in the future. Ramon Garcia believes even if people do lose their current jobs to technology, “…they will have to find new jobs either to work with the new technology or in industries that cannot be taken over by technology.” Some of these jobs would include “law enforcement, mechanics, and doctors.”  These careers cannot be taken over by technology. Russel Redman also believes if people still want a job they have to work with the times; “… advances in technology have created jobs for other people…It’s a cycle: As old industries die out, new ones are born,” says Mr. Redman, which shows that even when times get rough there is always a way to get around it and a way to improve. 

New jobs and old jobs will come and go, but there will always be a solution to it. These solutions might not come right away, but they will come with time. Even as these questions stand, there is still a debate on whether or not technology will help or hurt future jobs. This highly controversial topic will most likely not cease to divide people anytime soon.