Transcription
Hello, this is Taylor. So, the world is changing at what feels like a faster pace than ever. AI is reshaping industries. A lot of the jobs that exist today might not in 5 years. And it feels like every week there's a new headline that's designed to make us spiral. And while I totally understand the panic, what if AI takes my job? What if you can no longer tell whether it's AI or a person? Are content creators even going to be a thing in 5 years?
I don't think that fear or what-ifs are particularly useful strategies. Instead, as an eternal optimist and someone who likes to take action, I think that what is useful is being proactive, figuring out what skills are going to matter more, not less, in the next 5 to 10 years and starting to develop those skills now. So, I did the research and in this video I'm going to take you through seven futureproof skills that will help you stay relevant, adaptable, and hard to replace no matter what the economy throws at us. Now, let's dive in.
The first skill is digital fluency beyond basic tech. I think that right now we're in a transitional gray area where it still might not feel totally necessary to use AI tools and it's just a bonus if you do because it saves you time. But in a few years, I do believe that in many professions, there will be a stark divide between workers who know how to use AI tools to amplify their capabilities and those who get replaced by someone who does. That might sound scary and kind of antithetical to what this whole video is about, which is like optimism and how we can actually use these tools to our advantage. But it doesn't have to be scary.
But before we talk about how you can actually do this and why it's not all that scary, let me give you one example to illustrate the difference between someone who uses AI tools and someone who doesn't. Let's say there are two consultants, consultant A and consultant B, and they are researching whether Patagonia should launch a new down jacket. Both consultants need to interview six outdoor gear experts each. Consultant A uses AI tools. Let's say she uses Granola to transcribe the interviews and then Claude or Chat GBT to consolidate all of the insights and highlight the most important key points and put it together in a nicely formatted document by the end of the week. Consultant B takes manual notes, spends 30 minutes or more after each interview just cleaning up the document and formatting, and then manually consolidates all of the notes and pulls together key insights at the end of the week. The result, consultant A finishes the same task in half the time and has moved on to building the slide deck with key insights from those interviews while consultant B is still organizing notes. One isn't smarter than the other. They're just working differently. And that is the edge that AI can give. And in fast-paced industries, that efficiency gap matters.
I know what you're thinking. Yes, consultant A still needs to make sure she actually retained the information. But I would also bet you that she made fewer errors, was able to be more actively engaged on the calls because she didn't have to type every single word verbatim at lightning speed, and she didn't have to waste time formatting the document and fixing typos after each call. She finished the task with more time and more brain space to move on to the next value additive thing. Now, the good news is this is very learnable. The tools that I just talked about are not difficult to use. You don't need to become a programmer. It's about learning how to prompt AI. Well, learning what tools are out there to make your workflow more efficient. And choosing when and when not to use them. For example, I definitely don't want to use AI to write my scripts. It definitely doesn't sound as creative or human, but I would much rather know how to use these tools and pick and choose when to use them than be the person who fell behind because I never learned. Final point in this section, a 2024 Deote study found that 68% of executives in the US say that their workforce lacks AI skills. Which means if you fill that skill gap and teach yourself these skills now, you are helping to build yourself a competitive edge and futureproof your career.
Okay. Now, the best opportunities that I have had did not come from a job that I applied to. They came from something that I posted online. And that's why skill number two is building a personal brand. Now, hear me out. This doesn't mean become an influencer. Here's what building a personal brand looks like on a spectrum. At the most visible end, you have what I do. putting long-form videos of myself talking about my thoughts and my interests and research that I've done on the internet for all to see. Now, this has opened doors that I never expected. Working with brands that I love or speaking on panels about the things that I'm most passionate about, meeting the most brilliant minds in the creator industry face to face. Not saying that's a brag, it's just an illustration of what can come from building a personal brand, and I'm very, very grateful for it.
Now, in the middle of that spectrum could be something like LinkedIn thought leadership, sharing insights about trends in your industry, the challenges you've faced, or even just thoughtful takes about what's going on in your field. This helps you build credibility within your professional community. On the more subtle end, it could be something like writing a weekly newsletter that you share with 50 of your friends and colleagues and family. That can give you something interesting to discuss in interviews and also just in real life. Like, it's a cool thing that you're doing. and it positions you as someone who thinks critically. There are so many flavors of this, but the common thread is that all of these approaches helps you become discoverable in your field and create what I call an unfair advantage in hiring partnerships and opportunities. And while this is certainly not necessary in every job, like I have plenty of friends who want zero digital footprint, in a world where remote work is becoming more permanent and everything is moving digital, having a reputation that precedes you could just give you that competitive compelling advantage in a lot of professions.
Okay, the third skill is near and dear to my heart and it is having an entrepreneurial mindset even if you're an employee. Here's why this matters more than ever. Many economists are saying that we are currently going through the biggest shift in how we work since the rise of the internet. Some are even saying since the industrial revolution. And this is mind-blowing. And in it report estimates that 50% of the US workforce will be freelancers by 2027. Meanwhile, 44% of Americans already have a side hustle, earning more than $1,100 per month, according to a 2024 Zapier report. And here's what's really interesting. Even traditional companies are catching on to this. 73% of executives now say that they need employees who think like business owners, not just task completers. So what this tells me is that the old model of show up, do your job, collect your paycheck, is dying. So whether you work for yourself or for someone else, it will become beneficial to start thinking like a business owner when it comes to your career, your skills, and your financial future.
So what does this actually look like? It means treating yourself like a business even as an employee. What's your unique value proposition? What problems can you solve that others can't? Maybe it means looking for other opportunities and revenue streams if that's your thing. It's my thing. And it could also mean taking calculated risks because even small ones compound over time. This is a skill that's always been valuable in my opinion, but with the economy changing as it is, I think the skill is becoming more valuable than ever to help futureproof your career. And to bring in my personal connection to this skill for a sec, I've talked about this before, but YouTube was and is a hobby, but I also treated it like a business since day one, which honestly has given me an added layer of purpose and fulfillment beyond just doing it for the love of it. Doing it for the love of it is essential to its core. Like, you absolutely do have to love it. However, learning how to grow, monetize, and make a business of it added this whole new, you know, ball game of skill set that I didn't have before, and it just made it even more enjoyable for me. And of course, I've been the number one hype beast for side hustles since I was a little kid. Not the strongest business model there, Taylor, but you live and you learn. You and your side hustles. I know. What can I say? I'm a broken record.
But if I don't want to put myself out there online and I'm more of a behind the computer creative person, what's in your magical grab bag of side hustles for me? You, my friend, would be perfectly suited for print on demand. Oh, expound. It's really cool. You create your own designs or upload your own photos and put them onto physical products and post them for sale. So, think wall art, clothing, tote bags. Okay. And then and then when someone places an order for that thing, your print ondemand provider finds the nearest fulfillment center and prints, ships, and customer services it for you automatically. Wait, what? Can you show me? Totally. Look, I did this last week. So, using Gelato, I just dragged and dropped this photo my dad took of one of my favorite places ever. This is Bryce Canyon in Utah into a wall art template. I sized it. Then I did another quick one of the loves of my life. And then I placed the order to my apartment since I'm buying it for myself. But if I was selling this, I could post it for sale on my say Etsy account directly from Gelato because they integrate with so many different marketplaces. Wait a sec. Is that what this boxes? Oh my gosh. Yes, that's it. Open it. Also, before I place the order, I used the new magic mockup tool, which is just so cool. It uses AI to visualize the product and how it would look in real life before you actually order it. Then I hit order and Gelato fulfilled it for me using my nearest print provider. And they're the world's largest print on demand provider with 140 printers across 32 different countries. Impressive footprint here. Look. Wow, it looks so good. Yeah, it does. Love that it's sustainable, too. Printing locally reduces carbon emissions and shipping costs. Exactly. Well, if you want to try it for yourself, you can get 50% off of your first Gelato order by clicking the link in my description and placing an order within 48 hours of signing up, which is perfect for ordering a sample first. So, thanks to Gelato for sponsoring this video and for supporting skill number two, entrepreneurial mindset. Wait, do you keep that spatula in your nightstand? maybe.
Okay, skill number four I love and I think will give you a lot of hope. It is creative problem solving and systems thinking. Now, it might surprise you that this is on the list because I feel like headlines make it seem like this is what's getting automated the most, but hear me out. According to the World Economic Forum's 2023 future of jobs report, creative thinking is the second fastest growing skill that employees need right after analytical thinking. Meanwhile, McKenzie found that jobs requiring creativity and complex problem solving will grow in demand by 19% in the US by 2030 and are least susceptible to automation. So, while AI can generate great solutions, humans need to ask it the right questions. A lot of the reports I've read have shown that AI still can't replicate human creativity and strategic thinking and that future jobs will be about connecting the dots between industries.
Now, what does that even mean? So, for example, the way that Airbnb solved trust plus accommodation, creating a platform where you could trust that the personal home you're staying in is safe because all the hosts have to be mega verified. Another example, how fintech solve accessible banking by bringing you the convenience of mobile money management. Now, did these two services likely use AI to enhance their capabilities? Absolutely. But it was humans that came up with these creative solutions and connecting dots across industries in the first place. And this is where systems thinking can become your superpower. It's the ability to see patterns and design solutions that work across multiple areas. So while AI excels at optimizing within existing frameworks, humans excel at reimagining the frameworks themselves.
In my own experience, I really try to hone in on this skill in my business videos in particular. So when I analyze a business model for example, I try to not just look at that business in isolation, but rather connect patterns across industries and consumer behavior and trends and cultural shifts and just everything from what I read to the things that I learned in school to the companies that I know a little bit about. You know, I try to combine all of this knowledge, connect dots across multiple industries and areas. And I hope that's what makes the analysis more interesting and valuable. It's definitely something that I'm trying to get better at. Bottom line, I think that the companies and the individuals who will thrive are the ones with the ability to take a step back, look at the problem, and think, what if we approach this completely differently? That kind of creative problem solving in systems thinking is still pretty uniquely human, and it's just becoming more valuable, not less.
All right, the fifth skill is what makes all of the others possible. Adaptability and continuous learning. Think about this. How many of the skills or the tools that you use in your job today even existed 10 years ago? Whether it's navigating remote working tools or understanding social media algorithms or working with AI, the pace of change is absolutely accelerating. So, it kind of goes without saying that the ability to learn new skills quickly will set you apart in this evolving economy. And this might sound kind of obvious or elementary, but it's actually not quite as easy as it sounds. I know people who are a lot more comfortable with repeatedly being a beginner than others. It can be an uncomfortable and kind of frustrating feeling where as soon as you feel like you're getting comfortable with something, a new AI tool comes out or new research comes out and you have to pivot and learn the new thing. So getting comfortable with this, I think will become increasingly more important. And I think there are two keys to doing this well. Number one is staying curious. So, not being afraid to turn to YouTube University when you need to upskill yourself, not being afraid to ask questions, and number two, it admittedly helps to be doing something you love because then this doesn't even feel like a chore. I didn't really know the first thing about editing a video or YouTube strategy or filming something 5 years ago. But I taught myself just through YouTube videos and I'm still learning along the way. And because it's something that I love doing so much, I just genuinely want to do this. I want to keep learning.
So the key insight here is it's much less about being the smartest person in the room. It's a lot more about being the most curious and adaptable. Once you get comfortable with being uncomfortable and once you embrace the beginner's mindset as a more permanent state versus something to rush through, learning actually becomes a lot easier and more fun. So ask yourself, when was the last time that you learned something completely new? When did you last feel like a total beginner at something? Because again, in a world where things are changing so incredibly quickly, becoming a perpetual student might just become your most competitive advantage.
All right, moving on to skill number six, a very human one. Communication and influence. The ability to persuade, inspire, and connect will always be important. Oh my gosh. Exhibit A. This book was written what, 90 years ago? 1936, almost 90. Some might think that it's becoming less important as things move more digital. I would actually argue the opposite. Most communication these days happens asynchronously and digitally. So, the ability to actually drive clarity and connect becomes a lot harder when you're not in the room to actually read someone's body language or clarify your tone or build rapport. You have to rely largely on crafting messages that are clear, compelling, and convincing through a screen. So things like being able to write an email that actually gets a response or, you know, give a presentation that actually drives action, create social content that actually engages people. And with remote work becoming more permanent, McKenzie actually found that 35% of jobs that can be done remotely will stay remote. Your ability to influence and inspire through digital channels will become more and more important.
This is a story I've told before, but it really stuck with me. When I was interning at Blackstone during college, I learned that the COO and president, John Gray, who has appeared on CNBC countless times, who's given God knows how many keynote speeches, and who has driven multi multi-billion dollar deals, still practices weekly with a public speaking coach. And if someone at that level prioritizes communication skills that much, I think it kind of tells tells me everything that I need to know about how important this is. And whether it's today, 10 years ago, or 10 years from now, I think that this skill really helps people stand out.
So the big question, this all sounds fine and dandy, but how do we actually do this? Well, besides the million YouTube videos on this topic, there are three key things I wrote down that have helped me in my pursuit to become a more effective communicator. The first thing is I try to identify the people around me who I find to be good communicators. the type of person who when they speak, you listen or when they offer their opinions, they're pretty compelling. You know the type of person I'm talking about. And then I really try to pay attention to what it is about the way they're communicating that I find particularly compelling. Is it that they take pauses instead of using filler words or they speak with an even tone or they finish their sentences with a period instead of doing one long run-on sentence? Whatever it is, I try to really pay close attention and then incorporate those things myself. The second thing is a grab bag of techniques that I wrote down but thought I would share. Some I already just mentioned, forcing myself to take pauses instead of using filler words. I was just about to do it. Ideally, finishing my sentences with a period, but I talk a lot and this one doesn't always happen in real life. And finally, practice and the humility to recognize your mistakes. For example, the first panel I spoke on, you know, I thought it went well in the moment. It it felt pretty good. I could definitely tell I was a little nervous, but I thought it went okay. I watched it back and I was like, "Ooh, that's rough." And that's coming from someone who is very used to seeing themsself on video. So, it wasn't it wasn't that I spoke way too fast. I didn't really take a moment to gather my thoughts. I wasn't really breathing. I spoke at a way higher pitch than my normal speaking tone. It just it wasn't great. After I got over the cringe, I tried to actually identify how I could have improved so I could put those learnings into practice the next time that I did it. The next time, sure enough, I took breaths. My heart rate came down a bit. Was it perfect? No. But it was much better than the first time. And I think that the next time will be a lot better than the last. Practice. You got to do the scary thing to make it not scary. The third thing is having a YouTube channel. Sorry. I say sorry cuz I always talk about having a YouTube channel as being the thing that taught me the most. It takes much less time to edit a video where I'm speaking clearly and not using filler words. So, you can imagine after thousands of hours of editing footage of myself talking. Trust me, I've learned to speak a bit more clearly just to make my job easier. Do you have to have a YouTube channel to do this? No. But I bet it would be helpful to take a video of yourself and then watch it afterwards and look for the strengths and weaknesses. The bottom line is this. Whether you're speaking to someone through a screen or you're speaking to a crowd of people, the fundamentals remain the same. You need to be clear, compelling, and credible. And even though the medium might change, your ability to connect with people and make your ideas resonate will always set you apart. Period.
And last but not least, another skill that is near and dear to my heart. I guess a lot of these are financial literacy. Now, let's be real. This skill is always important, but with the workforce landscape changing as it is, I think it's as important as ever to have savings, investments, and an emergency fund. And that's not just to prepare for the worst case scenario. It's also because of what we talked about earlier, how many people are becoming freelancers or starting a side income. Well, when you're earning an independent contractor income and not just a traditional salary, a lot of the financial management that used to be automatic now becomes your responsibility. No more automatic tax withholding, predictable paychecks, or 401k matching. You're now in charge of managing a regular income, setting aside cash for taxes, and building your own financial security. A famous stat is that the average millionaire has seven income streams. Now, what this tells me is not that we need to start seven income streams, but that those who have built wealth have diversified their revenue. They are not overly exposed to one source of income.
So, what to do with this information? Start small, but start intentionally. If you're earning money from a job or a side hustle or freelance projects here and there, the key is to get your money working for you. So, depending on what you do or what your business model is, that might mean opening a high yield savings account. It might mean learning the basics of investing through index funds if you haven't already, or reinvesting profits from your business into tools that will help you grow. You don't need to become a financial expert overnight or have seven revenue streams, but it is good to become the kind of person who knows where your money is going and why and to give your money a job. This is something I fortunately took an interest in at a pretty young age. Sometimes just investing $100 a month, but 10 years later, those small decisions have multiplied into a nice chunk of change from me not doing anything complicated. The key is to start early and be consistent. So, make an intentional plan that works for you and for your goals. Your future self will thank you. Now, like I said, this skill is always important, but I wanted to slide it in to a video about the future economy as well.
So, the real takeaway here, yes, the world is changing fast. It would be silly to deny that or to not have some slight anxiety around it. I totally get it. But a lot of the content I've seen around this topic has just been kind of negative and kind of would fill the viewer with a sense of dread. And I just think that there's a place to be hopeful and proactive instead of just panicking. So, I hope this video did this for you. And once again, these seven skills, digital fluency, personal branding, entrepreneurial thinking, creative problem solving, adaptability, communication, and financial literacy. No need to master all seven of those overnight, but maybe pick one or two that resonate the most with you because the best investment that you can make is in yourself. Period. So, if this gave you something to think about, hit the thumbs up, subscribe, leave a comment. I read every single one. Thank you guys for being here. And until next time, turtle out. I hope you can't hear my bubbling over here. I try to identify around me in my circle of friends and just people I interact with on the daily. Well, doesn't have to be on the daily.