When my boss asked me back in 2018 whether I, a marketing copywriter, was concerned about AI, I scoffed. Little did I know that a few years later, AI would be putting writers out of work faster than you can say “Skynet” and I would be looking for a new career.
The turning point for me came in May 2023 when a prospective client asked what I would say to convince his manager not to use ChatGPT instead of hiring a copywriter.
That’s the moment I knew things had changed; the moment I knew I needed to explore career options outside the field in which I’d worked for more than 30 years.
Well, it took me 18 months and several false starts, but I finally started a new career in a field that’s fairly insulated from AI (for now, at least).
As long-time readers of The Cranky Creative know, my first foray outside marketing was a stint with the United States Postal Service as a rural mail carrier. But that went about as smoothly as a rattling, clattering USPS deathtrap of a mail truck struggling to accelerate to more than 50 mph without blowing itself into smithereens.
When the post office job fell through, I applied to county jobs in corrections and as a 911 call-taker. After an interminable period of invasive interviewing that included polygraph tests, behavioral examinations, and the outrageous junk science of voice stress analyzer tests, I took a job as a 911 call-taker.
Alas, three months was all I needed to realize I just couldn’t cope with 12-hour shifts fraught with drowned babies, domestic violence, and the absolutely insane cultural crises our society is facing in drug addiction and mental illness.
I briefly considered upskilling and becoming a one-man marketing agency creating websites and managing paid search and social media. But I quickly decided against it. By the time I learned the tools and techniques to perform all of these new functions, I reasoned, the ever-accelerating pace of technology would likely surpass me anyway.
So, one week after leaving the call center, I signed up for a 40-hour course to earn my Class D security officer license. One week after that, I talked with the head of security at a 55+ active golf community near my home and she offered me a job on the spot.
It’s now five months later and I spend my days working a gatehouse, controlling access to a community of 1,400 homes on grounds that boast a spectacular clubhouse, a private golf course, and an archaeological site dating back more than 12,000 years.
The job doesn’t pay what I’m used to, but I am happier and healthier. I spend every day in the sunshine and fresh air, enjoying the sights and sounds of Florida’s scenic Nature Coast, working alongside people I like, doing work I leave behind at the end of each day. In the process, I’ve lost more than 20 pounds I’d put on over the years by sitting in front of a computer.
Yes, I am starting at the bottom of this new ladder, but at least it’s a ladder that’s still going somewhere.
Where will it take me? That’s part of the adventure, I guess. Maybe I’ll end up managing security for a larger resort somewhere, or perhaps I’ll get into private investigative work. (As a kid, I’d always fancied being a private investigator — blame it on my love of TV shows such as Magnum, P.I. and Remington Steele.)
So, there you have it. Now you know how I am adapting to a job market being transformed by AI (and ageism, but that’s a topic for another day).
To my fellow creatives and marketers and anyone else who may find themselves at a similar career crossroads:
Here’s to new ladders, new adventures, and maybe — just maybe — dusting off those old dreams. At a time when uncertainty is the only certainty and the pace of change is only increasing, patience and adaptability are more than virtues; they are survival skills. This experience has served to remind me that when one career path dead-ends, there is always another ladder to climb . . .
Our job is to recognize when it’s time to find that new ladder, and have the courage and tenacity to start climbing.
Thank you for reading The Cranky Creative. If you’ve laughed, learned, or just felt a bit less alone in this awful job market, please share this blog post with others. It costs you nothing, but it makes a big difference to me.
See all Cranky ad reviews | Go to blog home page | Subscribe for free
Real jobs in the real world with real objects and real people are the only way forward now. As you say, so many skills in techy / creativey / marketing jobs will constantly become outdated. Real stuff can’t be replaced (until the robots get really sophisticated, but surely we can just blow them up with a few pumps of the shotgun?).
I’m no futurist, but I have a hard time envisioning a healthy jobs market in the years ahead as automation replaces human workers. Probably why Klaus Schwab and his minions at the World Economic Forum are always yammering on about all the “useless eaters” that will be created as most of the world’s population realizes they’re no longer needed.
(Gosh, I wonder if they have a solution for that? /s)
People, prepare your plans B, C, and D now.
Congratulations on finding a career that you are enjoying. Congratulations for refusing to surrender to anger and the malaise that often accompanies drastic change, instead focusing on the opportunities and challenges that these yet unchartered innovations foist upon us. All the best and may the force be with you.
Thank you, kind reader. It wasn’t (and isn’t) easy, I can assure you. But this journey has taught me the value of resilience and the importance of embracing change rather than fighting against it. Your well wishes are much appreciated, and may the Force be with all of us navigating these transformative times.
I loved this article, blog, or whatever the cool people call it! Sometimes unlikely doors are opened and you are so much happier than you could have imagined. Congratulations!
Yes, Rowena, it’s funny how that often works. Don’t get me wrong — I am still disappointed in the state of marketing and advertising (one of the big reasons I wanted to leave), and upset that the career I worked so hard to build over the past 30 years is over. But no one is promised anything in this world, and if I stop to think about it, it’s cool and actually kind of crazy that people were willing to pay me to write for them all of these years. But times do change, and we need to change along with them to the best of our abilities.
Thank you for reading.
Congratulations! I’m wishing you continued success & all the best in anything that you do.☺️
Thank you, Maryann! It means a lot.