Coal Miner Mentality: Don’t Get Left Behind

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. ” ― Alvin Toffler

Remembering President John F. Kennedy’s appeal and challenge to me and my Nation as a grade schooler to embrace the need for strong science and research programs funded by the federal government and for strong science educational achievement in all of our schools during my early grade school years (1962). Read; Study Hard; Do the Work; Learn; … those words resonated … Don’t become a Coal Miner.

… We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. – President John F. Kennedy, September 12, 1962, at Rice University, Houston, Texas

I’ve been around long enough if I think about it, to witness at least three major changes in Technology. The familiar and poignant Coal Miner anthem couldn’t be a better example of obsolescent technology. Growing up, I remember that my Mother used to keystroke insurance policies at her work-at-home typing job. Actually, if you think about it, this type of business practice was probably ahead of its time in the early 1960s. 1

Coal Miner Warning: Ledger Technology is Here to Stay

Think about it, Insurance Companies no longer need to employ thousands of people to keystroke their paperwork as my Mother did. If you’ve been paying attention, you know that “We” do all the work now for these companies. Speaking with top financial consultant Daniel Morris of Morris+D’Angelo the other day, he reminded me of the 100’s of thousands of those employed by our Federal Government to keystroke our tax returns every year. How many of those jobs from that obsolete workforce remain?

Remember 2008?
This was the second economic collapse that I’ve experienced in my business lifetime; the first was the 1986 recession. This one was different, as it was devastating for many of us; my phone stopped ringing… putting ink on paper as a graphic designer was an obsolete dinosaur. Time to educate myself and learn about this Internet “thing” and Learn to Code.

Who are the Modern Coal Miners Now?
Is this you?

Now get busy or Contact Me to help you move your company forward.