In 2060, the way employment is structured is vastly different from what it was in 2020. An economic recession caused by the pandemic has sent many employees out of their jobs, especially ones that have replaceable ones like manual labor. Job security is no longer promised to all, as companies transition to technology and automated labor. Instead, individuals now are focused on self-employment where they take on client-based projects from their home offices. College programs now focus on hard skillsets such as programming and data analysis, to help their graduates become more appealing workers for companies out there. Access to technology and online education now differentiates individuals in a capitalistic market, which a progressive movement to offer access to all socio-economic classes gains popularity and attention. The traditional American dream of getting a bachelor's degree and a 9-5 job at a well-known company is no longer applicable to most people, instead, working from home with freedom is now the new dream in 2060.

As education and employment have become even more competitive than it ever was, I am often prompted to question how sustainable will our job market be? as recruiting timelines are pushed back earlier and earlier (I myself in the midst of that), some people jokingly say that the highly competitive finance/tech firms will start recruiting high-schoolers graduating. Although I don't consider this as a possible forecast in our near future, I agree that the job market has become competitive to the point where it is unhealthy for some individuals. Isn't the reason why we want a job is to have a sustainable and healthy lifestyle? Why are we sacrificing our personal happiness and social connections for a job that is supposed to give us exactly that? In the middle of a pandemic and economic crisis, I think our next few years will be a key turning point in how people think about employment and career progression.

"Office Buildings" by oatsy40 is licensed under CC BY 2.0