Circle of Life

It was the Millennium year. The calendar in my room displayed the magical number 2000. Way before the world knew about social media, there was a large hue and cry about a potential massive computer meltdown nick named Y2K. The acronym stood for, Year 2000. 

Technology evangelists across the world spoke about a possibility of all computers going crazy a.k.a stop working altogether. This was expected to happen when the clock struck twelve at the midnight welcoming year 2000. Banks, financial institutions and every other entities that relied on computers for their operations were breaking their heads on how to solve the predicted doom.

On New Year's eve everyone held their breath for a catastrophe and the whole digital world to crumble along with millions of people getting affected since the world was already quite dependent on this magical box called computer. Time ticked. Clock did strike twelve. Nothing happened. The Nostradamuses of the world went back to their cocoons, never to come out for another Millennium.

A year later I was to become a graduate in Commerce. Just like many of my classmates, I had started to wonder what next? While there was a frenzy around computers in the world, our small town had still not embraced much of computers. While we had a Personal Computer (PC) at home bought by my dad from his brother, my first ever laptop was a good four years away. Internet connection required a dial-up modem and the noise made by that tiny white box was music to our ears! Google was founded just two years back. We used Netscape Navigator as a browser. At the risk of sounding like a cave man, looking back, the world those days felt quite archaic!

We were in an age where information overload was still limited to multiple rows of library books. Nevertheless, we tried our best to figure out from our professors and elders in the family about post graduate courses which were potentially good for our career. Two options that stood out were Masters in Computer Application and Masters in Management. Most of my batchmates chose either of these. A few ended up doing both! We did not really have lot of options. Even with all that, getting well paid good jobs were still a challenge for many of us.

A decade and a half later, I was speaking to my niece who worked in Australia in a gold mine. I was quite interested to know the nature of her job. Along with her team, every day she took an elevator at her work site, deep down into earth. After they reached a level ground, she got into a car that followed a monstrous truck as it proceeded to chew out the earth in front of it. My niece then inspected the loose earth to validate the presence of gold and assess the quality and quantity of the precious metal. What a job! 

I was equally surprised to know that this was not a one-off case. There were many girls and boys in this generation who discovered exciting career options and followed it with as much heart as their brain. I was stunned to see career options in plenty parading in front of these Gen Zs for their consideration. Probably Google and other unlimited source of information on career possibilities available at their fingertips literally helped. Interesting times indeed.

Another half a decade went by. I was recently invited to a joint session on AI Governance in a school in Dubai where stakeholders included students as well as faculty along AI / IT professionals. Among other things discussed, one point that stood out was a response from Gen Alpha students that they were worried about AI taking their jobs away. They expected to face challenges to find a job for themselves in this digitally emancipated world! 

That was the exact moment when the world took a full circle and stopped right in front of me with a grin that laced the border of sarcasm.