This one is not technical: now that we live in a world in which people have access to systems like ChatGPT, how should I consider any of my career choices, primarily in the context of a computer technician? I’m not a hard-worker, and I consider that my intelligence is just a little above average, so I’m not going to pretend that I’m going to become a systems analyst or software engineer, but now code programming and content creation are starting to be automated more and more, so how should I update my decisions based on that?
Sure, this question is something that most can ask about their intellectual jobs, but I would like to see answers from people in this community; and particularly about a field in which, more than most, employers are going to expect any technician to stay up-to-date with these tools.
This field is evolving so quickly that it’s hard to make recommendations. In the current regime (starting approximately last November), prompt engineering is a valuable skill that can multiply your effectiveness. (In my estimation, from my usage so far, perhaps by a factor of 7.) Learn how to talk to these things. Sign up for Bing and/or ChatGPT. There are a lot of tricks. This is at least as important as learning how to use a search engine.
But how long will the current regime last? Until ChatGPT-5? Six months? A year? Maybe these prompt engineering skills will then be obsolete. Maybe you’ll have a better chance of picking up the next skill if you learn the current one, but it’s hard to say.
And this is assuming the next regime, or the one after that doesn’t kill us. Once we hit the singularity, all career advice is moot. Either you’re dead, or we’re in a post-singularity society that’s impossible to predict now. Assuming we survive, we’ll probably be in a post-scarcity regime where “careers” are not a thing, but no-one really knows.
Anonymous #1 asks:
This field is evolving so quickly that it’s hard to make recommendations. In the current regime (starting approximately last November), prompt engineering is a valuable skill that can multiply your effectiveness. (In my estimation, from my usage so far, perhaps by a factor of 7.) Learn how to talk to these things. Sign up for Bing and/or ChatGPT. There are a lot of tricks. This is at least as important as learning how to use a search engine.
But how long will the current regime last? Until ChatGPT-5? Six months? A year? Maybe these prompt engineering skills will then be obsolete. Maybe you’ll have a better chance of picking up the next skill if you learn the current one, but it’s hard to say.
And this is assuming the next regime, or the one after that doesn’t kill us. Once we hit the singularity, all career advice is moot. Either you’re dead, or we’re in a post-singularity society that’s impossible to predict now. Assuming we survive, we’ll probably be in a post-scarcity regime where “careers” are not a thing, but no-one really knows.