I lifted the following quote from an older thread because it seems to represent a prevalent sentiment:
**I think we all need to get our asses used to the notion that the ‘having a job’ is becoming obsolete and we’ll have to come up with other ways of exchanging our value for the stuff we need and want **
My question is, what are these new ways of exchanging our value?
Exchanging goods and services privately between friends, neighbors, relatives. We probably all do this already, but if the larger system of commerce breaks down for a while, it will become more prevalent.
I lifted the following quote from an older thread because it seems to represent a prevalent sentiment:
**I think we all need to get our asses used to the notion that the ‘having a job’ is becoming obsolete and we’ll have to come up with other ways of exchanging our value for the stuff we need and want **
My question is, what are these new ways of exchanging our value?
Yep, I built my buddy a website and he plows my driveway.
I lifted the following quote from an older thread because it seems to represent a prevalent sentiment:
**I think we all need to get our asses used to the notion that the ‘having a job’ is becoming obsolete and we’ll have to come up with other ways of exchanging our value for the stuff we need and want **
My question is, what are these new ways of exchanging our value?
Sex for crack?
That’s it? We got nuthin?
Is that website you made used for posting videos of your buddy “plowing your driveway?”
.
My question is, what are these new ways of exchanging our value?
That’s it? We got nuthin?
In short I think you might see a bit of a movement away from the “Employment” for dollars to more of a “Local exchange of goods”.
Rather than buying food at the grocery store you might buy something from a local farmer. Rather than buying a piece of furniture at Ikea you might get it from a local craftsman.
This will only be possible due to the fact that people are willing to “Work for less”. “Less” being less than what they were making at their former job, but much more than zero they are making completely unemployed.
Typically this happens every time there is a recession and it often results in a resurgence of new businesses…I mean if you didn’t have 99 weeks of UE to live off of.
~Matt
It’s an interesting pickle we find ourselves in:
2/3 of the economy now revolves around the purchasing and consumption of stuff
Much of that stuff is now manufactured elsewhere
Clearly a lot of this stuff has been bought with borrowed money by many that is still owing.
Now some of this stuff is needed, food, shelter, clothing etc . but a lot of it is redundant and even more of it goes above and beyond even advanced basic needs.
So say, to help get ourselves out of debt, and to cut back to basics we cut the buying of stuff by half - that will be massive hit on the economy. Then what?
Why do you think having a job is becoming obsolete? Creative destruction is how it works. If there are no jobs for X then they get a job doing Y.
My question is, what are these new ways of exchanging our value?
That’s it? We got nuthin?
In short I think you might see a bit of a movement away from the “Employment” for dollars to more of a “Local exchange of goods”.
Rather than buying food at the grocery store you might buy something from a local farmer. Rather than buying a piece of furniture at Ikea you might get it from a local craftsman.
Seeing as an “exchange of goods” requires goods on either side, what goods will the farmer and the local farmer accept? I’m guessing “money.” And you are going to get that money from either an employer or from someone who has an employer.
I’m not the one who said having a job will be obsolete, that was another poster in a different thread- but it’s something I’ve read and heard a lot about throughout this economic situation.
If there are no jobs for X then they get a job doing Y.
Ah. Why didn’t I think of that?
Not only that, my mortgage company does not accept bartered goods in lieu of cash.
I question whether “having a job” is becoming obsolete.
Me too, which is why I was hoping to hear from someone who’s espouses that view.
I wouldn’t say it’s becoming obsolete, because most of us still need one. I will say that it’s becoming less and less viable, and if that’s true, I’d still love to hear about the alternatives.
Not only that, my mortgage company does not accept bartered goods in lieu of cash.
Did you ask them? How’s Mrs. vitus979’s baking?
The way the question is posed, it’s if as we were to wake up one day and the system was defunct, and we all had to figure out ways to utilize our skills. But what is more thought provoking to me is the future of that scenario. What happens to the concept of career, say to a young kid getting ready to enter the adult world. How would one prepare himself as a young adult to live and prosper for many years to come with a complete unknown future?
Why do you think having a job is becoming obsolete? Creative destruction is how it works. If there are no jobs for X then they get a job doing Y.
Regardless of the economy, I think jobs as we know them will soon be obsolete due to technology.
Automation has already displaced many manual jobs. I believe that computing advances will make even “thinking” jobs obsolete in the next 10 to 20 years.
Will this create economic chaos by making it impossible for people to “earn a living” when competing against machines?
Will a tipping point occur when enough jobs are displaced that people become anti-technology and slow its growth, either through economics, politics, or violence?
Or, will this usher in a new era where people no longer need to work and machines provide everything? (Well, at least until they tire of their human overlords…) 
We’ve already seen that change to some degree. There was a time when the common wisdom was to get a job and stick with it for decades, climbing up the ladder over the years, until you retired with a pension.
That’s not the case for young people today. It is now prudent to always be evaluating your skills for future marketability because the ones you’re exercising today have a shelf life.
Seeing as an “exchange of goods” requires goods on either side, what goods will the farmer and the local farmer accept? I’m guessing “money.” And you are going to get that money from either an employer or from someone who has an employer.
I’m not following what your point is. The OP was asking about “Exchange of value”.** **The farmer could very well exchange goods and services rather than accepting money, happens all the time. I was commenting more on the idea that people without jobs have the tendency of “Exchanging value” in different ways than being an employee, I.E. starting your own business. I though that might have been obvious from the other comments I made in the post.
That being said you will also see more “Local exchange of goods”, in the sense you described as well.
~Matt
My advice to kids going into college would be to learn Chinese and/or Arabic and spend at least a year living abroad (preferably not backpacking around Europe).
Language skills and multi-culturism will be the most important assets to have in the job market of the future.