Image from my.opera.com
With the I-Phone 5 just released, it’s evident that today’s technology realm is evolving faster than ever. Everything is sleeker, batteries last longer, and the world is changing because of it—whether it be for better or for worse is up for debate.
Gone are the days of waiting for a response in the mail, or, on a bigger scale, waiting for a client to fly in from a faraway country for a business meeting.
Everything now is streamlined at your fingertips. An important email can reach its recipient in a matter of seconds, and a business client can appear in-person on a screen instantly at the push of a button. And these changes aren’t being taken lightly.
Instead, people use the technological advances to their advantage. In other words, they use it for profit. As the saying goes, “Money makes the world go ‘round.”
However, in some cases, more money doesn’t necessarily equal a better quality of life.
The other day I talked with someone who said he worked at a bank in the business-marketing sector. His job is to communicate with other countries,
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working with stocks and various clients. On the surface it sounds like a solid day job that pays fairly well. That is, until he revealed his hours—he works from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. (or later), Monday through Friday.
The reason being that he has to cater to the time zones of other countries, making phone calls and Skyping. He even said that some of his coworkers are in the office from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
What shocked me the most was when he said a majority of his coworkers don’t have university degrees in business as he does. He reveled he works with many biochemical engineer majors who chose the job for the reason that positions are open and the work pays.
Relating back to my earlier point, it’s the invention of Skype and the worldwide web that has made this possible. Furthermore, people are working around the clock as they often respond to emails and phone calls nearly 24/7.
Technology is responsible for the heavy workloads and late work hours. It has made the world a more efficient place, but likewise it has become busier, making it seem as if no one ever sleeps.
People’s lives today are obviously not the same as people five or even only two years ago. The slightly frightening aspect is that it’s not only because of the changing job market. It’s also because of social media changing other parts of how we live. But that’s another story.
Every now and then it is nice to receive a hand written letter, or to have work delayed when the Internet shuts down. Just remember that there’s more to life than money, and looking into a screen can never beat sitting across from a real person.
Image from news.cnet.com
