Magnific

People spend years dreaming of becoming artists, singers, dancers, writers, teachers, programmers, photographers, doctors, you name it. And we do need different people in different areas for a society to function healthily.

Of course any profession requires hard work, but with the advent of AI and social media, what now?

Things have changed, and some people feel a hopelessness at their job. Do you feel similarly?

People are mentally exhausted and reconsidering their original career choice, and they are very vocal about it online.

What’s going on?

Read someone’s vent about this subject below.

That strange feeling that nobody wants to be anything anymore

Lately, I keep reading posts from people who say they’re fed up with their profession, that they want to quit everything, that they no longer recognize themselves in what they once chose to do.

I don’t know if it’s some kind of tunnel vision, if my algorithm is skewed or if I’m simply paying more attention to something that was always there.

But the feeling keeps coming back: I log onto any social network, any forum and I find myself encountering the same weariness time and time again.

As a software engineer, I know that feeling well. Many colleagues share it. I myself am fed up with my job.

He’s getting a general sense of hopelessness, either.

The curious thing is that when I enter communities of other related professions, like UX, data science, product, or design, I find exactly the same thing:

Exhausted, disillusioned people wondering if they made the wrong choice, if it’s still possible to start something else, if they really want to continue dedicating their lives to it.

But the phenomenon seems to extend beyond the tech world.

I recently read an article by a writer who said he was tired of writing. Also, one by a photographer who confessed to having lost the joy of photography.

And let’s not even talk about teachers, doctors, journalists, creatives or researchers.

He has a point.

Professions that, from the outside, still retain a certain vocational, almost romantic, aura, are inwardly filled with people who feel drained, replaced, bureaucratized or simply empty.

I have the feeling that AI has wiped out what little interesting, artisanal, and human element remained in each profession.

Before, one could think that the craft lay in solving problems, creating, interpreting, deciding, and observing with discernment.

Now, it increasingly seems that jobs consist of reviewing, feeding systems, correcting outputs, producing faster, and pretending that everything still makes sense.

It is scary and we must fight it. Also, don’t forget to go outside once in a while.

What did Reddit think?

A reader shares their thoughts about AI.

This person has a different take.

I agree. We all need balance.

Another reader chimes in.

Something to do good ol’ fashioned research on.

Sux indeed.

And this doesn’t seem limited to one profession. You’ll probably find people saying similar things in many areas, especially in big cities where people are also tired from commuting every day.

Many feel like the work they signed up for isn’t really the work they’re doing anymore.

Instead of creating, solving problems, or using their expertise, they spend their days reviewing AI-generated content, feeding software, fixing automated mistakes, chasing deadlines and keeping up with the fast pace of the world, as well as the constant changes while getting less in return instead of more.

For example, most people from Gen Z see owning a home as a distant dream. Things are too demanding.

This is why people are going back to DVDs and doing research at physical libraries.