A New Age (Part A) (from "My Short Stories (Book One)") - by Anne Shier (a.k.a. "Annie")

Are technological advances really helping us to live better lives?  Is it better to have computerized systems versus human systems?  Why are companies trying to replace most of the jobs that used to be done by humans with automation run by computers?  These are a few of the questions that have been posed by humanitarians who are concerned with how the quality of our lives is affected by the advent and growth of computers.

The ultimate computer system uses, of course, the robot – a machine that can do very specific functions repeatedly, very accurately and very fast.  A robot is not fallible like a human being is.  Robots never get tired or hungry or require regular breaks or need to get paid for work performed.  It seems that robots were first invented to make manufacturing operations easier and cheaper so that companies that make products, such as vehicles, for example, can be more competitive in price.  They can, thus, present products to the public that are more desirable – anything that will help these companies to make a profit and keep their shareholders happy.  But, what about the people whose jobs are now considered obsolete due to technological advances?  What happens to them?

This kind of thing happened to me when I worked for Royal Bank in the 1990’s.  I worked in the Systems and Technology department.  The first year I was there (1997), the company was busy automating many previously manual operations, especially the human resources functions.  They were also busy developing new business applications for the Internet and putting all other deemed “non-essential” functions onto the back burner.  Last, but not least, they were getting ready for the advent of the new millennium, year 2000 (a.k.a. Y2K).  To this end, they were engaged in creating and executing Y2K test plans to ensure that all of their older, legacy business systems (programs) would still run in the year 2000.  Newer systems, such as Royal Direct Telephone Banking, also had to pass all of its Y2K testing, but were not as great a concern.  It was felt by Royal Bank executives that the newer business systems would survive the transition to year 2000 easily and successfully.

However, Y2K testing was not a profit-making operation; it was instituted (as in other companies) to prevent a possible disaster on January 1, 2000.  Just before the transition to year 2000, Systems and Technology was already busy making concrete plans for the future.  In fact, no sooner was Y2K testing over when the company was about to announce its intention to lay off 3,000 technical staff!  Actually, these plans were begun just before Y2K testing was finished and the affected technical staff was going to hear about these plans as soon as Y2K testing was finished.

On November 4, 1999, I got my own layoff notice.  I expressed my surprise at this development because I’d taken so many courses at the company’s expense and had accumulated some significant work experience in the last 2 to 3 years.  So, when I got my layoff notice, I asked my then-supervisor, “Why am I being let go now?  Is this a personal thing?”

And, he replied, “No, the company needs to make a profit quickly now that Y2K testing is officially over for Royal Bank, Systems and Technology.  The quickest way to make a profit in this fiscal year is to lay off a few thousand technical staff and thus, save on their collective salary expense.”

To this statement, I responded, “Okay, but what happens to me now? What help can I expect from the company, both to survive for the coming months and to obtain re-training or counselling for a possible new career?”

He said, “That’s what I am going to tell you all about right now.”

As it happened, the company was offering its departing staff members a relatively good severance package and help with beginning a new career elsewhere.  The company offered us all two severance options:  1) half a year’s salary as a lump sum payment now, all of which you kept even if you got a new job right away, or 2) one year’s salary paid biweekly, but if you got a new job right away, your salary payments would then stop.  The second option was mostly accepted by people who either might not be in a hurry to get a new job, or who might need more time to find a new job.  I picked the first option because I needed to work and I thought that I would be able to get a job again fairly quickly.  For both options, career counselling was available to those who wanted it.  Some people wanted a year off before having to look for a new job; others, like me, had started to look for a new job elsewhere already. 

As it also happened, I was lucky enough to get an offer of a good teaching position as an LTO (Long Term Occasional) teacher in Computer Science at a local high school.  At my interview with the principal of Winston Churchill C.I., he asked me, “Could you teach the Turing programming language to Grade 11 students?”

To this, I replied, “I have never even seen the Turing language before!”  But, he said, “We [at the school board] don’t even care about that; due to your formal education and great background as a computer programmer, we feel that you can learn it on your own and teach it to the kids!”

So, as crazy as it sounds, I agreed and 3 days later, after paying off my 3-years-overdue professional teaching license fees, I started my new job teaching Turing programming at Winston Churchill Collegiate! 

This situation must have been considered an exceptional case for our company, since I’m sure that most people who had just been laid off from Royal Bank, Systems and Technology were not already working again and were, in fact, taking their time looking for work.  But, at least we’d all been treated well by our very large multi-national employer during this layoff process.  I was just fortunate enough to land a much-coveted teaching job at the time.  It was also excellent timing in my mind – an event that had coincided well with my layoff. 

However, not everyone was as fortunate as I, even a year later.  Some people were still having a difficult time landing something financially comparable to what they had been receiving as compensation.  Such is the world of technology and the demand for human workers.  It’s like the economy – sometimes it’s a good market for technology jobs and sometimes it’s not.  The pattern of demand for technology jobs seems to vary independently of the advances in technology.

To sum it all up, the event of my layoff from Royal Bank, coming at the time of Y2K testing and the arrival of the new millennium, was what made it possible for me to land an LTO teaching job ultimately.  This job, in turn, lead to other LTO jobs, and eventually, to a full-time, permanent teaching job in Computer Science.  I have now been teaching full-time for over 10 years.  Ironically, I have Y2K, technological advances, and the “new age” to thank for the teaching opportunities afforded me in the new millennium.

published by Authorhouse, copyright 2011, Anne Shier.  All rights reserved.