Your Job Changed. Did You?
3 practical steps to stay essential in an AI-driven market.
You don’t need to predict the future perfectly.
You do need to notice when the present has changed.
What should you do if you’ve lost your job—or suspect your current role might soon join the fax machine in the Museum of Formerly Essential Things?
Start with these three steps.
#1: Reality Audit — See It Early
This is the cold-water-in-your-face wake-up call.
Last year I had the pleasure of spending time with Microsoft Executive Vice President Jeff Teper at a Harvard reunion with Gina.
Beyond his obvious expertise, I was impressed by how gracious and generous he was with his time.
Our conversation kept circling back to a shared conviction:
In a world changing this quickly, one of your greatest competitive advantages is continually learning what is relevant—and then acting on it.
Get brutally honest about what is happening to your role.
Don’t sugarcoat it.
Deal with reality—even if reality arrives carrying a large sign that says, “Ouch!”
Ask yourself:
What parts of my job can AI already do today?
What parts are being reduced or automated right now?
What do people still need a human to do?
Most people don’t lose because they lack talent.
They lose because they remain too long in a role that is already fading.
Key Idea:
Clarity beats comfort.
If you see it early, you can move early.
#2: Stack One High-Value Skill — Fast
Don’t try to learn everything.
I tried.
Didn’t Work.
Still doesn’t work! (Dad burn-it! -- as Hoss Cartwright would say)
Pick one valuable skill that works with AI instead of fighting against it.
Study what people genuinely need who are ready, willing, and able to pay for it.
Your goal is to become so useful that hiring you feels like a bargain.
High-value skills might include:
• Updated prompting (not what worked before) and AI workflow design
• AI-assisted coding or debugging (using English as your programming language)
• Data interpretation and human-centered decision-making
• Translating technology into “we need that today” business value
• Connecting tools, systems, and automations
Then commit to the work:
• Spend 60–90 minutes a day minimum learning and practicing.
• Stay with it for at least 30 days --- 90 days even better!
• Build something real, useful, and practical.
You are not looking for this response:
“That’s interesting. Here’s a pat on the head.”
You want this response:
“Damn! You can do that? We’ve been looking for someone who can do that. Let’s talk.”
The market doesn’t reward effort alone.
It rewards visible, real-world, “this pays the bills” results.
You don’t get paid for trying.
And yes, thank you, Master Yoda:
“Do or do not. There is no try.”
Key Idea:
Don’t try to become everything new.
Become someone useful—fast.
Useful and fast beats the tar out of “way cool and nifty” every time.
#3: Reposition — Don’t Just Reapply
Don’t chase your old job into a shrinking market.
Instead, ask:
Where is demand growing?
Who needs help navigating this change?
What problems exist today that didn’t exist a year ago?
Talk about the problems you solve—not merely the titles you once held.
Reach out to people, not just job postings.
Position yourself where the market is going, not where it used to be.
Jobs disappear.
Problems don’t.
They move.
Key Idea:
Don’t chase your old job.
Chase where the problems are moving.
That means investing the time, money, and effort required to develop skills the marketplace values—not merely something you think is nifty, groovy, or fun to fiddle with.
One technology I’ve fallen in love with is Gemini Notebook, formerly known as NotebookLM.
I’ve been using it to learn relevant material faster and create customized training and promotional resources that make people eager to hear more.
Here’s a video I created about it when it was still called NotebookLM:
If you haven’t watched it, watch it and take notes.
If you have watched it, watch it again—and identify one idea you will actually implement.
The world isn’t merely changing quickly.
It is changing at warp speed—with the accelerator stuck.
You can complain, whine, moan, and wait for somebody else to rescue you.
But if you’ve followed Stark Raving Entrepreneurs for long, you already know how we feel about those charming little strategies.
Let this be your palm-to-forehead moment:
What is one action you can take TODAY to start moving in the right direction?
Whack that REPLY button and tell me.
Better yet, do the thing first—then tell me what happened.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
Live & Let Live!
Terry
Terry@TerryBrock.com
P.S. If you want more of this kind of thinking, come hang out in Stark Raving Entrepreneurs Wednesday Power Sessions. It's where we workshop the strategy behind the strategy — no fluff, just entrepreneurs who actually give a damn about getting it right. Comment below if you’d like more information.