Ten Year Plan
Ten years from now, in 2034, my children will both have graduated, one from college and the other from high school. My son will likely be in college, assuming that college still exists in its current form in 10 years. As such, my time of daily in-person parenting will likely be done. Even if my children live nearby, they will be adults with lives of their own. I look forward to this time for them in their lives. But I have to admit, for myself, I both dread it and look forward to it. I can only hope that I have instilled in them a good work ethic, compassion for others, faith in God, and life skills that can carry them into the future.
As for myself, I will be in my mid-50s and hopefully still enjoying the work that I do. I plan to be working full-time at this point in web design, finding new ways of presenting information, sharing creativity, and being of service to others. I know there are some that start looking forwards to retirement in their mid-50s. Who knows, I may even be one of them. On the other hand, if you love what you do, there's no need to stop. My mother worked as a school librarian well into her 70s. She loved what she did and retired on her own terms at the time of her choosing. My father is a farmer, still active at 90. He has slowed down some, and he may retire…someday. I would like to still be working, still be inventing, and learning and discovering. Wherever I am working, the best way to make a job interesting is to be learning new skills and/or learning how to do the job either faster or more efficiently. I hope to be working as part of a team, each with our own areas of specialization, and each contributing to the well-being of the company that we work for. In such an environment, I could see myself working for quite some time.
Another consideration for the future is the degree to which AI may have taken over our lives. Both web design and programming are professions which will be heavily affected by progression in AI. The people who survive the revolution will be those who learn to use it as a tool and not those who fear it. All the same, I am concerned that much will be lost as we become more reliant on AI for creative endeavors. A post on Facebook noted that they felt we were heading in the wrong direction if AI takes over creative endeavors and leaves us with more time for laundry and dishes rather than the other way around. I would have to agree.
