Your Job Is Changing Faster Than You Think

For anyone working in tech, I'm sorry to say this, but there's a real chance you will not have the same job by the end of 2027.

对所有在科技圈工作的人——很抱歉这么说,但 2027 年底,你大概率不再是同一份工作。

Some of that will be because of layoffs.

一部分原因是裁员。

Intuit and Meta just announced cuts, and I don't think anyone seriously believes we're done seeing more.

Intuit 和 Meta 刚宣布了裁员,而且我觉得没人真的相信后面就不会再有了。

But even if you keep your seat, your actual job is going to change.

但就算你保住了工位,你实际在做的工作也会变。

A lot.

变很多。

The responsibilities, expectations, tools, scope of what you're capable of accomplishing, bar for what 'good' looks like, and number of people needed to do the work are all being rewritten every day.

职责、期望、工具、你能搞定的事情的范围、"什么算做得好"的标准、做完一件事需要多少人——这些全都在每天被重写。

It's already happening to me.

我自己已经在经历了。

I know it will affect you too.

我 知道 你也会被影响到。

In some cases, I fired myself out of parts of my own role.

有时候,是我自己主动把自己开除出了 role 的某些部分。

In other cases, I got fired out of responsibilities by the pace of the company, the shape of the org, and the reality of AI.

另一些时候,是被公司的节奏、组织的形态、以及 AI 的现实把我从某些职责里挤了出去。

Things I used to own either became less relevant, moved to someone else, got automated, or needed a totally different operating model.

以前我负责的事情,要么变得没那么重要了,要么转给了别人,要么被自动化了,要么需要一个完全不同的运作模式。

So yes, I technically stayed at the same company.

所以是的,严格意义上我还在同一家公司。

But I do not have the same job.

但我已经不是同一份工作了。

And more likely than not, neither will you.

而且大概率,你也不会还是同一份工作。

Wait, great news??

等等,好消息??

Yes. Because right now, it's not too late.

是的。因为现在,还来得及。

You can start rebuilding yourself before someone else decides what version of your job survives.

你可以在别人决定"你工作的哪个版本能活下来"之前,先开始重塑你自己。

Imagine yourself like Scrooge waking up on Christmas morning, with a new lease on life.

想象你自己像 Scrooge(《圣诞颂歌》里那位)在圣诞节早晨醒过来——重新拿到人生的入场券。

You still have your job!

你还有这份工作!

You still have time to make changes!

你还有时间做出改变!

But… it is time to start preparing for those changes.

但是⋯⋯是时候开始为那些改变做准备了。

The first step is to be honest with yourself about this reality.

第一步是对这个现实诚实。

Yes, it's uncomfortable. Yes, it's scary.

是的,不舒服。是的,可怕。

But the only thing worse is pretending that it's not happening. (see: Get your head out of the sand.)

但比这更糟的,就是假装它没发生。(可以看 Get your head out of the sand。)

But you better not stop there.

但你最好别就此打住。

Here's what I would put on my 'Prepare for a Job Change in 2027' action list:

下面是我自己"2027 年职业转换准备"清单上的内容:

This is uncomfortable, especially if you've been in it for a while.

这个问题很不舒服,尤其是如果你已经做了一段时间。

But as things keep changing, the competition is going to get more intense.

但随着事情持续变化,竞争会越来越激烈。

You're not going to win out in the same role over someone who loves what they do.

在同一个 role 上,你赢不过一个 真心热爱 这件事的人。

And if there are going to be dramatic changes in your role, maybe this is a chance to finally pivot into something you do get excited about.

而且如果你的 role 反正都要剧烈变化,那或许这是个机会——终于可以转去做那件你真正感到兴奋的事。

Maybe that's a more niche speciality.

也许是某个更窄的细分专业。

Maybe it's switching industries.

也许是换个行业。

Maybe that's going back to IC work (see: IC work is the new career flex - which is what I did).

也许是回到 IC 岗(可以看 IC work is the new career flex——这就是我自己做的)。

I've been beating this drum for years.

这件事我已经鼓吹好几年了。

If you're ever going to do it… now is an ideal time to get started.

如果你这辈子打算做⋯⋯现在就是 最理想 的起步时机。

If you've been telling yourself, 'I'm too risk averse to go out on my own. I need the stability of a full-time gig.'

如果你一直跟自己说:"我太厌恶风险,没办法单干。我需要全职工作的稳定性。"

Well, I've got good news and bad news for you.

那我有个好消息,还有个坏消息要告诉你。

Even before all of this rapid AI transformation, the stability of full-time work has been pretty sus:

就算没有这一波快速的 AI 转型,全职工作的稳定性也早就挺可疑了:

If you're junior, you're the closest to being replaced.

如果你是 junior,你就是最容易被替代的。

If you're senior, you're an expensive line item.

如果你是 senior,你就是账面上一笔贵的开支。

Think of all your friends and colleagues who have lost their jobs despite being awesome at what they do,

想一下那些手艺很厉害但还是丢了工作的朋友和同事——

and you have to acknowledge that expecting your career to last indefinitely is just staying on the Titanic while the lifeboats float away.

你就不得不承认:还指望职业生涯能无限延续,就是在 Titanic 上眼看着救生艇漂走还不上去。

So get started right now.

所以,现在就开始。

Like, today.

比如说,今天。

Because the good and bad news is… solopreneurship doesn't happen overnight.

因为好消息 和 坏消息都是⋯⋯solopreneurship(单干)不是一夜之间能搞起来的。

I wouldn't recommend that anyone should leave their job with no momentum or progress.

我不建议任何人在还没积累出任何势头或进展的时候就辞职。

It usually takes a while to figure out what you want to do and what the market will pay for, so start that process right now.

搞清楚你想做什么、市场愿意为什么买单——通常都要花一段时间,所以现在就启动这个过程。

Then, by the time you're ready for a change - whether that's because your job changes or you've got enough progress that you're ready to go all-in - you'll have the foundation in place.

等到你真的准备好做出改变——不管是因为你的工作变了,还是因为副业已经攒到了能全职 all-in 的程度——你都已经把基础打好了。

And guess what, you've already got a great headstart.

而且你猜怎么着,你已经有了不错的起跑优势。

Just think of your career options as a product you are working on…

把你的职业可选项当成一个你正在做的产品就行⋯⋯

I went down this road, and I've seen many other people go this way too.

我自己走的就是这条路,也见过很多人走这条路。

This path usually leads to a services business: consulting, advising, freelancing, or some other version of trading your time for money outside a full-time employment model.

这条路通常通向服务型业务:咨询、顾问、freelance,或者其它任何"在全职雇佣之外用时间换钱"的形式。

I started investing in this path about five years ago.

我大约从 5 年前开始往这条路上投入。

Today, I make more from solopreneurship than I do from the cash comp of my full-time role.

今天,我从 solopreneurship 拿到的钱,比我全职 role 的现金薪酬还多。

To get started, think of your brain as a product you need to build a company/growth around:

想起步的话,把你的大脑当成一个产品,围绕它去搭一家公司 / 一套增长引擎:

I wrote a deep dive on this approach, here: Is solopreneurship right for you?

我写过一篇深入剖析这条路线的文章: Is solopreneurship right for you?

It's become insanely easy to actually build software products - are you taking advantage?

做软件产品已经变得超级容易了——你正在利用这点吗?

You can take your specific expertise, package it into software for a niche audience, and sell it as a one-off purchase or a monthly/annual subscription?

你可以拿你的特定专业能力,打包成给某个细分人群用的软件,做一次性买断或月付 / 年付订阅?

I call this 'Mom 'n' Pop SaaS.'

我把这叫做 "Mom 'n' Pop SaaS"(夫妻店 SaaS)。

Not every software business needs to become a venture-backed unicorn cosplay exercise.

不是每个软件公司都得变成"拿 VC 钱、cosplay 独角兽"的演练。

The goal can be much simpler: keep it small, useful, profitable, and yours.

目标可以简单得多:小、有用、能赚钱、是你自己的。

Maybe it only makes $3k/month.

可能它每个月就赚 $3K。

But $3k/month in semi-passive income is ahmazing.

但每个月 $3K 的半被动收入,真的——超棒。

With the cost of development disappearing, this now has very positive ROI.

开发成本正在消失,这件事的 ROI 现在已经非常正向。

And lack of technical background is no longer your blocker - AI tools help you build the actual thing.

而且缺技术背景已经不再是你的拦路虎——AI 工具帮你把东西真正做出来。

Cough… give Lovable a try, cough.

咳咳⋯⋯试试 Lovable 嘛,咳咳。

Which brings me to the next must-have…

这就把我带到下一个 must-have⋯⋯

Most people hear the term 'AI-native' and either start cheering loudly or throwing up in their mouth a little bit.

大多数人听到 "AI-native" 这个词,反应不是立刻欢呼,就是嘴里有点想吐。

The reactions are extreme.

反应都很极端。

But one thing is clear: getting good at this will help you keep your job, reshape your job, or find your next one.

但有一件事很清楚:在这件事上变厉害,会帮你保住工作、重塑工作,或者找到下一份工作。

Just please get going right now.

拜托现在就开始。

And don't overwhelm yourself - start small.

别一下子把自己压垮——从小处入手。

The point is that AI-native is not about having an LLM open in your browser all the time.

重点是,AI-native 不是 说你浏览器里一直开着个 LLM 那么简单。

It's about how you think about the value of your work and how you approach it.

它讲的是,你如何看待自己工作的价值,以及你如何去处理它。

At this point, I see AI-native-ness as a series of tiers, in terms of how you're actually using LLMs:

现在我把 AI-native 这件事看作一系列层级,按你实际怎么用 LLM 来分:

This is a great place to start.

这是个不错的起点。

All of us write stuff… so use AI to improve the clarity of your written communication, because good communication is still somehow one of the most rare corporate superpowers.

我们所有人都得写东西⋯⋯用 AI 让你的书面沟通更清晰——因为好的沟通,在公司里依然莫名其妙地算最稀缺的"超能力"之一。

Pro-tip: Write your own version and then have AI critique it, so you actually learn.

小技巧:先自己写一版,再让 AI 来批,这样你才真的能学到东西。

Don't be sloppy!

别偷懒!

Prompt examples:

Prompt 示例:

Granola is in every meeting with me.

Granola 现在出现在我的每一场会议里。

It writes my todos, reminds me what I committed to, and it legit gives me good manager feedback!

它帮我记 todo,提醒我承诺过什么,而且它给我的"经理反馈"是真的有用!

Prompt examples:

Prompt 示例:

LLMs are agreeable to a fault and will just 'Great point!' you to death, if you let them.

LLM 太爱迎合你,如果你不管,它们会用"好观点!""说得好!"把你捧死。

But if you approach conversations from a different angle, AI can help challenge your logic, find holes in your thinking, pressure-test your strategy, and bring in additional research.

但只要你换个角度跟它对话,AI 可以帮你挑战自己的逻辑、找出思考里的漏洞、压力测试你的策略、引入额外的研究材料。

Prompt examples:

Prompt 示例:

Don't just talk about it.

别光说。

Build it.

造出来。

This could be internal tools or external apps (Satellite Apps, anyone?).

可以是内部工具、外部 app(Satellite Apps,有谁要不要试试?)。

Or landing pages, full websites, prototypes… anything.

或者 landing page、完整网站、原型⋯⋯任何东西。

Prompt examples:

Prompt 示例:

Yes, you, non-technical person.

对,就是你,非技术背景的你。

You can actually create code that goes into the core offering of your company's product.

你真的可以写出进入公司核心产品代码库的代码。

Instant superpower and job security unlock.

瞬间解锁超能力 + 工作保障。

Prompt examples:

Prompt 示例:

This is truly the next level… but proceed with caution.

这真是下一个台阶⋯⋯但请谨慎前进。

Agents are great when you have strong context and lots of repetitive tasks.

Agent 在"你有强上下文 + 大量重复任务"的时候很好用。

But they often require more setup, oversight, and cost than just doing the thing yourself.

但它们通常需要的搭建工作量、监督成本、运行成本,加起来比你自己干还多。

So it's worth checking these out, but beware the hype.

所以值得了解一下,但小心被炒作带跑。

(And no, that AI chatbot on your site is NOT an agent.)

(还有,不,你网站上那个 AI 聊天机器人不是 agent。)

Prompt examples:

Prompt 示例:

If you're feeling overwhelmed by everything that's happening, remember that everyone else is, too.

如果你被现在发生的一切压得喘不过气,记住——所有人都一样。

So don't get sucked into the AI performance theater

所以别被"AI 表演剧场"吸进去——

if you don't know what matters, what good looks like, or where to focus… AI just helps you do the wrong thing faster.

如果你不知道什么真正重要、什么算做得好、该聚焦在哪⋯⋯AI 只会让你更快地做错事。

And if you're looking for even more practical list of things to do tomorrow morning, I loved Claire Vo's post about this:

如果你想要一份更具体、明天早上就能开始做的清单,我很喜欢 Claire Vo 写的这一篇:

I hope you'll take some time today to think seriously about what your role will look like in a year.

我希望你今天能花点时间认真想一下:一年后你的 role 会是什么样。

Even if you're at the same company with the same title, I'd be shocked if you're doing the same work.

就算你还在同一家公司、还是同一个 title——如果你做的还是同样的事,我会震惊。

After all, even I got 'fired' from my role as a manager a few months ago, to transition into doing IC work.

毕竟,就连 我自己几个月前都从经理 role 上"被开除"了,转去做 IC。

You can't avoid this kind of change.

你躲不掉这种变化。

But there's still time to prepare yourself.

但还有时间为自己做准备。

Ask yourself the tough questions, to decide what you really want to do and how you can prepare.

问自己那些扎心的问题——搞清楚你到底想做什么、怎么准备。

Start your solopreneurship journey in some way, to give yourself career optionality.

用 某种 方式开启你自己的 solopreneurship 旅程,给自己留出职业可选项。

And start building an AI-native skillset, so you can thrive, no matter what.

并开始搭建 AI-native 的技能组合,这样不管发生什么,你都能活得很好。

Take one step toward each one of those.

对上面三件事各跨出一步。

Then, go look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself:

然后去照照镜子,告诉镜子里的自己: