I work for Ocado ... night shift in Hatfield, but I live in Orpington (hell of a commute) ... a new CFC is opening up in Erith at some point this year but I am being told that it will be mostly robots ... I've applied for a transfer anyway ... apparently the coke factory in Sidcup is fully automated?

They say hard work never hurt anyone ... but why take a chance?

If you can't beat them.....I invest in a Robotics & Automation ETF. Strong returns to date and an investment in the future (whether you believe in that future is another matter - it's not changing anytime soon).

The jobs least at risk are things like catering, domestic cleaning and gardening. Those most at risk tend to be the better paid things (excluding assembly lines) with two of the most at risk being chartered accountancy and fund management.

And teaching is not immune. May cause a bit of a stir for the government that brings it in, mind.

Living down here does have some advantages. At least you can see them cry.

Coca cola schwepps is to a large extent. Humans are there for when the machinery breaks as it frequently does. As in umpteen times a day!

When I was a young girl my Mother said to me.. You listen here kid you're CPFC

Easy. Become s*** hot at fixing broken robots.

Ignore the concept of trying to be 'like everyone else', because if you're chasing what is the 'new industry now', by the time you've been through the education and graduate systems, you'll be one of the many in what was once a sparse industry.

Income is dictated by supply and demand, not by skills sets. You're better off finding something you enjoy, that you do well and working in that field - because you'll rise to some prominence and speciality, and that usually entails a good return.

You can earn a good wage in most fields, provided you go far enough, and have the talent. If you don't have the skills and talent, even if you go into an area which pays well, you won't last.

You can earn more as a good painter and decorator as you can as an average IT techie. A good musician can usually find well paid work as a session musician.

The thing is, if you push yourself into something you don't enjoy, you'll stagnate and feel like you wasted your youth, pursuing dreams that won't sustain you in later life.

But don't do something just because of the money, find the joy in it.

A friend of mine makes an excellent living on the back of obtaining her PHd in Film Studies. She writes books, gives lectures, presentations all around the world (her first book was on Hammer Horror, her speciality is Cinematography of the Holocaust. Sure she probably could have earned more had she been a top scientist or something, but she still earns around 40k a year in terms of her lectures at universities, plus 2-4k for delivering additional lectures, or seminars around the world plus income from writing papers and advances on books and grant money for research (and even occasionally movie money for consultancy).

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
[Link]

My advice, is to learn other skills along side it as well. Just being able to be a SQL developer won't serve you too well in the meantime. Try to get experience in development planning, integration management, technical lead etc as well.

IT massively rewards specialist technical skills, but usually only for about 5-10 years, and by that time the day rates slump down to a reasonable average (400 a day isn't all that much as IT day rates go, I've worked with Project Management Officers who earn that).

The SQL bubble won't last. It contracting market has seen many of these patterns (when I started in IT web developers were king, now its a really competitive field with most of the people who were 'just capable' having been long since pushed out of the market).

The trick to IT is to develop non-technical skills sets if you want it to last - because IT has always lacked people without pure IT skills.

Things like Configuration Management, Change Management, Technical Writing, Release Management, Development and Integration Manager, Defect Management, Project Management, Technical Officer etc have a longer career span for a contractor, and most techie contractors long term end up moving into these kind of areas.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
[Link]