My line of work introduces me to people with varying professional backgrounds. Accountants, lawyers, stenographers and too many more from which to pick relies on computers for their day-to-day work. Each of those professions has competed against technology and come out ahead.
Years ago when computers cost thousands of dollars and the internet was just becoming a reality, those same groups of people were worried their professions were being displaced by technology. People were finding other lines of work in preparation for a career doomsday.
Stenographers and transcriptionists feared technology would take their US based jobs. Much of that work was being shipped offshore and was later displaced by automated software. Both the internet and fast computers with dedicated software were the threats.
Attorneys were telling me their income was being hurt by online utilities that assisted in the creation of documents. One attorney explained to me that in some cases the documents created online were better than those she could create simply due to the massive legal teams behind the online sites. According to her, those large teams working for peanuts were her demise.
Starting in the mid 90’s anyone with a computer could do their own taxes for a fraction of the cost of hiring an accountant. Even chain places were having a hard time competing against the low cost software titles being introduced. Accountants, including a woman I hired early in my career, shut her doors due to lost business.
Over the past six months I’ve been talking to that same group of professionals who were complaining about technology five years ago. Each of them told me a similar story about feeling like the bottom was about to drop out of their line of work only to find themselves in higher demand. Technology reinforced their necessity.
Technology isn’t as good as people crack it up to be. In fact, technology is less than perfect even though it only seems like a line of perfect zeros and ones. Everything makes mistakes and everything has limits. Think about it, there’s only so much a computer program or website can do and only so far that technology can take us.
Stenography and transcription services done online are typically done by people whose native language is not ours. Similar sounding words may not be translated by software correctly. There’s many reasons an American ear is better for this job than either software or someone in another country working with audio files.
Attorneys are constantly needed to reread, edit and argue documents created online. A customer of ours told us about a case that was mostly prepared online for a fraction of the cost of hiring a real attorney. In the end the plaintiff needed to spend a fortune to correct the wrongs of the online site that only supplied generic legal information.
Tax preparation software will not represent users during a tax audit. I’ve had numerous tax preparers and accountants tell me much of the consumer grade software leaves users open for audits. Incorrectly filed taxes need to be frequently redone. Shorting the government money increases our chances for an audit while overpaying is just stupid.
Every professional I’ve talked to has told me their business increased due to technology and its shortcomings. Technology is a good place to start but not a great place to end. There was a time when I would have been on the side of technology, but after having my profession threatened numerous times I’m voting for the people.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can call him at (978) 919-8059 or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)