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Reinventing Yourself Is No Longer A Luxury. It’s A Survival Skill
The answer to obsolescence
If you’re a fan of the show The Twilight Zone, you might know the name, Romney Wordsworth. He was the protagonist in the episode “The Obsolete Man.”
Wordsworth, a librarian, stands trial accused of being obsolete in a world where the state has banned all books. Wordsworth argues his case passionately, but the chancellor of the proceeding declares him obsolete and calls for his execution.
In the real world, the penalty for obsolescence can result in a metaphorical death — the death of a career, financial health, and even self-esteem.
That’s where I found myself one morning in 2005, hiking the Rocky mountains. Two years prior, I had been an up-and-coming programmer at a financial services company. I quit that job to start my own business, which eventually failed.
With no viable options, I limped back to my former career. But the world of software development had surpassed me. In truth, it had eclipsed me two years before that. It’s why I went out on my own. I could see my impending obsolescence and tried to outrun it via the entrepreneur escape hatch.
As my financial condition treaded on life support and my self-worth gauge teetered on empty, I blasted out resumes…
