Old and new professions. Outdated professions. The most ancient professions that have disappeared

Fine arts

Pre-revolutionary HR, or Forgotten professions on the canvases of Russian artists

The labor market does not stand still. Some professions are being corrected by technological progress, others are disappearing into oblivion. What occupations were in demand in past centuries? Ofenya, water carrier, orderly... We look at paintings by Russian painters.

Water carrier

Sergey Gribkov. Water carrier. 1873

If in a Russian village almost every yard had its own well dug, then in the city it was difficult to obtain water. In the central regions, the water in rivers and ponds was most often undrinkable, so the townspeople had to bring clean water. The delivery was carried out by a water carrier. To become one, you had to have a horse-drawn cart or two-wheeled cart and a large barrel. In St. Petersburg, the color of a barrel spoke about the quality of the water in it: water from canals was transported in green barrels, and drinking water in white barrels. Often the water carrier was accompanied by a dog: it notified residents of the arrival of the cart with a loud bark. In large cities, this profession persisted until the beginning of the 20th century, until centralized water supply appeared.

In 1873, the artist Sergei Gribkov captured the work of a water carrier in his painting. At that time, this profession was considered prestigious and, importantly, very profitable: this can be judged by the good quality of the worker’s clothing. Water carriers often took advantage of the fact that the townspeople had no choice, and charged them exorbitant prices.

Batman

Pavel Fedotov. Officer and orderly. 1850–1851

Orderlies were the name given to soldiers of the Russian army who were in permanent service under an officer as a servant. According to historians, the name is derived from the French de jour, which means “orderly, duty officer.” The orderly conveyed the officer's orders to his subordinates, cleaned his uniform and boots, and, if necessary, acted as a bodyguard. Under Peter I, not only commoners, but also people from a noble family served in this post. The latter, as a rule, carried out the tsar's diplomatic and secret orders. This “profession” was abolished in 1881, but unofficially, orderlies existed during the Great Patriotic War. Their duties were performed by drivers.

Lamplighter

Leonid Solomatkin. Morning at the tavern. 1873

The profession of a lamplighter, in a more simplified form, existed in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome: even then, at night, the streets were illuminated with the help of oil lamps and torches. In Russia in the 19th century, retired military personnel were hired as lamplighters, who could work night and day. In an hour, they went around at least 50 lanterns: adjusting the wicks and pouring hemp oil. There was also theft. To stop this, they began to add turpentine to the oil, and later it was completely replaced with kerosene. With the advent of electric lights, the work became somewhat easier, although they were still turned on and off manually. Only after the 30s of the 20th century did an automatic mode for lighting lamps appear, and this once prestigious profession sank into oblivion. In some cities you can still find a lamplighter, although this is more an attempt to preserve traditions than a necessity.

In Leonid Solomatkin’s painting “Morning at the Tavern” you can see how the lamplighter, having climbed the ladder, goes about his business - putting out the candle. Each worker also had a long pole with which he lit and refilled the lanterns.

Saddler

Mikhail Klodt. Saddler. 1860s

Blinders were eyecups that blocked the horse's vision from the sides. This is where the word “blind-minded” comes from - this is what people are called who are unable to accept other points of view. The element of harness gave the name to the whole profession. However, the master was engaged in the manufacture of all horse equipment: saddles, bridles, stirrups. Each harness had to be unique. The first saddlers existed in Ancient Rus', and now only rare specialists decorate thoroughbred horses for racing.

The painting by Mikhail Klodt shows a saddler at work. This craft was labor-intensive and required skilled skills. What it took to choose the right skin! It was also necessary to sew the belts and install rivets. Everything was done by hand using the simplest tools. Each artisan adhered to certain rules. For example, it was possible to bend arcs only during the summer sap flow, and dry them exclusively in the shade.

Cooper

Traditionally, wooden barrels are used for pickling cucumbers and aging wine. In the old days, they were made by a cooper. Widespread in Rus', this profession faded away in the 20th century. Previously, the number of professional coopers reached a thousand people in each province, but now there are only a few of them. Filling the barrels was extremely difficult. Suffice it to recall the episode from the book about Robinson Crusoe: on the island he tried to learn how to make barrels. I worked for several weeks, hammering together planks, but still couldn’t do anything worthwhile.

In the painting by Sergei Skachkov you can see a cooper at work. Using an ax and available carpentry tools, he fits wooden or iron hoops to the body. The planks should be knocked together so tightly that they do not allow water to pass through.

The lightning pace of the industrial and technological revolution can not only delight futurists with previously unavailable opportunities, but also directly influence the labor market. In addition to the fact that they will give rise to a lot of new, very, very exotic professions, they will also contribute to the disappearance of a number of professions that are quite relevant today into the past. Time is fleeting, and along with such obsolete professions as elevator operators, watchmen and stenographers, competencies that appeared quite recently, back in the 90s, will disappear into oblivion.

As sad as it may be, time takes its toll.

According to the calculations of specialists from Skolkovo, by 2030, the domestic labor market will get rid of 57 professions that exist quite successfully today, and will be replaced by 186 new specialties, the names of many of which may shock you. What is it worth, for example, a bioethicist, a startup mentor, or, in general, a trend watcher/foresighter?! So that you are prepared for the new reality of the labor market, Careerist.ru decided to figure out what is happening with professions, and who should choose a new specialty.

15 years of changes

The Atlas of New Professions is a directory prepared by Skolkovo specialists back in 2015, in which they tried to reflect promising and, conversely, dying industries and professions for the next 15-20 years. According to the authors, it should help to understand which industries will actively develop, what technologies and products will be born in them, what specialists will be required, and which will cease to be relevant. As for the latter, among them scientists have identified 57 professions. It is noteworthy that among them you can find both intellectual labor specialties and blue-collar professions. Among specialties based on complex pre-training, computers will primarily replace specialists in transcription, translation, document management, budgeting, archives, notary databases, analytical documents and other specialists whose work is related to data systematization.

It is noteworthy that these are far from the most difficult professions that are threatened by computers. Among them were also dispatchers and medical specialists in diagnosing diseases. As for real estate agents and travel agency workers, everything is natural here - the development of online services encourages people to order travel services and buy real estate on their own - after all, these are just intermediaries generating added value.

Besides them, The number of unclaimed professionals by 2030 will include economists, accountants, lawyers and managers. Already today, there is an overabundance of managers and lawyers in the labor market, especially among junior ranks - ambitious young people who want to get a prestigious profession enroll en masse in specialized humanitarian universities, after which they successfully join the ranks of the unemployed. Soon, lawyers will become irrelevant in general – today. A similar fate awaits accountants - there are more than 1.1 million of them in the civil service alone, and they cost 1 trillion rubles. In this regard, replacing them with new document management programs. Already today they are the most popular among Moscow's unemployed.

In addition to these professions, scientists from Skolkovo identify logisticians, system administrators, credit managers, bank employees, scenery assemblers and other specialists whose work today requires, first of all, intellectual work.

"Scribblers" are under threat

Serious controversy, especially in the media, was caused by the fact that the specialties of journalist and reporter were added to the endangered professions. According to the compilers of the Atlas of Occupations, which has been actively discussed by the US Department of Labor since 2007, media employees should replace regular social networks. The fact is that today news is spread by ordinary users, and the previously working model, configured to hunt for sensations, will gradually become a thing of the past. And with it, the need for reporters and journalists who will report from the scene will disappear. In the future, in order not to end up with nothing, the “shark of the pen” must be a universal soldier of journalism - he must not only be able to write, but conduct radio broadcasts, be able to make original films, write good books, and create other media products - otherwise it will simply not be in demand.

A similar fate awaits proofreaders - as software and artificial intelligence develop, they will be replaced by text editors that will edit text with high quality. It is worth paying special attention to commercial advertising writers - copywriters. Once in-demand specialists are increasingly complaining about the market being overcrowded with poorly educated, self-taught scribblers, as a result of which the quality of texts, and therefore fees, are falling. In Skolkovo, for example, they are sure that today it is easier to train secretaries in this craft than to keep an expensive specialist in writing articles on staff.

Among other “dying” professions are consultants - the development of the Internet makes it possible to abandon consultants on specific issues, replacing them with online assistants. The development of navigation systems will make it possible to do away with navigators, although now they are used exclusively in motor sports. New software will also replace testers, and web-based graphics technology will replace doubles and stuntmen in films. Museum staff will also be under threat - Skolkovo experts have classified exhibit curators, ticket takers, and tour guides as endangered professions. They, like representatives of many other blue-collar professions, will have to be replaced by robots. By the way, about working professions.

"Dying" blue-collar professions

Despite the fact that blue-collar professions are traditionally in demand on the labor market, 25 of them were included by Skolkovo scientists on the list of those that will disappear in the next 15 years. And if the watchman, elevator operator and postman do not raise any special questions, then there are positions that, it would seem, have never been threatened. For example, call center operators. Apparently, scientists predict the automation of the process of communication with clients, which will be performed by robotic chat bots. No less doubtful is the disappearance of seamstresses. Of course, today there are automated sewing workshops where machines do the work, but it is quite difficult to believe that people will completely abandon individual designer items.

On the contrary, what has long been dictated by practice is the abandonment of traffic police inspectors.

Yes, cameras programmed to catch violators often make many mistakes, but they do not take bribes or try to attribute a dubious traffic violation. And if they try, it is with good intentions, and not in order to receive a bribe! In addition to them, the Atlas of New Professions predicts “aging” for janitors, concrete mixer workers, foremen, dry cleaners and even machinists. There are also those professions where the use of robotics will protect people’s lives. For example, miners, drillers and miners will disappear, which, however, will not only save employers from hundreds of casualties in production, but will also reduce the cost of the mining process.

Among others are security guards, porters, trainers, waiters, parking attendants, couriers, cooks and representatives of other professions whose work, or at least part of it, can be automated by machines. Of course, there is no need to be afraid of this. Technology will not yet be able to fully replace humans. Flexibility of mind, creativity, ingenuity, originality of ideas, artistry and other human prerogatives will remain a priority for people in the labor market for the next 15-20 years - machines are still capable of performing only automatic functions, such as swinging a shovel or forging and stamping.

In the end, even if machines can replace creativity, the individual human touch will always remain valuable. A striking example of this is souvenirs made with human warmth or clothes with the inscription Hand made. There is no doubt that The more functions we transfer to machines, the more we will be able to value human work, be it food production, determining a diagnosis, drawing up a statement of claim or writing an opinion article. Another question is that there is no need to expect mass demand for such services.

By 2030, 57 professions will disappear.

Obsolete intellectual professions on the horizon 2013–2030

Accountant
estimator
loan manager
statistician
stenographer/transcriber
copywriter
corrector
build editor
scenery installer
librarian
document specialist/archivist

travel agent
tester
double/stuntman
legal adviser
notary
bank teller
broker/realtor
guide
analyst
journalist
sports analyst

Referent
translator
public service operator
logistician
diagnostician
system administrator
dispatcher
navigator
pharmacist

Obsolete blue-collar professions on the horizon 2013–2030

Usher
watchman
lift operator
parking attendant
call center operator
postman
highly professional agricultural worker
courier

Warden of the hall at the museum
freight train driver
traffic police inspector
security guard
miner
miner
packer
cook
driller

Foreman
transport terminal worker
seamstress
porter
concrete worker
dry cleaning worker
waiter
trainer

ACCOUNTANT
Special software already allows beginners to quickly cope with basic auditing and accounting operations. In the future, computer programs will be able to completely replace people.
ESTIMATE
The tasks performed by specialists in this profession are completely transferred to intelligent programs. The volume of data and its complexity increases, it becomes difficult for a person to quickly and efficiently process such a flow of information. In the next 5–7 years, the number of required specialists will sharply decrease, while their tasks will be reduced to the operational maintenance of intelligent programs and systems that calculate estimates.
CREDIT MANAGER
Today you can apply for a loan online. In the future, special computer programs will make decisions about issuing a loan by requesting information about a potential client in big data databases.
STATISTICIAN
In the future, the processes of collecting, processing and systematizing data will become much more complicated due to the growing amount of information. Previous knowledge and skills will not be enough for this, and big data specialists will replace statisticians.
STENOGRAPHER / TRANSCRIPTER
Already now, voice recognition systems (for example, Yandex.Dictovka) and speech-to-text conversion make it possible to replace the work of such professionals. Technologies are developing so quickly that by 2017 the use of such programs will become ubiquitous.
COPYWRITER
Computer programs (bots) connected to huge databases of texts, articles, manifestos, literary works, etc., are already capable of generating texts of average quality of a given literary form on any topic, using standard syntactic structures.
CORRECTOR
Automatic text checking systems will be developed that take into account all the nuances of spelling in a particular language - you can already check spelling and punctuation in a Word document or browser. So far, these programs are imperfect, but in the near future, with the development of semantic text analysis technologies, they will be able to replace humans.
BUILD EDITOR
In the near future, the separate work of a specialist in selecting illustrations for a publication will no longer be necessary. In the future, a convenient algorithm for searching for photographs and pictures on the Web will allow text authors to deal with text, pictures, and videos.
CINEMA SET ASSEMBLER
Modern computer graphics allows you to draw any background - from a wild jungle to a Gothic castle. Why bother with pavilions if you can draw an entire three-dimensional city? Therefore, set assemblers will remain only in theaters, and in cinema they are already beginning to be replaced by computer graphics specialists.
LIBRARIAN, DOCUMENTARY/ARCHIVIST
The digitization of all libraries and archives with the ability to access any information 24/7 from anywhere in the world is revolutionizing archival and library science. Librarians and archivists in their current form will disappear, but archive management activities will move to networked solutions.
LECTURER
The range of tasks of “reproduction” teachers will change due to the development of educational technologies and changes in student demands - recording a standard lecture course under dictation reduces motivation to study, any information can be found on the Internet, and the world’s leading universities offer various free and paid online certification courses to anyone to those who wish. Lecturers must provide students with unique experiences that they cannot otherwise obtain. Over time, lectures will be given only by those who either have unique knowledge and experience, or who know how to communicate with an audience and are able to present information artistically.
TRAVEL AGENT
This profession is being destroyed by the following factors: people increasingly prefer individual tourism to mass tourism, and spontaneous vacations to clearly planned ones; An abundance of Internet services and applications for selecting transfers, accommodation, planning leisure activities (without commissions and with 24/7 access) allow users to organize their vacation directly, without intermediaries. This profession will disappear as more people become accustomed to doing their own tours via the Internet. Over time, travel agents will remain only in the elite segment, where the special value will be that a real person, and not a program, works with a client on an individual order.
DUBLER/STUNCEMENT PERSON
There is no longer any need to perform breathtaking stunts in reality - thanks to computer processing of video, an actor without special physical training can jump out of a train at full speed or cope with a stormy waterfall. Today's stuntmen become something like circus performers, performing in special shows.
TESTER
Robotic systems, simulators and computer modeling make it possible to replace humans in many tests of varying complexity and danger. Over time, the testing profession will become more exotic.
LEGAL CONSULT
Answers to common questions can be found in the “questions and answers” ​​sections on most legal portals, the necessary documents can be easily found in database archives, and you can get direct advice in the community or ask a question to a specialist. Online consultation will be needed in significantly fewer cases, so the demand for such specialists is falling sharply.
NOTARY
The development of remote access services for processing documents and performing banking transactions using an electronic signature, the ability to connect to databases to verify the authenticity of identity, solvency or criminal record make the functions of a notary obsolete. Soon this profession can only survive due to outdated legislation.
BANK OPERATOR
Almost all banking transactions are transferred to the Network and are brought as close as possible to the user, and ATMs dispense cash in significant quantities. Over the next 10–15 years, the remaining bank employees will gradually move to serving that part of the population that has not been able to adapt to new technologies.
BROKER/REALTOR
Internet services allow you to select real estate with any parameters and anywhere in the world, without leaving your home; Payment transactions are also carried out via the network (in this case there are no commission costs). As in the case of travel agents, human realtors will remain mainly in the premium segment, where personal contact with the client is important.
GUIDE
Standard tours and excursions will be replaced by individual programs, and guides will be replaced by virtual guides and special tourism programs and applications that allow one to navigate the area and find out all the necessary information on topics of interest to a particular user.
ANALYST
Intelligent systems are already capable of carrying out analytical work in various areas, especially for standard and repetitive operations. Over time, analytical services will be replaced by services based on artificial intelligence.
JOURNALIST
Programs for translating speech into text and programs for writing text documents can largely automate and speed up such a previously creative profession. For example, Bloomberg has replaced part of its news staff with an artificial intelligence program that writes stock news faster and more colorfully than human journalists. Amateur reports and blogs, which are rapidly gaining popularity due to their liveliness, are right-
wonder and naturalness begin to compete with television, radio and print journalists of the leading media. In 20 years, artificial intelligence will be able to solve 95% of media-related problems. The main focus of journalists will be original journalism, built on the original views and approach of the author, close to fiction or cinema.
SPORTS ANALYST
The ability to remember and compare the details of sports biographies and the results of matches ten years ago, analyze information and predict the likely outcomes of future games was indispensable in the pre-information era - but in the near future this function will be handled by the computer.
SECRETARY-ASSISTANT
Most of the functions of the assistant can be performed by computer programs - distributing calls, drawing up schedules, planning meetings, booking airline tickets on a business trip, etc. There is already software that can take on some of these responsibilities - the question is to develop an optimal solution that combines the maximum functions.
PUBLIC SERVICE OPERATOR
The development of services such as the “Public Services Portal” and “Electronic Government”, as well as civil crowdsourcing, leads to a transformation of the tasks of a municipal employee - at a minimum, the number of employees involved in document management should decrease.
TRANSLATOR
The development of semantic translation programs is progressing by leaps and bounds, and even now simple technical translation can be performed automatically. These programs are already capable of translating both written and spoken speech. As technology continues to develop, the niche for human translators will remain limited to highly skilled professionals, typically those involved in complex translations or those working in the field of literary translation.
LOGISTIST, DISPATCHER
Transport infrastructure is becoming more complex, cargo delivery is becoming modular, cargo and passenger flows are increasing, and user requirements for quality and speed of delivery are increasing. It is increasingly difficult for a person to cope with such tasks. However, automated control and tracking systems for transportation with all kinds of sensors and the possibility of satellite monitoring, intelligent systems are already beginning to be introduced en masse.
programs for developing delivery routes and tracking them. A person is needed only for control at the highest level - making decisions when emergency, complex situations arise. Therefore, in the profession of dispatchers and logisticians, the number of workers will gradually decrease, and the intensity and complexity of their work will increase.
DIAGNOSTICIAN
The functions of this specialist are gradually being replaced by mobile diagnostic devices and automated expert systems. Already, the IBM Watson artificial intelligence system diagnoses dangerous diseases, in particular cancer, with an accuracy several times greater than that of experienced diagnostic doctors. In the next five years, the market for microdiagnostic devices will actively develop: a person in any conditions and at any time will be able to take their current physiological indicators and instantly transfer the data to a specific doctor via the Network. Primary diagnostics in clinics and hospitals will also be performed with special equipment with intelligent programs. In 15–20 years, the need for new diagnosticians will be very low. Those specialists who will appear in the next 5–10 years will be enough to cover the need for these specialists during the period of obsolescence of the profession throughout Russia until 2030.
SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR
The development of artificial intelligence systems will make it possible to eliminate system failures quickly and almost imperceptibly for the user. The system administrators we are used to are being replaced by programs and specialists in setting them up.
NAVIGATOR
The main functions of this specialist - plotting a course, calculations related to movements and marking movements on the map - are already capable of being performed by devices with GPS navigation.
PHARMACIST
Many pharmacies are switching to working through online resources, since a significant part of customers are able to select their medications through the network, either independently or on the recommendation of a doctor. Logistics services are ready to deliver orders at any time of the day. The pharmacist remains in the pharmacy either to provide people with medicines in an emergency, or to work with the population who are unable to independently
serve. After 2020, the need for a pharmacist
will be very low.

Usher
Already, ticket inspectors are more of a form of honorary pension. By the end of the 2010s, most citizens will have electronic cards to pay for passage through automated scanners at the entrances to buildings and transport, when attending events, etc.
Watchman
Automatic keys, retinal recognition and fingerprint recognition systems used to ensure the security of office and residential premises are eventually displacing such workers. In developed countries, watchmen have already become a rarity, and in the next 5–7 years this profession will disappear in large Russian cities.
Lifter
Technological solutions for elevator repair and maintenance, becoming increasingly automated, and intelligent control systems are gradually replacing such a worker.
PARKING MAN
More and more manufacturers are adding intelligent parking systems to the basic equipment of their vehicles, thereby automating the work tasks of this profession. After 2020, the use of artificial intelligence in driving will be present in more than 80% of new cars. Parking management is also being automated - this function is handled by security cameras, automatic barriers and parking meters.
CALL CENTER OPERATOR
Simple communicator programs can already answer user questions en masse. Further development of technology will lead to the replacement of a person with an intelligent program that generates answers to any question on a specific topic based on a database.
POSTMAN
Correspondence goes into the digital space, parcels are delivered by logistics companies. In developed countries, automated post offices are becoming widespread. The profession of a postman will gradually become a thing of the past, remaining more of a tourist curiosity (much like a coach driver).
HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL AGRICULTURAL WORKER
The abundance of automated, robotic complexes and control systems used in various types of agriculture leads to the displacement of humans from the sphere of agricultural production. This process has been going on for many decades, and there are no prerequisites for stopping it.
COURIER
Courier drones are slowly entering the market: in the Aviation section we provided examples of the effective use of unmanned technologies to deliver orders to customers. Drones will be able to deliver packages faster and even more environmentally friendly, since most of them run on electricity and do not pollute the environment.
HALL MANAGER IN MUSEUMS
Automatic security systems will keep order, and special applications will help you navigate the halls - so museum caretakers may only stay to create the atmosphere.
FREIGHT TRAIN DRIVERS
Every year, unmanned control systems become more advanced. First of all, they will be installed on metro trains and freight rolling stock, but a person will be connected only when force majeure situations arise. After 2020, freight train autopilot will become an industry standard.
DPS INSPECTOR
The development of intelligent traffic flow management systems (traffic lights, safety barriers, security cameras, the ability to connect to any vehicle via wireless communication, etc.) over time leads to complete automation and robotization of the functions of this employee.
GUARD
Security standards will change, and smart automated control systems will replace classic security solutions. Information on several objects will flow into a single control center, and rapid response teams will be able to solve situations that computer systems are unable to handle. Therefore, small private security companies will lose their relevance. In addition, the functions of a security guard can be performed by a drone with a built-in video camera and motion and heat sensors.
MINER, MINER
These blue-collar professions are leaving both due to the increasing complexity of geological exploration and production processes (and therefore their gradual robotization), and due to the fact that the demand for raw materials extracted by the mine method is decreasing.
PACKER, COOKER
In the next 10–15 years, these food and chemical production workers will begin to be replaced by robotic systems that improve the intensity, safety and quality of production. In 20–25 years, the capabilities of bio-3D printing will make it possible to move production to the user’s home and “print” any necessary food and chemical products, purchasing only the formula and suitable printing powder.
DRILLER
Conditions for mining and energy production are becoming increasingly difficult as easily mined resources are running out. Drilling in the future will be carried out in areas where it is difficult or impossible for people to work (the Far North, shelves, etc.). The development of robotics and satellite control systems makes it possible to remove humans from the production cycle, while increasing the volume and intensity. The romantic profession of drillers can be replaced by operators of drilling robots, often working remotely.
FOREMAN
Over time, this profession will begin to “die out” and will be replaced by a foreman-watcher (see the “Construction” section of the first part of the “Atlas”).
TRANSPORT TERMINAL WORKER
There are already information robots that help passengers navigate terminals, and special vehicles - for example, cleaners or tow trucks - are becoming increasingly automated. In the future, they can be controlled remotely, so airports and train stations can make do with far fewer staff.
SEAMSTRESS
The development of cheap 3D printing will eventually make it possible to quickly produce clothes and shoes with given parameters at home. A seamstress will be in demand rather as a piece and rather expensive specialist for work to order. For more details, see the “Light Industry” section.
PORTER
Robot porters have already appeared at the Japanese Kitakyushu Airport, capable of moving luggage weighing up to 50 kg and responding to voice commands. And the American company Five Elements Robotics came up with a new
a personal assistant robot, Budgee, which can carry various loads for its owner - for example, purchases at a household appliance store. These technologies are rapidly developing and becoming cheaper, and a person will definitely not be able to compete with a robot in speed and endurance.
CONCRETER
The spread of 3D printing and other innovative construction technologies will reduce the need for labor on construction sites. Classic blue-collar professions will be replaced by construction operators
3D printers and other equipment.
DRY CLEANING WORKER
Robotic dry cleaners are already being used to clean car interiors, and White Conveyors, a company specializing in high-tech methods of sorting and storing clothes, offers an automated system for dry cleaners, where customers can drop off and receive items through a special terminal, and a “smart” conveyor minimizes the need for human intervention .So there will soon be no need for living workers.
WAITER
Restaurants with robot waiters are already popular in Japan. But since communication is an important part of the service in this profession, robots will be able to displace people in chain establishments, where speed and accuracy of order fulfillment are most important, but not in high-end restaurants.
TRAINER
“Technical” coaches who help athletes practice certain actions (for example, hitting a ball) will not be needed in the future - the coach will become a coach, monitoring both the athletic form of the ward and the choice of the correct game strategy. And sports robots and simulators will help you polish your jumping or serving technique.

The development of technology and technology is primarily aimed at improving and making life easier for each of us. But at the same time, this is the reason for the disappearance of a number of crafts. Disappeared professions are those jobs that were previously performed by specially trained people, but now have no meaning at all, or are carried out with the help of technology.

The disappearance of professions - is this normal?

If we think logically, it becomes clear that such processes in the structure of professions are quite natural. In no case should we perceive the disappearance of professions as some kind of destructive factor, as a result of which many people become unemployed. It is important to remember that old professions that have disappeared are necessarily replaced by new specialties that are more modern, relevant and in demand. Sometimes there is a direct replacement of the craft, for example, the ancient profession of a coppersmith is reborn into the profession of an electric and gas welder, the once popular job of a newspaper delivery person is becoming less and less in demand, and in its place you can put the recently appeared work of a promoter.

The most ancient professions that have disappeared

What are the oldest? The list of such crafts that have gone into oblivion is quite long. The disappearance of professions is a constant, systematic process that does not attract the attention of the general public. Today we don’t think about what professions disappeared several centuries ago, and we may not even be aware of their existence.

List of forgotten professions

• Pied Piper. One of the terrible problems of the Middle Ages were rats. As you guessed, people who were called rat catchers bravely fought against the scourge. Representatives of this profession, despite all their usefulness, were not very revered in society. Each rat catcher had his own methods of fighting rodents and tried to better advertise himself in order to get ahead of his competitors.
• Ice Maker- This is an extremely difficult and dangerous profession associated with risk to life. The ice cutters' tools were long saws with a weight under water. The ice was cut into longitudinal bars, which were called “boars”. Further, these “wild boars” were supplied to settlements and were quite a popular commodity.
• spitter was planting turnips. The name of the profession was given by a specific method of sowing small seeds of this plant.
• Mourners and Screamers learned the craft of crying since childhood. Not a single ritual event in Rus' took place without them. The more plaintively and piercingly the mourner could moan, the higher the reward for her labors.
• Buffoons- their professional duties were to entertain ordinary people on the streets of cities. The reason for the disappearance of this profession was not technological progress, but the way of society.
• Alarm Clock Man- from the name it already becomes clear what the people of this profession did. At a time when the alarm clock had not yet been invented, it was also not advisable to be late for work. To do this, a special person knocked on the windows, announcing the arrival of morning. Sometimes this function was performed by wipers.
• Executioner- Nowadays you won’t meet these people because they are unnecessary in the current social system.

Each of these specialties seems strange and absurd to us. It’s hard to imagine in the modern world an executioner presenting a resume or a mourner advertising her services. But at one time these were quite sought-after specialists.

What professions disappeared in the last century?

These crafts are already closer and more familiar to us. They do not seem so absurd, but still do not fit into the realities of modern society.

• Lamplighter. Remembering the disappeared professions, it is impossible not to pay attention to the people who gave light. Their main task is to light the lanterns at dusk.
• Cab- person driving Previously, this was the only way to get to your destination as quickly as possible. In the modern world, an analogue of this profession can be called a driver.
• Counter- specially trained people who performed complex mathematical calculations using the only “gadget” available at that time - an abacus. Mostly women were involved in this work, as they are more attentive and collected.
• Reader- a very educational profession. In factories and factories, where people were busy with monotonous work for many hours in a row, there was a person who entertained them by reading newspapers, fiction and poetry. Often, readers were hired for money collected by the team.

Disappeared professions over the past 10 years

They say: “life gets faster.” Probably, it is precisely in connection with this that changes in the structure of specialties are becoming more and more noticeable. It won’t be difficult for us to remember a lot of examples of professions disappearing right before our eyes. Disappeared professions in Russia over the past decade:

• Knife sharpener- in principle, such a profession still exists, but you won’t find its representatives during the day, they have become so rare. Dull-resistant knives made of high-quality steel have become fashionable, they can serve for a long time, and they are much cheaper.
• Shoe shiner - a long time ago they could be seen at every intersection of the main streets of cities and towns. Later, shoe shiners plied their trade mainly in special workshops.

• Telephone operator, telegraph operator- It seems that just recently receiving telegrams in the mail seemed like a common thing for us. And how nice it was to hear the voice of the girl telephone operator while waiting to connect with the subscriber. Now everything is in the past. The role of cute representatives of these professions can be replaced by a functional smartphone. We managed to find out not all the disappeared professions. This list gets longer every decade.

Is it possible to predict something?

By analyzing information about which professions have disappeared and what events provoked such disappearance, we can make an assumption about how things will be in the future in the structure of crafts. The beginning of the extinction of some specialties is so obvious that you don’t even have to be a specialist to draw the appropriate conclusions.

Professions that will disappear by 2020

This information is not 100% reliable, but still no one can doubt that these particular specialties will soon cease to exist. Already now they are losing their former relevance, becoming less in demand, and after 2020, most likely, they will move into the category of “disappeared professions.”

• Postman- a profession doomed to extinction. With the advent of the Internet, newspapers and magazines have lost their former popularity, and we receive 90% of letters by email.
• Travel agent- information about vacation spots becomes publicly available, planning tourist trips does not require any additional resources and is within the capabilities of everyone.
• Librarian, archivist, document specialist- the organization of electronic databases and electronic archives contributes to the extinction of these professions.
• Copywriter- According to forecasts, soon computer programs will be able to generate articles on various topics themselves, and the number of “keyboard workers” will sharply decrease.
• Call center operator- already now, many companies offer the ability to resolve problematic issues automatically, managing system actions through answering machine commands. This becomes the basis for a sharp reduction in the number of operators.
• Lecturer. Online courses are an alternative to classroom classes. It is precisely because of these innovations in the education system that this profession may disappear.
• Usher. WITH scanners that read information are what will replace a real person, a specialist in the sale and verification of tickets.
• Seamstress- It’s hard to believe, but this profession is also in danger of extinction. Soon, manual labor will only be needed to create expensive designer items, and equipment for making clothes yourself at home will become available to everyone.
• Elevator operator- the mechanisms that ensure the uninterrupted operation of elevators are becoming more and more improved and automated every year. Soon, specialists will no longer be needed to control the operation of elevators; machines will do it for them.
• Stenographer- in the next few years, the work of stenographers and transcribers will be completely replaced by the work of computer programs capable of voice recognition.

Choosing the “right” profession

We have always been taught to choose a profession with our soul. But what if the job that you like and are passionate about suddenly becomes unnecessary? It will be a shame if knowledge and professional skills remain unrealized. In order to avoid getting into such a situation, among other factors, you need to consider the prospects of this specialty in the conditions of technological progress. Try to approach the choice of your future profession with all seriousness and consider the issue from different angles.

Let's sum it up

The disappeared professions of the 20th century are a huge list of specific crafts, which in most cases are based on hard physical labor. The need for the existence of such professions has disappeared with the advent of complex technical devices controlled by a person and performing this work instead of him. In today's world, these vanished professions may seem strange, surprising, or meaningless, but they will forever be part of our history.

We have already written about what the world may expect in the next 10-15 years, when self-driving cars become a reality, 3-D printing develops and the cost of solar energy production decreases. And that all this will lead to the fact that 70-80% of current jobs will disappear in the next 20 years.

Of course, these are only forecasts, but they are supported by very real historical examples. Here are just a few professions that were very popular in the last century and disappeared without a trace thanks to the triumph of the industrial revolution.

Disappeared professions of the last century

1. Coachman

“The horse was, is and will be, but the automobile is just a fashionable fad,” - so in 1903 the president of the Michigan Savings Bank tried to dissuade lawyer Horace Rackham from investing in Henry Ford's enterprise.

Then the overwhelming majority of the population agreed with him, and certainly the coachmen themselves refused to believe that their profession could disappear almost overnight due to the spread of cars, and later public transport.

Along with coachmen, coachmen also disappeared - this profession has flourished in Russia since the 17th century. Coachmen were in public service, lived in special “Yamsk” settlements and received cash and gunpowder salaries from the treasury. They delivered mail, government cargo, transported officials and generally played an important role in the country's economy before the spread of railway transport.

2. Wheeler

Wheelwrights, the craftsmen who made wheels, carts and carriages, and also repaired vehicles that had become a thing of the past, also found themselves out of work. Now only last names and village names remind of this profession.

3. Telephone operator

The invention of automatic telephone exchanges first threatened and then completely destroyed the profession of telephone operator.

Representatives of this profession were mainly girls. Telephone operators sat at a special board, switching and connecting telephone lines to each other. The work was quite nervous - according to the standards, only eight seconds were allotted for a manual connection, the call could be interrupted. Telephone operators worked manually until the 1980s - this system continued to be used for international calls.

4. Ice Maker

The refrigerator, which appeared in the 40s of the twentieth century, caused the disappearance of another interesting profession - ice harvester.

It is now impossible to imagine life without a refrigerator, but less than a century ago food was stored in special cabinets with ice - glaciers (it’s scary to even imagine how people survived in the summer). The harvesters cut blocks of ice from frozen lakes and rivers and delivered them to homes.

5. Alarm Clock Man

The profession of an alarm clock man (in English he was called a knocker-up, which would be more correctly translated as “a person who wakes up by knocking”) existed in England and Ireland during the Industrial Revolution. The job of the “wake-up snitches” was to wake up workers before their shifts. In order to reach the windows of the second floors, they used long and light bamboo sticks. “Alarm clock workers” earned a few pence a week and this part-time job was great for women and older people who could not work in the factory. The profession went down in history only in the 20s of the last century.

6. Reader at the Factory

Another interesting product of the Industrial Revolution is the reader or lecturer, as he was sometimes called. This is not about education or scientific reports in lecture halls. The readers entertained the workers during the production process, since work in factories was very dull and monotonous. Readers were often hired by the workers themselves, raising money to pay for their labor on their own. Usually, newspapers or entertaining texts were read to workers, but at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, agitators began to actively use readers - instead of newspapers, left-wing political manifestos appeared in the hands of lecturers. Of course, factory owners did not like this, and in the 1920s, readers were replaced by radio in most countries.

But on Liberty Island, readers still exist. Last year, Cubans officially celebrated the 150th anniversary of the profession of “tobacco factory reader,” which is believed to have originated on December 21, 1865. In connection with the anniversary, the Cuban government even contacted UNESCO with a proposal to add this profession to the List of World Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Currently, more than 300 people work as professional readers in tobacco factories in Cuba - all of them are government employees. They devote only 90 minutes a day to reading texts, and devote the rest of the working day to preparing materials for the next reading and discussing what they read with workers.

7. Calculator

Before the invention of the computer, there was a profession called a computer. Calculators performed long and tedious calculations by hand and worked in teams. Each team member did his part of the work, so the team worked in parallel.

The work of computer scientists on the Manhattan Project (the code name for the US nuclear weapons program) was very important during World War II. It was performed by six female computer scientists. After the end of the war, computer scientists worked at NASA on projects related to flight. Later, the need for this profession disappeared due to the development of computers.

8. Typist

Another popular female profession that has become a thing of the past with the advent of computers is typist, that is, typist of texts on a typewriter. Of course, the specialty “computer typist” appeared, but the popularity of these professions is incomparable - the copying function changed the world of text creators.

And since the conversation turned to information carriers, why not remember another profession that has sunk into oblivion - the scribe, which disappeared with the advent of printing. The scribe professionally copied books and documents by hand. Historically, scribes conducted the affairs of large landowners, kings, kept chronicles at temples and cities, and also copied various significant texts, including chronicles and sacred scriptures.

9. Lamplighter

Before the invention of electric lanterns, large cities were illuminated using candle or gas lanterns, which were lit by lamplighters. To climb onto the lantern, they used long ladders and lit it with matches or oil lamps. Their functions included: lighting and extinguishing lanterns, filling tanks with flammable liquids and repairing lanterns.

The profession partially disappeared with the advent of gas lamps, which were automatically lit at a certain time, without human intervention. The advent of electricity finally put an end to it, but completely new professions appeared - network engineers and electricians.

10. Radar Man

It's hard to imagine, but before radar was invented, radar functions were performed manually by human radar men, using acoustic mirrors and listening devices to detect the sound of approaching aircraft's engines. In the first half of the last century, the profession was considered to be in great demand. But they had one significant drawback: they picked up the frequencies of aircraft flying at low speed, and also could not distinguish a military vehicle from a civilian one.

11. Barge haulers

The advent of steamships contributed to the disappearance of the profession of barge haulers. Barge haulers were the name given to hired workers in Russia in the 16th and early 20th centuries, who, walking along the shore, pulled river boats against the current with the help of a tow. The work was seasonal: boats were pulled in spring and autumn. The work of barge haulers was very hard and monotonous. The speed of movement depended on the strength of the wind.

In the Russian Empire, the city of Rybinsk was called the “capital of barge haulers” from the beginning of the 19th century. During the summer navigation, a quarter of all Russian barge haulers passed through it.

12. Raftsman

It was not easy for the timber raftsmen, because they performed the functions of the current trucks that collect logs and deliver them for processing. Previously, the process of transporting timber looked like this: in winter, felled trees were piled on the frozen surface of the river, in spring the ice melted and the logs began to float downstream. Strong and strong men walked along the shore with long sticks, guiding the logs and removing various obstacles from their path. The profession disappeared in the early 20th century with the expansion of the railroad and the advent of portable sawmills.

13. Water carrier and water carrier

Before the advent of centralized water supply, water was delivered to homes by water carriers. They collected water from the source, poured it into containers and transported it or carried it home.

The invention of plumbing did not immediately destroy this profession. In St. Petersburg in the middle of the 19th century, there were 37 water pumps; From them water carriers carried water in buckets throughout the city. Because without water, as you know, “it’s neither here nor there.” Only in the 20th century did this profession finally disappear in Europe.

So

Should we be afraid of the coming total unemployment? For some reason we think not.

Judge for yourself. The eight-hour working day was introduced in the 19th century, during the industrial revolution in England - before that, factory workers worked 14-16 hours a day. More than 100 years have passed, technology has developed and workers in all industries have acquired the ability to produce a much larger volume of work in a short period of time. It would be logical to expect that this would lead to a shorter workday. And the invention of the computer should have left half the planet unemployed.

But this has not happened yet - there is more and more work, or rather “busyness”, and less and less time. This means that some other mechanisms are at work here - “universal employment” is beneficial to everyone. But that's a completely different conversation.