the.world.is.flat-第65章
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we connected Western Europe； America； and Japan。 And it will happen when we connect
India and China with America； Europe； and Japan。 The way to succeed is not by stopping
the railroad line from connecting you； but by upgrading your skills and making the
investment in those practices that will enable you and your society to claim your
slice of the bigger but more complex pie。
：：：：： SIX
The Untouchables
So if the flattening of the world is largely （but not entirely） unstoppable； and holds
out the potential to be as beneficial to American society as a whole as past market
evolutions have been； how does an individual get the best out of it？ What do we tell
our kids？
There is only one message： You have to constantly upgrade your skills。 There will
be plenty of good jobs out there in the flat world for people with the knowledge and
ideas to seize them。
I am not suggesting this will be simple。 It will not be。 There will be a lot of other
people out there also trying to get smarter。 It was never good to be mediocre in your
job； but in a world of walls； mediocrity could still earn you a decent wage。 In a
flatter world； you really do not want to be mediocre。 You don't want to find yourself
in the shoes of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman； when his son Biff dispels his
idea that the Loman family is special by declaring； 〃Pop！ I'm a dime a dozen； and
so are you！〃 An angry Willy retorts； 〃I am not a dime a dozen！ I am Willy Loman； and
you are Biff Loman！〃
I don't care to have that conversation with my girls； so my advice to them in this
flat world is very brief and very blunt： 〃Girls； when I was growing up； my parents
used to say to me； 'Tom； finish your dinner…people in China and India are starving。'
My advice to you is： Girls； finishyour homework…people in China and India are starving
for your jobs。〃
The way I like to think about this for our society as a whole is that every person
should figure out how to make himself or herself into an untouchable。 That's right。
When the world goes flat； the caste system
2？8
gets turned upside down。 In India untouchables may be the lowest social class； but
in a flat world everyone should wantto be an untouchable。 Untouchables； in my lexicon；
are people whose jobs cannot be outsourced。
So who are the untouchables； and how do you or your kids get to be one？ Untouchables
come in four broad categories： workers who are 〃special；〃 workers who are
〃specialized；〃 workers who are 〃anchored；〃 and workers who are 〃really adaptable。〃
Workers who are special are people like Michael Jordan； Bill Gates； and Barbra
Streisand。 They have a global market for their goods and services and can command
global…sized pay packages。 Their jobs can never be outsourced。
If you can't be special…and only a few people can be…you want to be specialized； so
that your work cannot be outsourced。 This applies to all sorts of knowledge
workers…from specialized lawyers； accountants； and brain surgeons； to cutting…edge
computer architects and software engineers； to advanced machine tool and robot
operators。 These are skills that are always in high demand and are not fungible。
（〃Fungible〃 is an important word to remember。 As Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani likes
to say； in a flat world there is 〃fungible and nonfungible work。〃 Work that can be
easily digitized and transferred to lower…wage locations is fungible。 Work that
cannot be digitized or easily substituted is nonfungible。 Michael Jordan's jump shot
is nonfungible。 A bypass surgeon's technique is nonfungible。 A television
assembly…line worker's job is now fungible。 Basic accounting and tax preparation are
now fungible。）
If you cannot be special or specialized； you want to be anchored。 That status applies
to most Americans； everyone from my barber； to the waitress at lunch； to the chefs
in the kitchen； to the plumber； to nurses； to many doctors； many lawyers； entertainers；
electricians； and cleaning ladies。 Their jobs are simply anchored and always will
be； because they must be done in a specific location； involving face…to…face contact
with a customer； client； patient； or audience。 These jobs generally cannot be
digitized and are not fungible； and the market wage is set according to the local
market conditions。 But be advised： There are fungible parts of even anchored jobs；
and they can and will be outsourced…either to
India or to the past…for greater efficiency。 （Yes； as David Rothkopf notes； more jobs
are actually 〃outsourced to the past；〃 thanks to new innovations； than are outsourced
to India。） For instance； you are not going to go to Bangalore to find an internist
or a divorce lawyer； but your divorce lawyer may one day use a legal aide in Bangalore
for basic research or to write up vanilla legal documents； and your internist may
use a nighthawk radiologist in Bangalore to read your CAT scan。
This is why if you cannot be special or specialized； you don't want to count on being
anchored so you won't be outsourced。 You actually want to become really adaptable。
You want constantly to acquire new skills； knowledge； and expertise that enable you
constantly to be able to create value…something more than vanilla ice cream。 You want
to learn how to make the latest chocolate sauce； the whipped cream； or the cherries
on top； or to deliver it as a belly dancer…in whatever your field of endeavor。 As
parts of your work become commoditized and fungible； orturned into vanilla； adaptable
people will always learn how to make some other part of the sundae。 Being adaptable
in a flat world； knowing how to 〃learn how to learn；〃 will be one of the most important
assets any worker can have； because job churn will come faster； because innovation
will happen faster。
Atul Vashistha； CEO of NeoIT； a California consultingfirm that specializes inhelping
U。S。 firms do outsourcing； has a good feel for this： 〃What you can do and how you
can adapt and how you can leverage all the experience and knowledge you have when
the world goes flat…that is the basic component ＇for survival＇。 When you are changing
jobs a lot； and when your job environment is changing a lot； being adaptable is the
number one thing。 The people who are losing out are those with solid technical skills
who have not grown those skills。 You have to be skillfully adaptable and socially
adaptable。〃
The more we push out the boundaries of knowledge and technology； the more complex
tasks that machines can do； the more those with specialized education； or the ability
to learn how to learn； will be in demand； and for better pay。 And the more those without
that ability will be less generously compensated。 What you don't want to be is a not
very special； not very specialized； not very anchored； or not very adaptable
person in a fungible job。 If you are in the low…margin； fungible end of the work food
chain； where businesses have an incentive to outsource to lower…cost； equally
efficient producers； there is a much greater chance that your job will be outsourced
or your wages depressed。
〃If you are a Web programmer and are still using only HTML and have not expanded your
skill set to include newer and creative technologies； such as XML and multimedia；
your value to the organization gets diminished every year；〃 added Vashistha。 New
technologies get introduced that increase complexity but improve results； and as long
as a programmer embraces these and keeps abreast of what clients are looking for；
his or her job gets hard to outsource。 〃While technology advances make last year's
work a commodity；〃 said Vashistha； 〃reskilling； continual professional education and
client intimacy to develop new relationships keeps him or her ahead of the commodity
curve and away from a potential offshore。'〃
My childhood friend Bill Greer is a good example of a person who faced this challenge
and came up with a personal strategy to meet it。 Greer is forty…eight years old and
has made his living as a freelance artist and graphic designer for twenty…six years。
From the late 1970s until right around 2000； the way Bill did his job and served his
clients was pretty much
