Over the past few years, I’ve come to understand one thing:

The pace at which eras change is faster than the rate at which many people change their phones.

In the song “Song of Ordinary People,” Juanjuan says:
“The only constant is change; you need cross-industry foundational skills.”
It sounds inspirational, but in reality—
It’s a reminder not to let the times leave you behind.

But don’t listen to those who talk big and make empty promises:
Stuff like “A driver can become a coder in three months,”
Or “A factory worker can earn 30,000 a month by learning AI”...
That’s not motivation—that’s nonsense that could ruin you.

Have you ever seen someone who’s been driving a big truck for over a decade
suddenly able to compete with Copilot or Cursor for a job?
That’s not a career shift—it’s a dead end.

So what are real foundational skills?
In short: the abilities you developed in your original industry that you can take and apply somewhere else.

For example, a driver shouldn’t compete with programmers,
but can get into logistics, warehousing, field operations, dispatching, or maintenance.
Because those things connect to his original craft, experience, and understanding of people.

What gets replaced by the times is always—
mechanical, repetitive work that anyone can do.

What remains are always those who—
can handle challenges, learn new things, deal with people, and withstand pressure.

Remember the old saying:
The windfall is for pigs who can fly, not for people jumping into wells.
You’re not a pig and you can’t fly,
so you need to find the wind that suits you, the kind that can hold you up and keep you steady.

One last harsh but useful truth:
Don’t chase trends, chase irreplaceability.
As long as you’re not one of the easiest people to replace,
no matter how the times change, you’ll stay steady—
and maybe even come out ahead.