The Future of Work: How do we redefine ourselves in a changing world?

Google is currently developing a driverless car. This news may be exciting, but it also changes a lot of things, including the way in which we conceive of jobs. While the automation of previously human functions lessens the burden of work, it also causes the disappearance of labour as we once knew it. Many professions have already become obsolete, requiring us to think differently about careers, income and how we will meet our basic needs.

This public conversation invites us to ponder how we are redefining ourselves in an evolving landscape. Together, we will ask: What changes are coming? What feelings and/or intuitions are these predictions based on? How aware are we of the transitions we are living? Are we giving ourselves enough time and space to act differently? Given this opportunity to redefine our professional roles, we will explore how we might strike a balance between utility, survival and satisfaction.

Guest

A wearer of many hats, one could say that Alice Mayeux is not easily defined. Officially a costume assistant in the movie industry, she is also an artist, philosopher and is still getting used to her latest role: psychosociologist. Having recently completed a Masters in Communications at UQAM, she is currently exploring possible scenarios to create spaces for research and development focused on social, individual and collective challenges.

Moderator

After abandoning his plans of becoming a university professor, Alex Enkerli has taken his professional development in his own hands. He spent some years as a freelance ethnographer, community manager, researcher, teacher, and all-around active member of the local community. A few months ago, he was hired as a Learning Technology Advisor at Vitrine technologie-éducation, a non-profit working within Quebec’s CEGEP system. In parallel with this fulltime job (the first in ten years) Alex continues to teach at Concordia University.