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Symbolic Analysts :: essays research papers

 Symbolic Analysts     Reich uses the term of "symbolic analysts" to describe what he feels oneof the three main job classifications of the future will be. The symbolicanalysts will be someone who is a problem identifier, a problem solver, or aninnovator who can visualize new uses of existing technologies. This class ofworkers includes scientists, engineers, and other scientific or technicalspecialties as well as marketers, investors, some types of lawyers, developersand a wide variety of consultants.The symbolic analysts will have a high level of education, both in theclassroom and on the job experience.     Reich believes that this new, actually redefined, class of workers willbe the best bet for job growth and success into the next century. Opportunitiesfor job growth will remain rather high. This is a result of two factors, aslowing growth in population and the future retirement of the baby boomergeneration (Reich, 203). It is not the number of jobs in the future that is theproblem, its the quality of those jobs. On the whole, Reich identifies twotrends in job quality. The number of mundane, manufacturing jobs will decreaseas well as the number of in-person service jobs e.g. bank tellers, but growth inthe number of symbolic analytical positions.     The loss of repetitive manufacturing is primarily a cost saving plan ofAmerican corporations. Corporations seeking to lower their costs of labor movetheir large, low-skilled manufacturing to points all over the globe in attemptto find the lowest wages. Replacement of some in-person services is attributedto technological change. Examples of this cutting of numbers can be seen in theblossoming of automated teller machines, unmanned self service gas stations, andhome shopping capabilities.     The symbolic analyst, however, contains a commodity that is bothvaluable and irreplaceable. This is the human thinking and problem solvingabilities that is becoming ever more important in international business.Specialized groups of problem identifiers and solvers will sprout all over theglobe, selling their services to a wide variety of customers. This growth mightnot seem beneficial for America in the traditional sense, as analysts will workfor foreign companies just as easily as American ones, but the intangible gainsof knowledge and experience stay within our country. People cannot be shippedand marketed as easily as a new VCR.     The interesting point of Reichs theory for the future is that it offersno easily visible solutions of raising the standard of living for those whoreside in the United States. In fact, I believe his symbolic analyst will onlyenlarge the growing income inequality between the rich and poor.