A temp receptionist's question made me question my whole office job

So last Tuesday we had this temp fill in at the front desk while our regular girl was out. She was maybe 22, just graduated, and she asked me what I actually do all day. Not in a rude way, just curious. I started listing my tasks and realized half of them could be done by a script or a spreadsheet. I've been in this accounting clerk spot for 4 years, making $48k, and I suddenly saw my whole job as just moving numbers around for other people's projects. She said she was trying to figure out what jobs can't be automated, and that hit me different than any career advice I've gotten. Anyone else had a random conversation that made you rethink if your job is actually going to exist in 10 years, and what did you do about it?

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carr.xena2mo ago

Yknow @fionaw54, but did she make you question what you'd actually miss about the work itself?

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fionaw542mo ago

Wait, are you sure a temp would ask that, or was she maybe just making small talk because you looked busy? Either way, I get why it stuck with you, but don't let a 22 year old's question flip your whole world upside down.

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