ATTENTION ALL POOL TECHNICIANS: HOW TO FUTUREPROOF YOUR JOB Ben Richards
T
he Internet of Things (IoT) has enabled pool owners and managers to remotely monitor and control their pools. That automation enables pool systems to ‘make decisions’ independently and reduces the need for human involvement. IoT technology is advancing at an exponential rate and artificial intelligence (AI) will take it to a whole new level. Customers today can do things like remotely monitor pool chemistry and adjust timers, while pools can even backwash themselves in response to high pressure. As the price of technology rapidly drops, it becomes accessible to the average pool owner. The question is: will we get to a point where pools can completely manage themselves, rendering pool technicians a thing of the past? We’ve all seen the ‘Will a robot take my job?’ articles and wondered what the future holds for our profession. There are
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Autumn 2018
even websites that can tell you the likelihood of your job being replaced by technology. As an example, www.replacedbyrobot. info suggests there’s a 50% chance that pool technicians will be replaced — but its reality is not quite as clear cut. To do a true assessment, you need to break down your job into tasks and assess each component individually. The real question is not ‘Will technology replace my job?’, but rather ‘Which parts of my job will be replaced by technology?’ So, what will a pool technician do in the future and how can you ensure that you stay at the top of your field?
Making an assessment There are immensely complicated calculators and processes used to assess whether things will be automated, but it all comes down to one thing — what is the ROI? How much money will be made
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