Toll Takers and TV Repairmen
Are we training teens for world that doesn't exist?
The world is changing at a pace that’s hard to keep up with, and nowhere is this more evident than in the way we think about the future roles of our children in work, education, and role and size of government. Take, for example, the toll takers on the Henry Hudson Parkway. Years ago, I’d drive from the Bronx into Manhattan, handing $1.25 to a person or tossing coins into a basket to raise the barrier and continue my journey. Today, those toll takers and coin baskets are gone, replaced by automated systems that require no human intervention. It’s a small but clear example of how technology is making certain jobs obsolete. And it begs the question: why would we steer our young people toward careers that are destined to disappear?
The answer, of course, is that we shouldn’t. Just as we wouldn’t advise a teenager to become a typewriter maintenance technician or a CRT television repairman, we need to be equally cautious about guiding them into fields that are being rapidly displaced by artificial intelligence and automation. The problem is that many of these fields are still being propped up by outdated institutions, none more glaring than the federal Department of Education.
To be clear: the federal Department of Education is a relic. It’s a dinosaur. The United States ranks 40th out of 40 tier-one countries in education. Dead last. If an organization has been around for decades, consuming billions of dollars, and yet consistently delivers abysmal results, it’s not reform that’s needed—it’s elimination.
The Department of Education exists primarily to distribute money to approved programs, a task that could easily be handled by a small team using AI. In fact, with the right tools, the entire process could be streamlined into a matter of weeks, not years. So why does this bloated bureaucracy still exist? Because, like so many government programs, it benefits those who benefit from it. It’s a self-perpetuating machine, resistant to change because change would mean cutting off its own funding.
This isn’t just about the Department of Education, though. It’s about the broader culture of waste, fraud, and abuse that permeates many government programs.
Consider Social Security, where reports have surfaced of people older than the United States itself collecting benefits. Or the fact that there are more Social Security recipients—around 390 million—than the total U.S. population of 335 million. These aren’t minor glitches in the system; they’re glaring signs of systemic failure. And yet, when these issues are exposed, the response from politicians isn’t to address the fraud. Instead, they deflect, often by raising alarms about unrelated issues, like the supposed theft of personal information by tech billionaires. It’s a distraction tactic, one that reveals just how deeply entrenched the corruption is.
What’s fascinating—and hopeful—is how these issues are being uncovered. In the past, rooting out waste and fraud required massive, years-long audits conducted by firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers. An on-the-take politician would loudly proclaim that there’s a problem, and create a bipartisan commission to audit the government agency. These audits would produce thousand-page reports that no one would read, and by the time they were completed, the people responsible had retired or moved on. The graft would continue unchecked, and every government money siphoning parasite would be safe, invisible in the blizzard of numbers on unread pages.
Today, thanks to AI, the process is faster, more efficient, and far more effective. A small team of tech-savvy individuals (as we are seeing now) can now sift through terabytes of data in days, uncovering irregularities that would have taken years to find using the old, intentionally ineffective methods. This is the future of accountability, and it’s one that doesn’t require armies of analysts or bureaucrats. It requires people who know how to ask the right questions and use the right technological tools.
This shift has profound implications for the next generation. The jobs of tomorrow won’t involve manual data analysis or rote administrative tasks. Those roles are being automated out of existence. Instead, we need young people who understand how AI works, who can harness its power to solve complex problems, and who have the moral courage to challenge corruption and inefficiency. We need critical thinkers who don’t see government as infallible but as deeply flawed and in need of constant scrutiny. In short, we need a new kind of young citizen—one who is technologically literate, ethically grounded, and unafraid to demand better.
This brings us back to education. People are asking, if the federal Department of Education is obsolete, what should replace it? Even that is the wrong question. If you have a cancerous tumor, and you remove it, what should replace it?
In my 27 years in the school business, at no time have I, or any other teacher, sat in the department office, or by the water cooler and talked about the latest missive or program being pushed by the Federal Department of Education. Never. It’s as if it doesn’t exist, and to keep this thrashing dinosaur alive in the tar pit makes no sense. It is a colossal waste of taxpayer money. So what do we do?
The answer lies in decentralization and innovation. Instead of a top-heavy bureaucracy, we could have a lean, AI-driven system that allocates resources directly to educational programs that work. Imagine a team of 20 people using AI to evaluate applications, cross-reference data, and distribute funds where they’re needed most. It’s not science fiction; it’s entirely possible with the tools we have today. And it’s a far cry from the bloated, ineffective system we’re currently stuck with.
So, what does this mean for our teenagers? It means we need to guide them toward fields that will remain relevant in an AI-driven world. Programming, computer engineering, and AI ethics are all areas where demand will only grow. At the same time, we should discourage them from pursuing careers in fields that are on the brink of extinction, whether that’s typewriter repair or certain bureaucratic roles within government like administrators who run pointless DEI programs. The future belongs to those who can adapt, innovate, and think critically—not to those who cling to outdated systems.
The writing is on the wall. The slow, inefficient ways of the past are being replaced by faster, smarter, and more efficient systems. It’s up to us to ensure that the next generation is prepared for this new reality. That means rethinking education, reimagining government, and, most importantly, equipping our young people with the skills and mindset they need to thrive in a world where change is the only constant. The days of the toll takers, elevator operators, and TV repairmen are over. We must be sure we’re not preparing our kids for a world that no longer exists.
This article is sponsored by my work at TFTProfitAcademy.com, and my inexpensive eBook on that site: “16 Ways to Jumpstart your Disaffected, Phone Addicted Teenager“