Where (I think) I’m headed in the future

Great - Gordon, so you want to change the world in a way that helps future generations. What are your big plans? How are you going to do it?

I think the main way I will be able to contribute is by improving the systems and structures around how we operate today. The way to do that is to create businesses that generate economic wealth for workers and add value to people. For example, Uber is fundamentally improving the way we move around. You will never again call for a taxi now that you only need to touch a button and can track where yours is in real-time.

As mentioned in my post, “A letter to the young’uns”, I have a few pitstops to make before jumping in to help build a better future for the next generation. There are two key parts: (1) strengthening my ability to create great software products and (2) discovering an important problem I can solve.

Software is a necessity for more and more businesses today, and being able to develop such products will be crucial to succeed as an entrepreneur. As part of my Venture for Canada fellowship, I plan to work in fast-growing startup as a product manager or junior developer for about 2 years to familiarize myself with first-class software development processes.

Game-changing solutions come from small problems, which when put in the right context, depict a greater systemic issue. From there, you creatively problem solve to eliminate the problems and address the needs of future generations. I think the greatest challenge will be building the life experience to be able to identify the issues clearly and a holistic solution. To do so, I will aim to gain new perspectives by working in a new environment, travelling, and learning about new people.

Wait, so what types of problems will you solve? How do you know if something is worth spending time on?

Unfortunately, I don’t know what problems I will solve. People are passionate about things they can relate to, and problems only appear over time. What I do know is that these problems will come from my immediate environment. This is where perspective helps to root out interesting insights from what’s in front of you.

I think a problem gets to be worth investing time into when it starts to cause a noticeable stir. Either many people will have encountered the same issue, or you will notice numerous related issues popping up. That’s where I’d jump in and figure out what’s really going on.

I’m Gordon, a 23-year-old, recent industrial engineering grad and a Fellow with Venture for Canada.

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