Teaching Teens The Future of Work
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How can we build a better world for everyone using innovative technologies?
I had some interesting conversations with Salt Lake City teens about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) stuff. Over the course of the class, we looked at the implications of automation and artificial intelligence, as well as tools for modern careers and life-skills.
The team from West High School were challenged with thinking on macro and microeconomic scales in an increasingly globalized world. What kind of jobs will be here for them in 5–15 years and what skills will they need to get them? Or better yet, to create them.
Experiential learning is an important component in getting people to understand what they are capable of. Without tangible examples, it’s harder to use fragmented dots to solve new problems.
Jobs of the future will not follow post-industrial models.
Many jobs with repetitive patterns will become automated. (yes, even the professions of law and general medicine)
Work that requires deep empathy, niche creativity, or unpredictability will be in demand.
Having broad skill-sets and being able to pull from multiple knowledge pools is the new normal.
It is important to be a creator, not just a passive consumer.
Here’s 4 of their experiences:
1 We partnered with Virtualities, a cool virtual reality cinema & arcade experience at The Gateway Mall. They use state-of-the-art gear like the HTC VIVE and Oculus Rift to fully immerse you in a land far, far away or killing zombies, of course, they preferred the zombies. They’re also working on a collaborative community experience where a user can create a virtual model and have it 3D printed in the space, which lowers the prohibitive cost barrier to 3D printing. This was the student’s first time trying VR and they were astounded by how real it felt. Some of them are now exploring careers in VR.
2 They visited Avenues Courtyard, an assisted living community for seniors. Their aim was to help seniors use technology to better connect with their loved ones and staying safe online. From using mobile phones to setting up Facebook accounts, they learned that elders are just like them and the value of giving back to the community. And no matter what age you are, everyone loves posting selfies.
3 A visit to Comcast HQ gave them a glimpse into what working in the real-world was like. They are now part of the exclusive club allowed to see “The Internet” aka the server hub for Salt Lake’s metro area. Only a select few Comcast team members even have the authorization to see it in real life.
4 Next stop, the award winning Lassonde Studios, recently ranked #1 College for Aspiring Entrepreneurs by LendEDU, at the University of Utah.
Launched at Lassonde supports student-run, whether in concept or growth, companies with great resources: mentoring, dedicated office space, unlimited coffee, monthly member meetings where founders help each other find solutions to their problems, and networking opportunities, to name a few. The studios operate on a collaborative startup incubation model with 400 live-in students. The best part about Lassonde is that the facilities are available to anyone on campus. You don’t need to be a business major or resident to utilize their facilities, whether it’s the 3D printers, Wood shop, Focus Workshops, or cafe, they make it easy for you to take your vision, gather the materials free of charge (Made possible by Pierre Lassonde & Zions Bank, thanks!), build it, test it, iterate, test again, pivot, and boom you’ve built the next unicorn.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
No one can predict the future and uncertainty can be frightening, but having rose colored glasses on doesn’t solve any problems. Many of the students have never been exposed to the coming tide of pervasive automation and its impacts on their futures (economical, sociopolitical, societal). Suffice it to say, they had mini existential crises with eyes wide open. This was only an after-school program. We need to be exposing all kids to what is already occurring at an exponential rate. Our current system of K-12>College>Career = Stability, is unrealistic.
It’s not all doom and gloom, new jobs will be created. People will figure out ways to innovate. These students now have a head-start with new tools to navigate their lives.
Special thanks to our wonderful community partners, we couldn’t have done it without your support!
To Centro de la Familia de Utah, for allowing me the privilege of curating the curriculum and teaching the next generation.
To Comcast for providing delicious snacks, great resources, and laptops for the teens.
To Virtualities for allowing us to have a VR experience in your space.
To Lassonde Studios and the University of Utah for the wonderful tour.
To West High for providing a computer lab for the students.
To Avenues Courtyard for allowing us to share our knowledge with the elders.
