WHERE IS THE FUTURE GOING?
Our work tiabits have changed a lot over the past thirty years. While our parents may have expected to stay in one job, with one company, for their whole life, we are faced with the possibility of changing jobs and even careers several times. Our understanding of education, work and society is different from that of earlier generations. It is not only the way we work and view the job market that has changed; many of today's jobs will either disappear or change in the next ten years or so.
People in the future will still need food, of course, but the way we produce food will not be the same. Small farms that use old methods will be replaced by large farms with high efficiency. The good news for small farmers is that there will also be opportunities for new kinds of farming, for example farms that grow organic food and environmentally friendly food. As people become more educated and care more about what they eat, the need for specialised products will grow and a new market will open up for farmers.
Marketing people for large companies will find that the need for their services is not as strong as it once was. Companies can now take care of most of their business through the Internet and other communication channels. Fortunately, buyers and sellers have skills that will be useful in the future. Because they know how to predict what consumers want to buy, they can find new jobs in areas such as marketing and product design. There are others who may be able to use the skills they have today in new jobs tomorrow. People who used to decide who should get money for government programmes can find new opportunities to work as interviewers in areas like marketing and research.
What about people who work with computers? Well, things will change for them, too. More advanced computer programmes and new technologies will remove the need for computer operators who perform simple actions. The Internet makes it possible for consumers to enter information online. Modern search engines can do many of the things that yesterday's computer operators did. Word processing and simple information handling can be done automatically. For people with these skills, there will be new jobs as database managers.
A rapidly changing job market also creates new challenges for students, teachers and parents. The so-called "generation gap"--the difference in values, skills, education and desires between two generations- is growing and it is becoming more difficult for parents to understand the kind of world their children are entering. Schools and teachers are also facing difficulties as they try to adapt to the new needs of their students, and the students themselves have to try to deal with all the changes and many questions.
Where is the future going and what can we do to find a place for ourselves in it? There are no easy answers, but we can try to turn challenges into opportunities. As the job market changes, new areas of growth appear. If we become good learners, and if we work together with our parents, friends and teachers, we can find ways to create a future where there is room for all of us to do what we are good at and enjoy.
