Daily Inspiration: “Kids today will work in jobs tomorrow that do not yet exist, using knowledge yet to be generated, based on ideas that no one has yet thought of!”

“Kids today will work in jobs tomorrow that do not yet exist, using knowledge yet to be generated, based on ideas that no one has yet thought of!” – Futurist Jim Carroll

That’s a pretty far reaching statement but one that is full of accuracy!

Consider this: just over 15 years ago, you didn’t have an iPhone, barely knew about Google Maps, had no involvement with something called ‘social media,’ thought drones were some weird science fiction thing, didn’t have a lot of Internet connected devices around your home, and only knew about 3D printing as some crazy idea from the future.

Today, there are millions of jobs, massive volumes of knowledge, and countless brilliant discoveries based on these realities. Jobs and careers that did not yet exist, that few were barely thinking about.

Now cast your mind forward : our world in ten years will look nothing like it does today. That is a simple fact – and given that the pace of change is speeding up, we will see even more dramatic developments throughout every single aspect of our daily lives.

Particularly, because of what has happened in the last six months! The future was accelerating before  Covid-19 hit – but now, the arrival of this global pandemic has reshaped the future in new and different ways. One of the most profound trends is that it has accelerated many previous trends to an unheard of degree. I covered that in a video I filmed a few weeks ago – that puts into perspective how the pandemic has shaped our future.

The key issue? Ideas from just six months ago have suddenly accelerated in importance, with massive new attention, investment and more driven by critical need.

Consider the career mentioned in the image – a ‘healthcare robot manager.’ I’ve been talking about the potential for robotics in healthcare for well over a decade. But now, new social distancing requirements are driving forth the pace of innovation into this fast emerging sector at a speed that was, just six months ago, already moving along at quite a clip.

The future? Prepare for the unexpected, align to the unknown, adapt to the unimagined!