Journal #2

Read "Abundance, Asia, and Automation," read "Jobs of the Future," and watch the TED videos on Creativity in Schools. Record and analyze at least 4 quotes from the text/video. Use a 3 column organizer as a template (quote, what it means, and deeper thinking).

Quote #1: “The L-Directed Thinking it nurtures and rewards still matters, of course. But it is no longer enough.” (A Whole New Mind. Daniel Pink. Pg. 30.)

- What it means: Left-brain thinking is still valuable but not as valuable as it once was.

- Deeper thinking: Skills requiring right-brain thinking are increasingly valuable. Artists, designers, teachers, and other right-brain users are increasingly more valuable compared to lawyers, accountants, analysts and other left-brain users. As time goes on it is increasingly profitable to be a right-brain user over a left-brain user.

Quote #2: “Knowledge workers, meet your new competition: Srividya, Lalit, Kavita, and Kamal of Mumbai, India.” (A Whole New Mind. Daniel Pink. Pg. 36.)

- What it means: Many jobs requiring left-brain thinking and skills are being offshored to employees in different countries who will do the same job for less money.

- Deeper thinking: The value of being good at a left-brain skill is decreasing as companies find ways to get the same task done for cheaper by using offshore employees. This is decreasing demand for left-brain users in the United States which means these types of employees are going to have to start learning right-brain skills and seeking right-brain jobs.

Quote #3: “The [job] categories with some education required beyond high school are growing faster than those not requiring post-secondary schooling.” (Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow. Council of Economic Advisers. Pg. 15.)

- What it means: Job opportunities that don’t require more than a high school diploma aren’t growing as fast as those that do require more.

- Deeper thinking: It is no longer sufficient to just earn one’s high school diploma. More and more jobs are requiring post-secondary schooling like bachelor degrees, certifications, and master’s degrees. As a result, it is increasingly important to do well in high school and not just skate by so that one is sufficiently prepared to take on the rigors of post-secondary education. This is placing more and more value and responsibility on teachers in charge of preparing students for post-secondary education.

Quote #4: “…the health care and education industries are expected to contribute most substantially to job growth in the future.” (Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow. Council of Economic Advisers. Pg. 7.)

- What it means: There will be more job opportunity growth in the health care and education industries than any other industry.

- Deeper thinking: The best opportunities for future jobs will lie in the education and health care industries. Therefore, if one wants to ensure a greater chance of getting a job they will pursue a secondary education in one of these industries. It is good to be a teacher right now!