I'm Hopeful

Corporate profits are up, jobs are down. How can this be? Profits drive job creation. That's how it used to work. Not anymore.

Profits drive technology investment, technology investment eliminates jobs. Business must invest to remain competitive or they won't exist. Sure, greed has a factor in here, but I put forward that it isn't the primary cause. The rate of technological advancement is exponential. Think really crazy hockey stick. This is the cause, and unless we all want to adopt luddism this isn't going to change any time soon.

Unless you are the creative or  technical person driving innovation, or the owner of technology that competitively drives a business, your livelihood is at risk. Maybe not today, but tomorrow for sure. Period.

And the key to producing creative and technical talent? Education. Oh crap. Public education is arguably falling apart and from my dealings with it, it is one of the most technologically backwards places that I have ever had to interact with. We're doomed?

I don't think so. Necessity drives innovation. Technology is making the Code Academy and Khan, just to name a few of the many and growing online resources, free and readily accessible to just about everyone. Technology has bypassed the education institutions and tackled the problem head on. Technology is creating the education system that technological innovation needs.

And the creative types have it even better. Technology has eliminated the barriers between the creator and their markets. Read APE from Guy Kawasaki and learn how to skip the publishing queue or post your project to Kickstarter to crowd source the funds for that music album or movie you want to create.

The bureaucratic and capital barriers are falling down everywhere. Yes, unfortunately those bureaucratic jobs are going with it too. And yes, it will get worse before it gets better, but I'm hopeful that there is a bright new day at the end of this revolution. Yes, it will be a revolution.