Learning for the future

I was surprised about the article that Sharp Corporation, one of the biggest consumer electronics companies in Japan, had a large deficit in this term. I would never have imagined ten years ago that as big a company as Sharp Corporation would have a difficult time. Now the manufacturing industry of Japan is threatened by that of the other Asian countries, the same as the United States used to be.

The environment of our lives changes rapidly. Flourishing industries or companies are soon passed by other industries or companies. Cathy Davidson said in her book that "65 percent of today's grade-school kids may end up doing work that hasn't been invented yet."  I think her theory is plausible.

For example, three weeks ago, I met a man whom my friend introduced me to. His work is a proposal of an agenda for a politician. He asks specialists' opinions and writes documents and proposes them to the politician. I think this is one of the new works.

People have to adapt to technological innovations, globalization, and political changes so portable skills (communication skills, problem solving skills and so on) become important for us. In Japan, a lot of universities adopt the liberal arts in their curriculum, which is one solution to adapt to social changes. To strengthen portable skills, a lot of universities also change their curriculum.

I think portable skills and liberal arts are not an objective but a means to adapt to social changes. Special knowledge interconnects potable skills and liberal arts. Making the bridge between special knowledge and potable skills & liberal arts will become important in the future.

What's Your Major? Working Toward the Uninvented Job



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