:: The 4th Era ::
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:: The 4th Era ::
Impact of the internet age on human culture and K-20 education policy/administration
Curated by Jim Lerman
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The Old Are Working, but Not the Young ~ New York Times

The Old Are Working, but Not the Young ~ New York Times | :: The 4th Era :: | Scoop.it

by Floyd Norris


People over 60 are more likely to have jobs than at any time in at least three decades. But younger workers are still having trouble finding jobs.

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How Technology Wrecks the Middle Class |~ New York Times

How Technology Wrecks the Middle Class |~ New York Times | :: The 4th Era :: | Scoop.it

by David H. Autor and David Dorn

 

"Technology is creating jobs — but at the upper and lower ends of the spectrum. The outlook for the middle class may rely on “new artisans” who combine technical and interpersonal skills."

 

[Image is of a robotic assembly line in a General Motors plant in Lansing, Mich.]

Jim Lerman's insight:

This strikes me as an uncommonly astute and balanced appraisal of the economics of employment -- at least for much of the next generation (about 15-20 years). This takes us to the late 2020's or so.

 

The futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts that machine intelligence will overtake human intelligence around the year 2045. He calls this moment the "Singularity". [See this article in Time magazine from 2011, if you'd like to delve into the subject: http://ti.me/15coDQ5]

 

So, from the late 2020's, that leaves a time span about equal to one more generation in which the middle class will see itself further shredded into high and low income segments. In other words, the grandchildren of the current millenial generation will likely face an employment landscape in which most will vie with machines for the jobs that will provide a comfortable, or better than comfortable, lifestyle. And those who don't prevail over the machine will likely be consigned to repetitive, low paying work.

 

Learn to program, or be programmed -- that may very well be the most fundamental economic/educational choice for the largest portion of the population in the developed world for the next half century -- starting now. Which path for your descendents?

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