TECHNOLOGY’S TUMULTUOUS TORNADO—PART THREE

websitebuilder • October 21, 2015

Technology’s tumultuous tornado shows no signs of terminating and logically never will. To recap from the two prior days, we looked at the rate of recent change and we looked at the need for mentoring relationships among millennials. Some observations stand out for us as a society.

Prior to the personal computer revolution, we still experienced change. The change we experienced was spread over longer time periods and generations. This translated to certain practical applications in our daily business world and general societal life. Everything, literally and metaphorically, moved slower. This slower pace of change affected how we did business and how we lived. It affected how we handled change and how we related to each other. These fundamental changes have revealed the need for mentor relationships unlike we have ever seen in the past. Too many millennials have come of age in a time when hi-tech, nontouch communication has displaced personal relationships. Consequently, many millennials are facing deficits in their interpersonal communication skills. These are challenges that we must conquer.

Today, I ask you the question, are you a storm chaser? The storm chaser is the person who drives fearlessly into the tornado, seeking all its thrills and power. Simultaneously, the storm chaser knows when to pull over and take shelter. The storm chaser is the person who embraces the tornado’s majesty and power, yet maintains healthy boundaries. Are you a storm chaser?

I have seen all kinds of storm chasers and non-storm-chasers. In the world of technology’s tumultuous tornado, here is the profile of the storm chaser:

  • Systematically increases knowledge about all technologies.
  • Maintains a special focus on the latest technologies, both those affecting ones field and those that appear to be irrelevant.
  • Strategically adopts those elements that positively affect mission-critical activities.
  • Constantly monitors how the new technologies are affecting human relationships.
  • Makes adjustments to personal and professional life to nurture human relationships.

On the other hand, here is the profile of the non-storm-chaser:

  • Has no system to increase knowledge about all technologies.
  • Ignores the latest technologies, both those affecting ones field and those that appear to be irrelevant.
  • Does not strategically adopt those elements that positively affect mission-critical activities.
  • Ignores how the new technologies are affecting human relationships.
  • Refuses to make adjustments to personal and professional life to nurture human relationships.

I have seen both ends of the spectrum. I have seen baby boomers and beyond who absolutely refuse to even sit down at a computer. I have seen millennials who are so addicted to their smartphones that their personal lives are in a shambles. And I have seen a whole lot of people in between who are out of balance in too many ways to count.

Technology is nothing more than a tool. It is how you choose to use it that makes or breaks your life and the lives of those around you. If I do not use my tools properly, then I can harm myself and others. On the other hand, if I use my tools properly, then I can benefit myself and others. It is in those choices that our values are revealed. What does your use of your tools reveal about your values?

Today, we have at our disposal some of the sharpest and most powerful tools we have ever had. While I don’t claim to be an expert, I do affirm that I want to use my tools in a manner that is driven by and reveals the highest values. That is a decision that is not made once and then forgotten. It is a daily decision and a daily challenge.

Well, no one ever said tornados are tame.

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MILLENNIALS AND GENERATION Z FAVOR HIGHER EDUCATION

By James Meadows • August 13, 2019
Although anyone can and will criticize higher education, millennials are evidently smart enough to know its value. In spite of the horror stories about student loan debt, academic disasters, and wrong career turns, millennials have boasted one of the highest graduation rates of any generation to date. Generation Z may soon surpass them too as Laura A. Scione, managing editor of eCampus News reports : “ Despite growing questions around the value of college and return on investment in tuition, just 25 percent of Generation Z students say they believe they can have a rewarding career without going to college, compared to 40 percent of millennials. Eighty percent of Generation Z respondents and 74 percent of millennials agree that college either has a fair amount of value, is a good value, or is an excellent value. Only 20 percent of Generation Z students and 26 percent of millennials said college has ‘little value’ or ‘no value at all.’ ” Good for them! The statistics remain on their side—and the side of anyone who pursues higher education. Anthony P. Carnevale is the director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Based on his research, that trend will only continue (Gillian B. White “Those Savvy Millennials” The Atlantic , May 2015, p. 38): " In 1973, 32% of jobs did not even require a high school diploma, 9% required a bachelor’s degree, and 7% required a master’s degree or higher. It is projected that by 2020, 12% of jobs will not require a high school diploma, 24% will require a bachelor’s degree, and 11% will require a master’s degree or higher. " Derek Newton wrote an article entitled “Please Stop Asking Whether College Is Worth It” in which his opening declaration gets right to the point: “ Colleges and universities are still the best, most direct path to a good career that pays well. ” In addition to those insights, the unemployment figures consistently reveal the enduring value of higher education. The seasonally adjusted July 2019 unemployment rate for persons not having a high school diploma is 5.1% ( Bureau of Labor Statistics ). Having a high school diploma drops that rate to 3.6% and some college or a two-year degree drops it further to 3.2%. Pretty good trending, would you agree? Finally, if we look at people having a four-year degree, a graduate degree, or a doctoral degree, the unemployment rate is a low 2.2%. Higher education’s edge is especially clear when you consider the range of these numbers over the education level. Look at the two ends of the spectrum: less-than-high school (5.1%) versus a four-year degree or higher (2.2%). Consistently, regardless of the measured time, the unemployment rate for a less-than-high-school-educated worker is two to four times larger than for the college-degreed worker. This is why, when people seek my counsel about career planning, higher education remains one of my most significant emphases. Education pays. Degrees still rock. Regardless of how good or bad the economy is, regardless of how many individual academic and career disasters can be cited, and regardless of how loudly the antidegree crowd howls, you are still in a better position having a degree than not having a degree. The good news for the millennials and Generation Z is that they have arrived at the same conclusion and now they will enjoy the benefits.