Watching a George Carlin show, I could not help but write this quote:
(Big Business Owners) Do not want well informed, well educated individuals who are critical thinkers... They want obedient workers.
In this mid-1990s comedy rift, he goes on to also make the point that these “big business owners” are the power brokers in society – not the politicians. Did he predict six trillion dollar companies (in 2024 all positioned to capitalize on AI)?
While I think “big business” is more willing to take on smarter employees – since we moved away from a service (the timing of this quote) to a knowledge economy, the notion of an “obedient worker” still remains for a large segment of the workforce.
I think what worries me more is automation with AI and machine learning – as we move from a knowledge to an AI economy. As I was reading the WSJ a few weeks ago, I glanced at a Google Gemini ad for a novice developer to create an app in hours. I spent twenty years acquiring the skills to design apps and three years to build Google apps. Are my skills no longer relevant?
While I get a protest is futile. It would be like complaining to Amazon for the Internet decreasing the relevance of a brick and mortar book store. A recent Georgetown CEW report (After Everything: Projections of Jobs, Education, and Training Requirements through 2031) predicts there will be 171 million jobs in 2031 and a larger segment of the workforce will require post-secondary education. Though this is somewhat tempered, some futurists predict automation could cause job loss of up to half of all jobs within 10 to 30 years (referenced in the same report).
Fortunately, I think what we are doing with Skills Based Approach epitomizes the workers perspective to stay relevant. The methodology suggests a young adult constantly plans, acquires, and verifies skill throughout education and training processes.
The apps, based on the methodology, are designed to put users in control – understand their current skill competencies, learning process, and their short and long term goals.
I think the majority of learning platforms require a top-down process and with varying commitments.
While a Skills Based Approach instance might represent a work pathway or degree, it could also represent a day, week, or month – allowing constant pivots along the way.
Skills Based Approach runs on all platforms and devices (iOS, Windows, Android, and web).