How Does Creativity and Inspiration Lead to Technological Advancements and New Careers?
Published: October 9, 2020
It may be hard to believe, but new types of jobs are being created. Technology plays a big role in that! Advancements make some jobs obsolete, but also spawn new jobs that weren’t around 20 years ago. In another 20 years more than half of the current elementary school student population will have jobs that have yet to be created.
While I was growing up, during the beginning of the social surge, little did we know that our desire for constant connectivity would soon change the lives of most Americans. Cellphones were rarely owned and laptops were out of price range for the modern middle class family. Then advancement accelerated and cellphones, laptops, internet games, webpages, and social media changed the culture and lives of Americans. Who can forget the sound of the Gateway desktops’ hum as it turned on or AOL’s classic screeching as you logged in?
Between 2000 and 2010 computer-based jobs were taking off and inhigh demand. Fifteen years ago, there were no app developers, social media managers, cloud computing, or user experience jobs. The innovation and progression of the digital world created these jobs and many others.
Creativity is the spark behind the formation of new technologies. Learning about the iPod, FitBit, Hover boards, Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Smart TV’s, Wi-Fi, eReaders, and so much more, and I think: “Wow! How was someone able to create this? This is incredible!” The answer? Innovation. Creativity. Progress.
Steve Jobs was encouraged by his parents to reconstruct and build technologies and to continually push boundaries and to be bold. Maybe that’s part of the reason why he was able to lead Apple into the 21st century and make it one of the most popular brands and companies around the world. Reed Hastings was determined to develop Netflix after he was charged a $40 late fee on an overdue rental from Blockbuster. Hastings is an innovator who pushed the boundaries and continued to explore his ideas, even when Netflix was an underdog trying to enter and compete in the movie rental industry. Mark Zuckerberg was groundbreaking as a child, he created his own messaging program to communicate with his family members around the house when he was only 12 years old. Zuckerberg continued his inventive ways and learned more about computers all the way through high school.
Fortunately, for Jobs, Hastings, and Zuckerberg they had supportive people around them to encourage their expeditions and creativity. Some children are not given such luxury. With the increasing demand for technological advancement parents and teachers need to encourage and allow children to be creative. In 20 years these kids are likely to have jobs years that have not yet been created. These jobs are going to be shaped through innovation, progress, and creativity. I would expect educational values to evolve over the next decade to incorporate more inventiveness and use of technology to meet the needs of these emerging new jobs. Hastings, Zuckerberg, Jobs, and many more all broke the mold by challenging themselves and making bold moves along the way to success. If there is anything we can learn from their success, it’s to be creative, challenge yourself/your partners, and know that innovation is going to happen. So get inspired, be daring, and continue to innovate and advance your own ideas and products.