We are, in many ways, at an inflection point in human history.
Although more than 600 million people or 9% of humanity still live in Poverty around the world, that number is slowly going down again and the rest of the world has largely enjoyed increasing prosperity and life expectancy for the last 30-50 years.
As a whole, we are wealthier than ever and live better, longer, and possibly even more meaningful lives.
The rise of global prosperity has, unfortunately, left many people in the industrial economies either where they were or even slightly behind as hundreds of millions of people have moved into the global middle class around the world and the very rich have gotten even richer.
The world also faces enormous challenges as we consolidate these gains and continue to expand in terms of wealth and sheer numbers of people. Issues include air and water pollution as well as the consequences of climate change, fractious politics and geo-political tensions, and a number of other social and economic issues such as rising inequality and the rising cost of health care.
At the same time, potentially transformative digital technologies offer promise and hope but can also cause disruption to industries, companies, and individuals as they affect the industrial and social fabric of society.
Given the unknown nature of the future some people might either despair or simply ignore the trends around them and hope things will somehow work out. In my view, it is better to look at the trends and think about how they may impact you, your friends, and your family.
In this context, the choice of not even thinking about the future is, in my view, irresponsible especially if you have significant family responsibilities. The question is really how can you develop a view as to what the future will look like which is sufficiently solid to make real plans with respect to your professional life?
since the future will be different than the present, my advice to is think through your own view as to what it future will look like and use that understanding to help in choosing the space, role, and place that is right for you.
While there are a number of issues facing the world, the three trends that I believe will have the most significant impact on our future are changing geopolitics, digitalization and automation, and the evolution of the natural environment.
Geo-Politics
Peace is an essential pre-condition for human development and there may be serious problems in different parts of the world over the next five to 50 years.
Digitalization & Automation
Digitalization, automation, and the massive introduction of artificial intelligence will have an enormous impact on the nature of work and your professional choices.
The Natural Environment
Air and water pollution, resource scarcity, and climate change will impact the industrial fabric of the world as well as the quality of life in many places.