1664 vs 2019
When in 1664, Sir Isaac Newton started making contributions to the field of math, there were only a handful of people who understood what he was saying. A few years later he invented Calculus and it has since become a way of life. What was once discussed among some of the most brilliant people on the planet is now taught in every corner of the world. You and I both have had the pleasure of dealing with Newton's discoveries to some extent - Binomial Theorem, Calculus, Law of Gravity and Laws of Motion are some of the most commonly taught ideas in today's high-schools.
When in 1664, Sir Isaac Newton started making contributions to the field of math, there were only a handful of people who understood what he was saying. A few years later he invented Calculus and it has since become a way of life. What was once discussed among some of the most brilliant people on the planet is now taught in every corner of the world. You and I both have had the pleasure of dealing with Newton's discoveries to some extent - Binomial Theorem, Calculus, Law of Gravity and Laws of Motion are some of the most commonly taught ideas in today's high-schools.
I took some of his teachings to heart and decided I wanted to pursue Experimental Physics after high-school. To my surprise, I was accepted into all my physics programs... but at the last second, I decided it wasn't for me despite how much I liked physics. The key word being "liked" not "loved". Instead I decided to take on the path of technology and business.
But, just because all these positives exist, doesn't mean anyone can dive into the ever growing hurricane that is tech.
Heading into 2050
With the advancements that are being pushed out in AI, AR and VR, we're at the brink of breaking into the biggest unknowns. To provide a somewhat scary but related example, here's a discussion my brother and I had a few days back. As we drove to get coffee, he said "So, I'm watching this anime and this person in there asks 'what's the difference between virtual reality and reality?'". I then asked "what's the difference?". My brother being his usual self said "Data". Just the word "Data"...
It wasn't a satisfying answer until he explained it. "Reality has so much data, that even if it was virtual, we wouldn't be able to tell." Our AI & VR tech is so (relatively) primitive that majority of us haven't thought much about it. But its future is unquestionably powerful. As time passes and we collect/load more and more data into our AI and VR fields, we'll start making a world that will be undistinguishable from reality. I'm not going to speculate on when that will happen, but it's definitely not thousands of years away, and possibly not even a hundred. And even scarier than its potential, is its negative use, and while we can be hopeful, we need to tread like there's a good chance of such powerful technology being the end of everything we are.
What's the point here?
My point is that, with remarkable technology comes an equally remarkable learning curve. Seriously. Calculus that you and I are familiar with is VERY basic. First, second and third derivatives is not where calculus ends. I know this because my brother, a comp. sci. major, talks about things that I seriously can't even understand. Similarly, if a non-techie tries to pick up a programming language today, they'll instantly realize it is one of the more challenging things to do. I've been programming for well over a decade and the thought of picking up a new language still makes me uncomfortable. I can't imagine myself starting with no previous knowledge. Unfortunately, to get into the tech scene is only getting worse. If you can't understand something as simple as HTML, CSS and JavaScript at the time I published this article, chances are it's too late... It's unfortunate, but it's the (bitter) truth.
But if you can, you're lucky, because we're still in the early ages of technology where simplicity is the heart of our tech. We're still in the process of taking existing industries, like transportation, hotels and trade, to the web. Uber isn't a revolutionary idea... Neither is AirBnb, or Amazon. The founders of these companies are undoubtedly some of the most creative people we have on the planet, and I mean that in every sense of the word; they understand people, they understand business and they understand technology.
But these opportunities are running out. You and I can no longer look to take these massive industries to the web. Hell, the best we can do is to take (something like) agriculture and insurance, and somehow make it a thing that is all based around the smartphone and not crops and jargon. But the second agriculture and insurance become a thing of smartphones, it's over. The opportunities will have transformed so significantly, that they will only be recognizable by the most technologically equipped.
The question then is "what can I do to prepare?"
We need to realize the same thing as these tech giants have, and prepare ourselves for this chaotic but beautiful future. I've already started, and I've come a long way in the past 7 months alone. I hope I can continue as I have during the past few months, but I want you all to come with me. Pick up something in tech, and I don't want you to scare yourself by diving into the incredibly difficult things. Start with HTML and CSS, move on to JavaScript, then sprinkle in a bit of PHP, SQL and Python. The road has been paved by so many developers that you really don't need to wander around much to find the right path. You even have a resource in your network (Hey it's me, hello world!). I will personally provide you YouTube playlists that guide you through every known fundamental of programming, in ANY given language.
And finally, "what can we do as a team?"
As a start, we should start putting kids into schools with a good computer syllabus (I thank my mom for doing the same 11 years ago), and if the school doesn't have something, well, then it's time for parents to assemble and yell at the principal - the strategy never fails.
The general education system should make computer languages a default and mandatory requirement until the age of 16, and students shouldn't be able to graduate high-school until they can pass a computer literacy test.
Some may find this brutal and hard, but remember, in 1664 only a handful of people understood Newton and in 2019 it's typical high-school curriculum to learn about the discoveries of one of the smartest people to ever live.
