Careers in a Flat World
Chris Shannon,
Youth Workforce Program Manager
Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board
What is a “Flat World”?
 A play
on the phrase, “leveling the
playing field,” it refers to the way
accelerated technology is making
possible for people across the globe to
compete in a global market.
The Good News?
 It
is possible for individuals and small
companies to compete with and act like
big companies!
The Bad News?
 You
could be competing with young
adults across the globe for a job!
Who Will Be the Winners?
 “The
winners will be those who learn the
habits, processes and skills most
quickly—and there is simply nothing
that guarantees it will be America or
Western Europe leading the way.”1
 In
the future, globalization will be driven
by the individual who understand the flat
world and adapt quickly to its processes
and technology.1
1. Friedman (2005). The World is Flat,: p183.
Beware the Zippies!
 From
India
 First generation since India shifted from
socialism to global trade
 “Young city or suburban residents,
between 15 and 25 years of age.”
 Feel no guilt of making money or
spending it; upwardly mobile
 Potentially number 333,000,000!
Source: Friedman (2005). The World is Flat,: p184
Crystal Ball:


Information and media literacy
Communication skills
Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills




Century Skills
Information and Communication Skills


st
21
Critical thinking/systems thinking
Problem identification, formulation and solution
Creativity and intellectual curiosity
Interpersonal and Self-Directed Skills




Interpersonal and collaborative skills
Self-direction
Accountability and adaptability
Social responsibility
Crystal Ball: Where are the jobs?
 The
largest percent of the population are
the “baby boomers.” As they retire, they
will increase the number of persons over
the age of 55 by 36 percent!
 The number of Hispanics is projected to
grow faster than any other racial or
ethnic group.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006-07 Edition
Crystal Ball: Where are the Jobs?
What existing jobs will be in demand over
the next ten years?
Before you guess…
Approximate Average Number of Jobs
Era
Held in Lifetime
1940
1-2
1965
2-4
1990
6-8
2005
10-15
Top Four Industry Sectors?
 Education
and Health Care
 Professional
 Leisure
 “Other
and Business Services
and Hospitality
Services” (except government)
So what are some new jobs
on the horizon?
Look at the following careers
and guess what they are…
Artificial Intelligence
Technician




Games playing: programming
computers to play games such as
chess and checkers
Expert systems: programming
computers to make decisions in reallife situations (for example, some
expert systems help doctors
diagnose diseases based on
symptoms)
Neural networks: systems that
simulate intelligence by attempting to
reproduce the types of physical
connections that occur in animal
brains
Robotics: programming computers
to see and hear and react to other
sensory stimuli
Computational Linguist


A person trained in
computer science and
linguistics who uses
computers for natural
language processing;
may program computers
to understand natural
human languages.
Advances in this field
impact the disabled,
businesses, writers, law
enforcement among
others.
Cybrarian
This term is a compound
of cyber and librarian and
is a library and information
science professional that
specializes in using the
Internet as a resource
tool. The term has gained
currency among many
librarians who use the
Internet.
Search Engine Optimizer (SEO)

Help retailers
strategize on
how to
improve their
rankings on
search
engines

Combines
math and
marketing
Environmental Engineer



Helps design, build, and
operate systems for
water supply and waste
disposal
A lot of data collection
and analysis
Assists with pollution
control, recycling efforts
and other public health
projects
Epidemiologist

Specialized scientist who
studies health and illness
within populations (within a
city, hospital, country, etc)
 Could work solely within a
lab or travel the world as a
“virus hunter”
 Potential working for
government
Enterprise Resource Synergist

More and more
businesses are
collaborating within and
between companies
 Have to meld
specialties of a
knowledge team from
diverse backgrounds or
regions to maximize
efficient teamwork
 Highly specialized field
HAVE SEVERAL INTERESTS?
You can combine them to become a
specialist or create a new job!
Try this formula:
Your Personal Interests
+ Favorite School Subjects =
Possible Careers
Biology+Computers=
Bioinformatician
 The
hottest of the hot in science right
now! They use computer modeling to
predict how drugs will work, saving time
and money.
 Current predictions say there will be a
100% increase in the field for the next
five years. With 3 to 5 years of
experience, they could make $120,000.
Detective+Math=
Forensic Accountant
 These
guys ferret out fraud and shady
practices at corporations.
 With corporate investigations and
shareholder lawsuits spreading like a
bad rash, any court case will require
these to pour over company books and
numbers.
 Experienced forensic accountants can
easily make $100,000.
Engineering+Cars=
Fuel Cell Engineer

Fuel-cell powered cars are the wave of the
future. Most automakers are researching and
designing fuel-cell and hybrid cars and will be
working to roll them out.
 Not limited to cars, fuel cells may one day be
used in PDA’s, cell phones and laptops.
 The engineers who design these vehicles can
write their own paychecks. Some now
demand up to $120,000.
Horses+Radiology=
Mobile Veterinarian

Treating large animals in their pens or corrals
lessens further injury and trauma. These
high-tech mobile units could treat anything
from llamas to circus elephants to zoo hippos!
 Veterinary medical advances align with, and
sometimes precede advances in human
medicine. Technology includes x-ray, ultra
sound, and robot-assisted surgery. Expect to
pay a lot up front for technology, but once you
do, you could make over $60,000 a year.
Water+Engineering=
Entrepreneurship!

1 in 10 of you will start your own business.
Some colleges recognize this and offer
programs that prepare you to be a successful
entrepreneur.
 No longer limited to retail, entrepreneurs have
background in the Internet, engineering, life
sciences, and liberal arts.
 One 13 year-old pursued his passions
created underwater walkie-talkies now sold at
stores like Toys ‘R Us and Kmart and is
president of his own toy company.
WORDS OF ADVICE:
Let your passion fuel your
career choices, not the
money. In the long run, you’ll
be more successful and have
a higher sense of satisfaction.
Let me know if you have
any questions!
Chris Shannon
Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board
(978) 682-7099
cshannon@mvwib.org