The world is changing. Actually, it has always been changing. It is just changing much faster now. Technology has always been the driver of society, but now it is accelerating like never before and taking us along for the ride.
Back in the 1600s, it mattered how long someone had worked in an area like machinery because it directly correlated to what they could do. What you learned year after year made you that much better because your job stayed the same.Technology at the basic consumer level progressed so slowly that other industries were not undergoing major changes. Starting a business required substantial investment, getting a good job required years of extensive training or apprenticeship, and the earnings were modest either way.
But now, it is a different story. Technology is changing quickly and bringing every other industry along with it: entertainment, medicine, finance, energy, etc… With new technologies and markets emerging and dissolving every few months, any previous experience you had can be rendered irrelevant. How long you’ve worked in area doesn’t say anything about how you can apply it with new technology now. Since most people don’t care to continually learn and innovate, it usually means you stopped your learning a while ago and are simply behind, trying to cope with change as best you can.
You can start a business from your basement, get a job working remotely, and make a million overnight. Most barriers to entry are so low that business owners are becoming younger and younger, creating a youth-oriented culture that takes more risks and pushes the envelope with creativity at a pace their older counterparts simply could not. Every 6 months, the game changes. What you thought you knew before can become obsolete before you realize you knew it.
We are living in a global society redefined by Facebook and a world economy shaken by the economic crisis. If you hear someone say they’ve went to school or worked X years in an industry and X is greater than 7 (2011 – 7 = 2004 = the year Facebook was founded and when a lot of industries starting changing), understand that you may need to test them to see exactly how “fresh” and up-to-date they are.
This means that when it comes to starting a business or finding a job, where you went to school or what you did in the distant past no longer matters. The only thing that matters is what you’ve done recently, what you’re doing now and more importantly, why it’s different from what everyone else if doing.
I’ve developed and implemented recruiting and assessment protocols as well as helped startups find in-house and outsourced talent. I hear the same empty words all the time. Saying you have so many years of experience is an area doesn’t mean anything anymore. You need to communicate what you’ve done that was noteworthy and what you are still doing that is significant in light of the changing world. I’ve worked with business/design/technology talent with 20+ years of experience that know less than a recent college graduate that has freelanced for a year.
Also, there is a big difference between going to school or working somewhere versus starting your own thing. Going to school or working somewhere just means that you sat somewhere for hours at time following someone else’s orders, but does not mean you learned enough to jump in to something substantially new. Starting your own thing means you had what it takes to get something off the ground which is very rare.
The best thing you can do for your future is do something great now and be innovative, even while you are in school, have a job or are searching for a job. Nothing will set you apart from the rest and get you ahead more quickly in our changing world.
