Although you
didn’t ask for my advice, people seldom do, here's something to keep you awake
at night. According to a recent ranking at Amazon, five out of the top 10
best-selling books in the U.S. last year were adult coloring books. The problem
with an adult coloring book or any coloring book is that when you color, you
must stay within the lines. It's not clear why people choose to color within
the lines. Innovative businesses —
I suppose all
organizations — are looking for out-of-the-box thinkers.
Business faces
the problem of a shortage in the job skills they need. People looking for
employment or a better paying job aren’t engaged in self-learning. According to
The Robert Brewer organization, 42% of college graduates never read another
book after college. Also, 80% of US families did not buy or read a book last
year.
A report by the
World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report, “The Top 10 skills needed in the
year 2020 compared to the skills required in 2015.” The top three skills
currently needed are (1) Complex Problem Solving, (2) Coordinating with Others,
and (3) People Management. The skills required in 2020 are (1) Complex Problem
Solving, (2) Critical Thinking, and (3) Creativity.
If our
educational system isn’t teaching the skills currently needed, the burden of
learning falls on the student. If you are employed or looking for employment,
take the words of Jiddu Krishnamurti to heart, “There is no end to education.
It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education.
The whole life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a
process of learning.”
In my house, I
have several bookcases filled with books (about 1400). There are no coloring
books on my shelf. I’ve read 98% of those books. The 2% I scanned and determined
I wasn’t interested. I’ve learned more from reading books than I acquired in
school—from the first grade to completing Graduate Schools.
Generally
speaking, I believe a good job and the sense of achievement are in your hands.
Learning and being prepared for 2020 isn’t only about reading books, it’s about
utilizing all forms of visual and sound media in your life-long learning
program “Your problem,” wrote Earl Nightingale, “is to bridge the gap which
exists between where you are now and the goal you intend to reach.”
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