A generation of entrepreneurs

I believe we are heading towards a generation of entrepreneurs, with opportunities we could never have dreamed of when I was younger, and some challenges too which accompany the opportunities.

When I finished my O levels, in 1986, the options were pretty clear. Some people went onto further education, either sixth form or a local college, some people went into banking, some people went into the construction industry, life was simple.

Today, almost forty years later, the world is much more complicated for young people, with huge opportunities, as well as some upcoming challenges.

The massive acceleration of technology, from the internet in the late 90s, to social media and web 2.0 in the years approaching 2010, to AI and ChatGPT suddenly appearing on the scene in the last few months, shake absolutely everything up. And the world of education hasn’t caught up yet.

Education, as far as I can tell, still works on the assumption that life is split into three ages. Your early years and school / university followed by a career which you chose around age 16, followed by a comfortable retirement. Can anyone really relate to that model in 2023?

Portfolio careers are much more likely than they were a couple of generations ago. Social media, technology and the internet has enabled careers we could never have dreamt of when I left school (in 1986 nobody had heard of a podcast. Come to that in 2006 nobody had heard of a podcast either).