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10 Global Trends
                         Impacting the Careers
                           of the 21st Century




                                              A Free Report for :
              ♦ Educators ♦ Career Counselors ♦ High School & College Students
                 ♦ Parents ♦ Adult Ed Classrooms ♦ Corporate & Civic Leaders




                                                         by




                                                September, 2009




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                           Page 1
10 Global Trends Impacting the Careers
                                   Of the 21st Century




                                             by Stephen Banick

    ____________________________________________________

    Students entering the 21st Century workforce will face an occupational ―world‖ – literally – unrec-
    ognizable to their parents‘ generation. Industries, organizations, management and employees
    around the world are now interconnected in a truly Global Economy; a network that seems to
    ignore or subordinate geographic, political and even cultural differences – for better or worse.

    The reasons for this are many. Surely, globalization has ―flattened‖ the world (as author Tho-
    mas Friedman said) by enabling the quicker and less-restricted flow of products, services, labor,
    capital and ideas across now-invisible borders. Globalization may be simultaneously ―good, bad
    and (occasionally) ugly‖, but it‘s hard to deny that it‘s the dominant economic, political and social
    paradigm of our time. By and large, trade barriers are coming down; and new allies and com-
    petitors – the ―Markets, Merchants and Maniacs‖ – are increasingly part of our vocational and
    social lives.

    Hand-in-hand with globalization are death-of-distance technologies such as the Internet, cell
    phones and other mediums that now enable a significant number of the world‘s population in-
    stant access to ―markets‖ halfway around the world with a push of a button. Of course, technol-
    ogy wizardry isn‘t confined to blinking, buzzing communication gizmos, and emerging mega-
    innovations including (and stemming from) Nanotechnology, the Human Genome Project (Bio-
    Informatics), the ―Green Wave,‖ Robotics and others will fundamentally alter the landscape of
    21st Century careers and marketplaces.

    We also find unprecedented political, legal, economic and social considerations molding the
    new careers, and the new modus operandi of conducting business. For example, what are the
    security/ ―terror‖ risks – physical and cyber – of operating in a post 9/11 world? (Cybercrime
    alone exceeds $100 B annually in the U.S.). What are the economic costs – and opportunities –
    of aligning ourselves (by country, industry, etc.) with mutually-agreed upon environmental con-
    straints (i.e., global warming)? What are the intellectual property risks associated with lower
    (ing) trade barriers; e.g., how do companies protect patents and trade secrets when we appeal
    to (or are exposed to) wider audiences?

    Finally, although people‘s inherent values may not change, our priorities and preferences do.
    As a result, people in industrialized (and many emerging) countries throughout the world are
    seeking more and different ways to express themselves through their work. Thus we find fasci-
    nating ―lifestyle‖ vocational trends emphasizing fun, aesthetics, practicality and other soft bene-


©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                               Page 2
fits. We also find people increasing demanding vocationally-related programs that enhance their
    quality-of-life by incorporating recreation, service, and other ―mind-body-heart‖ activities. Even
    the work environment isn‘t immune from this, as ergonomic and other ―human factor‘ designs
    attempt to create a working space that‘s not only optimized for ―form, fit and function,‖ but
    makes employees feel better, enjoy their colleagues more and – tada – be more productive.

    The following 10 Global Trends attempt to capture the collective impact of all these factors upon
    21st Century careers. While guessing the future is always tricky (and usually wrong!), it‘s cer-
    tainly easier to do when we can observe certain major trends already underway. As such, it‘s
    safe to say that no matter how this future unfolds, we can feel fairly confident that:

         The careers and industries of tomorrow (note: these are already here, now) will look
          nothing like today. This applies to both the ―new jobs‖ as well as significantly changed
          traditional jobs.

         Despite economic cycles (and the current deep recession), certain transformational
          mega-industries will create millions of new jobs – representing trillions of dollars of com-
          merce or service. Many of these fields are already experiencing rapid growth, and some
          are actually predicted to eclipse the IT explosion of the late 20th Century in their potential
          market and employment.

         As large ―centralized‖ work environments or corporate hierarchies are becoming more
          the exception than the norm, career seekers will increasingly need to know 1) how to
          plan, manage and communicate via multisensory/multi-learning mediums incorporating
          audio, video, text, kinesthetics and experience; and 2) entrepreneurship and leadership
          strategies more attuned to dynamic, decentralized, outsourced, collaborative and ―co-
          opetitive‖ work environments.

         North American students entering the workforce will be ―connected‖ – either directly or
          indirectly – with people all over the world.

         Success – or failure (as companies, organizations and individuals) – is directly related to
          how aware, informed and connected we are to these global partners and forces.

         Success will result from not only mastering one‘s vocational and cross-cultural communi-
          cation skills, but in the ability to leverage completely new ways of doing business.

         The combination of dropping test scores (math, science), geographic illiteracy, and ag-
          gressive ―globalized‖ competitors places North American society at risk, with potentially
          serious impacts upon our standard of living and our ability to influence the global political
          and economic community.

         While the risk (above) is formidable and due to many systemic factors, it is reversible if
          education, industry, government and other civic institutions (and parents) are co-
          operatively engaged in providing forward-thinking, real-world curricula.




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                              Page 3
1        The „Global Office‟ is Here, Now…
    Whether we like it or not, or even realize it, the workplace of the 21st Century is rapidly evolving
    into a ‗Global Office.‘ It doesn‘t matter whether the new graduate takes a job halfway around
    the world with an international company or across the street in a hometown factory, those with
    whom we must interface come from – or are located in – places all over the world.

    Consider: the 21st Century grad entering the workforce may have a German boss…a Japanese
    employer…a Brazilian vendor…a South African customer…an Argentinean colleague…a Thai
    business partner…an Australian ―middleman‖ (distribution channel)…a Dubaian investor… and
    competitors from everywhere. Cubicles, ports of entry and brick-and-mortar facilities are mere
    facades; for the Global Office is seemingly amorphous and unconstrained at the same time.

    Even if one‘s universe of direct associates is confined to our own countrymen (e.g., North Amer-
    ica), he or she is still not immune to global ―impactors.‖ Jobs can be outsourced or ―in-sourced‖
    to people of approximately equal (in some cases superior) skill who earn a lot less. A precision
    manufacturer in Asia can sell their product cheaper abroad, stealing customers from North
    America manufacturers who now must downsize – or go out of business. A foreign parts ven-
    dor, able to compete in an international market, slowly gains ―pricing power‖ over their North
    American customer (meaning they can charge more), eating into their customer‘s margins and
    once again leaving them vulnerable to competitors.

    Those of course are the downsides. There are many, many upsides – new markets, new ven-
    dors, new manpower, new partners, etc. (Trend #3 addresses the strengths of many countries.).
    And, there‘s no shortage of foreign ―competitors‖ (such as Toyota, or Siemens) providing attrac-
    tive employment to people right here in North America.

    In general, we can draw several major conclusions about the Global Office.

          It‘s less of a place than a descriptor about the interconnectivity of people, companies
           and institutions. It may occur in a brick and mortar environment or it may be ―virtual,‖ but
           it is increasingly the shape of ―what is.‖

          Anything that can be done cheaper without sacrificing quality will most likely be done
           elsewhere (protective tariffs notwithstanding)…especially anything that lends itself to
           analysis and interpretation and can be incorporated into an electronic image or docu-
           ment.

          This ―value chain‖ is fluid and relentless – for example, most people don‘t realize that
           India is actually a net exporter of jobs – to China. One wonders how long before China
           is a net exporter – to Vietnam? And the Vietnamese, later, perhaps to Cambodia, Laos,
           Myanmar? As standards of living rise and skilled employment continues to emerge in
           other places, each previous provider on the value-chain must continue to differentiate
           themselves through products or services that provide higher value and require (for a
           while!) special expertise.




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                              Page 4
 Career seekers would be well-advised to take into account how their field is evolving
           elsewhere… For example, would an accounting major in the U.S. or Canada wish to en-
           ter traditional tax accounting – when skilled tax preparers in Poland or the Ukraine are
           taking on greater amounts of the (outsourced) workload – or perhaps instead become a
           forensic accountant, the fastest growing accounting field and one necessitating players
           from the ―home field‖? Would a person interested in medical imagery analysis wish to
           examine X-rays – when equally skilled, lower-wage technicians in Thailand can do it with
           the push of a button – or instead become a brain analyst providing focus-group test re-
           sults to neuro-marketers who now can understand their target customers even better?
           (scary stuff…!) Likewise, a Computer Sciences major wish might wish to consider
           whether to go into generic software programming – with flat growth prospects (according
           to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) – or perhaps into robotics or simulations development,
           both expected to have high domestic growth prospects?

          Skills which translate well into an international playing field give career prospectors an
           advantage over those who lack such skills. For example, using IT again as an example,
           someone with skills in Localization Translation (consider how Google has to make their
           message/ ―storefront‖ palatable to people in over 100 countries) has incredible career
           prospects. Or, in a time when many human resource departments are downsizing, Ex-
           patriation experts (those responsible for arranging international job assignments and
           preparing the worker for the cultural environment as well) have an edge; (or can start
           their own highly profitable consulting business.). Likewise, marketing experts who also
           understand how to measure and evaluate cultural nuances (e.g., how do people in for-
           eign markets make purchasing decisions?) will be invaluable as ‗international research
           surveyors.‖ Even ―traditional‖ fields, such as International Relations, will see far greater
           opportunities (than just working for the State Department!) as liaisons within both the
           public sector (Commerce, Agriculture, Justice, AID, etc.) and the private sector, in many
           cases receiving employment from foreign companies established here. Likewise, Eng-
           lish teachers who are certified in TEFL/TESL (Teaching English as a Foreign, and/or
           Second Language) will see ongoing and increasing need for their services.

    The Global Office is here to stay, and while recessions and protective trade policies (such as
    tariffs or quotas) may come and go, it will most likely become even more enmeshed into the
    workplace of coming decades.




    2        The „Death of Distance‟
    The term ―Death of Distance‖ was coined by author Lynn Cairncross (in her 1997 book of the
    same name) to describe the convergence of communication technologies and the impact upon
    business and societies. Ms. Cairncross might not be surprised, but for the rest of us, it‘s pretty
    amazing to consider that soon Planet Earth will be crossing the two billion user level for the
    Internet, nearly one-third of the world‘s population. Not bad for a medium that‘s only
    (commercially) 15 years old! Likewise, approximately 3 billion people – nearly half the world –


©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                             Page 5
are already toting around cell phones, many with all kinds of texting, game playing, tele-
    conferencing and other options. What‘s important to remember is that many of these people
    never had land-lines, TV or even radios before.

    Needless to say, the effect of shrinking distance/easier access means a collision of ideas. Like
    tsunami waves or tectonic shifts, the impact is powerful; often sweeping away or swallowing up
    old practices – good and bad.

    Nowhere is this seen more than in business, where the ―Pandora‘s Box‖ created by the Death of
    Distance confronts employers and employees with sudden and powerful opportunities and chal-
    lenges. On one hand companies have access to a much greater market for selling or purchas-
    ing goods (and career professionals an increasing employer field); on the other hand so does
    everyone else. It‘s simply a case of the ―pie‖ (the approximate $70 trillion world economy) now
    being much more accessible – to the good guys (us and our stakeholders) and the bad guys
    (our competitors). At the same time, the same instant-access mediums which allow us to in-
    stantly wire billions of dollars to a foreign bank, or rapidly review an obscure development half-
    way around the world, can also crash our hard-drive with worms and viruses, defrauding indi-
    viduals and companies of not only of proprietary information but even, at an extreme, our very
    assets.

    Or, speaking of viruses, another kind of nasty usurper can also wreak havoc on us. The Death
    of Distance isn‘t just about telecommunication, but also more rapid people movement: It‘s much
    easier and cheaper (inflation-adjusted) to travel than decades ago, and with world travel ex-
    pected to grow at the rate of 5-6% per year, an epidemic can now spread quickly between high-
    density population centers. Witness SARS, which although small on the scale of epidemics
    nonetheless spread from Asia to North America in a matter of days and wreaked (some have
    estimated) $150 billion of damage on the world economy, impacting business and tourism while
    necessitating large-scale response for medical supplies, training and mitigation measures.

    This Death of Distance has impacted the very way we look at communication, with our vocabu-
    laries now peppered with nouns-turned-verbs: We ―Google‖; we ―twitter,‖ ―blog,‖ ―IM‖, and
    ―social network.‖ Our board rooms host Webinars and Digital Conferences, our living rooms
    host TIVO and our schools increasingly host Distance (E-)Learning and other ―Virtual Class-
    room‖ technology mediums.

    It should be no surprise that the convergence of communication technologies and the escalation
    of information processing speeds and capabilities would, together, enable a new generation of
    creative employment. The Death of Distance explains, for example, the rise of the Distance
    Counselor. Barely recognized (or acknowledged) just a few short years ago, these modern ―e-
    Therapists‖ use sophisticated web technologies to facilitate their patients‘ healing process. On
    a lighter side, this is also the realm of the Virtual Concierge, cybernetic replicas of the traditional
    hotel concierge (or real people arranging goods and services for happy customers from the
    comfort of their very-wired home office). This new realm also enables Cyber-criminologists to
    play James Bond or Sherlock Holmes and catch the bad guys without having to get shot at –
    and all from the comfort of their air-conditioned office. (Cyber-crime exceeded $110 billion in
    2008 in North America). This realm further enables the role of the Disease Mapper, IT-savvy


©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                                 Page 6
epidemiologists who understand the relationships of geo-spatial terrain, population demograph-
    ics, flora/fauna and even climatology in determining disease outbreak and containment scenar-
    ios. Anyone with strong IT, writing/editing, and graphic arts skills can ply their trade as an e-
    Lancer – providing they know how to market and promote themselves.

    If there‘s one thing we can probably be sure of, it‘s that technology will continue to shape the
    how, what, when, who and where of work; and, an equally huge impact upon everything from
    population distributions to trade policies to environmental practices. Increasingly, everything
    and everyone seems so ―here, now.‖




    3        The „Markets, Merchants & Maniacs‟ (are getting bigger,
             stronger and weirder…)
    It used to be that North Americans could count upon dominating just about any industry we set
    our sights on. Those days are gone with the wind.

    There are many reasons for this, and certainly not all are ―bad.‖ For example, some countries‘
    governments play active roles in favoring certain industries, which almost guarantees a high de-
    gree of accomplishment but at the uncertain tradeoff of de-incentivizing the overall free market.
    In other cases, key resources or environmental factors play a natural role in tilting a country‘s
    preferences towards certain industries. Still in other situations, the previously mentioned ―value
    chain‖ results in certain industries no longer being attractive or even viable for a country that‘s
    moving up the chain (e.g., it makes little sense for American toy companies to compete with the
    Chinese‘s low cost labor scales for production of unsophisticated toys.)

    Rising education levels, expanding distribution networks and supply chains, and the so-called
    Death of Distance technologies are resulting in more and more countries – some surprisingly –
    carving out powerful niches for themselves. For example:

         Germany is establishing itself as the leader in the research and development of Green
          products, not only as a manufacturer but where the big $ lay – in licensing the technolo-
          gies. A case in point: Despite a relative lack of sunny days compared to much of the
          U.S., solar energy plays a much greater role in Germany than here.

         Japan continues to widen its lead in robotics, a field expected to grow 30 times bigger –
          3000% – in the next two decades as aging cultures in North America, Asia and Western
          Europe will benefit more and more from the services of surprisingly ―Jetsons-esque‖
          helpers in hospitals, shopping malls, transit and of course, home.

         Korea, Finland, and Israel are on the front-wave of wireless, broadband and other com-
          munication protocols and technologies. Korea, for example, has nearly twice the use of
          broadband household usage as the U.S., with a much greater transmission capacity (as
          measured by MIPS, or ―millions of instructions per second.‖)




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                             Page 7
 Sweden has firmly established itself as the leader of organic food/farming technologies,
          an industry which continues to exceed 10% annual growth in North America.

         Former ―backwater‖ Costa Rica is a renowned pioneer of not only Eco-tourism, but Envi-
          ronmental Management practices. Creative partnerships between Costa Rica‘s govern-
          ment owned Bio-labs, ―nutraceutical‖ and pharmaceutical companies, and agricultural
          communities are respected worldwide, not least of which is for balanced stewardship of
          resources. In two generations, Costa Rica went from ―worst to first‖ in Central American
          standard of living, literacy, lifespan.

         Ireland, the ―Celtic Tiger,‖ likewise went from worst-to-first in the European Union (per
          capita income) in barely 20 years. How? Through innovative technology partnerships
          (and economic incentives) between industry, government and academia. For the first
          time in centuries, Ireland is now a net-importer of jobs (and that cute little flat in Dublin
          which cost $15,000 USD in 1990 now brings in $300,000-plus…)

         India‘s ―Bollywood,‖ long known for soap-opera quality movies, is gaining rapid notoriety
          on the world stage (uh, screen). In 2007, Bollywood turned out over 1,200 movies – in
          26 different languages. Think they‘re not going after a Global market, one that might eat
          market share away from their traditional big brother in Hollywood?

    We can find many more examples: France: high speed transport; Canada: stem cell research;
    New Zealand: “positive aging” technology (or, putting a new wrinkle on the business of wrin-
    kles!). Even nanotechnology (which is addressed more in Trend 6), the science of manipulating
    materials at their atomic level to make better products, is not just confined to Silicon Valley labo-
    ratories, but shows up also from mid-tier economies such as Brazil or South Africa but also brow
    -raising places like Bangladesh. And let‘s not forget Dubai, the smaller-than-Rhode Island king-
    dom which as of 2007 was employing 25% of the construction cranes in the world. Which all
    adds up considering that Dubai is constructing the world‘s tallest hotel, largest shopping malls,
    theme parks to dwarf Disney, man-made resort islands, an indoor ski resort and just about any-
    thing else architecturally and/or aesthetically grandiose. (It seems that petro-dollars and tour-
    ism go very well together – at least for the near future.)

    Well, it doesn‘t require too much imagination to see that these aggressive ―players‘ will be either
    directly or indirectly impacting many industries – and many careers. As competitors surely, but
    also as business partners, vendors, customers, etc. The Global Office is not only nebulous, it‘s
    dynamic, malleable – and works 24/7.




    4        Trade trumps trouble (Or, barriers  commerce 
              quality of life  )
    ―Armies go where trade does not.‖ So once quipped a British military general. (Though it
    seems that at the height of the British Empire, trade and armies often went hand-in-hand!)



©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                               Page 8
As a rule, countries that trade with each other generally don‘t war upon each other – why
    bother, if one can achieve their objectives peacefully? This may seem overly simplistic, but as
    Tom Friedman and others have pointed out, there has never been a time when as few of the
    world‘s countries (percentage-wise) have been at war.

    Not coincidentally, this goes hand-in-hand with the overwhelming trend towards lowered trade
    barriers around the world. It‘s not just the bloc-countries of NAFTA or the European Union
    (nearly 30 countries), but also ASEAN (ten countries in Asia) and, in South America, Mercosur
    (six countries). None of these countries are at war with each other – and it‘s worth noting that
    none of the countries in any trading bloc is at war with any country in any other bloc, either...

    Opponents of globalization have many legitimate arguments against this ―system‖ including the
    lack of transparency of the World Bank and World Trade Organization, the tendency for collu-
    sion among member countries, environmental degradation created by countries that are rapidly
    modernizing (such as Brazil, China, India), etc. What should be noted is that these problems
    are solvable – even the environmental equations, as we‘ll see in Trend 5.

     What‘s striking, however, is the extremely high correlation between a country‘s standard of liv-
    ing and its degree of ―economic freedom.‖ The Fraser Institute, a Canadian economic think-
    tank, produces an Economic Freedom map each year which categorizes most countries in the
    world (some aren‘t included because, as closed societies, it‘s hard to collect any data!) to show
    how their standard of living (for example, Gross Domestic Product per capita) tracks against
    ―freedoms‖. What doesn‘t show is that they take into account 39 different criteria, which include,
    incidentally, political freedoms (i.e., right to vote) as well.

    Furthermore, looking at the ―Big Picture,‖ we find that in the 20th Century literacy rates tripled
    from 25% (1900) to 75% (2000) and average life spans nearly doubled (37 to 66). Likewise,
    from the 1960 forward, worldwide home ownership jumped from the high 40-percentiles ton the
    low-60‘s. Even more important, the number of people with access to ‗infrastructure‖ – water,
    sewer, roads, electricity and a roof over their heads – doubled from 40% to the low-80 percen-
    tiles. Certainly, not all of this is due to lowered trade barriers, but it would be naïve to think that
    if governments around the world were (still) tightly controlling the exchange of goods, services
    and ideas across their borders, this impressive improvement would be anywhere near the mag-
    nitude it has achieved.

    Some have pointed out the disturbing trend that while overall, the middle percentiles (of stan-
    dard of living) have gotten bigger – e.g., the world is collectively much better off – that the over-
    all number of very poor has gotten bigger. Yet, even there we see (as studies by the Economist
    magazine and others have shown), tragically, a direct relationship between that extreme poverty
    and their (countries‘) relative lack of freedoms and education. It‘s a reasonably strong bet, for
    example, that resource-rich countries such as Zimbabwe or Myanmar (countries currently under
    draconian rule by restrictive regimes) would drastically improve the quality of life of their citizens
    through freer trade – and freer exchange of information – with the outside world. Sadly, that
    doesn‘t seem to be the motives of their leadership at this time.




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                                 Page 9
5       Green‟s the New Gold
    Everyone seems to be ―going Green‖ these days…. but what exactly is ―Green‖? Deloitte Con-
    sulting describes Green as the products and services that 1) reduce, eliminate or reuse waste;
    2) reduce net consumption of resources (human, capital or natural); 3) replace full or partially
    consumed resources; 4) increase the ratios of natural-to-man-made and organic-to-synthetic
    material; and/or 5) reduce the net global impact footprint – the so-called ―carbon footprint.‖

    Politicians and pundits may squabble about global warming, conservation measures and inter-
    pretations of what constitutes acceptable or unacceptable pollutions levels, but here‘s a little
    secret: Industry has made up its mind, and it seems that for many companies, Green is the new
    Gold.

    So huge is this ―Green Wave,‖ that the only way to describe it is as a paradigm, a megatrend
    that is predicted to create millions of jobs across a wide span of industries and applications. For
    example:

         Green building construction grew 80% from 2005-2007, and there are some $billion
          companies already deriving over 50% of their revenues from green measures. And why
          not, considering that it‘s now possible to manufacture drywall or roofing materials that
          only require one-tenth as much energy to manufacture; are 2-3 times more energy effi-
          cient than traditional materials and emit no greenhouse gases? Energy rating auditors
          and energy retrofitters will flourish in this environment, as will Eco (certified)-brokers,
          realtors with training in material use, supplier logistics and construction standards.

         Speaking of energy, according to energy experts the wind meteorologist (wind farmer)
          may become the ―petroleum engineer of the 21st Century.‖ Think it‘s a fad? Tell that to
          General Electric, investing $20billion in environmentally sustainable products. Those
          stodgy ol‘ oil companies aren‘t dummies, either: British Petroleum, Chevron, Exxon and
          others all have major initiatives underway (think non-petroleum-based plastics). And
          consider this: alternative energy sources produce more jobs per megawatt than fossil
          fuels.

         Retail? 37% of retailers devoted shelf and/or advertising space to green products in
          2007, according to Brandweek magazine

         Tourism? According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, Eco-tourism was a $154
          billion ―niche‖ as far back as 2000, and growing at the rate of 20% annually – which
          means it‘s huge now.

         Financial Services (huh?) – According to Deutsch Bank, ―carbon trading‖ – brokered by
          carbon traders who facilitate the exchange of pollution-rights to comply with industry or
          geographically-imposed environmental ceilings – will grow 80 times bigger in the first
          half of this century, becoming a $500 billion enterprise. By the way, it‘s already here—
          check out the Chicago Climate Exchange.




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                             Page 10
 Transportation? Despite the woes of the ―Big Three‖ automakers here in the U.S., and
          the current global recession, auto industry experts J.D. Power say that sales of hybrid
          and diesel engines are expected to grow at a far faster rate than conventional internal
          combustion vehicles. And expect to see more and more light rail public transportation,
          as the American Public Transportation Association claims that public transportation is
          the single largest way to control greenhouse emissions.

         Municipalities and governments will reap all kinds of benefits: lowered energy costs
          through more efficient lighting; lowered cleanup costs (pollution, garbage), and lowered
          human costs (e.g., through State insurance funds, health and human service budgets,
          etc.) for consumers not as afflicted to the adverse health effects of environmentally-
          unsound practices.

         Food and Agriculture: The Organic/Natural Foods industry continues to grow in excess
          of 10% annually. And it‘s not just the Whole Foods empire, either: check out the aisles
          that Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway and others now devote to natural food products.
          Which is only the smart thing to do, considering that 39% of Americans purchase these
          products.

    The Green Wave is affecting nearly every industry, and by definition, scores of careers. Per-
    maculturalists utilizing knowledge of landscaping, horticulture, architecture and traffic/people
    movement to optimize the functionality of multiple-use grounds; environmental managers and
    sustainability coordinators who coordinate their organization‘s resource stewardship (and per-
    formance); green accountants (seriously!) who are watching their own asset ledger grow by pro-
    viding unique software tools to account for the nuances of environmental procedures; biological
    systems engineers, a hybrid of biology and environmental engineering who design, develop and
    manage the systems that produce, package and distribute food and fiber supplies.

    How about corporate climate strategists (Yahoo! is one such employer) who optimize their re-
    source and purchasing allocations based upon carbon footprints? Or Green recruiting firms, lim-
    iting their (rapidly expanding) business to organizations and industries that are environmentally
    responsible? Even the funeral industry is going Green – customers are just dying to get in
    (ahem)! Biodegradable coffins are the latest thing in this $11Billion industry.




    6       Small is HUGE: (Or, “Nano & Bio” – opening new worlds)
    If the Death of Distance is making the world smaller, then Nanotechnology and Genomics are
    opening up larger worlds.

    Nanotech is that strange realm where scientists and engineers work at the atomic level (versus
    the larger molecular level) of materials, which allows them greater flexibility in manipulating the
    outcome. In other words, make products that are stronger, lighter, faster, more flexible, etc. If
    that sounds a little obtuse, take a peek into the electron microscope and consider these result-
    ing applications:


©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                             Page 11
 Lighter, stronger cars with skid-proof tires and engines that routinely get 500,000 miles

         Entire systems-on-a-chip (including pumps, motors, ―engines,‖ etc.) – this is the realm of
          the nano-electronics engineer. Entire Labs-on-a-Chip (LOCs) – enter the micro-fluidics
          engineer. How about a ―molecular fabricator‖ that could make just about anything from
          anything, like on Star Trek? We‘re getting closer than you know – enter the MEMS engi-
          neer

         Cancer-busting ―Qdots‖ that enter through the walls of cancer cells, which may make
          chemotherapy and radiation treatments seem medieval in a few years

         Packaging that triples the shelf-life of foods. And speaking of shelves, how about self-
          cleaning surfaces, such as kitchen appliances and counters?

         Ultra-high-density computer storage with processing speeds billions of times faster than
          today.

         Non-invasive pesticides that actually contribute to forest (or other eco-system) restora-
          tion. Meet the nano-ecologist.

         Rapid tissue repair, courtesy of ―tissue engineers‖ such as nano-optician.

         ―Super Silk‖ that keeps you really warm in the winter and really cool in the summer. Oh,
          it‘s stain repellant, too…and speaking of fabrics, how about bullet-proof vests that weigh
          ounces instead of the conventional `10-15 pounds?

         Nano ―bloodhounds‖ that provide 24/7 surveillance and environmental monitoring at air-
          ports, office buildings, public venues, and even households.

         ―Smart uniform‖ and life support systems for military, space and ocean exploration

    Thanks to the Human Genome Project and the exploding realm of Bio-Informatics and Behav-
    ioral Genetics, we‘re finding more and more that human behavior – including alcoholism, intelli-
    gence, sexual orientation, and even the propensity for violence – have a strong genetic compo-
    nent. The overall field of Biotechnology grew six-fold over the last 15 years, but that‘s a drop in
    the test tube compared to where it‘s going…

         Psychiatric geneticists and genetic counselors, who study and help people understand
          and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions
          to disease. As a 2007, there were more than 25 graduate training programs, according
          to the National Society of Genetic Counselors. And these fields are going to need ever
          more support from genetic nurses, who provide screenings, risk assessment, education,
          treatment and surveillance to patients with genetic disorders.

         Medical geneticists who study and treat genetic diseases, often specializing in organ
          transplants, ―immune‖ genetics and gene therapy (correcting genetic cell deficiencies
          through the insertion of ―good‖ DNA).



©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                             Page 12
 Bio-informaticists and computational biologists, who together provide the data storage
          tools and techniques, along with the ―cartography‖ – the (genetic) map-making and
          ―traffic-routing‖ – of all the gazillions of amino acids, proteins, and other stuff most of us
          can‘t even pronounce.

            Evolutionary biologists, tracing the origins of ―disease‖ genes through the study of popu-
            lation and migration trends

         Pharmoco-geneticists, creating new vaccines and medicines

         Agronomists, researching the genetic modification of foods and seeds and development
          of bio-pesticides (note: a very controversial field!)

         Bio-archivers, preserving tissues and samples for not only research but restoration.

    Like nanotechnologists, biotechnology scientists and engineers will play many roles in many
    industries: Running LIMS centers (Laboratory Information Management Systems)…developing
    technologies to identify soldiers and protect combatants from bio-chemical weapons…
    developing legal applications such as patents…cleaning up toxic-waste dumps (a ―nano-napkin‖
    recently developed can absorb fifty times its weight in oil spills – and be recycled…).

    These exploding new realms may sound like alphabet soup from a Dr. Seuss book, but they‘re
    real, they‘re here now, and they will change the world. Stay tuned.




    7       Bits, Bytes & Googols (Or, “Information’s cool, but Knowl-
            edge rules”)
    Once upon a time, huge monolithic computer centers were considered impressive simply be-
    cause of their ability to store massive amounts of data – forget about the ability to manipulate it
    quickly and make bottom-line decisions. Later, with greatly enhanced computing power and
    distributive capabilities, it became much easier to collate and systematize data into truly usable
    ―information.‖

    Later still, the advent of the PC, continually escalating computer power (doubled processing
    ability every 18 months, known as ―Moore‘s Law.‖) the arrival of the Internet and impressive
    ways of standardizing our information sharing (such as ―Web 2.0‖ formats) have brought us to a
    time when information by itself is not enough: It‘s Knowledge that rules; in other words, the abil-
    ity to efficiently and effectively use information for forward- looking marketing, operational and
    financial decisions that will differentiate us from competitors and get on our target market’s radar
    quickly and attractively.

    In other words, we need to maximize our ROI – ―Return On Investment‖ – and minimize our TMI
    – Too Much Information!




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                              Page 13
Chances are over the last few years you‘ve had a feeling at one time or another that there‘s no
    way you can keep up with, manage or even respond to all the solicitations you receive. Our
    spam filters work overtime, we‘re bombarded by requests to join professional (or social) net-
    works; we find ourselves hypnotically mesmerized by the endless electronic-leash of text mes-
    saging and cell-phoning.

    You‘re not imagining things. At the end of 2007, the World Wide Web included approximately
    120 million websites representing over 30 billion active server pages. Approximately 60 billion
    electronic transmissions (emails, many with attached files, documents and links) inundate cy-
    berspace every day. Cable television providers routinely offer hundreds of channels. With the
    technology-empowered advent of self-publishing, over 200,000 new books are printed each
    year in the U.S. alone…not to mention countless ezines, magazines, and 70 million blogs. At
    this time, both MySpace and Facebook now exceed 200 million members – and ―upscale‘
    LinkedIn now exceeds 30 million.

    Organizations that can figure out (and have the discipline!) to wander through this cyber-
    tsunami will prosper; those that get drowned in it will get, well, ―washed up.‖

    This is the age of the “e-Discoverer,‖ lawyers (or paralegals) with strong electronic file organiza-
    tional skills. The ability to find the right information in the right format to argue cases is para-
    mount – which explains why this legal specialty is growing 300% annually and expected to top
    $20 billion in services by 2011.

    This is the era of the Neural-Marketer, clever market researchers who know how to use the re-
    sults of MRI studies (obtained by brain analysts from test volunteers) to determine how the brain
    establishes ―preferences‖ and – tada – purchasing decisions. The end result being that product
    designs and marketing campaigns get much higher results from likely buyers. And it doesn‘t
    stop there…affiliated vendors share information. Ever wondered how some of the solicitations
    that have been recently showing up in your mailbox, or email inbox, or social network page,
    seem to be uncannily addressing ―who you are‖? These purveyors have figured out how to
    maximize their ROI by giving you what your mind (often unconsciously!) says it wants – and
    they do it in a way that minimizes your TMI, by using the mediums you‘re part of. If it all sounds
    like so much Pavlov‘s Dog…well, welcome to the New World.

    This is the era of the Localization Translationist, IT specialists with special graphic and language
    skills (linguistics, not just software) that help multinational companies provide their products and
    services to cross-cultural audiences. The company Google, for example, has not achieved their
    market dominance by merely ―organizing the world‘s information‖ (their famous tagline), but in a
    way that aesthetically presents information – knowledge – to different users. With a ―storefront‖
    presence in more than 100 countries, how could they not? The word Google, by the way, is a
    cute little term denoting the number 10100. If that hurts your brain, just think of it as the number
    one trillion multiplied by itself eight times (and then by 10,000, just to round things off…). There,
    feel better? Google‘s search algorithms and presentation formats maximize ROI, minimize TMI.
    Their paying advertisers love them (enabling access to us), and we love them (getting free ser-
    vice!).




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                               Page 14
This is the era of the Simulation Developer, whose IT talents go way beyond ―kid‘s game‖ to al-
    low organizations powerful predictive capabilities. What military general wouldn‘t want a feel for
    potential outcomes of a maneuver – or battle? What CEO wouldn‘t want to know about the suc-
    cess (―risk vs. reward‖) chances of a strategic initiative? What casinos in the multi-billion$ gam-
    ing industry don‘t want to fine tune their odds just a little? What educational vendor doesn‘t
    want to bring their products ―alive‖ to offer students all kinds of what-if scenarios?

    This is the era of the Intellectual Property Manager (aka patent attorney), who, like the e-
    Discoverer, must protect their client‘s or company‘s inventions and technologies from being pil-
    fered by the stealthily-encroaching ―Markets, Merchants, and Maniacs.‖ Not a bad gig, either:
    The average patent attorney cleared $187,000 in 2007.

    Any vendor or organization which wants to succeed and prosper must find a way to reach niche
    markets with razor-clear messages and appropriate mediums. Careers which cater to that will
    experience tremendous growth for years to come.




    8       Work is Play (Or, „Vocationeering & Vacationeering’ )
     A century ago, the great British playwright Oscar Wilde wrote, ―Work is the curse of the drinking
    class.‖ Oscar always had a way with words (especially irreverent ones!), but the ol‘ boy was
    onto something. In his time, for most people, ―work‖ basically was drudgery. You worked, you
    died. In post-World War II times, the industrialized world spiced it up a little: You worked, took
    your few weeks of R&R each year, then retired and died soon after.

    We live in a different world now; one where people expect and even demand that their vocations
    increasingly represent their ideals, desires, and passionate interests. Certainly that‘s not true
    for everyone, especially in the headwinds of a nasty recession. Still, a wander through voca-
    tional wonderland reveals major developments in not only emerging careers but the types of
    purveyors who cater to them.

    For example, culinary tourism has been hailed (by the International Culinary Tourism Associa-
    tion, formed in 2001) as ―one of the world‘s fastest growing professions.‖ More and more peo-
    ple who cater to the epicurean tastes of visitors are giving it a go – and why not? Serious
    ―foodies‖ spend 50% of their budget on food & drink. And if you like to have your keg and drink
    it, too, let‘s not forget the ―beer sommelier‖ or craft brewer – microbrewery production is ap-
    proaching 20% growth per year. (Conventional beer sales? Flat…)

    Trend 2 mentioned the Virtual Concierge, people with connections and services to broker – who
    work from home in their jammies (well, you get the idea.). Mind-body-spirit purveyors like Feng
    Shui consultants use their interior-design and energy skills to optimize the harmony – and pro-
    ductivity – of a workplace. Think it‘s a fad? Maybe, but consider these folks charge $200 an
    hour and up in metro areas, and many of them have advanced certifications in quantum phys-
    ics, molecular biology, meteorology and neurology – for starters.




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                             Page 15
Are you artistic with a healing touch? There are currently 5,000 art therapists in North America,
    but their ability to use artistic creations to help people with traumas, emotional disorders and
    substance abuse is growing traction in the counseling world. Speaking of art, folks with a love
    of cultural creations are expressing themselves as cultural curators, bringing our museums, air-
    ports, resorts, office buildings and other entertainment venues to life with the latest – or oldest –
    arts & crafts renderings from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and wherever else.

    Maybe your healing touch coincides with your affinity for Flipper, Bambi or Rover. Animal As-
    sisted Therapists are seeing nothing but green fields and crystal waters ahead.

    Want to travel, have a sense of adventure, and help people at the same time? Volun-tourism’s
    your ticket, not just as a participant of course, but as a career. Industry cheerleaders Voluntour-
    ism.org describe the field as a ―seamlessly integrated combination of voluntary service to a des-
    tination with the best traditional elements of travel – arts, culture, geography and history.‖ Ac-
    cording to the Travel Industry Association, this field is far outstripping other conventional travel
    business models, doubling in size in just a few years.

    Whether at home or in their jobs, people have an overwhelming desire to feel comfortable (and
    be productive) in their environments, and no one caters to this more than the ergonomicist (the
    ergonomics engineer). From space planning to transportation and traffic flow, and from home
    automation to easier access to communication devices and ATM‘s, this career will be in high
    demand.

    More and more, people are also seeking – and receiving – sabbaticals: paid or unpaid leaves of
    absence, often with the expectation of performing constructive work or service (e.g., like volun-
    tourism). Altogether, it‘s estimated that about 7% of companies offer some sort of sabbatical
    program, although the figure is much higher for Fortune 1000 companies (approximately 20%.
    After all, a study by the Journal of Education for Business found that when ―done right,‖ sabbati-
    cals are a productivity enhancer: People return rested, they have often acquired new skills,
    they‘re more loyal, and the employer has gotten an opportunity to try out and assess other peo-
    ple in the temporarily vacated role. Smart…

    Playing into this trend of greater self-expression is a very cool organization named Vocation-
    Vacations, which lines up potential career-changers with experts from scores of industries who
    let them kick the tires and find out more. As of 2007, there were already 300 experts providing
    ―on the job‖ immersions (including vital insight tips on networking, contacts, resume and inter-
    view preparation, etc.) in a wide variety of traditional and very non-traditional career fields. Care
    to be a Dude-rancher? A NASCAR race? …Brain surgeon?...Symphony composer? Horse-
    breeder? By the way, 75% of all Vocation-Vacation‘s customers are serious about changing
    their careers, and the most popular fields include jobs pertaining to culinary services, animals,
    fashion and sports. If it all seems a little too surreal, consider that some of Vocation-Vacation‘s
    sponsors include Microsoft, Hilton and Business Week magazine.

    Mind-Body-Spirit: It‘s time has come at the workplace. Savvy companies are already providing
    this experience, and savvy entrepreneurs are taking matters into their own hands.




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                               Page 16
9       The Triple Bottom-Line (Or… “People, Profit & Planet” )
    Technologies and careers aren‘t the only things changing, in many industries the very way we
    do business is changing as well. Partially because of the Green Wave, partially because of the
    interconnected demands of a global economy, and partially because of an increased awareness
    of what actually works – is practical and sustaining – new, exciting, business models are emerg-
    ing that allow markets, shareholders and the ―common good‖ of society to all benefit in pro-
    foundly new ways.

    This mindset is what some call the ―Triple-Bottom-Line,‖ which in a nutshell, insists that an or-
    ganization‘s long-term vitality is not only served by their profit bottom line (e.g., theirs short-term
    financials), but also by what best serves the interests of their people (employees and affiliates)
    and what‘s good for the planet – their environmental stewardship.

    Quick, what do Apple Computer, Best Buy, Caterpillar, Hershey, Wendy‘s, Nike, Amnesty Inter-
    national and the World Bank all have in common? Answer: Social Responsibility Managers,
    who help their organizations become more responsive to environmental, human rights and
    health issues. If this sounds a little too fanciful, you might wish to examine these organizations‘
    bottom lines. Make no mistake: Social Responsibility Management is good business: it helps
    companies differentiate their brand; it‘s a strong recruiting attractor; and it creates ―positive
    goodwill‖ which can come in handy in future legal disputes.

    We also are observing the emergence of what can only be called Conscientious Capitalism, or,
    as some would say (e.g. your humble scribe), ―Power Money, Power Brains, and Power Heart.‖
    Corporate examples include the aforementioned Google (with their commitment to ―doing no
    harm‖). Starbucks is another example. You don‘t have to like their coffee or enjoy seeing that
    little green mermaid smiling from every street corner in our quadrant of the galaxy to admire
    what they‘ve done. Their commitment to Free Trade Certified growing standards is supporting
    communities (building schools, employing people, etc.) in 23 countries; their customers love‘m –
    they‘ve created quite the ―buzz; their shareholders saw a twenty-fold increase in their stock
    value from 1990-2005; and their employees consistently rate them one of the top ten employers
    in the U.S.

    Mohammad Yunus‘ Grameen Bank is another example. His ingeniously simple program for mi-
    crocredit lending in Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world, is attributed with lift-
    ing millions of people out of poverty. By the way, Grameen‘s ―recover rate‖ (the percentage of
    those who actually pay back!) exceeds 99% - a success metric that the CEO‘s of Citibank and
    Wells Fargo would kill for (OK, foreclose for). Not only did Yunus win the Nobel Prize for Eco-
    nomics, but was also toasted by Business Week as the ―greatest entrepreneur of our time.‖
    That‘s conscientious capitalism.

    Or how about Nicholas Negroponte‘s One Laptop Per Child program, with its lofty goal of getting
    low cost, highly durable PC‘s in the hands of hundreds of millions of children worldwide? Critics



©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                                 Page 17
scoffed, but OLPC is already adopted by the governments of nine countries (and growing) in
    Asia and Africa… and PCs with pre-loaded lesson plans are reaching challenged cities and rural
    villages, where they will be ―virally‖ shared and help change many, many lives.

    What Starbucks, the Grameen Bank and the OLPC program understand is that for conscien-
    tious capitalism to work, there are four vital ingredients: responsibility, transparency, profitability
    and sustainability. Like the lifting effect of ―Archimedes‘ Lever,‖ when these ingredients are pre-
    sent, quantum changes can and do occur.

    The Triple Bottom Line is also affected by the very way organizations interact with each other.
    For example, the practice of co-opetition (―competitors cooperating‖), coined by author Adam
    Brandenburger in the 1990‘s, has a synergistic or ―net gain‖ effect for competitors willing to
    check their egos and work constructively on shared interests (such as joint ventures where, col-
    lectively, their resources can grow the market much faster than working apart). We also find the
    people/profit/planet trifecta at work in the aforementioned volun-tourism, with corporate entities
    playing active role in the viability of communities (at home or abroad); and, in the earlier Green
    role of sustainability manager – after all, wise stewarding of resources is very much a ―bottom
    line‖ role: smarter material sourcing, more efficient manufacturing and creative reuse practices
    are money makers.

    ―Business as usual‖ may not be going away anytime soon. More and more, however, innovative
    organizations are realizing that the overall health of their organization is enhanced when they
    incorporate the human element and environmental element into their long-term financial equa-
    tions. And graduates going out into this world will have a host of practices at their disposal for
    becoming effective leaders and enjoying passionate, profitable and principled careers.




    10 Science “Faction” (Or, the future is so “now’)
    Those of us raised on Star Trek and Star Wars (or Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, for those
    who‘ll admit it) might want to think twice before discounting the gizmos and gadgets of those
    productions as the relics of Hollywood. We‘ve already seen that nanotechnology and biotech-
    nology for example, are opening up ―new worlds‖ for exploration, commerce and vocation.

    Trend 3 commented about Japan‘s strategic focus on robotics applications – which is under-
    standable, considering that Scientific America is predicting 3000% growth in the robotics indus-
    try by 2025. In 2009, robotic applications already exist for: feeding the elderly…therapeutic
    ―pets‖ (automated baby seals, anyone?)…vacuum and gutter cleaners…battle-ready
    ―automatons‖ for the military…decoy-bugs for the pest-control industry…mechanical beating
    hearts… brain-triggered (via EEG signals) ―assister limbs‖ for paralysis victims… ―social
    bots‖ (toddler entertainers such as mechanical ―mini-men‖)…self-driving cars (which might actu-
    ally make our roads safer!)…crew-mates in space, laborers for agriculture, temp office workers
    and more… Can anyone seriously doubt that R2D2 and C3PO are right around the corner?




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                                 Page 18
Space Tourism’s looking at a similar trajectory. In 2010, the first North American spaceport is
    scheduled to open in New Mexico, launching high-rollers up to 68,000 feet at Mach 3 speeds.
    However, as services increase, technology improves and infrastructure develops (and prices
    drop like a meteor), Space Tourism may reach a multi-trillion dollar industry by 2030, with up to
    five million passenger rides annually. And let‘s not forget Galactic Suites hotel, being built by
    the European Space Union and scheduled to open in 2012. Sound pie-in-the-sky? At the end of
    2007, there were already 42 certified space travel agencies. Business, of course, won‘t stay in
    dry-dock: Imagine the UPS and FedEx‘s of the near-future delivering packages around the
    world – in just a few hours, or minutes. Imagine buzzing over to Tokyo for a power meeting;
    getting in a round of golf and being home that evening on the East Coast in time to catch your
    favorite programming on the boob-tube.

    Like Nano and Bio, space tourism and space commerce will be chock full of careers catering to
    entertainment and lodging, vehicle design and lunar mining equipment, ―space history,‖ trainers
    (welcome to zero-gravity), couriers, etc. Virgin Galactic, owned by the intrepid Richard Bran-
    son, has even hinted at a Galactic Idol program for aspiring astronauts (far out!). Naturally any
    endeavors in the great ―up there‖ will necessitate medical specialists, PR folks and product li-
    ability legal staff… and by the way, referring back to nanotechnology, imagine the world‘s skinni-
    est ―straw‖ – a glorified elevator shaft or ―silo‖ extending miles into space for transporting people
    and delivering supplies. Supposedly, the plans already exist…(flying cars, too, but that‘s another
    story.)

    No doubt that many of today‘s ―futuristic‖ predictions might look silly at a later point…in 1960, for
    example, it was believed that by the Year 2000 cancer would be defeated and poverty eradi-
    cated. However, it‘s also true that we tend to underestimate or not even account for earth-
    shaking changes right under our feet (i.e., most futurists in the 1970‘s didn‘t even comment
    about personal computers or the coming Internet!). What we do know is that there is sound sci-
    entific basis and developing infrastructure already for many of these Jules Verne-like industries.
    And once more, young professionals in the decade from 2010 to 2020 will have unprecedented
    opportunities to ―get in on the ground floor‖ and create worlds we can barely imagine.

    ___________________________________________________________________________




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                               Page 19
Conclusions
    A ‗perfect storm‘ of converging trends such as globalization, communication technologies, envi-
    ronmental threats and shifting social priorities is creating unprecedented opportunities and chal-
    lenges for the career seeker (or career changer) of the early 21st Century. There are many ways
    that young professionals and students can cost effectively and pro-actively prepare themselves
    for fuller immersion in this new vocational world.

         Read up! For example, my two books The Student Roadmap to the Global Workplace
            (www.thestudentroadmap.com) and The Student Guide to the Coolest New Jobs and
            Hottest New Industries (www.coolnewjobshotnewcareers.com) were created to help
            educators (as supplemental curricula) prepare their students for powerful careers and
            effective leadership roles when they step out into the ―real world.‖

         Career days/job fairs Advice: Ask every exhibitor what their company is doing to
            prepare for and participate in the global economy. (Note: this does not mean that they
            have to be ―doing international business‖!) If they can‘t answer, keep walking – their
            company will either be out of business or seriously diminished in 5-10 years.

         Professional organizations            Many of the fields mentioned in this paper have
            professional organizations which have literally just formed in the last few years. They
            tend to grow rapidly, and are a wealth of information and networking contacts. For ex-
            ample, GALA – the Globalization and Localization Association (for localization transla-
            tionists) was formed in 2002 by organizations representing 12 countries spanning four
            continents. The Eco-Broker certification was also created in 2002…the American Dis-
            tance Counseling Association (2007)…the International Culinary Tourism Association
            (2001)…

         Academia          Many schools are now offering majors, or elective courses in the fields
            mentioned in this paper. For example, there are currently about 25 colleges and univer-
            sities offering degree emphasis in nanotechnology fields, and an equal number offering
            programs in genetic counseling.

         Community business resources               Chambers of Commerce and the Small Business
            Association can provide a wealth of information and assistance. For example, local
            chambers often have ―international days‖ and host representatives of foreign companies.
            Likewise, friendly SCORE helpers (Society of Retired Executives) are experts in many
            different fields, and some have substantial global experience as well.

         „Global” resources There‘s a wealth of information out there for students wishing to
            know about: The Do’s and Taboos book series covering cross-cultural etiquette for busi-
            ness relationships with different cultures‖… Going Global is an excellent source of Inter-
            national job opportunities, country guides, and internship advice, with products at many
            colleges and libraries.




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                            Page 20
 Travel abroad: Take a semester abroad to study, or perform a ―volun-tour‖ service
            project.

         Talk with foreign embassies and consulates                (if you live in a major metropolitan
            area). They are very helpful and provide a ton of information – both business and other-
            wise – about their host countries.

         Learn another language (―fluidly,‖ not necessarily ―fluently‖). Mandarin Chinese and
            Spanish are the biggies. Even though many international business associates may
            speak (some) English, your ability to understand nuances – and win their empathy – will
            go miles towards achieving a more productive relationship with them. (Note1: Manda-
            rin is the most highly spoken language in the world, but as late as 2006 it was only the
            seventh most popular language in American schools, with just 50,000 high school stu-
            dents and 25,000 college students taking classes. Note 2: Sometime in the next 20
            years the Chinese economy will equal that of the U.S. )

         Attend conferences in other countries: (Mostly for young professionals already
            employed). You‘ll get an amazing insight into how your industry colleagues from other
            countries view the industry, not to mention invaluable contacts.



    Hopefully this paper has given you a broad paintbrush of how you (as an educator, student, em-
    ployer, or parent – can benefit in your own career, or that of your ―charges.‖

    Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read through this report – and may your career
    and all endeavors be ―passionate, profitable, principled and playful!‖

    Stephen Banick, ―The Career Catalyst‖
    CEO, The Gulliver Project®, Inc.




©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                              Page 21
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©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved                                                                              Page 22

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Stephen Banick - 10 Global Trends Impacting the Careers of the 21st Century

  • 1. 10 Global Trends Impacting the Careers of the 21st Century A Free Report for : ♦ Educators ♦ Career Counselors ♦ High School & College Students ♦ Parents ♦ Adult Ed Classrooms ♦ Corporate & Civic Leaders by September, 2009 ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 1
  • 2. 10 Global Trends Impacting the Careers Of the 21st Century by Stephen Banick ____________________________________________________ Students entering the 21st Century workforce will face an occupational ―world‖ – literally – unrec- ognizable to their parents‘ generation. Industries, organizations, management and employees around the world are now interconnected in a truly Global Economy; a network that seems to ignore or subordinate geographic, political and even cultural differences – for better or worse. The reasons for this are many. Surely, globalization has ―flattened‖ the world (as author Tho- mas Friedman said) by enabling the quicker and less-restricted flow of products, services, labor, capital and ideas across now-invisible borders. Globalization may be simultaneously ―good, bad and (occasionally) ugly‖, but it‘s hard to deny that it‘s the dominant economic, political and social paradigm of our time. By and large, trade barriers are coming down; and new allies and com- petitors – the ―Markets, Merchants and Maniacs‖ – are increasingly part of our vocational and social lives. Hand-in-hand with globalization are death-of-distance technologies such as the Internet, cell phones and other mediums that now enable a significant number of the world‘s population in- stant access to ―markets‖ halfway around the world with a push of a button. Of course, technol- ogy wizardry isn‘t confined to blinking, buzzing communication gizmos, and emerging mega- innovations including (and stemming from) Nanotechnology, the Human Genome Project (Bio- Informatics), the ―Green Wave,‖ Robotics and others will fundamentally alter the landscape of 21st Century careers and marketplaces. We also find unprecedented political, legal, economic and social considerations molding the new careers, and the new modus operandi of conducting business. For example, what are the security/ ―terror‖ risks – physical and cyber – of operating in a post 9/11 world? (Cybercrime alone exceeds $100 B annually in the U.S.). What are the economic costs – and opportunities – of aligning ourselves (by country, industry, etc.) with mutually-agreed upon environmental con- straints (i.e., global warming)? What are the intellectual property risks associated with lower (ing) trade barriers; e.g., how do companies protect patents and trade secrets when we appeal to (or are exposed to) wider audiences? Finally, although people‘s inherent values may not change, our priorities and preferences do. As a result, people in industrialized (and many emerging) countries throughout the world are seeking more and different ways to express themselves through their work. Thus we find fasci- nating ―lifestyle‖ vocational trends emphasizing fun, aesthetics, practicality and other soft bene- ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 2
  • 3. fits. We also find people increasing demanding vocationally-related programs that enhance their quality-of-life by incorporating recreation, service, and other ―mind-body-heart‖ activities. Even the work environment isn‘t immune from this, as ergonomic and other ―human factor‘ designs attempt to create a working space that‘s not only optimized for ―form, fit and function,‖ but makes employees feel better, enjoy their colleagues more and – tada – be more productive. The following 10 Global Trends attempt to capture the collective impact of all these factors upon 21st Century careers. While guessing the future is always tricky (and usually wrong!), it‘s cer- tainly easier to do when we can observe certain major trends already underway. As such, it‘s safe to say that no matter how this future unfolds, we can feel fairly confident that:  The careers and industries of tomorrow (note: these are already here, now) will look nothing like today. This applies to both the ―new jobs‖ as well as significantly changed traditional jobs.  Despite economic cycles (and the current deep recession), certain transformational mega-industries will create millions of new jobs – representing trillions of dollars of com- merce or service. Many of these fields are already experiencing rapid growth, and some are actually predicted to eclipse the IT explosion of the late 20th Century in their potential market and employment.  As large ―centralized‖ work environments or corporate hierarchies are becoming more the exception than the norm, career seekers will increasingly need to know 1) how to plan, manage and communicate via multisensory/multi-learning mediums incorporating audio, video, text, kinesthetics and experience; and 2) entrepreneurship and leadership strategies more attuned to dynamic, decentralized, outsourced, collaborative and ―co- opetitive‖ work environments.  North American students entering the workforce will be ―connected‖ – either directly or indirectly – with people all over the world.  Success – or failure (as companies, organizations and individuals) – is directly related to how aware, informed and connected we are to these global partners and forces.  Success will result from not only mastering one‘s vocational and cross-cultural communi- cation skills, but in the ability to leverage completely new ways of doing business.  The combination of dropping test scores (math, science), geographic illiteracy, and ag- gressive ―globalized‖ competitors places North American society at risk, with potentially serious impacts upon our standard of living and our ability to influence the global political and economic community.  While the risk (above) is formidable and due to many systemic factors, it is reversible if education, industry, government and other civic institutions (and parents) are co- operatively engaged in providing forward-thinking, real-world curricula. ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 3
  • 4. 1 The „Global Office‟ is Here, Now… Whether we like it or not, or even realize it, the workplace of the 21st Century is rapidly evolving into a ‗Global Office.‘ It doesn‘t matter whether the new graduate takes a job halfway around the world with an international company or across the street in a hometown factory, those with whom we must interface come from – or are located in – places all over the world. Consider: the 21st Century grad entering the workforce may have a German boss…a Japanese employer…a Brazilian vendor…a South African customer…an Argentinean colleague…a Thai business partner…an Australian ―middleman‖ (distribution channel)…a Dubaian investor… and competitors from everywhere. Cubicles, ports of entry and brick-and-mortar facilities are mere facades; for the Global Office is seemingly amorphous and unconstrained at the same time. Even if one‘s universe of direct associates is confined to our own countrymen (e.g., North Amer- ica), he or she is still not immune to global ―impactors.‖ Jobs can be outsourced or ―in-sourced‖ to people of approximately equal (in some cases superior) skill who earn a lot less. A precision manufacturer in Asia can sell their product cheaper abroad, stealing customers from North America manufacturers who now must downsize – or go out of business. A foreign parts ven- dor, able to compete in an international market, slowly gains ―pricing power‖ over their North American customer (meaning they can charge more), eating into their customer‘s margins and once again leaving them vulnerable to competitors. Those of course are the downsides. There are many, many upsides – new markets, new ven- dors, new manpower, new partners, etc. (Trend #3 addresses the strengths of many countries.). And, there‘s no shortage of foreign ―competitors‖ (such as Toyota, or Siemens) providing attrac- tive employment to people right here in North America. In general, we can draw several major conclusions about the Global Office.  It‘s less of a place than a descriptor about the interconnectivity of people, companies and institutions. It may occur in a brick and mortar environment or it may be ―virtual,‖ but it is increasingly the shape of ―what is.‖  Anything that can be done cheaper without sacrificing quality will most likely be done elsewhere (protective tariffs notwithstanding)…especially anything that lends itself to analysis and interpretation and can be incorporated into an electronic image or docu- ment.  This ―value chain‖ is fluid and relentless – for example, most people don‘t realize that India is actually a net exporter of jobs – to China. One wonders how long before China is a net exporter – to Vietnam? And the Vietnamese, later, perhaps to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar? As standards of living rise and skilled employment continues to emerge in other places, each previous provider on the value-chain must continue to differentiate themselves through products or services that provide higher value and require (for a while!) special expertise. ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 4
  • 5.  Career seekers would be well-advised to take into account how their field is evolving elsewhere… For example, would an accounting major in the U.S. or Canada wish to en- ter traditional tax accounting – when skilled tax preparers in Poland or the Ukraine are taking on greater amounts of the (outsourced) workload – or perhaps instead become a forensic accountant, the fastest growing accounting field and one necessitating players from the ―home field‖? Would a person interested in medical imagery analysis wish to examine X-rays – when equally skilled, lower-wage technicians in Thailand can do it with the push of a button – or instead become a brain analyst providing focus-group test re- sults to neuro-marketers who now can understand their target customers even better? (scary stuff…!) Likewise, a Computer Sciences major wish might wish to consider whether to go into generic software programming – with flat growth prospects (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) – or perhaps into robotics or simulations development, both expected to have high domestic growth prospects?  Skills which translate well into an international playing field give career prospectors an advantage over those who lack such skills. For example, using IT again as an example, someone with skills in Localization Translation (consider how Google has to make their message/ ―storefront‖ palatable to people in over 100 countries) has incredible career prospects. Or, in a time when many human resource departments are downsizing, Ex- patriation experts (those responsible for arranging international job assignments and preparing the worker for the cultural environment as well) have an edge; (or can start their own highly profitable consulting business.). Likewise, marketing experts who also understand how to measure and evaluate cultural nuances (e.g., how do people in for- eign markets make purchasing decisions?) will be invaluable as ‗international research surveyors.‖ Even ―traditional‖ fields, such as International Relations, will see far greater opportunities (than just working for the State Department!) as liaisons within both the public sector (Commerce, Agriculture, Justice, AID, etc.) and the private sector, in many cases receiving employment from foreign companies established here. Likewise, Eng- lish teachers who are certified in TEFL/TESL (Teaching English as a Foreign, and/or Second Language) will see ongoing and increasing need for their services. The Global Office is here to stay, and while recessions and protective trade policies (such as tariffs or quotas) may come and go, it will most likely become even more enmeshed into the workplace of coming decades. 2 The „Death of Distance‟ The term ―Death of Distance‖ was coined by author Lynn Cairncross (in her 1997 book of the same name) to describe the convergence of communication technologies and the impact upon business and societies. Ms. Cairncross might not be surprised, but for the rest of us, it‘s pretty amazing to consider that soon Planet Earth will be crossing the two billion user level for the Internet, nearly one-third of the world‘s population. Not bad for a medium that‘s only (commercially) 15 years old! Likewise, approximately 3 billion people – nearly half the world – ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 5
  • 6. are already toting around cell phones, many with all kinds of texting, game playing, tele- conferencing and other options. What‘s important to remember is that many of these people never had land-lines, TV or even radios before. Needless to say, the effect of shrinking distance/easier access means a collision of ideas. Like tsunami waves or tectonic shifts, the impact is powerful; often sweeping away or swallowing up old practices – good and bad. Nowhere is this seen more than in business, where the ―Pandora‘s Box‖ created by the Death of Distance confronts employers and employees with sudden and powerful opportunities and chal- lenges. On one hand companies have access to a much greater market for selling or purchas- ing goods (and career professionals an increasing employer field); on the other hand so does everyone else. It‘s simply a case of the ―pie‖ (the approximate $70 trillion world economy) now being much more accessible – to the good guys (us and our stakeholders) and the bad guys (our competitors). At the same time, the same instant-access mediums which allow us to in- stantly wire billions of dollars to a foreign bank, or rapidly review an obscure development half- way around the world, can also crash our hard-drive with worms and viruses, defrauding indi- viduals and companies of not only of proprietary information but even, at an extreme, our very assets. Or, speaking of viruses, another kind of nasty usurper can also wreak havoc on us. The Death of Distance isn‘t just about telecommunication, but also more rapid people movement: It‘s much easier and cheaper (inflation-adjusted) to travel than decades ago, and with world travel ex- pected to grow at the rate of 5-6% per year, an epidemic can now spread quickly between high- density population centers. Witness SARS, which although small on the scale of epidemics nonetheless spread from Asia to North America in a matter of days and wreaked (some have estimated) $150 billion of damage on the world economy, impacting business and tourism while necessitating large-scale response for medical supplies, training and mitigation measures. This Death of Distance has impacted the very way we look at communication, with our vocabu- laries now peppered with nouns-turned-verbs: We ―Google‖; we ―twitter,‖ ―blog,‖ ―IM‖, and ―social network.‖ Our board rooms host Webinars and Digital Conferences, our living rooms host TIVO and our schools increasingly host Distance (E-)Learning and other ―Virtual Class- room‖ technology mediums. It should be no surprise that the convergence of communication technologies and the escalation of information processing speeds and capabilities would, together, enable a new generation of creative employment. The Death of Distance explains, for example, the rise of the Distance Counselor. Barely recognized (or acknowledged) just a few short years ago, these modern ―e- Therapists‖ use sophisticated web technologies to facilitate their patients‘ healing process. On a lighter side, this is also the realm of the Virtual Concierge, cybernetic replicas of the traditional hotel concierge (or real people arranging goods and services for happy customers from the comfort of their very-wired home office). This new realm also enables Cyber-criminologists to play James Bond or Sherlock Holmes and catch the bad guys without having to get shot at – and all from the comfort of their air-conditioned office. (Cyber-crime exceeded $110 billion in 2008 in North America). This realm further enables the role of the Disease Mapper, IT-savvy ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 6
  • 7. epidemiologists who understand the relationships of geo-spatial terrain, population demograph- ics, flora/fauna and even climatology in determining disease outbreak and containment scenar- ios. Anyone with strong IT, writing/editing, and graphic arts skills can ply their trade as an e- Lancer – providing they know how to market and promote themselves. If there‘s one thing we can probably be sure of, it‘s that technology will continue to shape the how, what, when, who and where of work; and, an equally huge impact upon everything from population distributions to trade policies to environmental practices. Increasingly, everything and everyone seems so ―here, now.‖ 3 The „Markets, Merchants & Maniacs‟ (are getting bigger, stronger and weirder…) It used to be that North Americans could count upon dominating just about any industry we set our sights on. Those days are gone with the wind. There are many reasons for this, and certainly not all are ―bad.‖ For example, some countries‘ governments play active roles in favoring certain industries, which almost guarantees a high de- gree of accomplishment but at the uncertain tradeoff of de-incentivizing the overall free market. In other cases, key resources or environmental factors play a natural role in tilting a country‘s preferences towards certain industries. Still in other situations, the previously mentioned ―value chain‖ results in certain industries no longer being attractive or even viable for a country that‘s moving up the chain (e.g., it makes little sense for American toy companies to compete with the Chinese‘s low cost labor scales for production of unsophisticated toys.) Rising education levels, expanding distribution networks and supply chains, and the so-called Death of Distance technologies are resulting in more and more countries – some surprisingly – carving out powerful niches for themselves. For example:  Germany is establishing itself as the leader in the research and development of Green products, not only as a manufacturer but where the big $ lay – in licensing the technolo- gies. A case in point: Despite a relative lack of sunny days compared to much of the U.S., solar energy plays a much greater role in Germany than here.  Japan continues to widen its lead in robotics, a field expected to grow 30 times bigger – 3000% – in the next two decades as aging cultures in North America, Asia and Western Europe will benefit more and more from the services of surprisingly ―Jetsons-esque‖ helpers in hospitals, shopping malls, transit and of course, home.  Korea, Finland, and Israel are on the front-wave of wireless, broadband and other com- munication protocols and technologies. Korea, for example, has nearly twice the use of broadband household usage as the U.S., with a much greater transmission capacity (as measured by MIPS, or ―millions of instructions per second.‖) ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 7
  • 8.  Sweden has firmly established itself as the leader of organic food/farming technologies, an industry which continues to exceed 10% annual growth in North America.  Former ―backwater‖ Costa Rica is a renowned pioneer of not only Eco-tourism, but Envi- ronmental Management practices. Creative partnerships between Costa Rica‘s govern- ment owned Bio-labs, ―nutraceutical‖ and pharmaceutical companies, and agricultural communities are respected worldwide, not least of which is for balanced stewardship of resources. In two generations, Costa Rica went from ―worst to first‖ in Central American standard of living, literacy, lifespan.  Ireland, the ―Celtic Tiger,‖ likewise went from worst-to-first in the European Union (per capita income) in barely 20 years. How? Through innovative technology partnerships (and economic incentives) between industry, government and academia. For the first time in centuries, Ireland is now a net-importer of jobs (and that cute little flat in Dublin which cost $15,000 USD in 1990 now brings in $300,000-plus…)  India‘s ―Bollywood,‖ long known for soap-opera quality movies, is gaining rapid notoriety on the world stage (uh, screen). In 2007, Bollywood turned out over 1,200 movies – in 26 different languages. Think they‘re not going after a Global market, one that might eat market share away from their traditional big brother in Hollywood? We can find many more examples: France: high speed transport; Canada: stem cell research; New Zealand: “positive aging” technology (or, putting a new wrinkle on the business of wrin- kles!). Even nanotechnology (which is addressed more in Trend 6), the science of manipulating materials at their atomic level to make better products, is not just confined to Silicon Valley labo- ratories, but shows up also from mid-tier economies such as Brazil or South Africa but also brow -raising places like Bangladesh. And let‘s not forget Dubai, the smaller-than-Rhode Island king- dom which as of 2007 was employing 25% of the construction cranes in the world. Which all adds up considering that Dubai is constructing the world‘s tallest hotel, largest shopping malls, theme parks to dwarf Disney, man-made resort islands, an indoor ski resort and just about any- thing else architecturally and/or aesthetically grandiose. (It seems that petro-dollars and tour- ism go very well together – at least for the near future.) Well, it doesn‘t require too much imagination to see that these aggressive ―players‘ will be either directly or indirectly impacting many industries – and many careers. As competitors surely, but also as business partners, vendors, customers, etc. The Global Office is not only nebulous, it‘s dynamic, malleable – and works 24/7. 4 Trade trumps trouble (Or, barriers  commerce  quality of life  ) ―Armies go where trade does not.‖ So once quipped a British military general. (Though it seems that at the height of the British Empire, trade and armies often went hand-in-hand!) ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 8
  • 9. As a rule, countries that trade with each other generally don‘t war upon each other – why bother, if one can achieve their objectives peacefully? This may seem overly simplistic, but as Tom Friedman and others have pointed out, there has never been a time when as few of the world‘s countries (percentage-wise) have been at war. Not coincidentally, this goes hand-in-hand with the overwhelming trend towards lowered trade barriers around the world. It‘s not just the bloc-countries of NAFTA or the European Union (nearly 30 countries), but also ASEAN (ten countries in Asia) and, in South America, Mercosur (six countries). None of these countries are at war with each other – and it‘s worth noting that none of the countries in any trading bloc is at war with any country in any other bloc, either... Opponents of globalization have many legitimate arguments against this ―system‖ including the lack of transparency of the World Bank and World Trade Organization, the tendency for collu- sion among member countries, environmental degradation created by countries that are rapidly modernizing (such as Brazil, China, India), etc. What should be noted is that these problems are solvable – even the environmental equations, as we‘ll see in Trend 5. What‘s striking, however, is the extremely high correlation between a country‘s standard of liv- ing and its degree of ―economic freedom.‖ The Fraser Institute, a Canadian economic think- tank, produces an Economic Freedom map each year which categorizes most countries in the world (some aren‘t included because, as closed societies, it‘s hard to collect any data!) to show how their standard of living (for example, Gross Domestic Product per capita) tracks against ―freedoms‖. What doesn‘t show is that they take into account 39 different criteria, which include, incidentally, political freedoms (i.e., right to vote) as well. Furthermore, looking at the ―Big Picture,‖ we find that in the 20th Century literacy rates tripled from 25% (1900) to 75% (2000) and average life spans nearly doubled (37 to 66). Likewise, from the 1960 forward, worldwide home ownership jumped from the high 40-percentiles ton the low-60‘s. Even more important, the number of people with access to ‗infrastructure‖ – water, sewer, roads, electricity and a roof over their heads – doubled from 40% to the low-80 percen- tiles. Certainly, not all of this is due to lowered trade barriers, but it would be naïve to think that if governments around the world were (still) tightly controlling the exchange of goods, services and ideas across their borders, this impressive improvement would be anywhere near the mag- nitude it has achieved. Some have pointed out the disturbing trend that while overall, the middle percentiles (of stan- dard of living) have gotten bigger – e.g., the world is collectively much better off – that the over- all number of very poor has gotten bigger. Yet, even there we see (as studies by the Economist magazine and others have shown), tragically, a direct relationship between that extreme poverty and their (countries‘) relative lack of freedoms and education. It‘s a reasonably strong bet, for example, that resource-rich countries such as Zimbabwe or Myanmar (countries currently under draconian rule by restrictive regimes) would drastically improve the quality of life of their citizens through freer trade – and freer exchange of information – with the outside world. Sadly, that doesn‘t seem to be the motives of their leadership at this time. ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 9
  • 10. 5 Green‟s the New Gold Everyone seems to be ―going Green‖ these days…. but what exactly is ―Green‖? Deloitte Con- sulting describes Green as the products and services that 1) reduce, eliminate or reuse waste; 2) reduce net consumption of resources (human, capital or natural); 3) replace full or partially consumed resources; 4) increase the ratios of natural-to-man-made and organic-to-synthetic material; and/or 5) reduce the net global impact footprint – the so-called ―carbon footprint.‖ Politicians and pundits may squabble about global warming, conservation measures and inter- pretations of what constitutes acceptable or unacceptable pollutions levels, but here‘s a little secret: Industry has made up its mind, and it seems that for many companies, Green is the new Gold. So huge is this ―Green Wave,‖ that the only way to describe it is as a paradigm, a megatrend that is predicted to create millions of jobs across a wide span of industries and applications. For example:  Green building construction grew 80% from 2005-2007, and there are some $billion companies already deriving over 50% of their revenues from green measures. And why not, considering that it‘s now possible to manufacture drywall or roofing materials that only require one-tenth as much energy to manufacture; are 2-3 times more energy effi- cient than traditional materials and emit no greenhouse gases? Energy rating auditors and energy retrofitters will flourish in this environment, as will Eco (certified)-brokers, realtors with training in material use, supplier logistics and construction standards.  Speaking of energy, according to energy experts the wind meteorologist (wind farmer) may become the ―petroleum engineer of the 21st Century.‖ Think it‘s a fad? Tell that to General Electric, investing $20billion in environmentally sustainable products. Those stodgy ol‘ oil companies aren‘t dummies, either: British Petroleum, Chevron, Exxon and others all have major initiatives underway (think non-petroleum-based plastics). And consider this: alternative energy sources produce more jobs per megawatt than fossil fuels.  Retail? 37% of retailers devoted shelf and/or advertising space to green products in 2007, according to Brandweek magazine  Tourism? According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, Eco-tourism was a $154 billion ―niche‖ as far back as 2000, and growing at the rate of 20% annually – which means it‘s huge now.  Financial Services (huh?) – According to Deutsch Bank, ―carbon trading‖ – brokered by carbon traders who facilitate the exchange of pollution-rights to comply with industry or geographically-imposed environmental ceilings – will grow 80 times bigger in the first half of this century, becoming a $500 billion enterprise. By the way, it‘s already here— check out the Chicago Climate Exchange. ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 10
  • 11.  Transportation? Despite the woes of the ―Big Three‖ automakers here in the U.S., and the current global recession, auto industry experts J.D. Power say that sales of hybrid and diesel engines are expected to grow at a far faster rate than conventional internal combustion vehicles. And expect to see more and more light rail public transportation, as the American Public Transportation Association claims that public transportation is the single largest way to control greenhouse emissions.  Municipalities and governments will reap all kinds of benefits: lowered energy costs through more efficient lighting; lowered cleanup costs (pollution, garbage), and lowered human costs (e.g., through State insurance funds, health and human service budgets, etc.) for consumers not as afflicted to the adverse health effects of environmentally- unsound practices.  Food and Agriculture: The Organic/Natural Foods industry continues to grow in excess of 10% annually. And it‘s not just the Whole Foods empire, either: check out the aisles that Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway and others now devote to natural food products. Which is only the smart thing to do, considering that 39% of Americans purchase these products. The Green Wave is affecting nearly every industry, and by definition, scores of careers. Per- maculturalists utilizing knowledge of landscaping, horticulture, architecture and traffic/people movement to optimize the functionality of multiple-use grounds; environmental managers and sustainability coordinators who coordinate their organization‘s resource stewardship (and per- formance); green accountants (seriously!) who are watching their own asset ledger grow by pro- viding unique software tools to account for the nuances of environmental procedures; biological systems engineers, a hybrid of biology and environmental engineering who design, develop and manage the systems that produce, package and distribute food and fiber supplies. How about corporate climate strategists (Yahoo! is one such employer) who optimize their re- source and purchasing allocations based upon carbon footprints? Or Green recruiting firms, lim- iting their (rapidly expanding) business to organizations and industries that are environmentally responsible? Even the funeral industry is going Green – customers are just dying to get in (ahem)! Biodegradable coffins are the latest thing in this $11Billion industry. 6 Small is HUGE: (Or, “Nano & Bio” – opening new worlds) If the Death of Distance is making the world smaller, then Nanotechnology and Genomics are opening up larger worlds. Nanotech is that strange realm where scientists and engineers work at the atomic level (versus the larger molecular level) of materials, which allows them greater flexibility in manipulating the outcome. In other words, make products that are stronger, lighter, faster, more flexible, etc. If that sounds a little obtuse, take a peek into the electron microscope and consider these result- ing applications: ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 11
  • 12.  Lighter, stronger cars with skid-proof tires and engines that routinely get 500,000 miles  Entire systems-on-a-chip (including pumps, motors, ―engines,‖ etc.) – this is the realm of the nano-electronics engineer. Entire Labs-on-a-Chip (LOCs) – enter the micro-fluidics engineer. How about a ―molecular fabricator‖ that could make just about anything from anything, like on Star Trek? We‘re getting closer than you know – enter the MEMS engi- neer  Cancer-busting ―Qdots‖ that enter through the walls of cancer cells, which may make chemotherapy and radiation treatments seem medieval in a few years  Packaging that triples the shelf-life of foods. And speaking of shelves, how about self- cleaning surfaces, such as kitchen appliances and counters?  Ultra-high-density computer storage with processing speeds billions of times faster than today.  Non-invasive pesticides that actually contribute to forest (or other eco-system) restora- tion. Meet the nano-ecologist.  Rapid tissue repair, courtesy of ―tissue engineers‖ such as nano-optician.  ―Super Silk‖ that keeps you really warm in the winter and really cool in the summer. Oh, it‘s stain repellant, too…and speaking of fabrics, how about bullet-proof vests that weigh ounces instead of the conventional `10-15 pounds?  Nano ―bloodhounds‖ that provide 24/7 surveillance and environmental monitoring at air- ports, office buildings, public venues, and even households.  ―Smart uniform‖ and life support systems for military, space and ocean exploration Thanks to the Human Genome Project and the exploding realm of Bio-Informatics and Behav- ioral Genetics, we‘re finding more and more that human behavior – including alcoholism, intelli- gence, sexual orientation, and even the propensity for violence – have a strong genetic compo- nent. The overall field of Biotechnology grew six-fold over the last 15 years, but that‘s a drop in the test tube compared to where it‘s going…  Psychiatric geneticists and genetic counselors, who study and help people understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease. As a 2007, there were more than 25 graduate training programs, according to the National Society of Genetic Counselors. And these fields are going to need ever more support from genetic nurses, who provide screenings, risk assessment, education, treatment and surveillance to patients with genetic disorders.  Medical geneticists who study and treat genetic diseases, often specializing in organ transplants, ―immune‖ genetics and gene therapy (correcting genetic cell deficiencies through the insertion of ―good‖ DNA). ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 12
  • 13.  Bio-informaticists and computational biologists, who together provide the data storage tools and techniques, along with the ―cartography‖ – the (genetic) map-making and ―traffic-routing‖ – of all the gazillions of amino acids, proteins, and other stuff most of us can‘t even pronounce.  Evolutionary biologists, tracing the origins of ―disease‖ genes through the study of popu- lation and migration trends  Pharmoco-geneticists, creating new vaccines and medicines  Agronomists, researching the genetic modification of foods and seeds and development of bio-pesticides (note: a very controversial field!)  Bio-archivers, preserving tissues and samples for not only research but restoration. Like nanotechnologists, biotechnology scientists and engineers will play many roles in many industries: Running LIMS centers (Laboratory Information Management Systems)…developing technologies to identify soldiers and protect combatants from bio-chemical weapons… developing legal applications such as patents…cleaning up toxic-waste dumps (a ―nano-napkin‖ recently developed can absorb fifty times its weight in oil spills – and be recycled…). These exploding new realms may sound like alphabet soup from a Dr. Seuss book, but they‘re real, they‘re here now, and they will change the world. Stay tuned. 7 Bits, Bytes & Googols (Or, “Information’s cool, but Knowl- edge rules”) Once upon a time, huge monolithic computer centers were considered impressive simply be- cause of their ability to store massive amounts of data – forget about the ability to manipulate it quickly and make bottom-line decisions. Later, with greatly enhanced computing power and distributive capabilities, it became much easier to collate and systematize data into truly usable ―information.‖ Later still, the advent of the PC, continually escalating computer power (doubled processing ability every 18 months, known as ―Moore‘s Law.‖) the arrival of the Internet and impressive ways of standardizing our information sharing (such as ―Web 2.0‖ formats) have brought us to a time when information by itself is not enough: It‘s Knowledge that rules; in other words, the abil- ity to efficiently and effectively use information for forward- looking marketing, operational and financial decisions that will differentiate us from competitors and get on our target market’s radar quickly and attractively. In other words, we need to maximize our ROI – ―Return On Investment‖ – and minimize our TMI – Too Much Information! ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 13
  • 14. Chances are over the last few years you‘ve had a feeling at one time or another that there‘s no way you can keep up with, manage or even respond to all the solicitations you receive. Our spam filters work overtime, we‘re bombarded by requests to join professional (or social) net- works; we find ourselves hypnotically mesmerized by the endless electronic-leash of text mes- saging and cell-phoning. You‘re not imagining things. At the end of 2007, the World Wide Web included approximately 120 million websites representing over 30 billion active server pages. Approximately 60 billion electronic transmissions (emails, many with attached files, documents and links) inundate cy- berspace every day. Cable television providers routinely offer hundreds of channels. With the technology-empowered advent of self-publishing, over 200,000 new books are printed each year in the U.S. alone…not to mention countless ezines, magazines, and 70 million blogs. At this time, both MySpace and Facebook now exceed 200 million members – and ―upscale‘ LinkedIn now exceeds 30 million. Organizations that can figure out (and have the discipline!) to wander through this cyber- tsunami will prosper; those that get drowned in it will get, well, ―washed up.‖ This is the age of the “e-Discoverer,‖ lawyers (or paralegals) with strong electronic file organiza- tional skills. The ability to find the right information in the right format to argue cases is para- mount – which explains why this legal specialty is growing 300% annually and expected to top $20 billion in services by 2011. This is the era of the Neural-Marketer, clever market researchers who know how to use the re- sults of MRI studies (obtained by brain analysts from test volunteers) to determine how the brain establishes ―preferences‖ and – tada – purchasing decisions. The end result being that product designs and marketing campaigns get much higher results from likely buyers. And it doesn‘t stop there…affiliated vendors share information. Ever wondered how some of the solicitations that have been recently showing up in your mailbox, or email inbox, or social network page, seem to be uncannily addressing ―who you are‖? These purveyors have figured out how to maximize their ROI by giving you what your mind (often unconsciously!) says it wants – and they do it in a way that minimizes your TMI, by using the mediums you‘re part of. If it all sounds like so much Pavlov‘s Dog…well, welcome to the New World. This is the era of the Localization Translationist, IT specialists with special graphic and language skills (linguistics, not just software) that help multinational companies provide their products and services to cross-cultural audiences. The company Google, for example, has not achieved their market dominance by merely ―organizing the world‘s information‖ (their famous tagline), but in a way that aesthetically presents information – knowledge – to different users. With a ―storefront‖ presence in more than 100 countries, how could they not? The word Google, by the way, is a cute little term denoting the number 10100. If that hurts your brain, just think of it as the number one trillion multiplied by itself eight times (and then by 10,000, just to round things off…). There, feel better? Google‘s search algorithms and presentation formats maximize ROI, minimize TMI. Their paying advertisers love them (enabling access to us), and we love them (getting free ser- vice!). ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 14
  • 15. This is the era of the Simulation Developer, whose IT talents go way beyond ―kid‘s game‖ to al- low organizations powerful predictive capabilities. What military general wouldn‘t want a feel for potential outcomes of a maneuver – or battle? What CEO wouldn‘t want to know about the suc- cess (―risk vs. reward‖) chances of a strategic initiative? What casinos in the multi-billion$ gam- ing industry don‘t want to fine tune their odds just a little? What educational vendor doesn‘t want to bring their products ―alive‖ to offer students all kinds of what-if scenarios? This is the era of the Intellectual Property Manager (aka patent attorney), who, like the e- Discoverer, must protect their client‘s or company‘s inventions and technologies from being pil- fered by the stealthily-encroaching ―Markets, Merchants, and Maniacs.‖ Not a bad gig, either: The average patent attorney cleared $187,000 in 2007. Any vendor or organization which wants to succeed and prosper must find a way to reach niche markets with razor-clear messages and appropriate mediums. Careers which cater to that will experience tremendous growth for years to come. 8 Work is Play (Or, „Vocationeering & Vacationeering’ ) A century ago, the great British playwright Oscar Wilde wrote, ―Work is the curse of the drinking class.‖ Oscar always had a way with words (especially irreverent ones!), but the ol‘ boy was onto something. In his time, for most people, ―work‖ basically was drudgery. You worked, you died. In post-World War II times, the industrialized world spiced it up a little: You worked, took your few weeks of R&R each year, then retired and died soon after. We live in a different world now; one where people expect and even demand that their vocations increasingly represent their ideals, desires, and passionate interests. Certainly that‘s not true for everyone, especially in the headwinds of a nasty recession. Still, a wander through voca- tional wonderland reveals major developments in not only emerging careers but the types of purveyors who cater to them. For example, culinary tourism has been hailed (by the International Culinary Tourism Associa- tion, formed in 2001) as ―one of the world‘s fastest growing professions.‖ More and more peo- ple who cater to the epicurean tastes of visitors are giving it a go – and why not? Serious ―foodies‖ spend 50% of their budget on food & drink. And if you like to have your keg and drink it, too, let‘s not forget the ―beer sommelier‖ or craft brewer – microbrewery production is ap- proaching 20% growth per year. (Conventional beer sales? Flat…) Trend 2 mentioned the Virtual Concierge, people with connections and services to broker – who work from home in their jammies (well, you get the idea.). Mind-body-spirit purveyors like Feng Shui consultants use their interior-design and energy skills to optimize the harmony – and pro- ductivity – of a workplace. Think it‘s a fad? Maybe, but consider these folks charge $200 an hour and up in metro areas, and many of them have advanced certifications in quantum phys- ics, molecular biology, meteorology and neurology – for starters. ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 15
  • 16. Are you artistic with a healing touch? There are currently 5,000 art therapists in North America, but their ability to use artistic creations to help people with traumas, emotional disorders and substance abuse is growing traction in the counseling world. Speaking of art, folks with a love of cultural creations are expressing themselves as cultural curators, bringing our museums, air- ports, resorts, office buildings and other entertainment venues to life with the latest – or oldest – arts & crafts renderings from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and wherever else. Maybe your healing touch coincides with your affinity for Flipper, Bambi or Rover. Animal As- sisted Therapists are seeing nothing but green fields and crystal waters ahead. Want to travel, have a sense of adventure, and help people at the same time? Volun-tourism’s your ticket, not just as a participant of course, but as a career. Industry cheerleaders Voluntour- ism.org describe the field as a ―seamlessly integrated combination of voluntary service to a des- tination with the best traditional elements of travel – arts, culture, geography and history.‖ Ac- cording to the Travel Industry Association, this field is far outstripping other conventional travel business models, doubling in size in just a few years. Whether at home or in their jobs, people have an overwhelming desire to feel comfortable (and be productive) in their environments, and no one caters to this more than the ergonomicist (the ergonomics engineer). From space planning to transportation and traffic flow, and from home automation to easier access to communication devices and ATM‘s, this career will be in high demand. More and more, people are also seeking – and receiving – sabbaticals: paid or unpaid leaves of absence, often with the expectation of performing constructive work or service (e.g., like volun- tourism). Altogether, it‘s estimated that about 7% of companies offer some sort of sabbatical program, although the figure is much higher for Fortune 1000 companies (approximately 20%. After all, a study by the Journal of Education for Business found that when ―done right,‖ sabbati- cals are a productivity enhancer: People return rested, they have often acquired new skills, they‘re more loyal, and the employer has gotten an opportunity to try out and assess other peo- ple in the temporarily vacated role. Smart… Playing into this trend of greater self-expression is a very cool organization named Vocation- Vacations, which lines up potential career-changers with experts from scores of industries who let them kick the tires and find out more. As of 2007, there were already 300 experts providing ―on the job‖ immersions (including vital insight tips on networking, contacts, resume and inter- view preparation, etc.) in a wide variety of traditional and very non-traditional career fields. Care to be a Dude-rancher? A NASCAR race? …Brain surgeon?...Symphony composer? Horse- breeder? By the way, 75% of all Vocation-Vacation‘s customers are serious about changing their careers, and the most popular fields include jobs pertaining to culinary services, animals, fashion and sports. If it all seems a little too surreal, consider that some of Vocation-Vacation‘s sponsors include Microsoft, Hilton and Business Week magazine. Mind-Body-Spirit: It‘s time has come at the workplace. Savvy companies are already providing this experience, and savvy entrepreneurs are taking matters into their own hands. ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 16
  • 17. 9 The Triple Bottom-Line (Or… “People, Profit & Planet” ) Technologies and careers aren‘t the only things changing, in many industries the very way we do business is changing as well. Partially because of the Green Wave, partially because of the interconnected demands of a global economy, and partially because of an increased awareness of what actually works – is practical and sustaining – new, exciting, business models are emerg- ing that allow markets, shareholders and the ―common good‖ of society to all benefit in pro- foundly new ways. This mindset is what some call the ―Triple-Bottom-Line,‖ which in a nutshell, insists that an or- ganization‘s long-term vitality is not only served by their profit bottom line (e.g., theirs short-term financials), but also by what best serves the interests of their people (employees and affiliates) and what‘s good for the planet – their environmental stewardship. Quick, what do Apple Computer, Best Buy, Caterpillar, Hershey, Wendy‘s, Nike, Amnesty Inter- national and the World Bank all have in common? Answer: Social Responsibility Managers, who help their organizations become more responsive to environmental, human rights and health issues. If this sounds a little too fanciful, you might wish to examine these organizations‘ bottom lines. Make no mistake: Social Responsibility Management is good business: it helps companies differentiate their brand; it‘s a strong recruiting attractor; and it creates ―positive goodwill‖ which can come in handy in future legal disputes. We also are observing the emergence of what can only be called Conscientious Capitalism, or, as some would say (e.g. your humble scribe), ―Power Money, Power Brains, and Power Heart.‖ Corporate examples include the aforementioned Google (with their commitment to ―doing no harm‖). Starbucks is another example. You don‘t have to like their coffee or enjoy seeing that little green mermaid smiling from every street corner in our quadrant of the galaxy to admire what they‘ve done. Their commitment to Free Trade Certified growing standards is supporting communities (building schools, employing people, etc.) in 23 countries; their customers love‘m – they‘ve created quite the ―buzz; their shareholders saw a twenty-fold increase in their stock value from 1990-2005; and their employees consistently rate them one of the top ten employers in the U.S. Mohammad Yunus‘ Grameen Bank is another example. His ingeniously simple program for mi- crocredit lending in Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world, is attributed with lift- ing millions of people out of poverty. By the way, Grameen‘s ―recover rate‖ (the percentage of those who actually pay back!) exceeds 99% - a success metric that the CEO‘s of Citibank and Wells Fargo would kill for (OK, foreclose for). Not only did Yunus win the Nobel Prize for Eco- nomics, but was also toasted by Business Week as the ―greatest entrepreneur of our time.‖ That‘s conscientious capitalism. Or how about Nicholas Negroponte‘s One Laptop Per Child program, with its lofty goal of getting low cost, highly durable PC‘s in the hands of hundreds of millions of children worldwide? Critics ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 17
  • 18. scoffed, but OLPC is already adopted by the governments of nine countries (and growing) in Asia and Africa… and PCs with pre-loaded lesson plans are reaching challenged cities and rural villages, where they will be ―virally‖ shared and help change many, many lives. What Starbucks, the Grameen Bank and the OLPC program understand is that for conscien- tious capitalism to work, there are four vital ingredients: responsibility, transparency, profitability and sustainability. Like the lifting effect of ―Archimedes‘ Lever,‖ when these ingredients are pre- sent, quantum changes can and do occur. The Triple Bottom Line is also affected by the very way organizations interact with each other. For example, the practice of co-opetition (―competitors cooperating‖), coined by author Adam Brandenburger in the 1990‘s, has a synergistic or ―net gain‖ effect for competitors willing to check their egos and work constructively on shared interests (such as joint ventures where, col- lectively, their resources can grow the market much faster than working apart). We also find the people/profit/planet trifecta at work in the aforementioned volun-tourism, with corporate entities playing active role in the viability of communities (at home or abroad); and, in the earlier Green role of sustainability manager – after all, wise stewarding of resources is very much a ―bottom line‖ role: smarter material sourcing, more efficient manufacturing and creative reuse practices are money makers. ―Business as usual‖ may not be going away anytime soon. More and more, however, innovative organizations are realizing that the overall health of their organization is enhanced when they incorporate the human element and environmental element into their long-term financial equa- tions. And graduates going out into this world will have a host of practices at their disposal for becoming effective leaders and enjoying passionate, profitable and principled careers. 10 Science “Faction” (Or, the future is so “now’) Those of us raised on Star Trek and Star Wars (or Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, for those who‘ll admit it) might want to think twice before discounting the gizmos and gadgets of those productions as the relics of Hollywood. We‘ve already seen that nanotechnology and biotech- nology for example, are opening up ―new worlds‖ for exploration, commerce and vocation. Trend 3 commented about Japan‘s strategic focus on robotics applications – which is under- standable, considering that Scientific America is predicting 3000% growth in the robotics indus- try by 2025. In 2009, robotic applications already exist for: feeding the elderly…therapeutic ―pets‖ (automated baby seals, anyone?)…vacuum and gutter cleaners…battle-ready ―automatons‖ for the military…decoy-bugs for the pest-control industry…mechanical beating hearts… brain-triggered (via EEG signals) ―assister limbs‖ for paralysis victims… ―social bots‖ (toddler entertainers such as mechanical ―mini-men‖)…self-driving cars (which might actu- ally make our roads safer!)…crew-mates in space, laborers for agriculture, temp office workers and more… Can anyone seriously doubt that R2D2 and C3PO are right around the corner? ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 18
  • 19. Space Tourism’s looking at a similar trajectory. In 2010, the first North American spaceport is scheduled to open in New Mexico, launching high-rollers up to 68,000 feet at Mach 3 speeds. However, as services increase, technology improves and infrastructure develops (and prices drop like a meteor), Space Tourism may reach a multi-trillion dollar industry by 2030, with up to five million passenger rides annually. And let‘s not forget Galactic Suites hotel, being built by the European Space Union and scheduled to open in 2012. Sound pie-in-the-sky? At the end of 2007, there were already 42 certified space travel agencies. Business, of course, won‘t stay in dry-dock: Imagine the UPS and FedEx‘s of the near-future delivering packages around the world – in just a few hours, or minutes. Imagine buzzing over to Tokyo for a power meeting; getting in a round of golf and being home that evening on the East Coast in time to catch your favorite programming on the boob-tube. Like Nano and Bio, space tourism and space commerce will be chock full of careers catering to entertainment and lodging, vehicle design and lunar mining equipment, ―space history,‖ trainers (welcome to zero-gravity), couriers, etc. Virgin Galactic, owned by the intrepid Richard Bran- son, has even hinted at a Galactic Idol program for aspiring astronauts (far out!). Naturally any endeavors in the great ―up there‖ will necessitate medical specialists, PR folks and product li- ability legal staff… and by the way, referring back to nanotechnology, imagine the world‘s skinni- est ―straw‖ – a glorified elevator shaft or ―silo‖ extending miles into space for transporting people and delivering supplies. Supposedly, the plans already exist…(flying cars, too, but that‘s another story.) No doubt that many of today‘s ―futuristic‖ predictions might look silly at a later point…in 1960, for example, it was believed that by the Year 2000 cancer would be defeated and poverty eradi- cated. However, it‘s also true that we tend to underestimate or not even account for earth- shaking changes right under our feet (i.e., most futurists in the 1970‘s didn‘t even comment about personal computers or the coming Internet!). What we do know is that there is sound sci- entific basis and developing infrastructure already for many of these Jules Verne-like industries. And once more, young professionals in the decade from 2010 to 2020 will have unprecedented opportunities to ―get in on the ground floor‖ and create worlds we can barely imagine. ___________________________________________________________________________ ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 19
  • 20. Conclusions A ‗perfect storm‘ of converging trends such as globalization, communication technologies, envi- ronmental threats and shifting social priorities is creating unprecedented opportunities and chal- lenges for the career seeker (or career changer) of the early 21st Century. There are many ways that young professionals and students can cost effectively and pro-actively prepare themselves for fuller immersion in this new vocational world.  Read up! For example, my two books The Student Roadmap to the Global Workplace (www.thestudentroadmap.com) and The Student Guide to the Coolest New Jobs and Hottest New Industries (www.coolnewjobshotnewcareers.com) were created to help educators (as supplemental curricula) prepare their students for powerful careers and effective leadership roles when they step out into the ―real world.‖  Career days/job fairs Advice: Ask every exhibitor what their company is doing to prepare for and participate in the global economy. (Note: this does not mean that they have to be ―doing international business‖!) If they can‘t answer, keep walking – their company will either be out of business or seriously diminished in 5-10 years.  Professional organizations Many of the fields mentioned in this paper have professional organizations which have literally just formed in the last few years. They tend to grow rapidly, and are a wealth of information and networking contacts. For ex- ample, GALA – the Globalization and Localization Association (for localization transla- tionists) was formed in 2002 by organizations representing 12 countries spanning four continents. The Eco-Broker certification was also created in 2002…the American Dis- tance Counseling Association (2007)…the International Culinary Tourism Association (2001)…  Academia Many schools are now offering majors, or elective courses in the fields mentioned in this paper. For example, there are currently about 25 colleges and univer- sities offering degree emphasis in nanotechnology fields, and an equal number offering programs in genetic counseling.  Community business resources Chambers of Commerce and the Small Business Association can provide a wealth of information and assistance. For example, local chambers often have ―international days‖ and host representatives of foreign companies. Likewise, friendly SCORE helpers (Society of Retired Executives) are experts in many different fields, and some have substantial global experience as well.  „Global” resources There‘s a wealth of information out there for students wishing to know about: The Do’s and Taboos book series covering cross-cultural etiquette for busi- ness relationships with different cultures‖… Going Global is an excellent source of Inter- national job opportunities, country guides, and internship advice, with products at many colleges and libraries. ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 20
  • 21.  Travel abroad: Take a semester abroad to study, or perform a ―volun-tour‖ service project.  Talk with foreign embassies and consulates (if you live in a major metropolitan area). They are very helpful and provide a ton of information – both business and other- wise – about their host countries.  Learn another language (―fluidly,‖ not necessarily ―fluently‖). Mandarin Chinese and Spanish are the biggies. Even though many international business associates may speak (some) English, your ability to understand nuances – and win their empathy – will go miles towards achieving a more productive relationship with them. (Note1: Manda- rin is the most highly spoken language in the world, but as late as 2006 it was only the seventh most popular language in American schools, with just 50,000 high school stu- dents and 25,000 college students taking classes. Note 2: Sometime in the next 20 years the Chinese economy will equal that of the U.S. )  Attend conferences in other countries: (Mostly for young professionals already employed). You‘ll get an amazing insight into how your industry colleagues from other countries view the industry, not to mention invaluable contacts. Hopefully this paper has given you a broad paintbrush of how you (as an educator, student, em- ployer, or parent – can benefit in your own career, or that of your ―charges.‖ Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read through this report – and may your career and all endeavors be ―passionate, profitable, principled and playful!‖ Stephen Banick, ―The Career Catalyst‖ CEO, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 21
  • 22. Products and Services for 21st Century Leaders ♦ Meet the new & emerging careers ♦ Master the ‘Global Office’ ♦ Learn entrepreneurial strategies that are changing the world Books — Supplemental curricula for career & leadership-oriented classrooms/programs www.coolnewjobshotnewcareers.com www.thestudentroadmap.com “Delightfully entertaining...peels back the layers of the global work- place...filled with inspirational, hard-hitting practical tips and sugges- tions” — Lorin K. Toepper, Ph.D., Executive Director, Economic and Workforce Development , Madison (WI) Area Technical College ‘Virtual Classrooms’ — a multimedia, online “All-in-One” suite of workforce-readiness curricula www.marketingandexcellence.com “MAX sets a new standard for marketing, business and career curricula—a ‘must have’ for every 21st Century classroom!” Vince Del Vecchio, Market- ing teacher/DECA advisor, Chaparral High School, Scottsdale, AZ Professional Speaking — Keynoting for leadership conferences, graduation ceremonies, job fairs/career days and more www.superglobalcareers.com “Enlightening and inspiring” — George Barton, Director, University Career Center, University of Texas at El Paso “...Not the usual “carry the torch of knowledge” droll ...a lightning bolt of inspiration and substance to prepare grads for a world very new world.” — Christian Housel, Principal, Meridian (ID.) Technical Charter High School ____________________________________________________ To Order or Inquire, Pls. contact: (O) 866.927.7611 (C) 480.286.3171 (F) 480.209.1485 www.thegulliverproject.com sbanick@superglobalcareers.com ©2009, The Gulliver Project®, Inc. All rights reserved Page 22