Nexttech

Nexttech
Creating Generational Legacies

Monday, August 31, 2020

What skills are needed to get a Job in the Future of Work ?





My friend David Michaelis’s  view - who is part of our i4j forum - is that the winners in the future of work is not your expertise but how you tackle new frontiers!.


 He refers to an  excellent article - (Click here  ) about the future of work written by Harvard lecturer: Vikram Mansharamani twitter @mansharamani.


Here is my take on the article 

Specialist or Generalist?

Is it  deep expertise that will lead to enhanced credibility, rapid job advancement, and escalating incomes. Core competence, unique skills, deep expertise. 


Or 


Being broad-minded or dabbling - having  the ability to connect the dots - and refer to the specialists - ( the skillset of a generalist ).


Someone who can recognise the opportunity / problem - and have the ability to refer - either to a tablet. (Product) or a specialist (Service) 

 ‘No specific skill will get you ahead in the future’—but this ‘way of thinking’

My plug 

BBG (powered by referron) is a group of specialists - (think of the bbg oval -  as  a baseball oval - whichever base the  customer comes - the objective is to enable that customer to hit a home run and be served by each base - the entire team.  www.bbg.business


Referron and refermeto is the tech behind it thatcan make this happen .

(Technology still being built - but we have a cool mvp - a labour of love!!!)

Feel free to download Referron and upload your profile, so that you to can have your virtual business card.    And refer - it’s free https://members.referron.com/bsivc


End of plug 

The Future of work

The message in the past was clear: Focus on developing an expertise and you’ll rise through the ranks and earn more money. The approach worked. Many of today’s leaders ascended by specializing.


This may no longer be the case!!!


The one certainty about the future is that it will be uncertain. 


The future belongs to generalists


The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and technological innovation have commoditized information. 


AI and machines can do much of the work of the specialist 


In today’s world, it’s important to be agile and flexible.


The future belongs to the generalists!!


> You need to see the entire elephant and the Savannah 

> You need to be a systems thinker 

> You need to think bigger and wider than you’ve traditionally done.

>You need to have a set of tools to draw from or a group of specialists - products or services you can refer to.

> You need to Learn how to learn 


What skills are needed to get a Job in the Future of Work ?

Lisa Stern Hayes, one of Google’s top recruiters, said in a podcast that the company values problem-solvers who have a “general cognitive ability” over role-related knowledge.


“Think about how quickly Google evolves,” she said. “If you just hire someone to do one specific job, but then our company needs change, we need to be rest assured that the person is going to find something else to do at Google. That comes back to hiring smart generalists.”


The analytical capabilities you develop (e.g. basic statistical skills and critical reasoning) in the process will fare well when competing against those who are more focused on domain-specific skill.


The skill of connecting the  dots is where it’s all at “. 

Monday, August 24, 2020

Australian Tech Globetrotters can work from Home




From #Advance.org 

#talent | There is a tremendous opportunity for global Australians returning to Australia.

They can live here and #workanywhere as Atlassian has done  because "...tech companies could start upping their recruiting efforts not just all over the country but all over the world."

 Mark Adams of Curious Thing AI suggests that with many parts of Australia #Covid19 free or with low infection rates, we have an opportunity to attract and retain global product development teams to fuel the growth of our technology sector - something we need if we want to dominate niches in #advancedmanufacturing . 

...
WSJ 
...
ICYMI conversation with Mark Adams
...
And here is what Andrew N. Liveris had to say recently on this issue:
...
And here's more from the recently Advance Global Digital Town Hall. 
...
#bornglobal
#poweredbytech



Saturday, August 22, 2020

Healthcare - time for Disruption - The Great Unlock



A massive event such as Covid-19 happens just once a generation (let’s hope) . It has  us look at how we do things - forcing us to realign - reassess and potential completely transform the way we do things.

The healthcare system in the USA is broken .... and this momentous disruption has forced us to take the opportunity to look  at a  stagnant, bloated and inefficient system.

Julie Yoo of Andreessen Horowitz has written an interesting article identifying the massive  opportunities for innovation in this space for entrepreneurs and innovators.

I hope this article gives you food for thought  and sparks ideas of opportunity and innovation! 


The #nexttechrevolution is here 

Monday, August 17, 2020

Welcome to the Virtual Classroom - it’s immersive, engaging, and it’s part of the NextTech Revolution


Nexttech -virtual classroom strives to mimic and improve the experience of the classroom.

 

The conversations aren’t about making it through this pandemic — it’s about reframing and improving the entire learning experience.

 

The virtual classroom is a game changer 

 

The teacher stands, paces, gestures, and circles around the room, alone except for a curved bank of screens and a digital whiteboard. On the screens - a collection of faces — the class — watching him closely.

 

The virtual classroom is mimicking the in-person classroom experience — but for the fact that every learner has a front seat.

 

The teacher asks a question 

 

A learner snickers - and the teacher asks her to 

“Share the joke!” - the new learning in a virtual classroom is like, but also quite unlike, attending class in person.

 

There is no hiding in the back of the classroom - the teacher knows whether the class is fully engaged.

 

Raising your hand to ask a question, is done digitally, clicking a button will creates a hand across the face of the student .

 

  • There are polls of like/dislike, true/false, agree/disagree, 
  • multiple choice (A, B, C and 1,2,3) as well as 
  • open-answer questions with 30-, 140-, and 250-character limits.

 

The chat room buzzes - with students sharing their insites or comments with the group or with a specific student.

 

Breakout rooms are gold!

 

There’s an Ask a Question feature so the the teacher won’t be disturbed, but knows that the questions are there for when they’re ready. 

 

Content and whiteboards can be loaded in advance on whiteboards - and can just be displayed when they’re ready.

 

Guests speakers and video demonstrations are easy to integrate.

 

Most of the teachers’ work is in the design the courses.

 

Students, can toggle between a screen-size view of the teacher’s whiteboard, a “Room Camera” view from behind the teacher as he or she faces the screen bank, a “Perspective Camera” that allows for eye contact and “real connection,” a “Teacher Camera” that is a bird’s-eye view of the room, and a “Teacher Content” screen that resembles a PowerPoint display, useful for following along with the curriculum.

 

The entire course is recorded and can be reviewed by the participants.

 

The ultimate goal is to have the tech invisible and just to have us learning.

 

“Nexttech are at the forefront of using Virtual Classrooms says CEO Cassandra Parton,

 

Welcome to the Virtual Classroom - it’s immersive, engaging, and it’s part of the NextTech Revolution

Sunday, August 2, 2020

Is there a massive disruption about to occur in the bloated University Sector?






An overdue disruption is going to hit the Universities  in a massive way - and in my view - VET - (vocational education) will be the disruptor!


Coronavirus has shuttered in-person schooling, which has forced students online. - Yet, Universities want to still charge the same fee.  


The 'emperor has no clothes' moment for the ridiculously bloated  'education industry' draws near.  


People are beginning to finally figure out how little value (or even negative value) they are getting for their money, combined with the acceleration of technological alternatives and Moore’s Law! 


Employers will start hiring entry-level candidates without degrees and  will be put in clusters of  on-site training programs. 


In return for getting the brightest and the best candidates - their Vocational training will be superb and relevant to the job at hand! 


They will be mentored and commit to three years of employment, so that their resume is sufficiently solid in the absence of the university credential.  


This is effectively the same as a military style “basic training and a 3 year national service” 


As long as other Organisations  recognize the training from the Employer  as valid, the graduates will circulate throughout the Economy , and the Universities will then be aligned to Corporates - and paid on commercial terms.


Connections made at  Universities 


The premise that the 'contacts' they make at a university are more valuable than the contacts they make in their first three years at their Employers  (could be organisations such as Google, Amazon, Atlassian, BSI or Tesla ) sounds absurd.


Has this  long-overdue correction of a massive resource misallocation may finally be upon us?


Who will be the player to stream education at the same cost as other streams - such as Netflix , Bloomberg, Foxtel and others?


Is this part of the #NexttechRevolution? 


Inspired by Kartik Gada  https://www.singularity2050.com/2020/08/atom-award-of-the-month-august-2020.html


Some great insites from the Author - Kartik Gada


The Coronavirus pandemic might just have blasted through the inertia of resistance.


There is no greater indicator of disruption than incumbents saying 'you can't put a price on what WE do!' .     


Overall, the puncturing of this bubble will greatly increase the diffusion of actual education (as distinct from credentialism) throughout society.  It also has manifold international effects.