Surprise, the future is unknown: the 20th Comic

If I were to ask you what does the year, 2030 looks like, how would you respond? Shock, anger, bewilderment? Okay, now imagine that it wasn’t a disembodied voice asking you for predictions, how would you respond? If you’re still having trouble coming up with an answer, imagine we were in 2010, and the same query is poised. Do you think you could reasonably have predicted 2020? Ha, fat chance Nostradamus.

This post represents a slight shift or addition in the types of ideas I am interested in exploring. At the onset of any new creative project, it’s almost debilitating how open-ended everything seems. It’s like stepping out the door, and the whole world opens up. The path only narrows once you start down in a given direction.

So far, my direction has been three-fold 1) jokes, if I am allowed to use the word 2) generational differences 3) the workplace. Are these the three topics I intended to explore as I creep off my own stoop to examine the possibility of nomaplebar? Not really. I had some stuff in mind and knew I could be easily overwhelmed if I didn’t temper it appropriately.

Let’s head on back to the comic. Please?

The onus for this post is an article from Gallup, which says 85% of the jobs in the year 2030 have not been created yet.

Like the chicken in my fridge, let’s marinate on that for a minute (best results for poultry, a minimum of six hours, please).

In ten years, we have no idea what the workforce will look like. Strike-that. In ten years, we KNOW what the workforce will look like (flip through Tiktok); we just don’t know what they will be doing. But we certainly have our fears (after flipping through Tiktok).

It should be noted, the future is not set in stone. We all know that, right? Again, if the future is stepping out the door (man, I am getting some use out of this analogy), it only takes shape with each step taken. But we can have an idea (like the ones I started nomaplebar; maybe a version of your current job or schooling; that idea you’ve been toying with…no, NOT THAT disgusting one…the other nice one you could mention in polite company) of what it will look like starting off. And then it will evolve.

That’s both the beauty and terror of the future. It’s coming and will continuously change despite our desperately not wanting it to. Are you also ready to face the future? Kinda a stark question from a funny-ish?? website, but it’s the type of theme I am interested in exploring in future writings.

The world is a wondrous, inspiring, and frankly terrifying place. We are all constantly trying to find our place in this wonderous, inspiring, and terrifying place, but the dang thing keeps shifting around like some huge ball.

It evolves AND revolves

But if we’re are each willing to take that first step to try to imagine the world before us, we’ll be ready for anything.

Except apparently Covid-30.

Other highlights from the Gallup article to get ready to meet the workforce needs of 2030:

Offer ongoing support and coaching (nomaplebar analysis: that’s good.)

Emphasize critical skills, but don’t forget behavioral skills (nomaplebar analysis: that’s good.)

Create a virtual network of learners (nomaplebar analysis: that’s good.)

Build a learning culture (nomaplebar analysis: that’s good.)