“In this era of accelerating change, knowledge alone is no longer the key to a prosperous life. Trend Spotting, or Foresight is the critical skill. Knowledge quickly goes out of date, but foresight enables you to navigate change, make good decisions, and take action now to create a better future.” From the World Future Society’s Forecasts for the Next 25 Years
This doesn’t mean to quit school or drop your courses. It means to take your knowledge and put it into context with other things that are going on in the world, right now, to spot new opportunities and potential problems you can help resolve.
1. Scan the environment by reading various media and looking for trends – government, economy, environment, demographics, education, and other areas that you may not usually associate with your knowledge base.
2. Consider the potential impact of those trends on your profession and lifestyle.
3. Play around with some scenarios and simulations – in your head or on the web.
Whole new industries are created this way. Think about the industries and jobs that didn’t exist 20, or even 10 years ago, such as App writers. Our dynamic demographics are creating new opportunities in not only health care, but in housing, transportation, education and leisure activities to name a few. What skills and knowledge do you have to address some of these issues.
This is how you can make a difference. Exercising your foresight is a way to show your value to your existing or potential employer….or even starting your own organization.