The Digital Revolution in a World Post-2020

My quick views on the “digital revolution” and the world post-2020 - feel free to share with those leaving school or those looking for a path to pick in this new world...

After the 2000 and 2008 global economic crashes, some of the worlds greatest companies were born and/or shot to stardom, this thanks mostly to “the internet” - think Google (incl. YouTube, Android, Waze), Facebook (incl. Instagram, WhatsApp), Apple (reborn with the iPhone, iPad and it’s service business), Amazon (who scaled beyond being a bookstore to an eCommerce marketplace, as well as it's Cloud AWS), Alibaba, Tesla, Uber, Airbnb, Twitter, LinkedIn, Spotify.

?As we enter a new world following the 2020 carnage, I expect the real ‘digital revolution’ to take off, one enabled by over 3.5 billion people now being empowered by smartphones, as well as advances and scaling of technologies - such as artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud, intelligent data and analytics...?

?The term “Fourth Industrial Revolution” has to this point mostly been a buzzword used by tech CEOs, marketers and politicians - this actual digital revolution will take humankind forward and beyond the ‘age of wastage’ - with no sci-fi author having even imagined what’s coming...?

?Everything will be connected to “the internet” - AI and robotics will remove repetitive manufacturing operations, assist surgeons in saving lives and control traffic flow in cities... *And smart apps will track global pandemics?.

?The healthcare, education, financial services, legal and IT sectors will be transformed, and access to billions more will become a reality - an example may be folks in rural (forgotten) areas gaining access to doctors (remotely), being diagnosed by AI and have drones drop off meds. ?

?Million more will have access to education, with traditional methods being revolutionised. Lawyers, accountants and business people will benefit from new efficiencies enabled by cloud, AI/machine learning and the connectivity of “things” to everything?.

?Urban life will also change in a post-pandemic world, “work from home” will becoming prevalent - no longer will you need to live in San Francisco to work in high tech companies, or in London or New York to work in finance - remote work with video conferencing will/has become socially acceptable.

* And Plane trips to board meetings and conferences will possibly never return to normal.

?Sure there will be disruptions to traditional business and processes - imagine what Henry Ford’s mass-market Model-T did to the horse industry, or what the electricity revolution did to steam pump plants. That said, humankind will ultimately advance for the better?.

?If you are a youngster looking to succeed in this new world, I’d consider the following:?

?1. Learn how to code (even basic stuff) - whether you are studying to be a doctor, engineer, teacher or accountant, understanding how algorithms work will be priceless in the new world?.

?2. Pick a line of work that doesn’t involve repetitive work - something that can’t be performed by a robot and/or an AI-powered algorithm. The world will always need craftsmen (plumbers, electricians). We will also always need doctors, nurses, mechanical engineers, chemists, artists, and industry specialists?.

?3. Work on your EQ (emotional intelligence) - where artificial intelligence will be able to outsmart the highest IQ’d humans, it will never replace the ability of humans to communicate with other humans - thus, great salespeople will always be an asset?.

?4. Be prepared for traditional roles (and structures) to be rocked by disruption - your lecturers probably won’t agree nor see this coming - say 80% of a lawyer/accountants job is repetitive, this part will be performed by “digital means” the remaining 20% will be what makes the professional stand out from the crowd?.

?5. Embrace change, don’t stop learning and never stop looking for opportunities.