Is Your Child Ready To Compete For A Job In The Jetson Age?

By Author: Ida Byrd-Hill
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As excerpted from the book, Escape to College, Remember the cartoon, the Jetsons, the Hanna-Barbera cartoon created in the fifties and sixties, to depict the future. George, Jane, Judy, Elroy, Rosie the robot servant, Mr. Spacely drove Flying cars, used Video Phones and moving sidewalks to shuttle them from place to place.

While The Jetsons cartoon was fantasy in 1950, sixty years later, it has become a reality today. The Jetsons cartoon was prophetic as many of the inventions within the cartoon are coming into existence. Many of these inventions today seem to be a normal part of life although in the 1950 they were farfetched. They have evolved straight out of science fiction. It is amazing the change that has occurred within the past 59 years. As people crave more technology, innovative world changing products are being created at rapid pace ushering the Jetson Age into full force. Here are some of those inventions:

Movator and air tram at Detroit Metropolitan Airport

The Flying Car at Gas Pump

Bigelow Aerospace Space Hotel Genesis

White Knight Two

Robot Extracts Wounded ...
... Soldiers

Jupiter, the robot servant

iPhone/ Smart phone touch screen cell phone

Video Games Consoles/ software

Netbooks

Web Conferencing

Large corporations are moving away from American inner cities to developing nations to acquire the desired Jetson Age skills. This past week months, General Motors Corporation, headquartered in Detroit, announced the opening of a design studio in South Korea. Facebook decided in March it would open an office in Singapore. DE Shaw, a 24 billion dollar large financial hedge fund, is opening an office in Shanghai, China. This year 2010 has been the year of boom for Asia as it secures those new non-manufacturing facilities while urban cities like Detroit has seen many businesses shutter their doors. Corporate leaders perceive Jetson Age skills are in short supply in American urban cities.

The Perception is that only Asian countries can produce these world changing inventions as it appears they were more aggressive in implementing them into their educational systems. In 1997, South Korea decided that becoming a high-tech nation was the only way to secure its future. The government offered information technology courses to homemakers, subsidized computers for low-income families and made the country the first in the world to have high-speed Internet in every primary, junior and high school

In 1979 with the creation of China Central Radio and TV University (CCRTVU) a dedicated open and distance education institution, under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Education of P.R. China offered, on a nationwide basis, multi-media courses through radio, TV, print, audio-visual materials and computer networks.

In the first 20 years, the China Central Radio and TV University (CCRTVU) has produced over 2.6 million college graduates, 1 million secondary vocational school graduates, 35 million non-degree continuing education and in-service training. The China TV Teachers College (CTVTC) has graduated 710,000 teachers of primary schools and 550,000 teachers of secondary schools and has trained 2 million teachers and 1 million principals of primary and secondary schools. These tech savvy educators are driving the Chinese k-12 educational system in the same manner they were educated via radio, TV, print, audio-visual materials and computer networks.

Malaysia following in the footsteps of its more developed Asian counterparts developed and piloted 88 Smart Schools in 1999 to sustain, productivity-driven growth, which will be achievable only with a technologically literate, critically thinking work force prepared to participate fully in the global economy of the 21st century.

With the same business technology education and college preparation, urban students can be prepared for the Jetson Age and the high-demand high-paying Jetson Age careers. Pew Internet Wireless April 2009 reports African Americans are the most active users of the mobile internet. They are the fastest growing group as well followed by Hispanic Americans. Compared with 2007, when 12% of African Americans used the internet on their mobile on the average day, use of the mobile internet is up by 141%. They have the technological skill sets and wiring to acquire the business skills if taught.

Ida Byrd-Hill has authored the book, Escape to College, and established a scholarship fund at Uplift, Inc. to motivate all students and parents to see they are in the middle of a fast and furious Workforce Revolution. The Jetson Age has begun and the only entry is either intense technological skills and/ or college. Ironically both entry points require the same critical thinking, entrepreneurial and problem solving skills. The Escape to College book also assists them in the selection of a fast growing career according to their hobbies, passion and personality type.

Ida Byrd-Hill was highlighted in the Essence Magazine (May Issue) for her educational advocacy. Want to know more about the book and Ida Byrd-Hill? Go to www.upliftinc.org.
About Author:
Ida Byrd-Hill is President of Uplift, Inc., www.upliftinc.org, a 501 (c) 3 non profit Idea Incubator and an teen advocacy firm. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor and 17 years of experience as a Financial Advisor, Executive Search Consultant and Human Resources Coordinator has prepared her to create ideas to revolutionize education.