According to the US Department of Labor, 65% of current students will end up finding work in jobs that don’t even exist yet. In Taiwan, experts estimate, half of all current jobs will disappear within the next ten years. These predictions show that we are living in an age of exponential change. For instance, Facebook didn’t appear until 2004, but it has utterly transformed how people interact. Taiwan has 15.4 million Facebook users, with 11 million logging in on any given day. YouTube, founded in 2005, has revolutionized how we watch video. The messaging app Line, created in June of 2011, now has 560 million global users, including 17 million in Taiwan.
Those living and working today are experiencing a world completely different from before. The good news is that the Internet and creativity are driving this rapid change, and young people—particularly “digital natives”—are especially adept in those areas. Consequently, we are seeing the younger generation creatively leverage the Internet to make advances that set them apart from their elders. It’s a bold and inspiring new world.
Pranav Mistry, from India, has created an international stir with his SixthSense technology. Just 33, he was recently appointed global vice president at Samsung. The heroes of this new era make their mark while they are young. It just requires having enough courage and sensitivity—along with great passion for what you are doing!