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Our newest blog post is a reprint from the Hartford, Connecticut newspaper, The Courant. In this article, Angel Pérez highlights the skills that students will need to remain employed in the future. Often, parents think that students should focus on only ONE career path, specializing in some area. Here, Dr. Pérez points out that as societies change, the real skills our students will need for success will be less specialized and focus more on problem-solving and understanding globalization. Dr. Pérez is the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success at Trinity College in the US, and he is also a board member at UWC Costa Rica.
The world of work is changing at unprecedented rates. In the United States, only 27 percent of people work in the field in which they majored in college. By the time today’s high school students are 38, it is predicted they will have held between 10 and 14 jobs — and we don’t even know what those jobs will be. One third of the jobs today’s students will encounter don’t exist. In addition, up to 50 percent of the current jobs could become automated in their lifetimes.
职场正在以前所未有的速度变化。在美国，只有27%的人在从事他们大学时的专业工作。如今的高中生到了他们38岁的时候，预计他们将会从事10到14份工作——我们甚至不知道这些工作将会是什么。当今学生要面对的三分之一的工作将不会存在。此外，目前多达50%的工作可以在他们的有生之年实现自动化。
Despite these statistics, students are barraged with antiquated messages about preparing for their futures: Your college major determines your future. A particular degree guarantees you a certain job and income. Play it safe. Major in something “traditional” and you’ll always have a job. But some of the most important tools students can acquire are not mainstream. Here are strategies students can use for successful vocation and life navigation:
尽管有这些统计数据，学生们还是被关于为未来做准备的过时信息包围着: 你的大学专业决定了你的未来。一个特定的学位保证你有一定的工作和收入。谨慎行事，选择一些“传统”的专业，你就会一直有工作。但是，学生能够获得的一些最重要的工具却并不是主流。以下是学生在成功的职业和生活导向中可以使用的策略：
Become a Student for Life: Learning how to learn is the single most important skill to carry students successfully into the future. Given the unprecedented change that employees will face throughout their careers, constant retraining will be important. A passion for reading, writing and creativity will make employees competitive. Curiosity is also critical. A deep desire to always ask “Why?” and “How?” shows employers genuine interest in growth and development. Those who seek to learn more will stay ahead of the curve.
做一个终生的学生: 学习如何学习是让学生成功走向未来的最重要的一项技能。鉴于员工在整个职业生涯中将面临前所未有的变化，不断的再培训将会很重要。对阅读、写作和创造力的热情将使员工具有竞争力。好奇心也很重要。总是想问 “为什么？”和“怎么做？”表明了雇主对增长和发展的真正兴趣。那些想要学到更多东西的人将处于领先地位。
Embrace the Liberal Arts: Many colleges offer a liberal arts and sciences curriculum. The term liberal arts comes from the Latin phrase “artes liberales” (freeing of the mind); a belief that studying a broad array of subjects gives students true flexibility. Students who engage this curriculum usually pick one major, but are exposed to a wide range of subjects. Studies show that liberal arts graduates have strong skills in critical thinking, writing, analysis, quantitative data and communication.
拥抱文科: 许多大学提供文科和理科课程。“文科” 这个词来自于拉丁语短语 “artes liberales” (解放思想); 一种学习广泛的学科能给学生带来真正灵活性的信念。学习文科的学生通常只选择一个专业，但却接触到广泛的科目。研究表明，文科毕业生具有很强的批判性思维、写作、分析、定量数据和沟通能力。
Among the top 10 skills required for success listed in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report are complex problem solving, creativity, coordination with others and cognitive flexibility — skills learned through liberal arts. Students study human nature, societies, belief systems and other issues critical to a well-rounded education. CEOs increasingly are hiring liberal arts graduates because they realize the need for their skills. In fact, Infosys, the global technology consulting firm that is opening an innovation hub in Hartford, actively sought a liberal arts partner and chose Trinity College. Infosys President Ravi Kumar said, “Building a new hybrid talent pool, which draws on broad-based liberal arts foundations and promotes cognitive diversity will add immense value to the technology consulting industry and address an important skills gap for the 21st century.”
在世界经济论坛的未来就业报告中列出的成功所需的十大技能中，有复杂问题解决能力、创造力、与他人的协调能力和认知灵活性——这些都是通过文科学到的技能。学生学习人性、社会、信仰体系和其他对全面发展教育至关重要的问题。CEO们越来越多地聘用文科毕业生，因为他们意识到对该 技能的需求。事实上，全球科技咨询公司Infosys正在哈特福德开设一个创新中心，该公司积极寻找文科合作伙伴，并选择了三一学院。Infosys总裁Ravi Kumar表示，“建立一个新的混合人才库，利用涉猎广泛的文科基础，促进认知多样性，将为技术咨询行业带来巨大价值，并解决21世纪的一个重要技能缺口。”
Become Robot Proof: In his groundbreaking book “Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” Joseph Aoun argues that many of today’s jobs will be automated. While most believe this will only impact low-skill labor, the changes will affect many other sectors. Work in legal research, data analysis, accounting and medical imaging are all within “robot’s reach.” A robot-proof education, Aoun says, equips students with a creative mindset to invent, discover and create. He believes that students should study “humanix,” a curriculum that cultivates literacy in data, technology and humanities. This will help them work alongside artificial intelligence and make agile transitions during times of change. Scott Hartley, author of “The Fuzzy and the Techie: Why the Liberal Arts Will Rule the Digital World,” says, “In many cases, technology will not replace human workers. It will liberate people to spend more time on aspects of work that require human skills, such as complex problem solving.”
不受机器人影响: 在他开创性的著作《不受机器人影响: 人工智能时代的高等教育》中，Joseph Aoun认为，如今的许多工作都将实现自动化。尽管大多数人认为这只会影响低技能劳动力，但这些变化将影响到许多其他行业。在法律研究、数据分析、会计和医学成像方面的工作都在“机器人的能力范围之内”。Aoun说，“不受机器人影响”式的教育，将能培养学生的创造性思维，使他们能够进行发明、发现和创造。他认为学生应该学习 “humanix” 课程，这是一门培养数据、技术和人文素养的课程。这将帮助他们与人工智能一起工作，并在变化期间进行敏捷转换。Scott Hartley，《模糊与技术: 为什么文科会统治数字世界》一书的作者说，“在很多情况下，技术不会取代人类工人。它将解放人们，让他们把更多时间花在需要人类技能的工作上，比如解决复杂问题。”
Become Culturally Competent: The world of work is becoming increasingly global. Consider a company like Facebook, headquartered in California with thousands of employees on six different continents. Today’s young people will move in global circles. A student today might well attend high school in Jordan, get a college degree in America, study in Argentina and land a job in Singapore. The more students become familiar with different languages, belief systems, religions and identities, the more they will be prepared to work and compete cross-culturally.
培养文化能力: 职场正变得越来越全球化。想想Facebook这样的公司，总部设在加州，在六大洲拥有数千名员工。今天的年轻人将进入全球社会。如今的学生很可能在约旦上高中，在美国获得大学学位，在阿根廷学习，在新加坡找到一份工作。学生对不同的语言、信仰体系、宗教和身份越熟悉，他们就越能做好跨文化工作和竞争的准备。
There has never been a greater time to embrace the future. This generation of students will make critical discoveries and resolve dilemmas that seemed insurmountable. Take action now, for as the Roman Philosopher Lucius Seneca reminds us, “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
现在是拥抱未来的最好时机。这一代学生将做出重大发现，解决看似无法逾越的难题。现在就采取行动，因为正如罗马哲学家Lucius Seneca提醒我们的那样，“机会总是眷顾那些做好准备的人。”
By ANGEL B. PÉREZ
Vice president for enrollment and student success at Trinity College
本文作者：ANGEL B. PÉREZ
三一学院负责招生和学生成功的副校长