Question posed by Bill Gates at LinkedIn.com:
How can we do more to encourage young people to pursue careers in science and technology?
My Answer:
Present Them With Real Challenges! A steady diet of focused challenges would work greatly to guide todays young generation towards careers in science and technology. The huge popularity of the most successful video games is directly attributable to the challenge to reach the next level, where upon arriving, the player expects to face even greater challenges. The feeling of achievement one realizes with each successful transition to the next level is the driving force behind the games success.
It is often said that today's youth lack motivation to excel at anything that adds value to society. I feel the single greatest cause for that being apparent is the reduced interaction of the family as a core group. The family of today seems focused on individual gratification rather than performing as a group for the benefit of many. As both science and technology are more concerned with benefit for the masses, it is imperative that the youth be shown the value of doing things beneficial to many, and how those actions will provide a sense of accomplishment to them individually. The thunderous applause from an audience of thousands is much more rewarding than a single pat on the back from oneself.
As parents, it is my opinion that we are largely failing our children when we allow them to be subjected to a steady diet of cartoons fed from the TV. I am appalled at the content of the cartoons today. By and large, they present an erroneous perception of how issues and challenges are resolved in the real world. Children today tend to think there is a magic push-button solution for everything, as a result of watching these cartoons.
I feel that conditioning is very detrimental towards creating interest in careers in science and technology. If they are shown those methods to successfully resolve problems, where is the impetus to formulate solutions using science and technology?
Since a disproportionate amount of our parenting seems to focus on entertaining our children, I believe that is where the encouragement needs to start. The forms of entertainment we choose for our youth must have real educational value, and not just be a convenient babysitter. Young people are basically blank slates, what we provide for them as content to fill their slates, will become a permanent component of their very being.
We as parents are solely responsible to assure that our children receive exposure to only those elements conducive to forming an adult member of society whose goals are based on serving in a field of endeavor in which they have great passion. In so doing, they will without self-burden, contribute to society as a whole far more than we could ever envision.
In summary, we need to take the lead and be responsible. We must be proactive in demanding changes in every aspect of our lives that are tending to dumb-down the populace. Whether you want to believe it or not, it is an on-going agenda. Research and educate yourself continuously so that you are capable of making the best choices possible.
Final words of wisdom: We don't know what we don't know. Think about it!
