Our economy is transforming into another age.
We once had the industrial age and the time of mass production and growth. Then, we transformed as a society to an information economy and information-based existence. Today, money and trust is changing hands in tidal waves of currency thanks to the web.
This is exactly why today I think we’re in a version of the information economy titled “How-To Economy”, and it’s one of the best times to be in business ever! We, as a society, are consumers. We consume information, content, and we’re doing it faster than Kobayashi consumes hot dogs.
Remember years ago when students relied solely on the “classroom experience” for learning? There was one teacher and one text book shaping the minds of many of my classmates. Some learned fast, some learned slower, but we all learned at pretty much the same pace. The difference then was the dependency of what we learned rested on the shoulders of one educator or one book. The loop was extremely closed.
Contrast this with today and the endless possibilities. People are learning entire trades online without ever setting foot in a classroom. I know people who are terrific photographers and they’ve learned their skills entirely online. YouTube is reinventing what it means to be an educator. Instead of speaking to classes of 20 or 30, one video has the possibilities to educate thousands or millions. I learned how to launch my blog via numerous YouTube videos of people who have been there and done it.
We also have the ability to change the channel and learn from someone else in just seconds if we so choose. We can juxtapose positions and arguments almost immediately and see both sides of the story for ourselves. Our opportunities to learn are as limitless as our wi-fi connections allow.
I think about this from my own perspective and the post-graduate education available to ALL of us if we choose to consume it. Below is a list of possibilities to learn today:
- Online training courses
- E-Books
- Podcasts
- Blogs
- Audiobooks
Each of these are available to us and each author has a unique experience to share with the world. It’s not owned by one recording studio or one publishing house. We are the publisher. I am the publisher of this blog. The only one stopping me is my own schedule. If I need to learn a new skill or fine-tune one, the responsibility completely falls on me, not the teacher.
Here are a list of people I currently follow online who are doing a masterful job in building BIG businesses from their understanding of the How-To Economy. I haven’t had the chance to meet these gentleman yet, but it’s definitely on the list.
After reading all this, I’m not saying the education system is dead, or that the investment in a post-graduate education is wasteful, although I would think long and hard about my goals. There are more options now than ever to create what you’ve been dreaming of and you can share it with dozens or a few million.
ACTION ITEM: I encourage you to continue your learning by writing down one or two new skills you’ve been wanting to tackle. Go online and research the topic for a little while and then dive in head first for a week. You’ll be amazed at the content available to you and the plethora of experiences others are willing to share.
