The survey found that:
1) Three types of information technology jobs ranked in the top ten career interests for low to middle income urban African American and Hispanic teens.
2) The teens believed that with hard work and innate talent, they could be successful in IT careers.
3) Teens reported looking most to parents, not other sources, for advice on college, careers, and their own strengths and interests. The survey results could help inform parents, schools, and organizations on engaging youth in tech careers.
17 Cartoons That Will Change Your Business by @BrianSolis @GapingvoidBrian Solis
This special series of cartoons, with short insights from both Hugh MacLeod and Brian Solis adapted from #WTF (www.wtfbusiness.com), will help you see things differently.
N.B. You'll be asked for your email to view this special series of cartoons, with valuable insights from both Hugh MacLeod and Brian Solis.
http://gapingvoid.com/solis-image-download/
The traditional brick-and-mortar business model is no longer the only option for the aspiring entrepreneur. Many of today’s greatest successes belong to those who have captured the power of the viral loop by designing products and services that spread themselves through the channels of the Internet, propelled by word-of-mouth recommendations.
This year VCCP once again attended SXSW in Austin looking to keep our finger on the pulse of the changing digital spaces and be inspired to the latest Interactive trends and technologies that will be shaping 2015!
We have pulled together the 6 Key trends we spotted at this years show and written up a bite size trend report on what you need to know!
This document advertises and provides details about the Crimson Innovation Conference happening on March 15th in Birmingham. The conference will explore opportunities and challenges of digital transformation for businesses, and will feature case studies and lessons from thought leaders in digital strategy, data usage, cloud computing, and developing digital talent. Speakers will discuss topics like digitizing a FTSE 100 company, challenges with cloud environments, using a digital approach to support rapid retail growth, and enabling organizational change in a digital world.
The 2012 Roundtable on Institutional Innovation convened leaders to explore how organizations can stay atop today’s constant technological advancement. In the current economic environment, growth and underemployment are two outstanding national, indeed international, problems. While technological advances and globalization are often cited as instigators of the current plight, they are also beacons of hope for the future. Connecting the Edges concludes that by integrating the core of an organization with the edge, where innovation is more likely to happen, we can create dynamic, learning networks.
A round up of resources (websites, blogs and other sources) that I've found useful in 2015 and will continue to do so in 2016. This edition is centered around 3 key trends for 2016.
17 Cartoons That Will Change Your Business by @BrianSolis @GapingvoidBrian Solis
This special series of cartoons, with short insights from both Hugh MacLeod and Brian Solis adapted from #WTF (www.wtfbusiness.com), will help you see things differently.
N.B. You'll be asked for your email to view this special series of cartoons, with valuable insights from both Hugh MacLeod and Brian Solis.
http://gapingvoid.com/solis-image-download/
The traditional brick-and-mortar business model is no longer the only option for the aspiring entrepreneur. Many of today’s greatest successes belong to those who have captured the power of the viral loop by designing products and services that spread themselves through the channels of the Internet, propelled by word-of-mouth recommendations.
This year VCCP once again attended SXSW in Austin looking to keep our finger on the pulse of the changing digital spaces and be inspired to the latest Interactive trends and technologies that will be shaping 2015!
We have pulled together the 6 Key trends we spotted at this years show and written up a bite size trend report on what you need to know!
This document advertises and provides details about the Crimson Innovation Conference happening on March 15th in Birmingham. The conference will explore opportunities and challenges of digital transformation for businesses, and will feature case studies and lessons from thought leaders in digital strategy, data usage, cloud computing, and developing digital talent. Speakers will discuss topics like digitizing a FTSE 100 company, challenges with cloud environments, using a digital approach to support rapid retail growth, and enabling organizational change in a digital world.
The 2012 Roundtable on Institutional Innovation convened leaders to explore how organizations can stay atop today’s constant technological advancement. In the current economic environment, growth and underemployment are two outstanding national, indeed international, problems. While technological advances and globalization are often cited as instigators of the current plight, they are also beacons of hope for the future. Connecting the Edges concludes that by integrating the core of an organization with the edge, where innovation is more likely to happen, we can create dynamic, learning networks.
A round up of resources (websites, blogs and other sources) that I've found useful in 2015 and will continue to do so in 2016. This edition is centered around 3 key trends for 2016.
Kodak failed to focus on youth and new technologies like digital photography, instead clinging to print and film. In contrast, Apple has focused on youth for 20 years, developing products like the iPod and iPhone for new generations and partnering with education. Where Kodak isolated itself with an insular culture and "design thinking" focused on products, Apple closely engaged youth to understand their needs. Kodak could have created new technologies like Instagram but failed to engage or understand youth, sowing the seeds of its bankruptcy.
Ift ffor delltechnologies_human-machine_070717_readerhigh-resRafael Villas B
The document discusses emerging technologies that will impact society by 2030, including robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual/augmented reality, and cloud computing. It states that these technologies will underpin new human-machine partnerships where humans and machines leverage their complementary strengths. Specifically, the technologies will enhance daily activities through coordinating resources and in-the-moment learning. This will reshape expectations for work and require organizations to adapt to the expanding capabilities of human-machine teams.
This document provides an overview of trends in e-commerce and online shopping. It discusses how e-commerce is changing the way people consume products and places increasing demands on logistics and delivery. Collaboration between companies is presented as a way to help address challenges in e-commerce, such as delivering products globally in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The rest of the document explores trends in e-commerce, perspectives from industry experts, and ways that companies can collaborate throughout the supply chain to better serve customers ordering products online.
ebusiness Strategy in Entrepreneurship 2: Pedro Eloy at SMECC - 20130903smecchk
This document provides an overview of strategies for developing a successful e-business through entrepreneurship. It discusses understanding the evolving digital landscape and key rules, identifying opportunity areas, and the skills, activities, and steps needed. Examples are given of famous companies that started in garages. The importance of creativity, engagement, social media, video, lean methodology, usability, and being findable, cross-platform, and using business frameworks are covered. The impact of technology on reducing gaps and connecting people is addressed.
The document discusses how the concept of work is evolving due to changes in technology, demographics, and business models. Knowledge workers now demand flexible work arrangements and mobile access to tools and information enabled by cloud computing and virtual conferencing. Real estate developers must adapt office buildings to cater to collaborative work styles by integrating alternative workspaces and mixed-use communities. In the Philippines, the growth of the IT-BPO industry and rising middle class is driving demand for modern workspaces, while start-up incubators aim to support entrepreneurship among Filipino millennials.
Contextual Marketing And The New Marketing ContractXuân Lan Nguyễn
The document discusses the rise of Generation C, which refers to connected customers across all generations who live digital lifestyles. It argues that context is now the most important factor for meaningful customer engagement and marketing. Context provides an understanding of customers within specific situations. The document provides examples of how companies can use contextual marketing strategies that are informed by customer data and tailored to different points in the customer journey. It highlights how real estate company Redfin improved engagement metrics by 20-30% by personalizing messages based on customers' contexts and stages in the home buying process.
The document discusses predictions for technology and society in the year 2026. It describes how the 1962 cartoon The Jetsons depicted a futuristic family living with flying cars and robots, and notes that many of the technologies shown have now been realized. The document also discusses predictions that robots will be able to perform more jobs by 2026, including medical procedures, manufacturing, and customer service roles. Some experts estimate nearly half of US jobs could be automated in the next two decades. The summary also touches on predictions that smartphones will have new capabilities like 3D holograms and wireless charging by 2026.
Evolution of Social Media and its effects on Knowledge OrganisationCollabor8now Ltd
There has been a lot of hype around social media, social networks and social business, much of it unhelpful in understanding what this is all about. For some people, “social” will always mean frivolity and time wasting. For others, social media just means marketing and communications.
The evolution of social media over the past several years has made it easier than ever before to find, connect and engage with “experts” and people with similar interests. Enlightened organisations have recognised that investment in social technologies and (most importantly) the organisational change required in order to nurture and embed a collaborative culture, can overcome the limitations of silo’d structures that have traditionally inhibited information flows and opportunities for innovation.
In a broader context, the pervasive and ubiquitous availability of social media in almost all aspects of daily life, from the way we communicate, get information, buy and sell, travel, live and learn is adding to the pressure on organisations to provide a more porous interface between internal (behind the firewall) and external services. Knowledge workers are increasingly making their own decisions on what tools, products and services that they need to work more effectively and will become increasingly disaffected if these are not available within the work environment.
This presentation looks at industry trends on how social media and social technologies are changing the way that we generate, organise and consume knowledge, and how this is driving emergent digital literacies for knowledge workers.
Digital Influence is one of the hottest trends in social media, yet is largely misunderstood. "The Rise of Digital Influence," the new report by Altimeter Group Principal Analyst Brian Solis, is a 'how-to' guide for businesses to spark desirable effects and outcomes through social media influence. The report helps companies understand how influence spreads, and includes case studies in which brands partnered with vendors to recruit connected consumers for digital influence campaigns. Brian evaluates the offerings of 14 Influence vendors, organizing them by Reach, Resonance, and Relevance: the Three Pillars that make up the foundation for Digital Influence as defined in the report. Also included are an Influence Framework and an Influence Action Plan to help brands identify connected consumers and to define and measure strategic digital influence initiatives.
1) Face Remapping is a new technology that can perfectly manipulate facial expressions and appearances when faces are conveyed electronically. It has potential to enhance human connection in digital communications.
2) The document discusses concepts for how Face Remapping could be used to create personalized emotion coaching videos for children with autism, enable natural translated video conversations between families living far apart, and allow victims to testify while protecting their identity.
3) While acknowledging risks like manipulated media, the document advocates defining positive uses that empower people and argues Face Remapping could open richer human interaction if developed and applied responsibly.
- There has been significant disruption in the venture capital industry due to changes like the rise of internet users, faster internet speeds, increased mobility, and social connectivity.
- The venture capital model has changed from relying primarily on board interactions and "VC knows best" to providing more operational support, thought leadership, peer learning platforms, and industry insights for portfolio companies.
- Leading venture capital firms are differentiating themselves by investing in extensive operational support services, transparency through blogging, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and leveraging their domain expertise and relationships within specific industries.
The 10 Megatrends of 2022 are the global list of topics that our experts consider will change technology, business models, and society in the medium term. These Megatrends aim to anticipate the answers to the main questions about the future and help us steer our actions and strategies.
This document discusses trends affecting the future of work, including technological advances, globalization, the network economy, the knowledge society, and demographics. It focuses on millennials and generation Z, describing their characteristics and how they are reshaping the workplace. Companies like IBM, Unilever, and Microsoft are highlighted as innovating to attract and engage millennial talent through initiatives like digital hiring processes, reverse mentoring programs, and internal communities focused on the millennial experience.
Telecom Journal_CoolTechnology for SMB'sSusan Dineen
This document discusses how small and medium businesses can use various technologies and social media platforms as marketing tools to engage customers. It provides examples of SMBs using YouTube, Facebook, webcams, Second Life, podcasts, blogs, and MySpace to share information and promote their business in a cost-effective way. While traditional advertising is expensive, these tools allow SMBs to reach large audiences with little time and effort. The document encourages both SMBs and larger companies to experiment with social media to understand how staff and customers use these platforms.
The document discusses predictions for communication technologies over the next 10 years. It predicts that (1) education will become increasingly virtual, with classrooms and textbooks moving to the cloud, (2) video calling will become integrated into standard phone calls so people can see each other, and (3) technologies will become more integrated into our homes through smart devices and interfaces allowing control of entertainment, security, and other functions.
Build a Modern Social Enterprise to Win in the 21st CenturyCognizant
To prepare for the future of work, businesses need to apply social, mobile, cloud and analytic technologies to reform and realign work processes with emerging digital value chains.
Don’t let the breakfast tacos, parties, brand houses, and activations fool you. SXSW is growing up.
The festival has shifted from a place of discovering the next big digital innovation to a place for reflecting on how technology (e.g., AI, AR vs.VR, and Blockchain) can impact society, along with focusing on social responsibility and ethics.
Five days and hundreds of panels later, here’s a look at the trends and emerging tech that’ll be shaping the future.
This document discusses key technology trends and issues according to Accenture's Technology Vision for 2017. Some of the major trends highlighted include the continued rise of artificial intelligence and how it will transform business through new user interfaces and by revolutionizing customer interactions. The report also examines the growth of digital platforms and ecosystems, how they are changing competition and requiring new ecosystem strategies from companies. Finally, the document outlines how technologies are increasingly being designed around human behaviors and enhancing people's lives.
This document provides information and guidance on the Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) foreign language teaching methodology. It discusses key principles of TPRS including providing comprehensible input, personalizing lessons, and teaching for mastery. The document offers tips for implementing TPRS such as personalizing instruction, using repetitive questions, and establishing the content and details of stories. It also provides examples of ways to assess student comprehension and additional resources for learning more about TPRS.
Kodak failed to focus on youth and new technologies like digital photography, instead clinging to print and film. In contrast, Apple has focused on youth for 20 years, developing products like the iPod and iPhone for new generations and partnering with education. Where Kodak isolated itself with an insular culture and "design thinking" focused on products, Apple closely engaged youth to understand their needs. Kodak could have created new technologies like Instagram but failed to engage or understand youth, sowing the seeds of its bankruptcy.
Ift ffor delltechnologies_human-machine_070717_readerhigh-resRafael Villas B
The document discusses emerging technologies that will impact society by 2030, including robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual/augmented reality, and cloud computing. It states that these technologies will underpin new human-machine partnerships where humans and machines leverage their complementary strengths. Specifically, the technologies will enhance daily activities through coordinating resources and in-the-moment learning. This will reshape expectations for work and require organizations to adapt to the expanding capabilities of human-machine teams.
This document provides an overview of trends in e-commerce and online shopping. It discusses how e-commerce is changing the way people consume products and places increasing demands on logistics and delivery. Collaboration between companies is presented as a way to help address challenges in e-commerce, such as delivering products globally in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The rest of the document explores trends in e-commerce, perspectives from industry experts, and ways that companies can collaborate throughout the supply chain to better serve customers ordering products online.
ebusiness Strategy in Entrepreneurship 2: Pedro Eloy at SMECC - 20130903smecchk
This document provides an overview of strategies for developing a successful e-business through entrepreneurship. It discusses understanding the evolving digital landscape and key rules, identifying opportunity areas, and the skills, activities, and steps needed. Examples are given of famous companies that started in garages. The importance of creativity, engagement, social media, video, lean methodology, usability, and being findable, cross-platform, and using business frameworks are covered. The impact of technology on reducing gaps and connecting people is addressed.
The document discusses how the concept of work is evolving due to changes in technology, demographics, and business models. Knowledge workers now demand flexible work arrangements and mobile access to tools and information enabled by cloud computing and virtual conferencing. Real estate developers must adapt office buildings to cater to collaborative work styles by integrating alternative workspaces and mixed-use communities. In the Philippines, the growth of the IT-BPO industry and rising middle class is driving demand for modern workspaces, while start-up incubators aim to support entrepreneurship among Filipino millennials.
Contextual Marketing And The New Marketing ContractXuân Lan Nguyễn
The document discusses the rise of Generation C, which refers to connected customers across all generations who live digital lifestyles. It argues that context is now the most important factor for meaningful customer engagement and marketing. Context provides an understanding of customers within specific situations. The document provides examples of how companies can use contextual marketing strategies that are informed by customer data and tailored to different points in the customer journey. It highlights how real estate company Redfin improved engagement metrics by 20-30% by personalizing messages based on customers' contexts and stages in the home buying process.
The document discusses predictions for technology and society in the year 2026. It describes how the 1962 cartoon The Jetsons depicted a futuristic family living with flying cars and robots, and notes that many of the technologies shown have now been realized. The document also discusses predictions that robots will be able to perform more jobs by 2026, including medical procedures, manufacturing, and customer service roles. Some experts estimate nearly half of US jobs could be automated in the next two decades. The summary also touches on predictions that smartphones will have new capabilities like 3D holograms and wireless charging by 2026.
Evolution of Social Media and its effects on Knowledge OrganisationCollabor8now Ltd
There has been a lot of hype around social media, social networks and social business, much of it unhelpful in understanding what this is all about. For some people, “social” will always mean frivolity and time wasting. For others, social media just means marketing and communications.
The evolution of social media over the past several years has made it easier than ever before to find, connect and engage with “experts” and people with similar interests. Enlightened organisations have recognised that investment in social technologies and (most importantly) the organisational change required in order to nurture and embed a collaborative culture, can overcome the limitations of silo’d structures that have traditionally inhibited information flows and opportunities for innovation.
In a broader context, the pervasive and ubiquitous availability of social media in almost all aspects of daily life, from the way we communicate, get information, buy and sell, travel, live and learn is adding to the pressure on organisations to provide a more porous interface between internal (behind the firewall) and external services. Knowledge workers are increasingly making their own decisions on what tools, products and services that they need to work more effectively and will become increasingly disaffected if these are not available within the work environment.
This presentation looks at industry trends on how social media and social technologies are changing the way that we generate, organise and consume knowledge, and how this is driving emergent digital literacies for knowledge workers.
Digital Influence is one of the hottest trends in social media, yet is largely misunderstood. "The Rise of Digital Influence," the new report by Altimeter Group Principal Analyst Brian Solis, is a 'how-to' guide for businesses to spark desirable effects and outcomes through social media influence. The report helps companies understand how influence spreads, and includes case studies in which brands partnered with vendors to recruit connected consumers for digital influence campaigns. Brian evaluates the offerings of 14 Influence vendors, organizing them by Reach, Resonance, and Relevance: the Three Pillars that make up the foundation for Digital Influence as defined in the report. Also included are an Influence Framework and an Influence Action Plan to help brands identify connected consumers and to define and measure strategic digital influence initiatives.
1) Face Remapping is a new technology that can perfectly manipulate facial expressions and appearances when faces are conveyed electronically. It has potential to enhance human connection in digital communications.
2) The document discusses concepts for how Face Remapping could be used to create personalized emotion coaching videos for children with autism, enable natural translated video conversations between families living far apart, and allow victims to testify while protecting their identity.
3) While acknowledging risks like manipulated media, the document advocates defining positive uses that empower people and argues Face Remapping could open richer human interaction if developed and applied responsibly.
- There has been significant disruption in the venture capital industry due to changes like the rise of internet users, faster internet speeds, increased mobility, and social connectivity.
- The venture capital model has changed from relying primarily on board interactions and "VC knows best" to providing more operational support, thought leadership, peer learning platforms, and industry insights for portfolio companies.
- Leading venture capital firms are differentiating themselves by investing in extensive operational support services, transparency through blogging, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and leveraging their domain expertise and relationships within specific industries.
The 10 Megatrends of 2022 are the global list of topics that our experts consider will change technology, business models, and society in the medium term. These Megatrends aim to anticipate the answers to the main questions about the future and help us steer our actions and strategies.
This document discusses trends affecting the future of work, including technological advances, globalization, the network economy, the knowledge society, and demographics. It focuses on millennials and generation Z, describing their characteristics and how they are reshaping the workplace. Companies like IBM, Unilever, and Microsoft are highlighted as innovating to attract and engage millennial talent through initiatives like digital hiring processes, reverse mentoring programs, and internal communities focused on the millennial experience.
Telecom Journal_CoolTechnology for SMB'sSusan Dineen
This document discusses how small and medium businesses can use various technologies and social media platforms as marketing tools to engage customers. It provides examples of SMBs using YouTube, Facebook, webcams, Second Life, podcasts, blogs, and MySpace to share information and promote their business in a cost-effective way. While traditional advertising is expensive, these tools allow SMBs to reach large audiences with little time and effort. The document encourages both SMBs and larger companies to experiment with social media to understand how staff and customers use these platforms.
The document discusses predictions for communication technologies over the next 10 years. It predicts that (1) education will become increasingly virtual, with classrooms and textbooks moving to the cloud, (2) video calling will become integrated into standard phone calls so people can see each other, and (3) technologies will become more integrated into our homes through smart devices and interfaces allowing control of entertainment, security, and other functions.
Build a Modern Social Enterprise to Win in the 21st CenturyCognizant
To prepare for the future of work, businesses need to apply social, mobile, cloud and analytic technologies to reform and realign work processes with emerging digital value chains.
Don’t let the breakfast tacos, parties, brand houses, and activations fool you. SXSW is growing up.
The festival has shifted from a place of discovering the next big digital innovation to a place for reflecting on how technology (e.g., AI, AR vs.VR, and Blockchain) can impact society, along with focusing on social responsibility and ethics.
Five days and hundreds of panels later, here’s a look at the trends and emerging tech that’ll be shaping the future.
This document discusses key technology trends and issues according to Accenture's Technology Vision for 2017. Some of the major trends highlighted include the continued rise of artificial intelligence and how it will transform business through new user interfaces and by revolutionizing customer interactions. The report also examines the growth of digital platforms and ecosystems, how they are changing competition and requiring new ecosystem strategies from companies. Finally, the document outlines how technologies are increasingly being designed around human behaviors and enhancing people's lives.
This document provides information and guidance on the Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) foreign language teaching methodology. It discusses key principles of TPRS including providing comprehensible input, personalizing lessons, and teaching for mastery. The document offers tips for implementing TPRS such as personalizing instruction, using repetitive questions, and establishing the content and details of stories. It also provides examples of ways to assess student comprehension and additional resources for learning more about TPRS.
Theme me Up Scotty - Finding wordpress themes and creating child themesDee Teal
This document provides information on choosing WordPress theme providers and creating child themes. It lists and describes popular commercial theme providers like ThemeForest, WooThemes, Elegant Themes, and Studiopress. It also explains how to create a child theme by making a new directory with style.css, which imports the parent theme's styles, and allows for customizations without modifying the original theme. Functions can also be added via functions.php without overriding the parent.
El documento ofrece cinco consejos sobre el uso de libros de texto para maestros de primaria: 1) No seguir estrictamente el orden de temas del libro, sino basarse en los intereses de los estudiantes; 2) Agrupar temas relacionados en lugar de tratarlos por separado; 3) Usar las actividades del libro como modelo pero crear también sus propias actividades; 4) Enriquecer los contenidos con otros materiales; 5) Aprovechar todos los recursos digitales complementarios que ofrecen las editoriales.
This document discusses the impact of social media on organizations, including charities. It provides examples of how social media was used effectively during the Queensland floods and for the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The future of social media is discussed, including how content will be delivered across multiple channels and the death of traditional websites. For charities, social media allows greater access to supporters at low cost. Charities must adapt to changing expectations by using digital tools more transparently. The document concludes with tips for organizations to effectively use social media, such as setting objectives and experimenting.
This document discusses social investment, which provides both financial return and social return. It outlines external developments growing social investment, including increased borrowing by the voluntary sector. It describes Big Society Capital's vision to improve access to finance for charities and build participation in social investment. BSC plays a role as a wholesaler and market champion. The document then provides guidance for organizations on engaging with social investors, including things to consider around investment needs, impact, and opportunities social investment provides beyond financing. It also briefly outlines social impact bonds and gives an example.
This document discusses how social media can be used effectively by charities and non-profits to raise awareness, fundraise, recruit volunteers, and mobilize supporters. It provides examples of campaigns that used social media successfully and notes that the resources required are time rather than money. Charities are encouraged to allow and utilize social media to reach more people and leverage the sharing nature of supporters in order to amplify their message and fundraising efforts.
This document discusses evaluating IT from both the perspective of organizational leadership and IT staff. It presents several models for evaluating IT, including force fields analysis and strategic alignment models. It notes that conventional ROI and "keeping up with competitors" models often do not work for evaluating IT. The document also outlines some indicators that can help evaluate an IT director and department, such as whether they meet with internal and external peers, measure costs and benefits, and utilize third party advice. It suggests organizations assess where their IT currently operates - operationally or strategically - and where they want it to be.
The document provides an overview of key areas of data protection law relevant for charities, including definitions, the data protection principles, fair and lawful processing, data security, subject's rights, direct marketing, and recent European developments. It discusses requirements around obtaining and retaining personal data, sharing data with third parties, responding to subject access requests, and obtaining consent for electronic marketing. Recent cases involving security breaches and retaining data longer than necessary are also summarized.
This document discusses using cell phones in the classroom for learning and some of the challenges that come with it. It addresses issues like ensuring all students can access content regardless of their device, managing distractions from phones, dealing with theft or damage of personal devices, and the professional development needed for teachers to incorporate phones into lessons. Both teacher and student perspectives are presented on topics such as using phones for note-taking, group work apps, digital flashcards and ensuring equitable access to learning tools on different platforms.
5B - How FD’s get to lead & be involved in strategic planning - Paul PalmerCFG
This document discusses the career paths of charity Finance Directors and their ability to become CEOs. It notes that over half of FTSE 100 CEOs were previously FDs, but there is little evidence about careers in the charity sector. The document outlines some differences between charity and commercial FDs, such as the nonprofit focus versus profit. It provides strategies for FDs wanting to become CEOs, such as taking on additional roles, becoming a trustee elsewhere, and developing a wider set of skills beyond finance. The conclusion emphasizes the need to want the CEO role, be comfortable outside one's comfort zone, and continuously develop oneself holistically.
This document provides an introduction to an essential first aid training session conducted by instructor Mick Duckham. It outlines the aims of first aid which are to preserve life, protect the unconscious, prevent deterioration, and promote recovery. It also discusses potential barriers to providing first aid such as the presence of bystanders, uncertainty about the victim or nature of injury/illness, and fear of disease or doing something wrong. Finally, it notes some legal information around consent, duty of care, negligence, and criminal acts in relation to first aid situations.
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise causes chemical changes in the brain that may help protect against mental illness and improve symptoms.
The document discusses how government IT procurement has traditionally resulted in bespoke, complex, and costly systems. It argues that emerging digital technologies allow a new approach where systems and services are disaggregated and reaggregated in a modular, standardized way around user needs. This could transform public services by moving away from input-focused bureaucracies towards outcomes-based models leveraging open platforms and a utility marketplace of interchangeable components. However, significant skills, processes, and mindset changes would be required within government to take advantage of this new approach.
The document discusses factors that contribute to project failure and success. It notes that 75% of IT projects fail according to Gartner, failing to meet goals for time, cost, or quality. Common causes of failure include lack of senior management support, poor stakeholder engagement, weak requirements definition, and inadequate risk management. The document emphasizes that successful projects focus on people and process, prioritizing engagement, clear requirements, planning, testing, and tracking benefits realization. Managing both the technical and human aspects of change is key to maximizing the chances of project success.
4A - Accounting update - Pesh Framjee and Ray JonesCFG
This document discusses three new Financial Reporting Exposure Drafts being proposed in the UK that will impact public benefit entities like charities. It raises concerns that the drafts' definitions of restricted income and performance conditions conflict with established charity accounting principles. Specifically, the document is worried the proposals will require charities to defer recognizing income if there is any remote possibility it could be returned, rather than only if return is probable. The document also argues the drafts do not properly distinguish between grants and donations. It suggests interim solutions are needed to resolve these issues before the new standards are finalized.
We focus on delivering our services to companies in Western Europe in a nearshore mode, thus neutralizing common issues with offshore initiatives, but retaining the cost advantages. Combined with Western management, a key focus on BI and a wide network of national on-site experts we can deliver quality in return for a low investment. Assignments can range from a Data Warehouse project up to an end-user front-end support team.
How the Metaverse is Changing Reality ForeverEmmaChiu4
The document discusses how the metaverse is emerging as a unified digital world where people increasingly socialize, collaborate, and create in virtual spaces. As big tech and gaming companies race to define the metaverse, the users who populate these worlds will ultimately shape them. The metaverse could redefine creativity for younger generations and enable more collaborative idea generation. A panel at SXSW will examine what the metaverse is, how technology is unleashing new creative potential, and whether the metaverse can foster inclusive, democratized digital communities.
World's top 05 arvr solution providers 2021 ( final file )(1) compressedMerry D'souza
Paracosma is an augmented and virtual reality solutions provider that offers custom AR and VR application development and 3D content creation services. The company aims to make virtual realities better than reality by creating experiences that are indistinguishable from or go beyond what is possible in real life. Some of Paracosma's solutions that differentiate it include creating photorealistic 3D models and virtual worlds for events, training, and entertainment. The company's founder and CEO believes AR/VR technologies will disrupt many industries by facilitating remote and virtual alternatives to in-person activities that were accelerated during the pandemic. Paracosma plans to expand by bundling its expertise into off-the-shelf products and services and growing its talent globally.
A paradigm shift in Education by Web2.0 technologiesLukas Ritzel
a webcast presentation done by lukas ritzel during World conference of AIAER on
Higher education: Need for priAm variate reforms, August 03-05, 2009 Organized by
Lovely School of Education, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab and supported by IMI University Centre, Luzern, Switzerland
In this issue of WIN World Insights, we bring you the basics of the latest technological trends. Because, when you begin to understand them, you realize how they will hugely
impact our businesses, our lives and our future.
- Mobike and Ele.me, two large Chinese startups, were acquired by Meituan-Dianping and Alibaba respectively for billions of dollars. This underscores Tencent and Alibaba's dominance in the Chinese tech landscape, with over 50% of Chinese unicorns now backed or controlled by them.
- There is debate around whether tech startups can remain independent in China, as the scale of Tencent and Alibaba allows them to copy or invest in competitors. Mobike's CEO acknowledged "little fish cannot eat big fish" and independence is difficult.
- Public company valuations across sectors like SaaS, social, marketplaces and games are provided for context on current revenue multiples
This document discusses the need for executives to upgrade their digital skills and competencies to keep up with rapid technological changes. It argues that executives are falling behind due to a lack of understanding of emerging technologies, time constraints, frustration with technology, and a lack of experience using it. The author proposes that an immersive experience at an Xperience Lab could help transform executives' understanding, thinking, context and skills to better equip them for leading 21st century organizations.
Entrepreneur in the age of Web2.0 2014Lukas Ritzel
This document discusses the rise of new generations in the workplace and the transition to Web 2.0 technologies. It describes how each generation grew up with different technologies and how this shapes them. It then discusses the attributes of "Net Gen" employees and how knowledge is now decentralized and distributed on networks. It provides examples of how companies can use crowdsourcing and user-generated content. Throughout, it emphasizes how Web 2.0 allows knowledge to be shared, businesses to innovate, and new ideas to spread through online collaboration.
Final File World's 10 Most Innovative ARVR Solution Providers 2022 1.pdfBusinessBerg
We at The Business Berg found 2immersive4U to be best suited for the cover of our latest edition, “World’s 10 Most Innovative AR/VR Solution Providers 2022.
Read More: https://thebusinessberg.com/worlds-10-most-innovative-ar-vr-solution-providers-2022-june2022/
Amaze focuses on delivering excellent user experiences through their technology. They strive to understand human behavior and trigger emotional responses in users by conveying brands' personalities through intuitive interfaces, engaging content delivery, and sharing features. Amaze explores new technologies like HTML5 and apps to interactive stories, smooth interactions, and an integrated online presence that removes the isolation of individual experiences. Their goal is to enhance users' experiences at every touchpoint.
The document discusses how today's youth, known as the "app generation", have different expectations about technology and the workplace than current employees. It finds that teenagers place more importance on mobile communication tools like smartphones compared to traditional devices like desk phones. The app generation also prefers flexible work arrangements and having the latest technology available. However, they feel the technology provided by their schools does not adequately prepare them for what they will encounter in the workplace.
Experience Probes for Exploring the Impact of Novel ProductsMike Kuniavsky
This presentation includes an overview of PARC, of Innovation Services at PARC and our use of social science, and a description of a process we use, experience probes, to reduce the risk of adopting novel technologies while still making breakthrough innovations.
Insights success has bringing this issue of “The 10 Most Innovative AR/VR Companies 2019”. We’ve enlisted some of the most innovative AR/VR solution providers which are exclusively known for their out-of-the-box solutions. Here’s a glimpse of the companies enlisted.
This document provides information about YouRock, a website that helps young people identify their hidden work skills by matching their activities to specific skills. It allows users to build a dynamic online profile displaying their skills. Employers can search profiles by skills. The document outlines YouRock's functionality, target audience, marketing and PR efforts. It notes the site has been successfully crowd-funded and sponsored by organizations like the European Commission and Liberty Global to help address youth unemployment across Europe by better matching young job seekers to open positions.
Crowdsourced topic rankings at Snowforce 2017 in Salt Lake City drove this one-hour "Top 10" -- from evolving role of CIO, up through AI-leveraged connection, into a culture of innovation. (Peter Coffee, VP for Strategic Research at Salesforce)
The document provides a digital strategy report for the SSE Arena Belfast. It discusses the changing digital landscape and the rise of digital disruption. It outlines advantages and challenges of operating digitally, including higher customer expectations, the need for digitally skilled staff, and managing big data. Industries that have been disrupted by digital technologies like Airbnb and Blockbuster are examined. A SWOT analysis of the SSE Arena identifies strengths like its large capacity and location, as well as weaknesses like its small marketing team. Digital tools used for customer acquisition at the SSE Arena include a downloadable app and social media presence. Competitors like the 3Arena in Dublin are analyzed for their strong social media engagement and digital offerings.
Social wizz rapid fire round with guest Mike WalshPraz Hari
1) The next billion internet users will largely come from rural areas and have a significant impact by developing new technologies and online behaviors adapted to their cultures. Emerging markets are already influencing innovation.
2) The proliferation of screens will lead to all content being streamed from the cloud and scaled based on location and activity. This shift to cloud-based streaming will be a major change in how we consume information and entertainment.
3) Traditional media like TV, newspapers and magazines will transition to prioritizing audience data and insights over physical formats as their business model. Their future lies in data rather than replicating physical scarcity models online.
Integrating an effective career development program in 2 and 4 year schools is outlined by Danny Huffman of Career Services International. All Rights Reserved.
This document discusses potential cybersecurity issues and concerns regarding augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. It outlines threats such as the theft of user behavioral data, ransomware attacks, misleading information that could reveal personal or financial details, and remotely taking over devices during critical tasks. The document also presents some ways to implement cybersecurity measures for VR/AR like secure messaging, identity authentication, securing devices and content, and monitoring for abnormal behavior. Overall, it acknowledges both risks and opportunities regarding cybersecurity for immersive technologies.
The document appears to be an organizational chart or team listing for a company called CoreSights that provides training services and data analytics. It includes the names and roles of 4 employees - Shay Paintal in Business Dev, Ben Barone in Training Services, Kevin Denman in Product Development, and Toby Clark in Data Analytics. Below is a slogan about reducing stress, tracking progress, and improving performance, along with some customer testimonials praising how the data has helped them.
This document discusses monetization strategies for virtual reality (VR) content. It begins with an introduction of the presenter and provides context on the VR ecosystem. Several existing monetization models are examined, including premium paid content, freemium games, ads, e-commerce, and hardware/software sales. The presentation forecasts a difficult 2017 for VR companies but continued gaming growth, and predicts augmented reality will ultimately be much larger than VR with Apple well positioned to dominate the market. Questions from the audience are invited at the end.
The document summarizes key developments in virtual reality (VR) in 2017 and makes predictions. Some of the main points covered are:
- VR adoption is accelerating but is still in the early innings, with high-end systems seeing slow adoption due to lack of killer apps and issues like low resolution.
- 360 video and mobile VR are areas that will see significant growth in 2017. New products will lower costs and improve ease of use.
- Major new announcements from companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Magic Leap could reorder the VR/AR landscape.
- 2017 may be a breakout year for augmented reality as it addresses limitations of VR like being less restrictive to wear.
The document provides an overview of the startup scene in Argentina. It notes that Argentina has a large startup network centered in Buenos Aires, with thriving communities and incubators/accelerators despite economic challenges. Some of the largest Argentine startups mentioned include Mercado Libre, Mural, and Despegar.
This document provides a quickstart guide to starting a business and the startup community in Antigua and Barbuda. It outlines that the country has a population of around 100,000 with its main industries being tourism, construction, and light manufacturing. The startup scene is still developing but there is potential opportunities in tourism, medical tourism, offshore education, and business outsourcing. It provides some government and economic statistics, notes support for foreign investment, and lists some local resources for entrepreneurs like Startup Weekend events.
This document provides a quickstart guide to the startup community and business environment in Angola. It outlines key facts about Angola's economy, industries, and challenges startups may face. The guide also lists several notable Angolan startups, investors active in the market, and resources for connecting with the startup scene in Angola. It concludes by highlighting some articles about entrepreneurship and innovation in Angola.
This document provides a quickstart guide to starting a business in Andorra. It summarizes Andorra's key economic statistics and industries. Tourism, banking, and retail are strong industries. The country aims to attract foreign investment and has favorable tax and business policies. The guide also lists local startup examples and resources for entrepreneurs, including accelerators, investors, and meetup groups. It recommends opportunities in online sales, multilingual services, and developing local brands.
The document provides an overview of the startup scene in Algeria. It notes that while the country is largely dependent on oil and gas, fluctuating prices have motivated entrepreneurs to pursue new opportunities. The startup ecosystem shows potential but faces challenges in obtaining funding due to regulations. Promising startups highlighted include T ALGERIE, NetBeOpen, and Ingeniway. Investors active in the space include Ansej and Fonds de Cau-on Mutuelle de Garan-e Risques.
The document provides a quickstart guide to startups in Albania. It outlines that while Albania's economy has not attracted much foreign investment, local entrepreneurs have launched many new startups in fields like tourism, healthcare, smart home technologies, food delivery, real estate, and more. Several organizations support the growing startup scene by providing resources, events, and databases about Albanian startups.
Afghanistan has an unwelcoming environment for startups due to its status as an extremely poor country devastated by war with low revenue, corruption, and poor infrastructure. However, there are a few startups emerging such as TechSharks, a web solutions company, and Smart Maktab, which digitalizes school subjects. The guide provides background on Afghanistan's economy and industries as well as resources for startups like the Founder Institute and Startup Grind Kabul.
The document provides tips for getting press coverage, including writing content over 500 words that is useful rather than self-promotional, checking spelling and grammar twice, using descriptive subject lines, and ensuring any acronyms are defined. The document cautions against very short press releases and subject lines that are not enticing enough.
GraphSummit Singapore | The Future of Agility: Supercharging Digital Transfor...Neo4j
Leonard Jayamohan, Partner & Generative AI Lead, Deloitte
This keynote will reveal how Deloitte leverages Neo4j’s graph power for groundbreaking digital twin solutions, achieving a staggering 100x performance boost. Discover the essential role knowledge graphs play in successful generative AI implementations. Plus, get an exclusive look at an innovative Neo4j + Generative AI solution Deloitte is developing in-house.
TrustArc Webinar - 2024 Global Privacy SurveyTrustArc
How does your privacy program stack up against your peers? What challenges are privacy teams tackling and prioritizing in 2024?
In the fifth annual Global Privacy Benchmarks Survey, we asked over 1,800 global privacy professionals and business executives to share their perspectives on the current state of privacy inside and outside of their organizations. This year’s report focused on emerging areas of importance for privacy and compliance professionals, including considerations and implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, building brand trust, and different approaches for achieving higher privacy competence scores.
See how organizational priorities and strategic approaches to data security and privacy are evolving around the globe.
This webinar will review:
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Are you ready to revolutionize how you handle data? Join us for a webinar where we’ll bring you up to speed with the latest advancements in Generative AI technology and discover how leveraging FME with tools from giants like Google Gemini, Amazon, and Microsoft OpenAI can supercharge your workflow efficiency.
During the hour, we’ll take you through:
Guest Speaker Segment with Hannah Barrington: Dive into the world of dynamic real estate marketing with Hannah, the Marketing Manager at Workspace Group. Hear firsthand how their team generates engaging descriptions for thousands of office units by integrating diverse data sources—from PDF floorplans to web pages—using FME transformers, like OpenAIVisionConnector and AnthropicVisionConnector. This use case will show you how GenAI can streamline content creation for marketing across the board.
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We’ll wrap up with a live Q&A session where you can engage with our experts on your specific use cases, and learn more about optimizing your data workflows with AI.
This webinar is ideal for professionals seeking to harness the power of AI within their data management systems while ensuring high levels of customization and security. Whether you're a novice or an expert, gain actionable insights and strategies to elevate your data processes. Join us to see how FME and AI can revolutionize how you work with data!
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Perfect for developers, AI enthusiasts, and tech leaders. Learn how to leverage MongoDB Atlas to deliver highly relevant, context-aware search results, transforming your data retrieval process. Stay ahead in tech innovation and maximize the potential of your applications.
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Climate Impact of Software Testing at Nordic Testing DaysKari Kakkonen
My slides at Nordic Testing Days 6.6.2024
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6. SPECIAL EDITION
If you haven’t noticed, virtual reality (VR) is kind of a big deal.
Ever since Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion back in
March of 2014 we’ve seen an incredible explosion of the virtu-
al reality hardware ecosystem, with technical giants like Sam-
sung, Google, HTC and Sony all throwing their hats in the ring to
own the next dominant computing platform. The release this year
of the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Sony PSVR marked the official
start of the consumer virtual reality era.
What we haven’t seen yet is the software that will give us a
compelling reason to use this incredible hardware day after day.
Despite the incredible ‘wow factor’ of VR, we’re still lacking that
killer application. And while no one can say exactly what that will
be, there’s one explanation as to why VR hasn’t quite taken off yet:
Creating new virtual reality experiences is expensive, labor inten-
sive and very problematically requires a relatively obscure skillset.
The Skills Gap
So what exactly does it take to make a new VR experience?
The best way to think about it is that today every VR experience
you build is like creating a custom video game from scratch. And
there is a particular skillset required to do this:
● Use and operate a 3D game development engine such as Unity.
● Design, build and animate 3D models in a program such as
Blender or Maya.
● Code the scripts to run the game in a traditional programming
language such as C# or Javascript (a very different skillset from
web development).
From the start, we begin to run into an issue. VR is a massively
exciting medium with great implications, not just for gaming, but
also for education, the enterprise, journalism and retail to name
just a few. Yet the only people with the skillset to design VR ex-
periences today are people who work in the videogame industry.
To put it in perspective: What if the only way to build a mobile
application today would be to find someone who is an expert at
Adobe Photoshop and also a functional programmer in Perl? All of
a sudden it would be much harder to start your new app company.
But the challenges don’t end there. Beyond the technical difficul-
ties, there are also all of the user experience and interface issues.
VR is a fundamentally new medium that we haven’t seen since the
first graphical user interfaces (GUIs) began to appear decades ago.
Now we need a whole new generation of Doug Englebart’s to help
us define how we interact with this new virtual interface.
A Path Forward
We will need a whole new generation of coders, designers
and thinkers to help us lay the foundation for the virtual reality
THE GREAT PLATFORM REVOLUTION
JASON GANZ
revolution. Where are they going to come from? When you need
more work done faster, there are two common paths you can
take:
1. Create more highly skilled and well trained workers.
2. Improve the toolset that you’re utilizing.
The good news is that there is tremendous progress being
made on both of these fronts. The coding boot camp and online
education revolution has successfully retrained tens of thousands
of people to become successful web and mobile developers over
the last decade. And it’s beginning to take aim at the VR market-
place. Very recently Udacity released their Virtual Reality Devel-
oper Nano degree, which promises to turn anyone into a hot shot
VR developer within a few short months.
But, we won’t just have more developers. They’ll also be using
much better tools. Think about how web development has been
sped up with the introduction of tools like Ruby on Rails, a pow-
erful web development framework allowing developers to create
sophisticated sites much more quickly. Or consider service sites
such as Squarespace which allow non-technical users to build
their own websites.
We’re already seeing close analogues to this in the VR space.
Primerose JS is a framework which will allow VR developers to
increase their output and production, while tools like those we’re
creating at Agora VR will help non-technical users create their
own VR experiences for their sales and marketing programs. In
fact, there’s a trend today toward building virtual reality experienc-
es within virtual reality, which is going to be a core feature of game
development engines like Unity and Unreal.
The challenges we face today in creating compelling VR con-
tent is very real. But so are the opportunities and the tools to en-
able us to move more quickly. Expect to see the rise of VR content
mirror that of web development over the past twenty years. There
will be standardized user interactions, design patterns, and tools
emerging to allow a newly deployed workforce of developers to
build awesome applications more quickly than anyone would have
thought possible.
Jason Ganz is the CEO of Agora VR, a company dedicated to
spreading big ideas in virtual reality. He’s a technology optimist
and startup junky who is thrilled to be living in the most excit-
ing time in human history. You can reach him @jasnonaz and
@agoraVR.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Engelbart
Creating new virtual reality experiences is expensive, labor intensive and most
problematically requires a relatively obscure skillset.
7.
8. SPECIAL EDITION
What do low to middle income urban African
American and Hispanic teens and parents
think about information technology jobs, col-
lege and future careers? IT Futures Labs, a
signature initiative of the Creating IT Futures Foundation, sought
out the answers to that question. In its research, three types of jobs
in computer technology ranked in the top ten of teens’ career inter-
ests, and teens believed that with hard work and/or innate talent,
they could be successful in IT careers. This research will help par-
ents and educators understand how to inform and motivate youth
to choose a path toward well-paying tech careers.
The surveyed teens were all B and C students in good standing
in their junior or senior year of high school. The teens overwhelm-
ingly indicated college was a high priority and that they wanted a
career they love — one that also allowed them to help their parents
financially. Three types of jobs in computer technology ranked in
the top ten of career interests. The teens believed that with hard
work and/or innate talent they could be successful in IT careers.
In terms of advice on college and careers, teens reportedly look
to parents 2-to-1 over any other source. The survey results should
help parents, schools, nonprofit STEM organizations, businesses,
and government agencies better understand how to inform and
motivate youth to choose a path toward well-paying tech careers.
BASED ON A STUDY BY THE CREATING IT FUTURES FOUNDATION:
TEEN VIEWS ON TECH CAREERS
TEENS TALK TECHNOLOGY
In 2014, the number of job listings nationally for IT jobs
stood at nearly 600,000, a number that included approximately
135,000 ads for software developer jobs1
. The unemployment
rate for computer occupations dipped to just 2.4 percent for
December 20142
. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate of youth
ages 16 to 24 is more than twice the overall national average
(14.3 percent3
compared to 6.2 percent4
as of July 2014) and
the number of adults who live in economic insecurity has risen
substantially since the Great Recession, from 37 percent to 45
percent5
. Today’s youth need jobs that lead to careers, and com-
panies need tech workers. How can more teens be steered in
the direction of well-paying and secure tech jobs for their adult
careers?
Programs that work to help youths succeed typically target
at-risk youth in danger of dropping out of high school (the low-
est achieving students), while STEM programs typically focus
on enrolling the highest achieving youth into various high-level
science, robotics and math efforts. Often left out of the equation
are the students in the middle — those whose grades may not
identify them as standouts for high-profile STEM tracks (e.g.,
engineer, physician, mathematician) but who can still achieve
success in the practical, creative and hands-on world of infor-
mation technology.
What Matters
Most to Teens?
We surveyed low to middle-income urban
African American and Hispanic teens
and found out that their goals aren’t
focused on money. They want to work in
technology to help their families, find jobs
they love and gain independence in life.
Teens clearly rely on parents the most for advice on what to do after high school,
the teen’s strengths and interests, and different types of jobs and careers.
9. SPECIAL EDITION
Subjects of the survey fell within
the following demographics:
We focused on two populations under-represented in the IT
field: African-Americans and Hispanics. Though the two ethnic
groups together represent 27 percent of the working population,
they only represent about 12 percent of the IT workforce6
.
In addition, the study centered on individuals most in need
of the opportunities offered by well-paying tech careers — that
is, students and parents from families in the lower half of annual
household income ($65,000 or less).
The survey of teens included similar numbers of boys and girls,
but parents were not targeted with a 50/50 gender mix in mind.
None of the students had ever been expelled from school, and
they all self-reported as earning mostly Bs and/or Cs.
Finally, the Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers polled youth
and parents who live in urban areas across the U.S. as these are
the places with the largest untapped talent pools as well as where
the most IT jobs are likely to be available.
Before supporting or launching programs that target this
vast middle group of teenagers (some estimates put the B and
C students as 70 percent of the student population), Creating IT
Futures wanted to know more about how the teens get their in-
formation about careers, how college fits into their career plans,
and what drives their specific job-field interests. Additionally, we
wanted to know whether parents facilitate career thinking and to
what extent teens invite parents into their decision-making pro-
cess. Finally, we wanted to discover where an IT career ranked in
the students’ list of options and why. General questions of college,
jobs, and careers were explored in both the qualitative and quan-
titative research. For the qualitative research, students and their
parents were interviewed in their homes, in person and via Skype;
for the online surveys, the parent and the student groups were
recruited separately and were therefore unlikely to be related to
one another.
What features of careers stand out as most attractive to urban
minority teens? Across the board, the teens clearly value jobs that
lead to careers, as well as jobs that afford them the opportunity
for continual learning. Making a lot of money and helping other
people also rank high, as does landing in a career field in which
finding a job is not too difficult. Although leading and inspiring oth-
ers at work ranks as important, that didn’t mean the teens felt
they needed to be in positions of authority. For example, being
the CEO, being a manager, or having authority/power over others
ranked relatively low on the desirability scale of our survey. Work-
ing in an office also landed near the bottom of desired features in
a career. The fact that many IT professionals are out in the field or
work from home could be important messages to share.
TEENS ON TECH
Often left out of the equation are
the students in the middle, those
whose grades may not identify
them as standouts for high-profile
STEM tracks — engineer, physician,
mathematician — but who can still
achieve success in the practical,
hands-on world of information
technology.
No. 1 Goal:
Having a Job I Love
Teens want a career —
not just a clock to punch
“Having a job I love” was ranked
number one by teens in terms of goals
to accomplish over the next decade.
Furthermore, it is interesting to learn
what other qualities in a career are
desirable to teens. Altruistic aspirations
such as contributing money or housing
to parents or “helping other people”
tended to rank just as high as or even
higher than, “having a lot of money,”
“owning my own home,” or “moving
into a better neighborhood.” It’s likely
that motivational messaging targeted at
urban minority teens have missed out
on this altruism angle.
10. SPECIAL EDITION
TEENS ON TECH
The survey drilled further into specific careers and career cate-
gories, giving the teens 60 careers from which to choose their top
three. Somewhat surprisingly, the computers/technology catego-
ry was at the very top of the teens’ interests, besting even such
high-profile career categories as business & retail, law, music and
sports. Furthermore, three of the top ten careers were computer-
related (software programmer, computer technician and computer
design engineer). Software programmer in particular won out over
career paths that receive much more exposure in our media and
culture, such as nurse/doctor, lawyer and architect. Clearly, urban
minority teens have a strong affinity for technology and a desire to
work directly with technology in a career. That said, what isn’t clear
is how much young people are aware of their top career interests
in terms of pathways to success and barriers they would have to
overcome to reach their goals. For example, do the respondents
really know what a civil engineer does or is there something ap-
pealing about the title or perception of what that job might entail?
The high placement of “business owner” as an interest may
be partly the result of high-profile entertainers and professional
athletes who have parlayed their original careers (and dollars) into
becoming business moguls.
What Are Some Important
Aspects of Future Careers?
The opportunity to travel, continue learning and inspire others are three of
the top things teen told us that they’re looking for in their long-term careers.
Top 10
Careers of Interest
Business Owner 18%
Software Programmer 17%
Nurse or Doctor 15%
Civil Engineer 15%
Lawyer 12%
Computer Technician 11%
Military Job 11%
Computer Design Engineer 11%
Architect 7%
Engineer 7%
11. SPECIAL EDITION
How do youth currently get to know more about a career of in-
terest? According to the teens, personal research on the Internet
is the most popular single way (43 percent), but they also acquire
career info in their high school classrooms, through career fairs,
and through television. Interestingly, nearly 80 percent of youth
report having at least one role model in their career(s) of interest
— most likely someone they know (57 percent), but potentially
also a famous person (22 percent) or a character from TV shows
or movies (11 percent). What’s not clear, though, is how accurate
or readily available that career information is.
How the teens matched their self-perceived skills to careers
is another area the survey explored. When the teens were asked
to rank the skills and subjects they thought they were good at,
appearing at the top were customer-service skills — for exam-
ple, being friendly, being creative, being a good listener, accept-
ing responsibility, and listening to others. About a third consid-
ered themselves good at math, thinking logically, working with
technology, and solving problems. Also, a quarter of the teens
considered themselves strong in computer science, while a fifth
believed themselves to be strong in science in general. This pro-
vided hope that a sizable number of urban minority students who
earn passing, but not outstanding, grades could see careers in
tech as open to them.
‘To Know IT Is to Like IT’
The information technology field is typically referred to by its
acronym, IT. This may present an awareness problem for urban
minority teens and their parents. As a matter of fact, only 21 per-
cent of teens and 30 percent of parents surveyed felt they defi-
nitely knew what IT stood for, although a majority of teens and
adults thought they “might” know or were “pretty sure” what it
meant.
Once it was explained to each group that IT stands for infor-
mation technology, a significant proportion of each group rec-
ognized people in their lives or in popular media who work in
the field. It turns out that IT benefits from a number of positive
perceptions. A lot of teens and parents viewed IT careers as pay-
ing well, offering a way to help people, while providing fun and
interesting work. A smaller number held negative attitudes of IT
careers, such as feeling that a job in IT would mean working
alone in front of a computer all day, be difficult and complicated,
be too competitive, be “just for geeks”, or be boring. When the
types of work that fall under IT were described in more detail,
there was a huge jump in enthusiasm, with 70 percent of the
teens denoting at least some interest in IT. Specific IT jobs draw-
ing the most interest were writing software (83 percent), com-
puter build-install-repair (78 percent), and technology consulting
(78 percent). Because the IT function is present in virtually all
companies in every industry, the survey asked if the possibility
of obtaining an IT job within another chosen field would make
TEENS ON TECH
Learning the Way Forward
the teen more eager to work in IT. Four out of five teens said they
would be somewhat or a lot more interested in IT if the job aligned
with another area of focus.
Some of the top draws to the IT field for those who specified
an interest were good pay, enjoyment of working with technology,
the opportunity to constantly learn new things, and a goal of us-
ing technology to help people. More than a fifth of the surveyed
teens also selected reasons such as having a career that allows
them to grow, getting to solve logic problems, and high demand
for workers in the IT field. Refreshingly, most teens and almost all
parents were unaffected by several of the popular misconceptions
surrounding IT, such as the myth that most IT jobs are being off-
shored.
The 30 percent who specified a lack of interest in the IT field
gave several reasons why. Unfortunately, most teens and more
than a third of parents mistakenly indicated that IT jobs require a
four-year degree or more; nearly all the teens and parents (again,
inaccurately) believed that being successful at an IT job necessar-
ily required doing really well in math and science courses. Lack of
knowledge about IT jobs, lack of math and science talent, and lack
of a personality fit were the top reasons given by the teens who
did not feel drawn to an IT career. Those reasons were followed
by distaste for desk jobs and the perception that IT jobs were too
boring or too difficult.
Parents seem to support teens in their efforts. Overwhelming-
ly, parents in the survey said they want their child to have a more
successful job or career than they did, to make more money than
they did, and to have the ability to do things the parents didn’t
get a chance to do. The question becomes: Do parents have
enough information and knowledge to be good career guides for
their children?
What Draws
You To Technology?
12. SPECIAL EDITION
Parents aren’t sharing their expectations for high-school grad-
uation — or kids just aren’t hearing the message. More than 25
percent of the teens said their parents would feel it was “OK” if
they dropped out of high school (especially if they got a decent job
instead), but in actuality, only 4 percent of parents thought it was
okay if their child didn’t finish high school.
In addition, parents are much more likely than teens to say
that they and their child talk “a lot” about jobs/careers and future
plans. Even if conversations about college and careers may be
happening, according to teens those conversations aren’t hap-
pening enough.
Reality Crashes Into
College Aspirations
According to Pew Research Center, just over half of low-in-
come high school graduates attend a 2 or 4 year college or uni-
versity7. The Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers revealed that
the vast majority of low to middle income high school students
desire and/or intend to do so. Nearly all report that going to col-
lege would make them feel proud, including those who would be
the first generation to attend college. Parents are somewhat more
hopeful than teens that their student will attend a 4-year institution
(74 percent of parents versus 57 percent of teens). At the same
time, more than half of parents agree that cost is a barrier to their
teen attending college. As reported by the Washington Post, of
students in the bottom quarter of income who were born in the
1980s, only 29 percent enrolled in college by age 19. Of those,
only 32 percent graduated by age 25 with a bachelor’s degree.8
Strictly speaking, college is not a requirement for an IT career,
TEENS ON TECH
FOR ALL THE IMPORTANCE THAT TEENS PLACE ON HEARING
THEIR PARENTS’ CAREER ADVICE, THERE EXIST A COUPLE OF IMPORTANT AREAS
IN WHICH PARENTS AND CHILDREN ARE CLEARLY NOT COMMUNICATING.
as the IT field is more hospitable to non-institutional learning than
some other fields. Though many companies continue to list col-
lege degrees in their employment want-ads as non-negotiables,
other hiring organizations focus entirely on acquired skills and rel-
evant experience. In fact, most youth (and a third of parents) mis-
takenly think that a college degree is a requirement for success
in the tech field. So it is no surprise that college specifically and
general post-high-school education and training rank very high
(3rd and 2nd respectively) in terms of what teens want to obtain
and accomplish over the next five to ten years.
Countering Feelings of
Discouragement
The survey of parents made it clear that they would over-
whelmingly encourage their child toward a career in IT, and vir-
tually none said they would discourage it. However, half of teens
reported being told by a parent and/ or a teacher that they are
not good at math, science, engineering, or information technolo-
gy. Despite feeling discouraged on some fronts, about a third of
the teens felt they would be naturals at IT work, and — including
those who believe they could achieve more through hard work
than innate talent — the vast majority thought they could succeed
in the field. Parents, according to the survey, feel the same way.
In fact, a large portion of teens reported being encouraged by a
parent (41 percent) or by a teacher (39 percent). Students who
knew about the IT field reported learning about IT in a number of
ways, including elective classes, regular classes, extracurricular
activities, and career-exploration programs. Some had completed
an internship that gave them some exposure to IT or had visited
at least one company or job site where they saw IT professionals
at work.
COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
According to our survey, teens clearly rely on
parents the most for advice on what to do after
high school, the teen’s strengths and interests,
and different types of jobs and careers. Teens
in the survey clocked parents as their most
significant influencers by a factor of 2-to-1
or greater compared to teachers, guidance
counselors, peers, and coaches.
WHO HAS THE
MOST INFLUENCE
WHEN IT COMES
TO CAREER AND
COLLEGE ADVICE?
?
13. SPECIAL EDITION
TEENS ON TECH
One of the concerns of STEM proponents is that not enough
schools offer the right courses. A majority of the surveyed teens
(62 percent) report access to IT or computer science classes at
school, though that figure skews well above the 10 percent of
schools that are thought to have such courses nationally.9 About
39 percent of students report taking a class where they learned
about IT (a full 30 percent specifically in either computer science
or IT), while 26 percent report being involved in an after-school ac-
tivity where they learned about IT. Of those who became involved
in IT-related courses or activities, nearly two-thirds report becom-
ing more interested in IT as a result. Though courses increase
interest, urban minority teens report greater preference for other
methods of learning about IT. Job shadowing for up to a week, on-
line career exploration, or working an internship are the students’
preferred ways of learning about the field. In addition, there are a
few extrinsic factors that could motivate young people to develop
IT skills. About half of teens — which certainly included a number
of those who expressed low interest in IT to begin with — reported
that they would be very interested in developing IT skills if they got
paid, if they were awarded course credits, or if learning IT helped
them get into college. And, almost all teens expressed at least
some interest in these options.
African-American youth were more likely than their Hispanic
counterparts to say that their parents wouldn’t mind if they didn’t
go to college, to rely on family members to talk about jobs and
careers, to have an interest in science careers, and to see IT as a
field that pays well. In addition, they were more likely to have an
interest in business and retail careers, including owning a busi-
ness.
African-American boys surveyed were more likely than other
groups to know what IT is; to value earning money; to look toward
the military after high school; to rely on teachers to help them
explore academic talents; and to cite regular classes as having
sparked their interest in IT.
Compared to the other groups, African-American girls were
more likely to cite friends and community programs outside of
school as helping them explore career interests, including IT. In
addition, this group was more likely to value being able to work
independently in their future job or career.
Hispanic teens were more likely than their African-American
counterparts to learn about jobs through TV or movies; to see IT
as fun and interesting work; and to cite visits to schools/colleges
as having sparked their interest in IT.
Of all the groups, Hispanic boys reported the highest interest
in IT careers and were more likely to say that IT classes sparked
their IT interest. This group also reported stronger than average
interest in law/military careers and highly valued being a manager
or having power and authority. More so than the other groups,
they reported that getting married and having a family is important
to them.
Hispanic girls stood out in a number of ways, including want-
ing to have a job that they love; wanting to help parents with mon-
ey or housing; reporting that their parents insist they finish high
school; and feeling that parents are less involved in giving feed-
back on their academic strengths and what colleges or programs
they should attend. Hispanic girls are as a rule less interested in
IT careers than the other groups, being more likely to cite poor
personality fit. They were more likely than the other groups to want
to learn about careers through mentors, internships, or site visits.
Looking strictly at gender, the boys were more likely than
girls to have an interest in careers that involve building and fixing
things (engineers, architects, mechanics, carpenters, and electri-
cians). Meanwhile, girls were more likely to cite the importance
of attending higher education; to express an interest in traveling
to new cities or countries; to have an interest in helping profes-
sions (nurse, doctor, teacher, childcare worker, social worker) and
in music, art, or writing. They were also more likely to learn about
specific jobs or what they might be good at through their friends
or through personal Internet research; view IT as sitting alone in
front of a computer all day; and more likely to say that they would
struggle with IT or to state that they are just not interested in com-
puters or technology.
Note that the differences between the groups were relatively
small and don’t negate the overall direction of the trends. For ex-
ample, just because the girls surveyed were more likely than the
boys to view IT as sitting alone in front of a computer all day isn’t
meant to imply that most of the girls felt this way.
What Different Subgroups Say About Careers in Technology
Are Schools Offering Enough Suppport?
Up to this point we’ve been talking about overall trends for all the groups surveyed. Diving deeper into the demographics, it’s possible
to find a few (small, but still statistically significant) differences between some of the surveyed sub-groups:
14. SPECIAL EDITION
TEENS ON TECH
Parents
Recognize and capitalize on influence. Even if parents are
already talking about college and careers with their teen, they
should not assume that messages about college and career are
getting through. Parents should work to educate themselves more
about college and career options and intentionally set aside more
time than they are doing now to discuss these topics with their
high-school-age child.
Educate yourselves about IT careers. Teens clearly look
to their parents more so than other adults to gather information
about careers. If your student indicates that a tech career is of in-
terest, educate yourself so you can point your student in the right
direction. Learn more about IT careers at CompTIA.org/Roadmap.
Disavow yourself of career myths. A four-year degree, while
potentially beneficial in the long run, is not the only way to get
started in an IT career. Neither does a student have to be a top
achiever in math and science to be successful. Many adults with
successful IT careers self-identify as one-time average students
who managed to turn their computer interest into a livelihood.
Explore the IT training options at 2-year-degree institutions, non-
profit training programs (such as IT-Ready), as well as on-the-job
training opportunities with local employers. Become familiar with
IT certifications offered by CompTIA, Cisco, Microsoft, and other
certifying bodies. Certifications assure employers that a candidate
has attained a particular skill level.
Nonprofits, Schools & Corporations
Market tech careers differently. Promoting tech as a way to
make a high salary or to attain a high position of authority may not
be the right messages to lead with. Students also want to make
an impact on their families and the greater world. Leverage their
sense of responsibility and altruism with material goals.
Develop and promote hands-on tech learning programs.
Programs that help a young person learn about IT careers and
that compensate the teen in some way could be the most promis-
ing for bringing more urban minority youth into the field. Focus on
hands-on approaches that get students learning about tech by do-
ing the work of IT. Promote programs that don’t require a college
degree to get a foothold in a career. Teens clearly like job shad-
owing and “real-world” approaches to learning about tech careers.
Help the primary influencers of teens to provide career
guidance. Our survey says it loud and clear: Parents are teens’
most trusted source for college and career guidance. Emphasize
to parents that they have permission from their teens to talk about
college and careers more often than they are already doing. Find
ways to put relevant information in the hands of parents, so they
can give informed advice.
Clarify what IT means. Information technology is attractive as
a career path — once that path is recognized. First, teens and
parents need help picturing IT in their minds. Only then can they
have a visible path to follow.
Important Takeaways
Urban minority youth are attracted
to IT careers, believe they can be
successful, and have parents who
believe they can be successful.
For organizations that want to
interest more youth in IT careers
— especially youth most in need
of opportunity — this should be
encouraging news.
IT careers rank high in attractiveness
compared to other fields.
Myths about the necessity of 4-year
degrees and proficiency in high-level
math and science still exist. Those
misconceptions need to continue to
be combatted by organizations that
promote tech careers to the average
student.
Leverage the Internet to inform about tech careers. The
top place for urban minority youth to obtain information about ca-
reers is the Web, including YouTube. More good career resources
(especially videos) need to be deployed to catch the attention of
these teens and their parents.
Emphasize that entrepreneurs often started out as tech-
nologists. Teens who indicated “business owner” as a top career
interest should be aware of the high number of technologists who
go on to start their own businesses in everything from tech service
to cybersecurity to software design and app development.
Put math and science in their proper perspective, depend-
ing on the student. A future mathematician would find AP Cal-
culus in high school indispensable, but it’s rare that a network
administrator, for example, would need high-level math to pass
a crucial certification exam. Schools should take this wide variety
of tech careers into account and not discourage a student from a
technologist career pathway just because he or she isn’t taking
the most advanced math and science courses.
1
2
3
15. SPECIAL EDITION
TEENS ON TECH
1) Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights.
2) Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Current Population Survey.
3) “Employment and Unemployment Among Youth
Summary.” Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Depart-
ment of Labor.
4) “Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population
Survey.” Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department
of Labor.
5) “Living Below the Line: Economic Insecurity and
America’s Families: 2013.” A Project of Wider Opportu-
nities for Women’s Family Economic Security Program.
On the Internet at: http://www.wowonline.org/wp-con-
tent/uploads/2013/09/Living-Below-the-Line-
Economic-Insecurity-and-Americas-Families-Fall-2013.
pdf (visited 1/5/15)
6) Swift, Mike. “Blacks, Latinos and Women Lose
Ground at Silicon Valley Tech Companies.” San Jose
Mercury News, 13 Feb 2010. On the Internet at http://
www.mercurynews.com/ci_14383730 (visited 1/8/15)
7) Desilver, Drew. “College enrollment among low-in-
come students still trails richer groups.” Pew Research
Center, 15 Jan 2014.
8) “Why poor kids don’t stay in college.” Washington
Post, 20 Oct 2014.
9) “A Push To Boost Computer Science Learning, Even
At An Early Age” NPR, February 17, 2014. On the
Internet at http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2
014/02/17/271151462/a-push-to-boost-
computer-sciencelearning-even-at-an-early-age.
Raw Data on Teen Responses
http://www.creatingitfutures.org/docs/default-sour-
cePDFs/citff-survey-of-teens---2014-03-13.pdf?s-
fvrsn=2
Raw Data on How California Teens
Answered the Survey Questions:
http://www.creatingitfutures.org/docs/default-sour-
cepdfs/citffsurveyofteenscaliforniabreakouts.pdf?s-
fvrsn=2
Raw Data on How Parents of Teens
Answered the Survey Questions:
http://www.creatingitfutures.org/docs/default-sour-
cePDFs/citff-survey-of-parents---2014-03-14.pdf?
sfvrsn=2
Additional Graphs from the
Study on Teen Views
on Tech Careers:
http://www.creatingitfutures.org/docs/default-source/
pdfs/teentechcareerpptextradata.pdf?sfvrsn=2
Endnotes
16. SPECIAL EDITION
The way we in which we interact today has changed
dramatically in the last decade. Today, most social
interactions are done online rather than in person.
But what will our social connections and experiences
look like during the next ten years?
I believe that Virtual Reality (VR) will provide many more so-
cial opportunities than exist today. A head mounted display (HMD)
and headphones will open up your senses to whole new worlds.
Within seconds of seeing and hearing your virtual world you no
longer know which direction the real world is facing. Where is my
computer desk that was just in front of me? Where is the sofa I
was just sitting on? You have been completely transported to your
new virtual world.
Whatever that new world is, be it an underwater adventure in
The Blu, a wave shooter game like Space Pirate Trainer, or creat-
ing new art in Google’s Tilt Brush, most virtual reality experiences
to date have been independent, on your own experiences. But hu-
mans are social creatures. And the real power in VR is understood
when a social element is added. That’s why we created Sports-
BarVR. But more on that later.
In the non-virtual or real world on a Friday night when I want to
change my reality and not stay at home by myself all night, I might
choose to walk down to the neighborhood bar and play pool and
have a conversation over a drink or two. Maybe I invite a friend to
come with me, or maybe I just meet new people. Your local bar is
not an empty space. It’s an establishment that offers experiences.
Maybe it’s billiards. Maybe its darts. Maybe it’s as simple as the
opportunity to meet others while having a drink.
A month ago, I flew home from Seattle and arrived just after
midnight. It had been a long week of development and I just want-
ed to relax before going to bed. I would not have gone to a bar at
that hour, and did not want to stay up too much longer. What I did
do was jumped into our new application SportBarVR and selected
a multiplayer match. Within seconds I was playing pool against
another person.
Over the course of the next twenty minutes, as we played a
couple games of eight-ball, I got to know him. He was a police
officer from Florida who had just finished his shift (it was 4 a.m. his
time), and we were sharing some time together, getting to know
each other, while trying to hit some balls into their corner pockets.
Quite an experience. We’ve recently added the ability to have up
to six people in your bar, so it can be even more social.
But maybe the pool game and bar scene is not your cup of tea.
What about virtual tourism where you can visit a country you’ve
never been to? Interesting by yourself. But what if you could go
VIRTUAL REALITY IS
THE NEXT SOCIAL PLATFORM
travelling with a friend? How about sharing a virtual concert or a
virtual sporting event with a friend who lives across the country?
Who’s going to be making all of these experiences that we haven’t
even dreamed of yet? Will it be Google’s DayDream team? Will it
be Facebook’s Oculus team? Or will it be a band of small startups
we’ve never heard of? Either way, it’s going to take a lot of techni-
cal minds to come up with these new worlds.
About 20 years ago I was working in the visual effects indus-
try in Hollywood developing photorealistic virtual worlds for films
like Titanic and The Matrix. It was a very specialized field and
we needed top talent to invent the future technology. We had the
fastest computers in the world and the brightest minds, but we
needed more minds to solve the problems more quickly.
Computers can’t invent the future, only people programming
and using them can. At that time, Dr. John Lombardi, then Presi-
dent of the University of Florida and I discussed this need. He and
I worked together to start the Digital Arts and Sciences program,
and the Digital Worlds Institute at the University of Florida to help
train the minds that are needed to create these new virtual worlds.
Now that VR is finally here for the masses, there are endless
possibilities that lie ahead. But we’re going to need many new
creative and technical minds to join us and make it happen.
Richard Kidd is the CEO of Perilous Orbit. Having pioneered
many new digital technologies such as motion capture, computer
generated people, cyber scanning, digital water and virtual sets,
Richard has built a career toward developing solutions to previ-
ously unsolved problems in the digital entertainment industry.
1) http://digitalworlds.ufl.edu
RICHARD KIDD
17.
18. SPECIAL EDITION
As we march into the tail end of 2016, “The Year of
VR”, let’s take some stock in what has happened
this year, look ahead at how the market will devel-
op, and then drill down to see what this means for
employment and business prospects within the sector. The dawn
of consumer VR happened this year, with three major premium
headsets launched and we are now talking about millions of pre-
mium VR customers for the first time.
Oculus Rift and HTC Vive
In the middle of summer 2016 we had two major VR headset
releases. At CES in January, Oculus Rift announced pre-orders for
their headset that would include an XBOX 360 controller and basic
positional tracking up to nine feet with a single camera. Around the
time the Oculus Rift should have shipped, HTC Vive announced
that their headset was shipping. The race was now on. Part short-
ages and manufacturing delays from Oculus put some customers
almost two months past their shipping window to receive their Rifts.
Oculus was kind enough to refund the shipping costs to those who
had to wait, but public sentiment suffered. What arrived by early
summer was a lightweight high definition VR headset with built-in
speakers, and a modest selection of games, including two exclu-
sives for pre-order customers (Eve Online & Lucky’s Tale).
HTC Vive picked up the slack in the Oculus chain and had
plenty of Vives to deliver in less than three weeks from the time
of ordering. Unlike Oculus, the Vive came with robust positional
tracking in the form of Lighthouse, complete with a “chaperone”
system to keep players from running into walls. This enabled im-
pressive walk around VR experiences which were hard to match
on the Oculus. Also, HTC Vive came with two positional tracked
six DOF (Degrees of Freedom) controllers at launch. Something
Oculus has promised, but has yet to deliver. We also had some
nice exclusives from HTC Vive available with pre-orders as well
(Fantastic Contraption, Tiltbrush, and Job Simulator).
Sony Enters VR
The Playstation VR launched in the US in October to largely
positive results. It has the advantage of being a much cheaper
solution that the premium HTC Vive or Oculus Rift headsets. An
install base of over forty million Playstation 4 owners, and min-
imally required additional $400-$500 investment to experience
a very robust VR experience. Furthermore, Sony brought the
games. The Sony library of complete game experiences has ri-
valed both HTC Vive and Oculus right out of the gate. It’s still very
early in this product’s release, but it looks promising, and while
not the premium PC VR experience, it is a major step up from the
mobile headsets and accessible to a very large market.
VR Development
Both Unity and Unreal game engines tried their hands at cre-
ating a development environment in VR. Between these two, the
Unreal toolkit is a little further along, but both need a lot of design
and improvement, and neither of these seem like it has surpassed
VR 2016 AND JOBS OF THE FUTURE
the productivity of a traditional development environment. None-
theless, they both hold promise for the time being when we will
prefer to develop with the headsets on.
The Opportunities
Hollywood: Directors like Steven Spielberg (Ready Player
One) and Jon Favreau (Gnomes and Goblins) are dipping their
toes into full VR movie experiences and validating the medium.
Hollywood is taking this very seriously. They recognize it as a new
platform, one which evolves their current storytelling, venturing off
into new areas in which the rules are not yet defined, and one rich
with new experiences to be explored.
Construction: Architects, city planners, and anyone building
anything can benefit from VR visualization of their proposed devel-
opments. Stakeholders can walk around imagined spaces along-
side their architects and builders to experience large developments
long before the first shovel has hit the dirt. Allowing for very realistic
presence in those environments and a real sense of what the fi-
nal product will be, it’s a far cry from the conceptual drawings and
physical models that have been the mainstay in this sector.
Real Estate: Visualization of existing spaces, like homes
and commercial spaces are greatly serviced by VR. High reso-
lution 360 photography as well as video allows for buyers to walk
around homes that may be thousands of miles away, trying before
they’re buying. This is really taking off and we will see this evolve
into “the” method for home buying over the next few years.
Health: The health field has several areas that will benefit from
VR in the near term: Diagnostic, Pain Management and Fear Man-
agement. In health, a good distraction might be more effective than
a sedative or painkiller. VR has been used to help with chemother-
apy sessions and skin stretching for burn victims, proving as or
more effective than painkiller counterparts. For fear management,
the simulation and presence capability of VR allows for very real
human reactions to virtual situations allowing people to approach
their fears in a safe and controlled environment. This year we saw
live streamed medical procedures in VR, and VR also being used
to train surgeons with interactive elements. The health benefits of
VR are just starting to be tapped, and the future here is very bright.
We are into our first year of VR, and there have been many
stumbles, but those have been outshined by the successes, and
ultimately the fervor of what is to come. We know that there will
be better headsets and better experiences in the not too distant
future, and anyone who has tried some of the premium offerings
in VR already has a good sense of where we’re headed. So strap
in, because it’s going to be a very fun ride.
Chris Wren comes from a background in AAA game develop-
ment, working as an artist and producer for 12+ years at com-
panies like EA/Maxis, Namco and Microprose. He’s worked on
Falcon 4.0, the Sims franchise and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos.
CHRIS WREN
20. • Busts myths about tech careers
• Details the job market and the more
than half a million available jobs
• Illustrates how technology lets kids
think, try, fail and succeed
• Explains educational pathways and
the importance of mentorship
• Points out areas of opportunity,
including where to find jobs
• Outlines opportunities for every teen
The T in STEM