Building Financial Sustainability for Near-Term Literacy and Long-Term Career Target Outcomes

Abstract

At a TEDxReset conference, futurist Tom Frey predicted that over two billion jobs will disappear by 2030, about the same time that many of Philadelphia’s current fourth- graders will be just starting out in their post-collegiate careers. Such bold assertions were supported by examples of self-driving cars, already a technical reality, that could displace large numbers of employees including taxi, bus, limousine, and delivery drivers. Other examples included manufacturing and retail jobs, which could incur substantial hits if 3-D printing enables consumers to make many products at home, without the need to purchase them from stores. And finally, given an MIT Technology Review journal article that pointed to some research that suggested that nearly half of U.S. jobs are vulnerable to computerization, concerned citizens are rightfully striving to determine which core competencies are valuable not only for fourth-graders but also for the larger community and their sustainable careers.