Preparing for the Future

Abstract

Increasingly rapid obsolescence is a byproduct of the information explosion. Soon information will double every 12 hours. This should be taken in the context that doubling took place once each century until the 20th century when it occurred within 25 years. This spells danger to the social structure. A way around this dilemma is to learn to stay ahead of obsolescence. One route is through continuous training and reeducation, which includes both formal and informal methods. Neuroplasticity means that one can rewire the brain throughout an increasingly longer life, which points the way toward a method for staying ahead of obsolescence. Knowing how to learn through self-directed learning becomes ever more important, which implies developing metacognition for learning and applying the newly learned material to the new occupation.