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Jobs have been on my mind lately. I’ve been looking through job descriptions as part of my work on the APF Professionalization Task Force. There are indeed some “pure” futurist jobs out there — pure in the sense of asking for a futurist either by name or by where it is being distributed. But it’s a small number, maybe dozens each year? There are clearly are more jobs out there in which futurists are doing foresight-related work that are not being captured in job descriptions or explicitly asking for futurists. We typically call these “futurizer” roles, in which someone inside an organization applies or blends their foresight work along with other work and expertise, e.g., a marketer or policy analyst who uses foresight approaches and tools. And there are a small number of entrepreneurs creating their own organizations or movements applying foresight to their building the future – thinking of alum Sean Daken and his Refactor U. All told, still probably pretty small numbers. Yet a search of Linked in profiles turns up over 6,000 hits on futurists and a Google search returns over 9 million. There seems to be a disconnect here!
These swirling thoughts inspired me to go back and review the Alumni Survey that then grad student and now alum Fatema Tuz Zohra conducted last Spring. (Let me again publicly thank those alums who participated – I frequently go back and look at that when I’m in strategizing and planning mode). One time she asked alums was their thoughts on how to talk about jobs and foresight. I’d mentioned that jobs are typically the #1 concern on the mind of prospects as they chat with me about potentially enrolling in the program.
The range of advice included that Houston program playing a role in helping to build the job market….establishing relationships with potential employers, such as internships and research projects. I took that to heart and have spent a fair bit of time working on that over the last year.
I am also sympathetic to another thread of advice from the opposite end of the spectrum. The gist of that is to steer the conversation away from providing jobs. Instead, emphasize the value of the knowledge, skills, and tools that one gains, and encourage and work with students on creative ways to best apply that, whether as futurists, futurizers, entrepreneurs, or well, just more thoughtful human beings. This advice lines up with one of the most interesting implications of our Student Needs 2025+ research project: higher education might be better served by moving away from the “degree=jobs” positioning that is increasingly popular these days.
I think it’s both (jobs and entrepreneurial), but as I start thinking about next year’s initiatives or area to emphasize, I think it’s something in this more entrepreneurial space. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Andy Hines
Hi Andy. A very interesting and worthwhile discussion. For myself, I certainly draw upon futurist skills in day to day practice, though have rarely had a role that is titled with this remit. Very often the value that organisations see in my work, is actually a result of me blending foresight techniques with both Corporate Strategy and Digital Strategy. People recognise there’s a difference in the approach, though it might not actually be titled as ‘foresight’. This style of work is more like a ‘toolkit’ approach, where I draw upon foresight experience and practice to lift the work usually done as part of strategy. Thanks for raising this as a discussion.
Hi Andy. Reading your article I see parallels between the plight of the futurist and the liberal arts major in seeking gainful employment, especially in a job market so demanding of graduates with S.T.E.M. skills. There might be some lessons to take away from how universities market their liberal arts majors.