Moore's Law
A student asked me: “Why do we need to have a lifelong learning attitude? Why do we have to continue to study when we already graduated, had degree, knowledge and skills to get job?
Answer: Today probably every student knows about Moore’s law: “The densities or number of transistors on the chip will double every eighteen months.” This law has had significant effects on technology as every five years the computer we buy will be 10 times faster than the previous one. But this law are even more important if we look at the knowledge as it also changes or double every few years or so.
Forty years ago, personal computer did not exist and mainframe computer was as big as a room and weight several tons. Thirty years ago, lap top did not exist and personal computer was placed on top of a desk with a monitor looked like a television. Twenty years ago, smartphone did not exist and laptop was put on a bag to carry with you wherever you go. Five years ago, wearable computer did not exist and smartphone was something that can be put in your pocket. Today, people wear computer in their wrist like a watch or in their head like an eyeglasses and soon computer will be built into clothing as part of a new fabric. You do not carry a computer anymore but “wear it”.
Forty years ago, business companies hired software scientists to work on their mainframe computers. Thirty years ago, business companies hired programmers to build software for them. Twenty years ago, companies purchased software from software companies such as Microsoft, Oracles, SAP and hire software developers to modify and integrate these software applications for them. Ten years ago, companies hire software engineers to handled issues of computer security, wireless applications, application integration, and many applications that were nonexistent 10 years ago. Five years ago, companies began to shift most information systems to cloud computing providers and hired information system management to handled everything as software has becoming a “service” instead of a product. (Of course, software companies are still hiring programmers, developers, hardware engineers, project managers etc.).
If you look carefully at these changes, you will notice significant changes that have taken place over time. Computers went from mainframes to mini computers to personal computers to laptop computers, to smart phones and eventually to wearable computers. Telecommunications and information technology have merged and integrated into new type of computer or smartphones. Computer security has become more important, as well as user interfaces, software integration, and specific applications such as mobile apps, tablets apps. In the 1960s, a computer scientist would need several months to write a simple program. In the 1970s, a programmer would write the same program in a week. With advanced programming languages, today a developer can write the same program with few lines of Java code.
Every change in technology creates a significant shift in the requirements for technology workers. The pace of change is increasing with time so technology students must continue to learn new things, develop new skills, and shift from technology to technology. However, with every shift there are a number of people who no longer fit, as they could not learn new thing or new skills and therefore cannot find work. They were successful in the past, they had skills in the past BUT they did not anticipate that change is coming or technology is changing. They failed because they stop learning and they were eliminated in this fast changing world.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
