This article talks about the need for a new emerging identity: the global citizen. It does not say we need to throw away our unique cultures or ethnicities- it means we begin to adopt a belief in a common, shared identity as citizens of the global community. When we act out of this mindset, we have compassion for injustice around the world and we care about environmental protection. Because we have become more and more connected via technology, it is now more possible for us to be involved and to care about what's going on in our world.

The article writes, "Our ways of thinking and being are still colored by the trapping of old allegiances and ways of seeing things that no longer are as valid as they used to be. Nonetheless, there is a longing to pull back the veil that keeps us from more clearly seeing the world as a whole, and finding more sustainable ways of connecting with those who share our common humanity."

The Conference Board website states that in the next 15 years, the jobs that will be most difficult to fill will be: healthcare occupations (occupational therapists, nurse practitioners, dental hygienists, podiatrists, optometrists, etc), skilled labor occupations (construction and building inspectors, water and wastewater treatment plant operators), and of course, STEM occupations, those careers devoted to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

This article is a small affirmation of Gratton's "shift" in society. The millenials of today are beginning to see the benefits of making their own choices to not follow the traditions of past generations. They are making the shift to consider their economic footprint, and they are making trade-offs to save money and live lives of higher connectivity to the communities in which they live. And as that shift happens, the demand for cars and manufacturing jobs begins to decline rapidly.

This article identifies the different risks associated with foreign investing, the different markets available (frontier, emerging, developed), and the steps one should take when investing overseas.

Richard Paul's article is about the increasing need, in this intertwined, globalized world for us to foster critical thinking in our children. As we have already learned from both 'The World is Flat' and 'The Shift', in this flattened world, simply obtaining basic skills or knowing the answers to certain questions will not be enough. Paul argues that our current K-12 school system is not breeding creative students, and is not giving students a chance in the ever-changing work landscape. He maintains that in order to keep up with globalization, we need to be fostering in our children the ability to problem solve creatively, to anticipate patterns and meanings, to think abstractly, to ask 'why', and to be able to communicate, collaborate, and negotiate with others.

This article by Charles Fishman echoes more of what Friedman calls 'Multiple Identity Disorder' in a flattening world. We as individuals are trying to sort out "the tensions among our identities as consumers, employees, citizens, taxpayers, and shareholders." This article pulls the covers off of Wal-Mart, revealing some of the business partnerships they have had with companies like Vlasic, Lovable, Levi Strauss, and MasterLock- and how those companies have lost huge profits, and in the case of Vlasic, gone bankrupt because of their partnership with Wal-Mart. But, says Fishman, for suppliers, "the only thing worse than doing business with Wal-Mart may be not doing business with Wal-Mart". In a flattened world where one company has so much power, suppliers have few options if they want to stay afloat. Wal-Mart is taking its business to foreign companies at an accelerated rate. And as consumers with lower incomes due to the off-shoring of jobs, we also feel that we have little choice: we have to buy the cheapest brand. Seems that the Flattened world has also flattened individual choice.

This article takes a very positive stance on Canada's current offshoring climate. Currently 50% of Canadian companies surveyed are outsourcing at least 10% of their work, creating an industry worth between $2.5 and $3 billion in Canada. But, according to the article, Canadian companies are offshoring not only because of cost efficiency and good productivity, but out of necessity. Apparently there are just not enough Canadians willing or able to fill all of the jobs that IT companies are offering. I have a hard time believing what this article says is true, since it is coming from the vice President of i-Gate Canada himself (one of the most successful outsourcing companies in Canada). I would like to see more research to support his words.

This is an article written by the CBC (April 2013) reporting the common practice of outsourcing jobs to foreign workers by Canadian banks. It points the finger particularly at RBC and its close relationship to iGate, a foreign IT company, which receives 11% of its revenue from RBC. Canadian Bank outsourcing is kept very private, therefore it is difficult to identify how many Canadian jobs have actually been lost. In 2012, at least 45 Canadian jobs at RBC were lost, and at CIBC, at least 41. This has resulted in fewer full-time positions and the banks have offered very little support for lay-offs.

One of the things we will need to be helping our clients to consider as Career Counsellors is whether attending University and paying tuition will yield a good Return on Investment given the projected earnings of potential careers. This article emphasizes the harsh reality that tuition fees are often too heavy for both low and middle income families and therefore may not always be the best investment, given the time it takes to pay back loans. But, one point that is very interesting: "For an annual average of $170 a family, undergraduate university tuition fees could be eliminated altogether."

The Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Region has created this document to point out population changes, including changes in the working age population, migration changes, and employment changes for each sector in the last year. According to the document, Real Estate, Crop Production and Animal Production are the top 3 growing industries in the Waterloo Region, while Specialty Trade Contractors, Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, and Management of Companies and Enterprises are the 3 most declining sectors. The 2014 report has not yet been released.

While the unemployment rate may 'only' be at 7%, a more informed look at the statistics would reveal real Canadian struggle. 7% may seem low, but this stat does not include 'discouraged workers' in Canada (those who have given up on finding work and are no longer looking). And while the employment rate may appear to be at an all-time high, look closer and you find that most of those workers do NOT have full-time work, and the stats have climbed only because of the increase of women in paid roles in the last decades.

This is a short, incredibly interesting and simple video about a different way to measure the "wealth" of a country. The idea was considered and put in place by the 4th Dragon King of Bhutan, who believed there was more than one way to measure a country's wealth than just its economic development. He believed the country should also be measured by its emotional and spiritual well-being: taking into account the people's community involvement, access to health care and education, and its celebration of religion or culture. While the concept has been subject to a lot of criticism (how do you actually quantify all of these factors?), it definitely gives us something to consider and echoes Stanford's assertion that GDP is not an adequate measure of human well-being. For more information, check out grossnationalhappiness.com.

Lynda Gratton comments about the future work world of Generation Y- they are a generation that has respect for diversity and human differences, and have grown up educating themselves on climate change and sustainability. This article can build on Gratton's description of Gen Y, as it describes the results of a survey of the attitudes of 546 millenials towards work in their future. The survey results do indeed show that millenials are interested in a work life that supports sustainability and social responsibility, but it adds the differences between male and female Gen Y'ers. The studies find that females are significantly more interested in environmental protection and social responsibility than are most males (more typically interested in profit maximization). While I believe this article may be fairly controversial and polarizing, it's interesting to further study the attitudes of what is my own generation.

When I was reading The Shift this week, I found my comprehension of Grafton's technological projections somewhat limited because I don't have a very vast knowledge of current technology. Particularly, she mentioned The Cloud often in the text, and its ability to make technology and software much more accessible and affordable for people across the globe. I needed a simple breakdown of what The Cloud really is, so what better place to go then HowStuffWorks? This article breaks down The Cloud as a "web-based service which hosts all the programs the user would need for her or his job" and highlighted its key aspects in a way that I could fully understand. I like how it also brings up the Dark Side of cloud computing- the inevitability that it will eliminate the need for many IT jobs (a concern that Grafton has also highlighted for the future), and then the issue of privacy (Grafton mentions mistrust of leadership as prevalent in the future). Since dark projections are the topic of the week, its worth thinking about the implications of posting all of our personal information online... Can we trust our governments and multi-nationals with that kind of information?

While this is a brochure put together by the Manitoba government, I believe it is still relevant to this week's discussions. It is a simple breakdown of how the workforce is changing, why jobs in sustainability are important, and what jobs, from all skill levels, can contribute to a growing and sustainable economy. I like that it breaks down the different types of sectors: green energy, manufacturing, green building and transportation, agriculture and natural resource management, green hospitality, community engagement, and economic development... You begin to see that there are sustainable jobs out there for anyone of any skill level.