We’re living through a time of amazing technological change. So amazing in fact, that it’s been called a revolution – the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or 4IR, to be exact. It’s a revolution that is already changing everything from the way we work, the way we create and consume entertainment, to our concepts of privacy, medical practice, functional technologies for the disabled, grocery buying and perhaps, most importantly, the way we teach and learn.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which includes amazing technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and data and information. Remote surgery, smart homes, 3-D printing, nanomaterials, energy management and supply, drone capacities – all of this and much more, is the 4IR stuff of which our future is being crafted. So, when you think of your future,you will need to ask these questions:
- Where do my long-term interests really lie?
- Why will my career be relevant as technology develops?
- What kind of environment will I be working in?
- How can I help shape the world in which I would like to be working and living?
This new era heralds a new world, because 4IR tools and technologies are changing the way we do everything. Whole industries and services are morphing into new ones, some are being discarded, and completely new jobs and careers are being developed. These include manufacturing, education, healthcare, mobility, 3D printing, financial services, and media and entertainment. And you have the choice. So, when you think of your future, you will need to ask these questions:
- Where will the new jobs be?
- Why may current ones no longer be relevant?
- What kind of industries will disappear?
- How do I choose to embrace the changing world?
You can advance your ability, because if you choose to study at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), you’ll be in the learning environment of a 4IR leader in Africa. With our courses and hi-tech teaching tools you can discover 4IR thinking, the creative use of new ideas, 4IR critical and analytical processes, AI adaptation and adoption, 4IR planning collaboration, teamwork, and inter-disciplinary approaches. So, when you think of your future, you will need to ask these questions:
- Where will 4IR advances provide the best tools for my studies?
- Why are technological skills so important?
- What kind of thinking do I need to learn?
- How will 4IR improve my career prospects and opportunities?
To make it the way you want it
First, though, you need to understand what it’s all about – the advantages and the potential pitfalls. And with that understanding, at UJ you’ll be able to apply your 4IR knowledge, widen your opportunities, express your ethics, make a real contribution to society, and help shape the future you want. So, when you think of your future, you will need to ask these questions:
- Where can I best acquire the skills and thinking I need?
- Why will the balanced application of my knowledge be so important?
- What can I do to help shape the future?
- How can I contribute to society with what I know?
4IR is taking us into a new future, unimagined until just a few short years ago. And if you want to have a say in what that future is going to look like, and to ensure that your voice and your views are based in confidence and knowledge, then the place to start is with the imagination.
That’s why, at UJ, as a 4IR thought leader in Africa, we say that an education with us is the best way to get all the confidence and knowledge you need. And that’s because at UJ we haven’t just looked at the future, we think about it again and again, because we believe that the future belongs to those who reimagine it. Imagine that.
