Chad M. Barrett

Yesterday I continued reading A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink. The author’s premise is that the world is moving from the Information Age, where left-brained analytical thinkers are coveted, to the Conceptual Age, where right-brained conceptual thinkers will be coveted. Throughout the book the author draws from his understandings of "briskly efficient high tech companies" in order to illustrate differences between the Information Age and the Conceptual Age. Yesterday, as I read, I couldn't help noticing that his contrasts resonated with me. Until yesterday I hadn’t thought to stop and think about why this is so.

I have a career that will change as we move from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. I see my career as one that will flourish in the Conceptual Age. However, after thinking about this yesterday, I have begun to believe that the author’s illustrations may not resonate with everyone. Not everyone has a career that was born out of the Information Age. Not everyone has a career that will change as the world changes. Some people have careers that one could say are "age independent," like a doctor.  Others may have a career that is "not of this age," like a farmer. I wonder if someone with an age independent or not of this age career were to pick up this book whether the author’s premise would so easily resonate.

If you have read A Whole New Mind and have some insight, please leave a comment.

Reference

Pink, D. (2006). A whole new mind: moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. New York, NY: The Penguin Group.