The writer is the author of ‘Uncharted: How to Navigate the Future’
I’m currently employing a young man, a recent graduate with a degree in cyber security. But he’s not keeping my network safe from hackers. He’s splitting logs, because the hours he is spending alone online, searching for his first job, are leaving him isolated and depressed. His mother was almost in tears worrying about him. My view was that one small help might be some work that gets him out of the house and gives him a bit of fresh air, exercise and cash.
It’s a poor solution to a desperate problem. He is one of tens of thousands of young people, often derided by older generations as snowflakes or slackers. But he is none of these things. He turns up on time and does excellent work. If I were still running software companies, I’d give him a try. At least an interview. Except that that isn’t how the job market works these days. Instead, the world’s bedrooms are full of lonely young people wading through websites that promise their efficient algorithmic filtering will take them straight to the dream job. In fact they do no such thing.