Talking to a group of University students about their future
This is the post of gratitude as I was immensely privileged to be invited to University of Kent yesterday to talk to a group of undergraduates about out research, about their futures and how they see the world today.
We had mostly young undergraduates, one mature student, one entrepreneur and at least other aspiring ones and people juggling part-time work with a degree. It was a really interactive session with everyone contributing, even the quieter members of the group and we all learned a lot.
I shared the findings from our research paper (of which we have a new updated version on our website) and I shared some of my own advice about work and life, learned from my own mistakes and some choices which felt right at the time but may not have led me in a good direction.
A thing that struck me was how optimistic everyone was about their future, far more than I'd expected, slightly less optimistic when asking about the future of humanity but still far more positive overall.
They are smart enough not to waste energy worrying about things they have no control over but also smart enough to make decisions about their own study and career choices that will set them up for the future.
AI of course was part of the discussion. Even though the university forbids the use of it in written work, the students agreed that it is realistic for graduate employers to expect AI literacy. AI usage amongst the group ranged from virtually zero, in those that simply did not perceive any value from it in their life as a student to those that used it daily. Concerns over the high energy and water footprint emerged.
The other thing that validated our research was purpose and values-led leadership - we talked a lot about this and the group were unanimous that purpose is more important than the pay cheque, one of the most seismic shifts from my day, and something that gives me genuine hope for the future.
If we can get these young people into leadership roles early, and couple that with the courage, imagination and self-belief that they can change systems, we will be on to something.