DOWNERS GROVE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Globally renowned futurist Daniel Burrus has published his widely revered annual technology trends list for 30 years. This year, Burrus has teamed up with DeVry University to introduce a new list that goes beyond “predictions” to spotlight Certainties™ based on a scientific method aimed at providing various sectors with a clearer outlook of their respective futures. At a time when unemployment remains high and America is facing an employment skills gap – which could leave 20 million jobs without enough qualified people to fill them by 20251 – Burrus and DeVry University urge employers, employees and educators alike to give serious consideration to these career-transforming Certainties.
Based on his most recent New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling book, “Flash Foresight,” Burrus’ new list of Certainties uses his scientific method of separating Hard Trends (trends that will happen) from Soft Trends (trends that might happen). This breakthrough method of forecasting is now being used by a growing number of Burrus’ Fortune 500 clients, including IBM, Pratt & Whitney and Deloitte. During the past five years, Burrus has collected Certainties from thousands of senior executives to provide a clear picture of the direction industries are heading.
“Certainties are more accurate and powerful than what most of us refer to as trends,” Burrus said. “When you combine the science of cycles with the new science of predictable linear change, you can see the hard trends that will shape the future. That direction – those certainties – are absolutely the most valuable roadmaps we have to capitalizing on the future.”
How the “Power of Certainty” Impacts Careers
In light of the current economic and workforce challenges facing the United States, Burrus has teamed with DeVry University, a leading provider of career-oriented associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, to issue his inaugural Certainties list. Together, they provide insight and direction toward evolving the American labor pool to meet the anticipated demands of the 21st century.
“The goal is to give people a roadmap regarding how technology will transform the career landscape so they are not caught in disappearing careers but, rather, prepared for the predictable changes in their current careers, as well as being positioned for emerging careers with real, long-term demand,” Burrus said. “Whether it’s the certainties surrounding a technological phenomenon such as ‘The Cloud’ or the healthcare certainties we face with an aging population, certain future manifestations are simply unavoidable.”
Burrus’ Certainties spotlights 12 technologies that will change our world and transform present and future careers, including:
- Certainties such as the “Gamification of Education” (use of interactive gaming systems) being delivered via “Mobile Hardware, Software and Services” (on a tablet or smartphone) to personalize and accelerate the teaching of students and training of employees will impact every existing career field, as well as create new ones.
- Certainties such as the rapid adoption of “Cloud Services and Virtualization,” “3D Printing,” and the growing use of “Big Data and Real-Time Analytics,” will change how doctors and nurses transform healthcare, and transform how a service technician will fix your home heating and air-conditioning unit.
- Certainties such as “3D Web” and “Remote Visual Communications” will rapidly change what people can do on a web page and how customer service and sales reps interface with customers.
A Forward-looking, Career-oriented Education
“For more than 80 years, DeVry University has been a forward-looking provider of educational programs that prepare our graduates for success in current and emerging careers,” said David J. Pauldine, president of DeVry University. “DeVry’s joining forces with Daniel Burrus should give our students even further confidence in our commitment to effectively aligning their academic experience with the most likely future demands of the industries in which they seek successful careers.”
DeVry University was founded in 1931 by motion picture technology innovator Dr. Herman DeVry, whose 1912 “Theater in a Suitcase” silent movie projector was deemed by the Smithsonian Museum of American History to be, “…the most advanced education enabling technology of its time.” The innovation enabled moving images, whether of foreign societies in motion or step-by-step instructions for complex tasks, to be distributed for the first time to audiences regardless of their location. By the latter part of the 20th century, DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Management had evolved into a leader in providing high-quality, career-oriented education integrating technology, business, science and the arts.
Similar to the methodology Daniel Burrus uses to develop his Certainties, DeVry University maintains two-way relationships with leading organizations such as IBM and Cisco to develop degree programs that offer real-world knowledge.
View Daniel Burrus’ full list of career-transforming Certainties at www.devry.edu/certainties.
About Daniel Burrus
Daniel Burrus is considered one of the World’s Leading Futurists on Global Trends and Innovation. He is a strategic advisor to executives from Fortune 500 companies, helping them to develop game-changing strategies based on his proven methodologies for identifying Hard Trends and Soft Trends and using them to drive innovation and growth. His client list includes companies such as Microsoft, GE, American Express, Google, Toshiba, Procter & Gamble, Honda, and IBM.
He is the author of six books, including The New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller “Flash Foresight: How To See The Invisible and Do The Impossible.” He is also a featured writer on the topics of innovation, change and the future for CNBC, Huffington Post, and Wired Magazine to name a few. He has been the featured subject of several PBS television specials and has appeared on programs such as CNN, Fox Business, and Bloomberg, and is quoted in a variety of publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Fortune, and Forbes.
He has founded six businesses, three of which were national leaders in the United States in the first year. He is the CEO of Burrus Research, a research and consulting firm that monitors global advancements in technology driven trends to help clients profit from technological, social and business forces that are converging to create enormous, untapped opportunities. His accurate predictions date back to the early 1980s where he became the first and only futurist to accurately identify the 20 technologies that would become the driving force of business and economic change for decades to come. Since then, he has continued to establish a worldwide reputation for his exceptional record of predicting the future of technology driven change and its direct impact on the business world.
About DeVry University
Founded in 1931, DeVry University is one of the largest, private sector universities in North America, with more than 70,000 students enrolled in the United States and Canada. The university’s mission is to foster student learning through high-quality, career-oriented education integrating technology, business, science and the arts. With more than 90 locations, DeVry University delivers practitioner-oriented undergraduate and graduate degree programs onsite and online that meet the needs of a diverse and geographically dispersed student population. Home to five colleges of study, including Business & Management, Engineering & Information Sciences, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Media Arts & Technology, DeVry University’s outstanding faculty members work in the fields that they teach, providing students with real-world experiences that prepare them for high-growth careers.
DeVry University is institutionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, www.ncahlc.org. DeVry University, a part of DeVry Inc. (NYSE: DV), is based in Downers Grove, Ill. For more information about DeVry University, find us on Twitter @DeVryUniv, Facebook/DEVRYUNIVERSITY or visit newsroom.devry.edu.
1Rose, A. P. (2011, June 26). The Undereducated American. Retrieved September 4, 2012, from Georgetown University: Center on Education and the Workforce: http://cew.georgetown.edu/undereducated/