PBS NewsHour has been running an excellent series this week titled the Future of Work. These should be mandatory in high schools across America to help students grasp the changing world of work that they will be stepping into after high school, college or graduate school. For each of these 7-8 minute videos, we developed a set of questions to spark the conversation.

• Why is the need for improved medical care so dire in Pike County?
• What role has education played in transitioning the economy away from natural resources? 
• What necessitated Pikeville to switch their economic development plan to focus more on healthcare?
• What are the risks for Pikeville given their dependence on medical services for their economic growth?

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• Which type of work is most likely to be automated in the coming years? For example, in the Inland Empire, what percentage of jobs are prone to automation?
• What makes higher education such an important key to upward mobility?
• According to Paul Granillo, how is traditional education creating students unprepared for industry?

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The robots are coming. Will they work with us?

Questions:

• What do you think a cobot is? 
• What are examples of how we can collaborate with robots? 
• How are robots being used today? Where did you see robots being used in the video?
• What are examples of human skills/attributes that robots are not currently capable of? 
• How is artificial intelligence being used to assist surgeons to improve patient outcomes? 

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Could driverless vehicles spell the end of the road for truck drivers?

Questions:

• What are some of the challenges programmers face in automating trucks?
• In the short term, how is technology likely to affect the functioning of trucks?
• How do you think driverless vehicles will eventually alter our national logistics system and the lives of the 2 million truckers currently employed?
• According to Steve Viscelli, what industry trend is the most immediate threat to truck drivers?

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Are your students wondering what jobs are most likely to be done by a machine in the future? Check out this interactive from Planet Money which provides the probabilities of that occurring for various occupations. Be sure to check out their predictions for the future for high school teachers. You might be surprised at the answer (or not)!

About the Authors

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

sidsharma1999

Sid is currently a studying at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is the former treasurer of the Palo Alto Youth Council and leader of the Youth Friendly Business Initiative. He enjoys playing lacrosse in his free time. His dad is a money manager, gifting Sid with an early love for investing and personal finance. Sid uses his attention to detail and organizational skills to help NGPF with product launches.