Photo of Obama during the State of the Union address from NPR.com, Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images. It's no secret that I admire Obama and deeply respect the way he has commanded many of the hurdles during his presidency. Last night was no exception. During his State of the Union last night Obama made a number of profound statements that really spoke to me. These statements spoke of the current economic changes underfoot. According to today's New York Times one of the many things Obama did during his State of the Union was "challenge Americans to unleash their creative spirit...and come together around a common goal of outcompeting other nations..." Hell yes. It's about time someone said it.
Among all the hullaboo about jobs going to China, I can't help but think about how much we underestimate our abilities to create suitable employment for ourselves. It may not be the same types of jobs Americans have held before, but they are still respectable ways to make a living nonetheless. What I see rather than manufacturing is the emergence of the sole entrepreneur. This trend will be our comeuppance to out-compete China. While China is known for it's legions of cheap workers, it is also known for being short on innovation. This is the area where us Americans have a chance to succeed.
This is a concept that can cross all social boundaries, classes, and education levels. You don't necessarily need a higher education to develop a skill and sell it. It can be as simple as making baked goods and using a website to advertise them. I will never argue higher education doesn't help, but I don't believe it to be necessary to succeed with this business model. This year I went to the Bust Craftacular, a one day craft fair that takes place in New York City in December, and saw many examples of this type of business model. Here, people who created things as simple as illustrated cards, soaps, and beaded jewelry sold it for a low over-head. Many folks left that day profitable. When I looked around that day I saw jobs that won't be outsourced to China.
Among all the hullaboo about jobs going to China, I can't help but think about how much we underestimate our abilities to create suitable employment for ourselves. It may not be the same types of jobs Americans have held before, but they are still respectable ways to make a living nonetheless. What I see rather than manufacturing is the emergence of the sole entrepreneur. This trend will be our comeuppance to out-compete China. While China is known for it's legions of cheap workers, it is also known for being short on innovation. This is the area where us Americans have a chance to succeed.
This is a concept that can cross all social boundaries, classes, and education levels. You don't necessarily need a higher education to develop a skill and sell it. It can be as simple as making baked goods and using a website to advertise them. I will never argue higher education doesn't help, but I don't believe it to be necessary to succeed with this business model. This year I went to the Bust Craftacular, a one day craft fair that takes place in New York City in December, and saw many examples of this type of business model. Here, people who created things as simple as illustrated cards, soaps, and beaded jewelry sold it for a low over-head. Many folks left that day profitable. When I looked around that day I saw jobs that won't be outsourced to China.
I see the potential of employment for all if we stop focusing on what we have lost in manufacturing and learn to innovate. Instead of competition I see that more workers in China create a larger market for us to sell our products. Besides craft fairs, we almost every household now has access to the internet, our most powerful global selling tool. Obama is right, it is America's creativity that will save the day. Lets embrace the advantages globalization give us, and not what we have lost. It will be America's creativity be what that picks up the pieces of our fractured economy. I know we can do it. To quote Obama again, "Our destiny remains our choice".
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