As a parent, you naturally worry about your kid’s future. You find yourself asking questions like;

“what does the future hold for my kids?”

“What opportunities will my kids have in the future?”

“Will my kids be able to secure a good job?” and many more.

It’s even easier to get worried as a Nigerian parent. 

Nigeria ranks 3rd in the global unemployment chart with 33.3% according to a report by Bloomberg. It has been predicted that this number could rise higher in the coming years.

This leaves you as a Nigerian parent scared for the future of your kids.

But do you know that despite this rate of unemployment an estimated one million tech jobs went unfilled in 2020, signalling a huge technology talent deficit? 

Recent research shows that the job growth projection of the tech industry would increase by 120% by 2026. Meaning that there will be more tech job opportunities in the future.

In this post, I will be showing you some of the dangers of not giving your kids a tech skill in the 21st century

Lack of Job Opportunity

With Nigeria presently ranking 3rd in the global unemployment chart, there is a few job opportunities for the large population to compete for.

And it’s been predicted that the level of unemployment will keep increasing as the year goes by.

We see new technologies evolving. Robots, automation and artificial intelligence are regularly performing most of our tasks. They are on the mission of stealing our jobs.

Experts predict that this will lead to a massive disruption of jobs. And we can see this happening today.

For example, a few years ago, businesses needed employees who would constantly communicate and respond to the queries of their customers on social media platforms. 

But today, we see how artificial intelligence has showcased itself in form of what we call a “chatbot”. 

It has replaced humans who performed these tasks. It responds to customers’ queries faster than the human who used to perform the task.

The opportunities that will be available in the future workforce are tech opportunities.

What then will happen with our kids who don’t have tech skills? Will there still be jobs left for them to do when they grow up? 

Become Outdated

With the emergence of new technologies performing the tasks of humans, there will be limited career opportunities for those who do not have tech skills as they will become outdated.

Most of the manual jobs we know have been transitioned to technology-based.

A lot of manual marketers have lost their jobs, companies are now on the search for digital marketers because their customers are no longer in the retail stores but on the media.

Companies are no longer searching for just project managers but those with digital skills and are conversant with technological tools.

They are no longer searching for just customer care representatives who will receive calls and document information manually but those that are conversant with technological tools needed like CRM tools. 

Not giving your kids tech skills will imply that they will not be prepared for the future workforce.   

Poor Income

We often complain about low income in Nigeria, forgetting that things tend to work better when we have the right skill, career paths, and qualifications. 

A lack of tech skills can result in a poor income. According to the Bureau of labour statistics, tech jobs are one of the highest-paying jobs. 

Do you know that in this country where we complain of underpayment and go on strike yearly for salary increment there are people who do not even have a university degree but earns over 250,000 naira monthly?

You may be asking, “how possible is that?”

It’s very possible, I know tech experts who developed tech skills in demand earlier in life, nurtured the skill until they become masters in their field.

They have become what we call “international standards”, they work for international organisations like Google, Microsoft, Apple and many more.

Exposing your kids to tech early in life will help prepare them to jump into a pool of available, high-paying tech jobs.

The question is, why would you allow your kids suffer all of these disadvantages when you can make a difference?

Conclusion

I’m aware that there’s a lot of content on the internet about the dangers of exposing kids to technology early. Most of them talk about exposing kids to finished products like games, social media and many more. 

The solution to all of these dangers is to teach kids to create these technologies and not just consume them.

And that’s our mission here at mentortribes we help you train your kids with tech skills in demand that will help them create technology and not just consume it.

We also teach your kids lifelong skills that stretch far beyond the computer. From problem-solving, attention to detail and critical thinking. We prepare your kids for the future workforce.