Tyler Cowen -- Average is over
==============================

I'm conflicted about this book: On the one hand, I'm put off a bit
by the obviousness of much of what Cowen has to say, by his repeated
insistence that we need to learn skills that are unique and valuable
and in demand.  But, then I also feel that there is a good deal of
value to be had from thinking about how the labor market has changed
and will likely to change in the future, and about what our
relationships with our employers are likely to be like.

One of Cowen's central claims is that we are living in an
increasingly *unequal* world, and the meritocratic hiring and
employment conditions in that skewed world are likely to push us in
the direction of *more* inequality.  One view we can take of this
kind of claim and description is that it is descriptive, and is not
an attempt at giving recommendations: it's not a prescription for
individuals, nor for companies, nor for our society and government
institutions.  But, taken another way, it is a call for each of us
who hopes to find a good or a better job to think about what kind of
education we should be engaging in and what kind of skills and
abilities we each should be trying to acquire.

Given that, here is some advice to the reader -- Do not agree with
Cowen's conclusions.  Rather use his topics as starting points to
analyze your own skills and experience, and to think about what
changes you might make to improve your own chances of getting the
job and work you want.  For example, given Cowen's guidance, you
might be asking (1) what skills do I have?  (2) Are they reasonably
unique or at least not so common as to make them in demand in the
labor market.  And, (3) what could I do to improve those skills in a
what that fits with employment needs.

Cowen is a "critical thinking skills" and a "higher order thinking"
kind of person.  He is recommending that we each have as a goal to
not just *know* things, but also to know how to *do* things.  Going
one step further, he'd recommend being able not just to do
something, but to be able to solve (new) problems.  Technical
knowledge is good; being able to use that knowledge is better; and
being able to solve (new) problems (using that knowledge) is best.

Here are some recommendations that Cowen has for every
future/potential job seeker.  (1) Learn how to think symbolically.
Learn how to think abstractly, to think in terms of kinds of object,
the attributes or qualities of those objects, etc.  (2) Learn how to
think in terms of quantities.  Learn how to think mathematically and
algebraically, that is, in terms of formulas, equations, and
relationships that describe the world.  (3)  Learn how to think in
terms of relationships and connections.  Learn how to describe the
world in terms of objects (or symbols that represent them), and in
terms of relationships that connect those objects.  (4) Problem
solving -- Learn how to use your representations of the world to
solve problems, to come up with new kinds of conclusions, to
formulate new perspectives.

In general, these are recommendations to come up with new
representations, new descriptions of any given problem domain, in
order to facilitate new ways revealing the kinds of objects in that
problem space, new ways of ordering those objects, and new ways of
combining them in solutions.

Cowen emphasizes that merely knowing how to use a computer is not
enough.  I suppose that he is trying to tell us that (1) we must be
able to do something valuable with a computer and (2) the ability to
do that kind of task must be unique, valuable, and in demand in the
labor market.  Cowen's way of phrase this is to say that in order to
be valuable, our skills must *complement* a computer's capabilities.
I'm guessing that by skills that complement a computer's
capabilities he means that you must be able to use the computer to
do something it can't do alone *and* that you must be able to use
the computer to do something that could not be done by someone with
a mere 8 hours of training.

Cowen would likely to make suggestions like (1) we need to be able
to set-up a computer so that it can perform some task and even that
we need to be able to devise a problem description/representation
that enables us to set-up the computer for its task.  Computers are
especially good at brute-force tasks requiring lots of iteration,
but higher-order thinking and problem solving is required to prepare
them to do those tasks.

Of course, you've got to add to this a need to stay ahead of the
"skills curve".  The skills that were unique and valuable yesterday
will not necessarily be those that are valuable today or tomorrow.
And, given Cowen's repeated insistence that computers are gaining
new abilities everyday, the capabilities that complement what a
computer can do today, may be readily doable by a computer tomorrow,
perhaps even doable by a computer at less cost than poorly paid
human laborers.

One interesting aspect of Cowen's analysis is his emphasis on the
need for teamwork in the modern employment landscape.  Many more
tasks today are too complex and too large to be accomplished by
individuals working alone.  Although this makes sense to me, it is
hard for me to see how it does not go in the direction of more
meetings and more mid-level managers.  Yes, the modern work-space
does require organization, perhaps, lots of it; and, yes, we will
need those who can create and manage that organization.  But, I
suppose because of my own background as a worker rather than I
manager, I've a preference to value those who *do* rather than those
who *manage*.  Time spent in a meeting is time that cannot be used
productively to solve a problem or produce something of value for
the company that employs me.

The need for team efforts points out other qualities that Cowen
believes are important, specifically things that center around
"works well with others", is responsible and dependable, and even
works well with minimal supervision.

Summary -- It's not a book about how to fix the skewed labor market
place and its inequities.  It's about how we and especially
individuals looking for work can respond intelligently to that
changing labor market place.

12/31/2013

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