Why tech needs the humanities | Eric Berridge

Summary

The speaker recounts how a chance encounter with a bartender led to a $200 million business, challenging the notion that STEM education is paramount. They argue for a balanced approach, emphasizing the importance of humanities alongside STEM, as intuitive technology allows for diverse backgrounds to contribute effectively. The company's success with a varied workforce highlights the need for a diverse skill set, including non-technical roles, in the future workforce.

Takeaways

• 🍻 A casual bar conversation led to a $200 million business opportunity for a software consulting firm.
• 🧑‍💻 The firm struggled to find a specific programming skill for a client, which led to a near-termination situation.
• 🤔 In desperation, they jokingly suggested sending their bartender friend Jeff, who was not a programmer, to the client.
• 🎓 Jeff, a philosophy major dropout, managed to impress the client with his intelligence and problem-solving skills.
• 🛠️ Jeff's success shifted the focus from technical skills to understanding and building the right solution.
• 🔄 The experience prompted the firm to change its recruitment strategy, incorporating diverse backgrounds beyond computer science.
• 📈 The company grew to a thousand people with a diverse workforce, becoming a market leader in the software consulting industry.
• 🤖 The speaker criticizes the overemphasis on STEM education in the U.S., arguing it's a 'colossal mistake'.
• 📚 They argue that the humanities are equally important for innovation, teaching critical thinking and providing context for the world.
• 🛑 The speaker calls for a balanced approach to education, valuing both STEM and humanities for a well-rounded workforce.
• 🌐 Modern technology is intuitive, making it easier for people from various disciplines to acquire specialized skills without formal education.
• 🏛️ The humanities teach us what to build and why, which is as crucial as the sciences teaching us how to build things.
• 🌟 The speaker emphasizes the importance of diversity in the workforce, including a mix of introverts, extroverts, leaders, and followers.

Q & A

What was the situation that led the software consulting firm to consider an unconventional solution?

The firm was struggling to find a specific programming skill to help a client deploy a cutting-edge cloud system, and they were about to be fired due to their inability to meet the client's demands.

Who was Jeff and what role did he play in the story?

Jeff was a bartender who, in a light-hearted conversation, suggested he could help the software consulting firm with their client's problem. Surprisingly, he was sent in and successfully changed the client's focus from a specific programming skill to the broader vision of the project.

How did Jeff's background differ from the typical employees at the software consulting firm?

Jeff had dropped out of Penn as a philosophy major and was not a programmer, which was a stark contrast to the majority of the firm's employees who were computer science majors or engineers.

What was the significant change in the company's recruitment and training strategy after the experience with Jeff?

The company began to recruit from a wider range of disciplines, including artists, musicians, and writers, in addition to computer engineers and computer science majors, to foster a more diverse and creative workforce.

What is the speaker's stance on the current emphasis on STEM education in the United States?

The speaker believes that the push for STEM education is a colossal mistake and that it should not be valued more than humanities, as both are equally important for a well-rounded education and workforce.

Why does the speaker argue that the current focus on STEM is overblown?

The speaker argues that modern technologies are intuitive and easier to learn, reducing the need for formalized education in certain technical skills. Additionally, the speaker emphasizes the importance of the humanities in teaching critical thinking, communication, and the context for innovation.

What is the speaker's view on the diversity of the future workforce?

The speaker advocates for a diversity of backgrounds and skills in the future workforce, including both technical and non-technical roles, as well as a mix of introverts, extroverts, leaders, and followers.

How does the speaker describe the current state of job opportunities in major tech companies?

The speaker points out that a significant portion of job opportunities in major tech companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook are non-technical roles, such as marketers, designers, and project managers.

What is the main message the speaker wants to convey to parents and educators about career guidance for young people?

The speaker encourages parents and educators to support young people in pursuing whatever career path they are passionate about, emphasizing that the jobs of the future will be diverse and not solely dominated by STEM fields.

What is the speaker's opinion on the comparison between the sciences and the humanities in terms of difficulty and importance?

The speaker believes that the sciences and the humanities are equally as hard and important, and that the humanities provide critical skills such as critical thinking, persuasion, and language, which are essential for envisioning and articulating the purpose of technological advancements.

How does the speaker describe the evolution of the software consulting firm after incorporating diverse backgrounds into their workforce?

The firm grew to a thousand people, with less than a hundred having degrees in computer science or engineering, and became the number one player in their market, collaborating with a software package that reached 10 billion dollars in annual sales.