Taking Control of your Future

Innovation and Innovation and Leadership - Taking Leadership - Taking Control of your FutureControl of your Future

Carpe Cras – seize the Carpe Cras – seize the futurefuture

Jim IsaakNew Hampshire

April 13, 2015

www.JimIsaak.com

Who is Jim?Who is Jim?2015 VP Society on Social Implications of

Technology◦ 2010 IEEE Computer Society President◦ past member IEEE Board of Directors◦ NH Computer Society Chapter Chair

30 Years in industry◦ Digital, Data General, Intel, IBM and 2 startups◦ 6 year in the academic community◦ 10 Job transitions, 3 career transitions

All but first were “network” connections:Colleagues from one job connecting to nextColleagues from IEEE activities connecting to next

2011 Mar 8 2Jim Isaak

The Hero in your life storyThe Hero in your life storyYou have life time earnings power

between $5 million and $50 million(software developer at $60K in 2014, 3% annual compound, 50 years no expenses, no investment.)

Most of that time you will be doing a job that does not exist today – one you could just love, IF YOU make it happen.

Other options exist, your mileage may vary


A Different Way to See A Different Way to See YourselfYourself

The Unincorporated Man, by the Kollin brothers:

Sell shares of yourself (lifelong income)Avoid being a “penny stock”(parents own 20%, employers fund education

in return for shares…)What is your “Stock” worth? And Why?

(and is “income” the real ROI*?)

ROI: Return on investment2011 Mar 8 4Jim Isaak

“This is an interesting statistic...The most common study of CEO’s is not business, it’s not finance, it’s not economics –

it’s actually engineering. It’s engineering.”

President Obama – Oct 15, 2010White House Science Fair


The Basic EquationThe Basic Equation

Capital, wealth and value are created by: skilled creations, and innovative creations

Engineers & technologists invent the devices, and identify the solutions to tomorrows problems and opportunities

This is where real economic growth happens(and some of our ‘leaders’ get it)


Expect (massive) changeExpect (massive) change1969 (42 yrs ago) – Internet is “born” via US

army funding, UCLA, NSF and Stanford – early “open source”

1978/9 (33 ya) – Altair produces first “personal” computer; Bill Gates leaves Harvard to write tinyBASIC for it.Franklin/Bricklan (Harvard/MIT) invent spreadsheet (do not patent idea)First Cell phones tested

1989 (22 ya) – Tim Berners Lee starts HTML (& ergo the web) 1993 (18 ya) – first smart phone (Simon from IBM) 1995 (16 ya) – Digital creates Altavista (first search engine)

Hasn’t got a clue how to make money on it. (Google: 1998) 2001 (10 ya) Jimmy Wales starts Wikipedia 2003 Philip Rosedale starts Second Life

2004 Mark Zuckerberg starts Facebook 2006 Dorsey does first tweet

Note: Mean time to high impact inventions is shrinking exponentially (tied to Moore's Law, etc.)


Your Future???Your Future???You will change careers (not just jobs) a few

timesThe job you hold in 10 years probably

does not exist todayIn a world overwhelmed by exabytes of dataA few possible predictions – circa 2050

◦ Machine Intelligence – viable for “passing” as human (consciousness?)

◦ Death by natural causes declining◦ Augmented reality the norm of daily living◦ Quantum Computing ◦ Motes (sensors + Rflinks + simple processors as “dust”)


Add a touch of ChinaAdd a touch of ChinaChina will have the largest economy by 2020

and the largest per capita GNP by 2050◦ see: www.ted.com presentations by:

Joseph Nye on Global Power shifts Martin Jacques on Understanding China

13 million geniuses, and more engineering graduates than the US (see “Shift Happens”)

China owns 7.2% of US debit (1.3 Trillion $)

Can you speak Mandarin? India is not asleep either



Source:IEEE SpectrumFeb. 2011

93 – Japan 235 GF96 – Japan 614 GF97-2000 Sandia Labs 1830-12,288 GF02 – Japan 41,000 GF

2004-2007Oak RidgeIBM Blue Gene/L367k -600k GF

2008 – Los Alamos, Roadrunner, 1,456k GF2009 – Oak Ridge, Jaguar 2,331k GF

2010 Tianhe-1AChina4,701k GF

So what?So what?Get a life! – I suggest it be your own

◦Include life long learning

◦Identify you passion – and related employmentIf you don’t care, why are you there?

◦The big growth areas in US Employment Health care (taking care of old fogies like me)

Information Technology

◦Be a catalyst to creating the future you want


That’s nice – so how to do That’s nice – so how to do it?it?

Be connected ---◦Online is nice, social media is critical

LinkedIn; Facebook; Blog – “show capabilities” What is ‘above the fold’ for your name on

Google?

◦But In person is also critical Professional societies

(IEEE, CS, what ever)

Have business cards!– email, website…Vistaprint.com for about $10


Selling your self -- Selling your self -- You have to do it “all of the time”

interview, presentations, customersLook right, in person and on the web

(yes, first impressions count – 15 seconds?)

Think Positive – know your passion1 minute “elevator pitch” – distinguish

your self (authentic narrative)Ask for the order (action desired)


Ask and Answer QuestionsAsk and Answer QuestionsThe way to become ‘visible’ in a

community(online, in class, at meetings, etc.)

Is to ask a relevant question, or provide useful feedback – people will judge you by what you say, so be mindful of this.


Keep on top of thingsKeep on top of things

TED.com is “required reading” … (youtube for grown ups?)

Expect it to show up in interviewsAttend relevant seminars, etc.

Many are “free” (NH IEEE and chapters for example) [Learn, network – build path to your future]

Many university courses are online videos(MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, etc.)


Making things “Click” Making things “Click” Innovation rarely occurs in your “cave”

◦Interaction with others is critical

◦Expose your self to new ideas

◦Find “like minded folks” – But not just “clones”

◦Ask for help, favors – it tells folks you value what they have to offer – and often it is the shortest path to problem solutions.

Be aware of IPR obligations/risks (Patents, copyright…)


LeadershipLeadershipVolunteer to help

◦Easier in the professional organizations◦Make things happen – get a REP (utation)◦Get experience – ◦Find mentors … help out … absorb

It is part of being visibleBe willing to “lead from the side” .. It

is not an ego thing, it is a team-success thing


Social CapitalSocial CapitalAll of these things help you

build social capitalTrusting relationships that you can

leverage in future situations (and they can leverage you)◦Can be via sports teams, church groups, ◦“The old school tie” (it is not apparel)

(The old boys club, etc.)


It is not what you know, It is not what you know, it is who you know!it is who you know!

(Not music to the techie (Not music to the techie ear)ear)

(Ignorance however (Ignorance however doesn’t hack it –at least in doesn’t hack it –at least in our fields)our fields)


The CounterexampleThe CounterexampleDr. Douglas Prasher, biochemist

Isolated/cloned gene for GDP(green fluorescent protein)

Failing to get grants for his work, he left bio-tech and went into “business’ (for a while)

“If he had only networked with other scientists and institutions …he might of stayed in the field of bioluminescence”(Discover Mag. April 2011) also see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Prasher

His colleagues received the 2008 Nobel prize2011 Mar 8 20Jim Isaak

What to employers want?What to employers want?The IBM “T” –

◦Vertical reflects depth of knowledge/experience

◦The cross bar are the essential skills Communication Teamwork Critical Thinking Marketing awareness Customer focus


Professional Society Professional Society ResourcesResources

IEEE Societies, IEEE Collaboratec Local seminars/chapter meetings

Publications (Magazines, Transactions)

Conferences, workshops, etc.

Standards activities

Curriculum development/Accreditation

Certification (CSDP/CSDA), SE licensing roles

Online courses, eBooks

Engagement – non-career limiting chance◦Teamwork, leadership, communications


Start Writing Your StoryStart Writing Your StoryWell … actually your resume/CV

Note that roles likeIEEE Student Branch Chapter Chairstart to become differential advantages

I noticed that many Sr. IEEE leaders are past Eagle Scouts, and many women CEO’s are past Girl Scouts

Show your secular affiliations – connect with employers

75% of jobs filled via networking


What do you want?What do you want?

Money?◦Not according to Dan Pink (Drive) and

other’s

◦Autonomy, Mastery and Purposeare key motivators

Check out Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture – pursue your passion, what are your childhood dreams?


Other resourcesOther resourcesTime Smart, Bill Chou in IT Professional, Nov/Dec

2010Motivation – it’s not all about money

Dan Pink’s book “Drive” and short RSA Animation video

Overwhelming data – see“The Forth Paradigm” edited by Tony Hey

Motivation theory: Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

IEEE Computer Society: Build your Career site Jim’s blog, website, etc.

http://IEEESSIT.org SSIT Blog http://www.JimIsaak.com (copy of this posted here)


Questions, thoughts…Questions, thoughts…


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