Some time ago, I promised that I would tell you about any opportunities I come across to further your education, so you’re not left behind in the technological revolution.
Last week, I was reminded of how fast this so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution is moving when I attended an event in Joburg.
The Space for National Development Week was hosted by the SA National Space Agency, which I realise very few people have ever heard about.
But, trust me when I say that very few of the world’s space launches would happen without their expert input.
Anyway, the conference tackled a number of different technologies and how they support and rely on space sciences.
Now you might be wondering how this connects with opportunities for you to learn.
Well, space science involves everything from the internet to GPS, banking, your TV signal and the things you do on your cellphone.
These are all things you can either learn more about, or get involved in.
But that is problematic considering that millions of South Africans have never even switched on a computer before, never mind using it to research topics of interest.
And most of them are too embarrassed to ask for help, which is why I am a fan of the City of Cape Town’s SmartCape Cadet programme.
You may know that many of the City’s libraries have SmartCape facilities, where you can go use computers and free internet.
These have been in existence for some time already, but what they realised was that many patrons had never touched a PC before, while others needed ongoing assistance to use computers confidently.
Heck, I occasionally still need to call our IT guy to come help me solve some very basic problems, which usually magically resolves itself the moment he shows up.
So, what the City did was to train 75 young people to help you with all the basics.
There really are no more excuses to not learn.
If you don’t have an email account yet, or want to know how Google works, or want to look up an old friend on Facebook, or use Youtube to teach yourself how to bake Madeleines, then you need to get yourself to the library today.
These Cadets will also help you look for bursaries or jobs that have been posted online and show you how to apply.
You can literally ask them the same questions over and over again, until you understand, because that is their job.
I am a big fan of intellectual curiosity, so I want you to learn something new every day.
An old Chinese proverb says: “The person who asks is a fool for five minutes. The person who never asks, is a fool for life.”