For decades, young people were told the future belonged to finance, software, consulting, and other “knowledge economy” careers. Making physical things was treated as yesterday’s economy.

That assumption is changing quickly.

In his excellent Rational Optimist article, Rocket Science, as Easy as IKEA, Stephen McBride describes a new generation of entrepreneurs combining software, skilled trades, and manufacturing to build critical products faster and better.

His description of the future captures the shift perfectly:

“I saw a future where the dude who makes things out-earns the guy who makes PowerPoints about them.”

Alberta Is Positioned to Lead

Alberta is uniquely positioned for this moment.

We have always punched above our weight in engineering, construction, fabrication, energy, agriculture, and industrial innovation. We have the tradespeople, entrepreneurs, resources, and practical “figure it out” culture required to build real things.

This opportunity is particularly important for small and medium-sized businesses.

Innovation Can Start on the Factory Floor

Innovation is not necessarily a decade-long, government-directed process involving endless studies, committees, and bureaucracy. Often, it looks more like Senra Systems: identify a bottleneck, build a solution, test it on the factory floor, and improve it with every unit produced.

The next economic boom may not be driven by another app. It may be driven by the people who can weld, wire, fabricate, manufacture, operate, and, most importantly, build.

Working with your hands is back.

Alberta should be ready to lead.

Read Stephen McBride’s article: Rocket Science, as Easy as IKEA