I recently saw an article on TechCrunch about a seven year old who, at his schools’ career day, said he wanted to be a video game developer (his favorite game is Minecraft) and was told that a developer isn’t a real job and then he was told to sit out of the activities. That article was referenced in another TC article titled “Why Don’t Makers Have Higher Social Status?”
A question in the article asks”Is Creativity A Hobby Or A Profession?” In my opinion, you cannot have artists, writers, architects, singers, composers, and an entire plethora of professions without being creative. Additionally, as we have seen on Tindie, it is entirely possible to become successful as a “Maker.” This has also become increasingly apparent with our Silicon Valley Hardware Meetups, where makers and hardware enthusiasts from around the South Bay and Peninsula come to show off and discuss projects and network.
Society isn’t about to change its approach to risk, but we can change both the perception and actual risk of taking on a creative profession. No child should ever hear that being a maker “isn’t a real job” when in fact our economy not only supports but desperately needs more creativity.
For the entire article, click here.
