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Sunday, May 25, 2008
821 - Hey seniors, don`t leave state just yet
Frequently in this space, I have talked about the “wanderlust gene” that can be found in most of Wyoming’s young citizens. Is it any wonder they want to take off and see the world?
n fact a large portion of our current citizens were born somewhere else and either through fate or fault, ended up here. I like to quote Dick Cheney to explain why I came here 38 years ago: “I wasn’t born here, but I got here as fast as I could.”
Thus is it any wonder that the children and grandchildren of us would want to leave?
But for one of the few times in Wyoming’s 118-year history, staying home definitely will be the best choice of all.
Certainly the bright lights of Denver, Salt Lake City or some other metropolis are enticing. But many of the best opportunities in the world are right here.
The average annual salary in Wyoming is over $40,000 and is sixth highest of any state in the USA.
The young people who are willing to make an investment here now could become very successful, very rich and very happy in the future.
Here are some ideas we’d pass along to grads:
• One of the best thing today’s high school graduate can do is keep his or her mind open. Learn how to learn. And don’t ever quit learning.
• Find mentors. Locate those experienced people who are successful and find out from them how they did it. Make a friend out of this mentor and keep it touch with him or her.
• Be fast on your feet. The speed of business today is very rapid. Often, the person there first gets the good job. Be ready to move when the opportunity presents itself.
It is easy to think of eight different sectors of the economy that will boom here in Wyoming: environment, energy, tourism, manufacturing, entrepreneurship, health, service and government.
Environment – going green can be very profitable. Some of the largest wind farms in the world will be built here. Solar energy is a largely ignored but is a huge asset for our state. The world is changing and young people know that more than anyone. Green is the future.
Energy – Wyoming truly is the country’s breadbasket for coal, natural gas, coal methane gas, oil and even uranium. The chance to work in this maturing industry could provide for a very successful career.
Tourism – Our second largest industry continues to blossom. Tourists, worldwide, love our natural assets. Wyoming has them in abundance. We also can lead the world in eco-tourism and cultural tourism. And our Cowboys and Indians are known the world over.
Manufacturing – This is Wyoming’s big secret. Sen. Mike Enzi has been telling us for years that our state is an inventor’s paradise.
Entrepreneurship – What the heck does this mean? Well, it means you can live in Wyoming and work anywhere in the world from here. Lone Eagles or similar kinds of consultants can lead a very good life here in the Cowboy state.
Health – We keep hearing that Wyoming will have the oldest population in the country by 2020. I do not believe it, but if it happens, there will be terrific business opportunities in catering to these aging baby boomers. These older folks will demand care and have the money to pay for it.
Service – To follow up on the above, Wyoming is a commodities state. If you look at history, some of the folks who made the most money around gold mining, etc. were the people who provided the services to all these workers.
Government – You would think that government would finally quit growing but not in Wyoming. It is a huge part of our economy and will continue to grow plus these jobs offer the chance to do some real good for your fellow man.
Today’s graduating senior faces an entirely different world than the one faced by their parents. They will be competing with workers from China and India as well as from America in their new workplaces.
These graduates face a time when even a college education might not be enough. They face a lifetime of education. A paradigm has occurred here. We are living during a time when the world is changing so fast, good employees will need constant retraining and continuing education in order to be successful. Check out the Kindle, the key to future education. That and distance learning.
Welcome to your new life in that interesting place called the future. Congratulations to the 2008 grads and their families.
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