We live in a world of endless corporate growth. Where every CEO strives for the Sisyphean task of ever-increasing profits and stock value. Unless you are a ShaleCo CEO of course, then you are just burning capital like flair gas.
One factor that has helped in the past to achieve continued corporate growth has been population growth.
More people = more consumers = more money
It is just that simple. But what happens in places like Japan and parts of Europe when fertility rates start to decline and those old “show me how to use my computer again” boomers start weighing too much on your economy?
Some have pointed to immigration. Others to providing resources such as maternity leave or childcare that can relieve some of the burden of working parents. And others have encouraged couples to have more children.
While these are all valid thoughts, I believe one simple, but significant factor has been left out of your safe space. Worry not my precious snowflake, for I will go easy.
Remember that guy from college who always kept his door shut? The one that if they did talk it was to lecture you on why Anime is far more intellectually superior than football? Or the guy who says he only drinks wine because “nothing else gives me that warm fuzzy feeling in the back of my throat”.
Yes, you know who I am talking about, say it with me: Engineers
And you know what? There are more of them now than there ever were before. Just look at the completely factual graph of the number of engineers that have graduated since some time in the past.
You might say, well this is just a graph from 0-69, you cannot possibly expect someone to take you seriously.
To that I say I don’t get paid to do actual research and I don’t think we need a quantitative independent analysis to know that the grass is green and if your favorite thing to do on a Saturday night is to watch, How It’s Made on the History Channel you’re probably not worrying about buying diapers. It’s just fiscal responsibility, right?
Now, before I have a herd of nerds coming after me with their mechanical pencils, I will say this of course does not apply to every engineer. Just most and you know it!
