The Most Important Skill To Learn In The Next 10 Years With Devon Eriksen

Devon Eriksen, author of Theft of Fire, grew up surrounded by images of space, brought home to him by his father, an engineer at JPL. After decades as a software engineer, the unwavering encouragement of his wives presented an opportunity to pursue his childhood dream of being an author. He began writing stories with a single overarching goal: give the reader something to love.

In this podcast, we discuss the future-proof skill stack, how intelligence doesn't equal success, how to navigate the world of AI, becoming an independent author and creator, and more.

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0:00 Who Is Devon Eriksen?
1:23 Education, Intelligence, And The Future
27:00 AI And What Makes Us Human
47:54 How Do You Find Fulfillment?
59:39 Fiction Is Important. Stories Are Important.
1:16:10 Perception And Relationships With Money
1:25:11 Becoming An Author And Audience Building
1:45:53 Wrapping Up And What Is Upcoming From Devon

#TheftOfFire #DevonEriksen #SkillAcquisition

[AnEriksenWife]

Wow, I don't know what I was expecting from this chat, but this blew me away! I hope your audience loves this chat as much as I do; and I hope they go on to read Devon's book Theft of Fire: Orbital Space #1!

[daniellrodriguezs]

Wow!!! I’m 10 mins in and this man has just said what was in my mind since I was 5 years old. I used to tell my dad that I needed to learn how to learn. I’ve been an autodidact all my life and this resonates with me soo much

[ahvoila]

What an awesome conversation! 👌🏿 The reason why I am subscribing is because Dan asks a question, and remains quiet until the answer is complete. Brother, your active listening skills are refreshing. Thank you sir.

[diannabravo]

What a valuable conversation! "Human beings did not evolve to be single purpose tools. We evolved to be navigators of an ever changing environment. We need to recapture that ability and rediscover that capacity within ourselves." Gratitude.

[mebude]

1. Agency - Action - Continuous Improvement
2. Executive Function - Just-in-Time Learning
3. Ecosystem Navigator - Natural Generalist
4. Human Needs Analysis - Problem solver
5. Goalsetting - reiteration - review

[davideylerYT]

Dan asks great questions, sits back and then lets Devon speak. Respect.

[nevertolatetoprepare]

I was told many times in high school by a close friend that I could learn languages. (He was fluent in 6 when he graduated HS.) At 45 I stopped telling myself I could not learn and kept telling myself I could. I set a goal of 6 by the time I was 60. I hit 6 at 57 and said "Why stop here?"

[cdagger]

"What an absolutely wonderful, high-quality interaction between these two men. Both of their thoughts were well-considered and deliberate—nothing was rushed. It’s so refreshing to witness this calculated, steadfast type of exchange in a world where so many people talk fast and spew out large amounts of information, only to dilute its value. Great job, gentlemen. Thank you."

[telebiopic]

Dayum. This is the best podcast I’ve heard this year and I don’t say that lightly, as I listen to 5-10 podcasts each week from eclectic luminaries.

[bombshell]

The ability to stick to tasks to the final outcome is essential.
Discipline.
Understanding the role of failure.
The ability to receive feedback and constructive criticism.
Following through to completion.
Asking for help.
Practice as a form of rehearsal.
The ability to assess your output.
Back to the lab or back to the drawing board.
My parents taught me all the above and more. The wonderful public education I received in NYC honed my skills and allowed me to practice. Work ethic is built at home. School builds on these skills.

[toth]

that's a good interviewer, letting the guest talk the whole thought

[tgwdnq.levente]

I started writing and raw YT videos a week ago after I watched some of your videos. Thank you Dan. I hope I fail a lot and I hope have the strength to grow from them.

[Fox-in-sox]

I wish I'd had access to this podcast 65 years ago. Looking back, I've always exercised my own agency without fully understanding what it was. A lot of things clicked in my mind as listened. I was hooked within minutes. Thank you.

[jamalmaroon]

The future belongs to autodidacts. The self-educators who can persuasively communicate their ideas and turn them into valuable products will win.

[RobertBrown-ybur]

So Mark Twain was right, as usual - "I never let my schooling interfere with my education." Favorite line from the interview -"A plan is a list of things that don't happen."

[AbdulrasheedMKK]

The way both interact is priceless, that's all we need in this fast world of scrolling where you stuck and watch the conversation, that's is real value

[PopStrikers]

I agree with a lot of what is said here, but I think something that is kinda overlooked is the fact that a lot of the lack of fear in exceptional individuals isn't just mindset, but access to resources. How much of Elon's risk taking is from his temperament to psychologically endure his failures, vs having the capital coming from a rich background to financially endure those same mistakes?

I think a lot of the theoretical people being talked about that never rise to their potential isn't due to merely mindset barriers, but from being crushed under financial strain that so many of our "elite" never had to deal with due to nepotism.

[zzzaaayyynnn]

Speaking as someone who spent the past 40 years in academia, this guy has real insight. K-12 teaches to avoid making mistakes, and higher education teaches strange ideologies.

[vampireslayer]

This is EXACTLY TRUE. I am a 73 year old retired Geophysicist.
I've been having similar discussion with my 16 year old grandson.
He is a VERY BRIGHT young man (natuaral in math and straight A student).
I tell him that you must structure the brain in order to ask the right questions.
He (on his own) figured out that a Finance and Business track is what he wants.

[zacharykanebronson]

This talk is like a gut punch! Resentment can be a silent killer of one's ambitions by way of the ego. Public Education has always been at the top of my list as far as resentments, that I am conscious of. Agency is the key and this has just been brought into the light for me. The banks of a river are cut by the agency of flowing water, the same way a child's mind is molded by the agency of the public school system. If you resent the water, you also resent the river. Going back and trying to change the course of the river is a task to large for anyone, though it's easy to get stuck obsessing in the "what ifs". But, canals can be made, dams can be built, hardscapes can be added. We have to find strategic locations to build upon to gain a foothold. This takes time and more importantly, agency. Thank you both so much for this insight! 🙏