My good friend Jory just tweeted an interesting YouTube video about how we are living in exponential times. It goes through example after example of how much more of everything we have now and how much quicker things are becoming irrelevant and are mutating in our post-industrial, data-saturated world.
The part that stood out to me was on jobs and preparing students for the workforce:

Did You Know:
The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 didn’t exist in 2004?
We are currently preparing student for jobs that don’t yet exist…
using technologies that haven’t been invented…
in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.

If we train our students to be problem-solvers and design thinkers, these facts aren’t as scary as they might seem. Learning how to problem solve is like martial arts – if you’re trained well, you’ll be able to handle yourself without knowing every detail of your opponent. The best problem solvers and fighters are great because of their ability to adapt to the scenario at hand. This is the essence of innovation.
Sure, you can poke holes in this analogy (what if I bring a gun or 20 pit bulls to the fight?) but out of all the ways to future-proof your career and relevance, being mentally armed as a problem solver is your best bet.