DIGITAL CONNECTION

Think for a moment about what you know: A lifetime’s accumulation of facts and skills, and likely ever-increasing. How did you get all that? For many of my generation — the baby boomers — we got it from our parents and older siblings. I learned electronics first from my older brother, who eventually graduated as an electrical engineer (as did I). Another older brother taught me how to work on cars. Colleagues at work fostered a love for ham radio and fooled me into passing my Novice code test. And, of course, my father who, owning his own manufacturing company, taught me to be fearless in approaching new challenges. He didn’t have the money to hire outsiders to repair his machinery, so he did it himself.

This brings up the question: How will today’s youth learn these kinds of skills? Now that we have millennials entering their parenting years, do they have the skills needed to pass on to their kids? After all, modern American society is becoming