There will be no flying cars and, consequently, no air traffic jams. Robots won't walk the streets trying to take over the world. IEC.Exchange won't turn into a booth that, after swallowing a token with a paid “Work and Travel USA” program, teleports you to America, nor will it become a spaceport sending students off to fantastic cosmic earnings. In fact, all over the world, only IEC.Exchange will remain the same. Small cozy offices, smiling staff always ready to help, noisy groups of students, and quiet loners. On the tables, there will still be forms to fill out, pens, and correction fluid. In every IEC.Exchange office in any city, life will be buzzing: students asking questions, whispering, mumbling before their interview: “My name is... I am studying in...”, doors opening and closing, phones ringing incessantly. Only positive energy will reign all around, because only confident, goal-oriented seekers of self and adventure are ready to go work in another country, and in 2029 there will be 20 times more of them than in 2009. Newcomers are excited, old-timers can't wait to get their paperwork done, and the pen has run out of ink as always...
But when we drive across the city to the IEC.Exchange office, we won't encounter trash on the streets, rudeness on public transport, or children with beer and cigarettes in their hands. All this will disappear because 20 years will have passed, and 20 years is enough time for humanity to grow up. Don't you think?)
In 2029, you will become an outstanding programmer, you – a successful entrepreneur, you – a translator, you – an actress, you – a mom, and you – a dad. By the way, you won't become anyone special, because chugging liters of beer leads not to success, but to health problems.
Diseases won't disappear, but medicine will take a giant leap forward. Any diagnosis will cease to be a death sentence. During surgeries, people will watch pre-ordered colorful dreams... But surgeries will become rare because one very important thing will change.
The attitude of people towards the world and, consequently, towards themselves.
Sports sections will be filled with children, and sports clubs with adults; 99 out of 100 people will sit in the lotus position, and 3 out of 4 will be able to throw their leg behind their head, even while standing on public transport, but not on the person standing next to them, on themselves. GMOs will disappear, we will eat healthy and nutritious food and won't eat after six. Orphanages will empty, every child will have their own family. We will walk without fear along dark autumn streets and kick piles of colorful leaves in parks. Rivers will become clean, and no one will remember the childhood horror story that rain makes your hair fall out. Wars will gradually fade and cease; people will stop killing each other because they will realize that skin color, religion, and traditions are just our characteristics, not a reason for hatred. There will be no hatred left at all, except perhaps for March cats and June mosquitoes. But still, people will become more tolerant and therefore happier...
And all because in 2029 WE – today's students – will become adults and be able to change the world.
And if we strive for this and believe in ourselves, it will be so.
And the first step on the path to growing up can be taken by participating in the “Work and Travel USA” program right now.
