When I co-organized a Startup Weekend here in Sweden we managed to get some press in the local newspaper. This drew the attention of people who normally wouldn'

When I co-organized a Startup Weekend here in Sweden we managed to get some press in the local newspaper. This drew the attention of people who normally wouldn't attend such an event. One of them was an elderly, retired gentleman by the name Per-Otto (who actually turned out to be the oldest participant ever in a Startup Weekend). We talked quite a lot during the weekend and he told me his life story. Turned out he had wanted all his life to become an inventor (that's why he was there). It wasn't until he was close to retirement that he managed to make a deal with his employer (the same one all his life) and he got enrolled in to some sort of education program for inventors. All his life he wanted to be an inventor but he couldn't until he was at the brink of retirement. Our generation, on the other hand, has all the opportunities in the world to shape our own lives. It has never been easier to build a life and an income around your passion. We have opportunities that Per-Otto couldn't even dream about in his younger days. And yet so many people still choose not to pursue their dreams. What a waste. Something must be broken. The education system? The working environment? Our culture? I don't know. I only know that things need to change. Questioning the need for "a real job" is a good start. EDIT: Here he is, btw, drawing one of his inventions: http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikstarck/4509754873/in/set-72157623698297963 http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikstarck/4509754873/in/set-72...