Two Takes On The Importance Of Jobs

There appear to be two topics on which everyone has an opinion:

Jobs.  And jobs.

There are those still deconstructing the life of Steve Jobs--"Big J"--, responding to the revelations of Walter Isaacson's new biography on him, and musing over whether or not Apple can continue its innovative streak.

Then there are those who are most concerned with the "little j" jobs, namely employment or the lack thereof in the United States and elsewhere in the world.

What I'd like to initiate is a conversation on how Big J and little j intersect.  How do we find the next generation of Steve Jobs?--the people who will create and build the next generation of goods and services that will rock our world?  And how can those innovations create employment opportunities for more people?

My concern is that the talents and skillsets of our current unemployed may not be at all a good fit for the kind of work that will be needed for the next generation of innovations.  And therein lies a problem for America and its ability to maintain leadership in the marketplace, in its educational centers, and in its companies.

What say you?