A Gift from the Digital Revolution

To Y.N., the third-year CM planner. How's work going? Are you still enjoying it? Wait, do they even use the term "CM planner" much on set these days? You mentioned before that your work in the digital space has increased. But I still think the importance of filmmaking, sound design, and copywriting hasn't changed one bit.

Let me give you a little update since retiring two years ago and becoming a senior employee (it's a one-year contract renewal system with a maximum five-year rule). When people ask me, "What's changed?" I tell them, "Less responsibility, lower salary, more time" (laughs). Having more time outside of work isn't necessarily a good thing. If you don't have something you're passionate about, something you love, that seemingly free time can become wasted and rot away. For now, I don't seem to have that worry.

I'm continuing to study coding and other subjects on Coursera, an online learning platform with 23 million registered users worldwide and over 1,900 courses. While everything used to be free, I paid $49 to $79 per course for the special courses, which make up 8% of all offerings. The classes by Chuck and Colleen from the University of Michigan are clear and substantial, even for a beginner like me.

For example, when I wrote an essay assignment on AI, three classmates from around the world graded it. "Yukio's perspective is great. I'll give you a 9," might have been from an elementary school student in India. Python, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Responsive Design. Every time I hit a wall, my peers offered hints toward solutions in the forums, and I've earned 12 digital certificates so far!

I'm stubborn. If someone tells me, "Study digital!" I'll ignore them. But studying what I love, in my own way, is truly enjoyable. That's how I learned English, and now I'm using English as a stepping stone to learn coding. Encouraging and learning together with thousands of peers regardless of age, gender, nationality, or race. To me, this feels like one of the most wonderful things to come out of the digital revolution.

"The next Albert Einstein or Steve Jobs might come from a small village in Africa. I want to support their future." These are the words of Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller. When connecting seemingly vulnerable individuals, English and digital literacy become powerful tools.

Tell me how things go with N-kun next time we meet. Sorry, but from now on, let's split the bill (wry smile). See you!

(Illustration also by the author)  

(Supervised by: Dentsu Inc. Global Business Center)