Patrick's father worked in a steel mill all his life, but Patrick, despite having great respect for his dad, never considered this career path. Instead, practically from the time he could walk, he has been taking apart computers and putting them back together, and today he designs computer hardware. The story of Patrick and his father is an illustration of a trend over the past few decades, which can best be described by saying that there has been a (n)

A) tendency to overemphasize knowledge work as opposed to industrial jobs.

B) shift away from industrial jobs and toward knowledge work.

C) abundance of overqualified applicants in service industries.

D) shortage of trained personnel in jobs across the spectrum.

E) rejection of parents' jobs and professions.

B) shift away from industrial jobs and toward knowledge work.

Explanation:

The correct answer is B) "shift away from industrial jobs and toward knowledge work." In recent decades there has been a strong inclination for jobs where information-based activities are more attractive than those based on manual or mechanical work. It is important to clarify the difference between jobs of an industrial nature and those based on knowledge. Those of an industrial nature are tangible by means of the transformation of materials and those based on knowledge basically consist of transforming information in different ways for its use and application. In Patrick's case, for him it is more relevant a knowledge-based activity because he can explore information parameters related to technological trends that require a great deal of information.