There’s no way to sugarcoat this, so I’m just going to come out and say it:

All of you late adopters are in trouble — and I mean serious trouble.

You’ve heard of Moore’s Law, right? It says that computing power doubles roughly every 18 to 24 months. That law has held true ever since Intel co-founder Gordon Moore developed it in the mid-1960s. Graphically, since 1988, Moore’s Law would look something like this:

Know that that means? It means that computers today are about 130,000 times more powerful that they were in 1988. That your iPhone 6 is as powerful as Apple’s most powerful laptop was just a decade ago. That an iPad Mini is as powerful as the world’s biggest supercomputer was in 1985.

It means that every job on the planet — yours and mine included — is going to fundamentally change in the very near future. Need proof? Ask a journalist, or a recording industry executive, or whoever’s in charge of the U.S. Postal Service. The day will come, I swear to God, when filing a tax return — any tax return — will, regulators and legislators willing, be a completely automated process. Moore’s Law will see to it.

My point is this: Technology isn’t waiting around for you to catch up. If you’re dragging your heels, you’re toast.

Which brings me to Dan Burrus.

Burrus is one of the world’s leading futurists on global trends and transformation, and author of the New York Times best-seller Flash Foresight: How To See The Invisible And Do The Impossible. Each year he publishes a list of “hard trends” (defined as things that will definitely happen) that will create disruption and opportunity over the next 12 months. Want to know what you need to be paying attention to? Here you go:

1. Big Data gets bigger as the use of high-speed data analytics expands.
2. Cloud computing rapidly expands.
3. Virtualization of hardware and software will redefine IT.
4. On-demand services become the norm.
5. Wearables go mainstream.
6. Consumerization of IT rapidly expands.
7. Gamification, socialization, and personalization of learning.
8. Online learning is redefined and rapidly gains momentum.
9. As use of e-publications grows, paper versions function to attract new readers.
10. Social search and social business applications will grow rapidly.
11. Smartphone growth drives major shift in global computing.
12. Mobile apps for business processes grow rapidly.
13. 3D displays for smartphones and tablets start to appear.
14. Augmented reality apps and devices start to grow.
15. Smart virtual electronic assistants get better and more personal.
16. Multiple biometrics used for security.
17. Mobile banking and smartphone payments take off.
18. Visual communications for business increase.
19. Enhanced location awareness embraced by large retail.
20. Personalized streaming entertainment challenges cable.
21. 3D printing of finished goods takes another step forward.
22. The Internet of Things expands rapidly.
23. Advanced automation and intelligent robotics find wider use.
24. Drones go beyond fire, police, search and rescue.
25. Energy storage and micro grids increase in application and use.

Most of these trends will directly impact the accounting and finance professions, and according to Burrus, they will do so within the next year. All of them are driven by advances in technology.

Amazing, isn’t it? Technology used to be a line item, a department we could ignore as long as the phones and Internet were up and running.

Today, it changes everything we do. It’s Moore’s Law at work, and it touches every corner of our personal and professional lives.

The only way to get ahead of these changes is through anticipation — to see these trends on the horizon and position our organizations to take advantage of them before they arrive.

That’s not just some abstract concept. It’s actually a skill you can learn.

On May 4, you’ll get your chance.

Burrus himself will be on hand at the BWI Hilton that day to lead us through “The Anticipatory CPA," a program designed to help us accurately anticipate the future. It’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn a vital skill from a world-renowned expert. Don’t miss it.

Find out more here:

[youtube id="OkQkgRBECjQ"]