If you’re like most of my readers, you’re a loving, motivated parent who wants to see your kids become happy, resourceful and successful adults.
You are committed to providing them with opportunities to grow as well as the tools they need to navigate the modern world. You love them as they are, right now, no matter what they achieve, but you wish for them the capability to create the kind of life they want, once they’re on their own.
But the agreed path to success for young people seems flawed, don’t you think?
A College Degree
Is getting into the best university possible the Golden Ticket and the best path to success? The constant reports of increasing costs, student debt, under-or-unemployed college graduates, and useless college degrees are warning lights that a college degree isn’t enough.
School is out of date
Do you realize how out of date school is? The high school curriculum that was set in the late 1800s still exists today – that’s why chemistry and physics are taught but not statistics or financial literacy. Our kids grow up as digital natives and can get information/facts instantly online. Knowledge is growing at a massive rate and widely available. Research into how humans learn best tells us mastery and true learning happens when students are engaged, are allowed to learn at their own pace, apply what they know to real situations that matter, struggle with the material, and more.
And young people seem less ready for college or for a career:
The Changing World of Work
Have you come across the growing body of work documenting the Industrial Age ending, and the Innovation Age beginning – technology replacing not only repetitive jobs in low skilled and middle skilled roles, but also highly skilled ones? TurboTax is replacing many tax accountants, Clearwell is replacing human legal work and IBM Watson is helping doctors research symptoms and make diagnoses.
At the same time, there is a skills gap for the jobs that remain- according to employers, they can’t find people with the skills they’re looking for. McKinsey Global Institute estimated that by 2020, there will be a shortage of 45 million skilled workers.
Does this sound like you?
- You’re committed to your son or daughter’s future success
- You wonder about the best way to ensure they become capable, resilient adults able to navigate a rapidly changing world
- You feel like depending on school to educate your kids isn’t enough
Well, I think you’re right.
Happily, the same world that’s creating this upheaval in work and education, is also a world where information and resources are available and anyone who wants to can take action to face it. Including parents who want to help their kids!
A Quality, Modern Education is ALREADY available to all. You just have to search and take it for yourself.
Please have a look through the materials here, if you want to explore an alternative, and I believe, better way to help your kids navigate education and develop the critical future skills they need to thrive as adults.
a) Start with The Problem if you’d like more info on a) why school isn’t enough and isn’t working, b) what the future of work looks like,
b) Have a look through the critical Future Skills that have been identified as a) still valuable in the face of innovation, b) ones that employers need and can’t find, and c) useful in ALL areas of life, not just work, then go head over to
c) Assessment – tools to help you (AND YOUR CHILD) assess your skill level and opportunities to develop these skills. Then it’s time for
d) Ideas for action – what are you going to do about it? This section will give you ideas to start.
Life’s going to happen whether you want it to or not…Why not treat it like an adventure, and choose your path?
Paula Cassin 