The most important thing we can teach children in the 21st century? Hustle
Last week, I wrote about how it’s time to prepare for complete overhaul of the way the UK works. One that fits the future we’re facing, rather than the tumultuous present or the irrelevant past.
But how do we prepare children for this world?
“Everything changes but you”
In recent years, the UK has seen a push towards near-constant testing of children from an early age, and an emphasis on ‘traditional’ educational priorities. While that may have been a vote winner until recently, it’s going to massively hold us back in the 21st century.
When I was at university, I studied Broadasting. My degree is actually a ‘Bachelor of Broadcasting’ (BBR) rather than a BA or BSc. It had high entry requirements, lasted four years, and included a six-month placement at the BBC. Surely I’d be set up for a glittering career in television when I graduated?
Nope.
In the time it had taken for me to do my degree, the world of television production had changed enormously. If I was asked to create a VT package, I had all the skills to direct a three-person crew and then work with an editor to create something ready for transmission. But I discovered that many entry-level jobs were all about going out on your own with a DV camera, shooting it all yourself and then coming back to base and editing it yourself too. I’d been kind-of taught these skills, but not in much depth.
The specific skills weren’t the biggest problem though. I’m sure I could have blagged my way through to proficiency… if I’d been taught how to navigate the television industry. That degree course was sorely lacking any kind of module in ‘Hustle.’ In a career path largely based on short-term contracts and building up a pool of contacts, I didn’t feel that I graduated with the right personal skills to enter the television industry.
If I’d have been taught back then that everyone is winging it (absolutely the number one life lesson everyone needs to learn as early as possible) and that you need to be adaptable and a little cheeky to get the most out of a media career, maybe my life would have been very different.
I’m very happy with how my work life has turned out so far, but it wasn’t a lot to do with my degree course, and it only took off once I learned to be brave and adaptable, and to challenge myself.
“A baby is brought into a world of pits…”
Now imagine a 16- or 18-year-old entering the world of work with a head full of very specific knowledge learned through endless formal testing. That’s probably not the best preparation for a world where:
- You can look up almost any fact you need to know in a few seconds.
- You have more opportunity than ever before to learn on the fly via short online courses. Education doesn’t need to be so ‘front-loaded’ at the start of your life anymore.
- A ‘job for life’ is much less a ‘thing’ than it was a few years ago.
- Rapid technological advancements mean that you’ll probably need to change jobs, and even career paths, more often than anyone has in the past. Many people may be permanently freelance, as I suggested in last week’s article.
- Everything, not just the world of work, is changing faster than ever. You need to identify the best path forward to get ahead in life.
Facing up to this world, education needs to become a lot more about teaching adaptability, creative thought and self-confidence. In short, hustle.
I’m not saying that learning mathematics, grammar and all the other formal stuff shouldn’t be important, just that they should be balanced with life skills for a world where we can outsource a lot of the things we don’t know to technology.
Looking at how fast the world is changing, we should make these changes as soon as possible. Unfortunately, young people who may appreciate this urgency don’t vote in anywhere near the numbers needed to move the needle on ambitious policy reform. That’s partly why education reform in recent years has been focused on making things more like the ‘old days,’ when many older voters where at school. Rose-tinted glasses don’t provide a clear view of the future, and rigid teaching schedules don’t necessarily make for adaptable, creative students.
Children entering the education system now need to learn ‘hustle’ as early as possible. Do we really want today’s preschoolers to enter the world of work in the mid-21st century with a mid-20th century education?
More reading about the future:
- Rewiring the UK for the 21st century
- I’m a citizen of the internet, where do I get my passport?
- Artificial intelligence, free money and the end of capitalism
