What is Missing from Education. Why are we not fixing it?
I believe Sir Ken Robinson articulated this problem best in his 2010 TED Talk, Bring on the learning revolution.
You can see a real life example of this idea at work in this TEDx Talk, Hack schooling makes me happy by Logan LaPlante, who at the time was 13 years old. But the solution that worked for him doesn’t necessarily help fix our outdated education system.
As an employer in today’s new economy, I no longer care about someone’s level of education. Just because a student did well at school, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be a good asset to my company. I care more about their ability to think creatively and respond to challenges “outside the box,” and their tenacity to learn.
In the real world the answer is typically not A,B,C, or D (like it is at school). Rather, the answer is often J or W. The quicker an employee can figure that out, the more valuable they are to me.
Why in heck do schools not offer more entrepreneurial education? I have a business degree, but all that taught me was how to climb the corporate ladder, and how to be an attractive prospect for a Fortune 500 company. Why don’t business schools focus at least 50% of their education on entrepreneurialism skills and business start up lessons. Check out these facts report by Forbes.com
1) There are almost 28 million small businesses in the US and over 22 million are self employed with no additional payroll or employees.
2) Over 50% of the working population (120 million individuals) works in a small business
3) Small businesses have generated over 65% of the net new jobs since 1995
Why doesn’t our education system — anywhere from kindergarten through college — include classes on how to create our own jobs?Luckily, many of us have learned this empowering skill on our own (the hard way).