The Education System is Not Failing You.
We see this discussion everywhere about how colleges and universities and even the primary schools are failing our students. The Media says that they are not being prepared for a new world where everyone is going to turn to entrepreneurship.
I believe that the world will have much more entrepreneurs, but I disagree that the school system isn't working.
In a world overwhelmed by coaches, mentors and people who won and now believe that they can teach other people to succeed, I see the entire discussion about the failure in the educational system as a coup and a strategy to create demand for training products that didn't exist before.
Let's take Gary Vaynerchuck and Grant Cardone as examples. Two self-made guys that I blindly admire for the truth in their words and for the fact that they didn't come from wealthy families.
But they won't say anything without blaming the educational system and how Millennials and grown men and women should not depend on formal education to win. Let's not forget that they are fundamentally salespeople and therefore, everything they say is either to sell something that they offer now or to create a demand for a product or service that they will offer soon.
Because they didn't have a formal education and won, they inspire other people to drop further education so that they can invest time and money in their online material.
Therefore, the discussion is open and like never before we have examples of people who took side roads and rode the Social Media waves extraordinarily. But we must always remember how societies were built on formal education, how geniuses were created on books, and how our parents put food on our tables because of their former education.
I produce and sell online courses as well. But I don't believe that they should replace a formal education but supplement it. They should fill the gaps in the knowledge of my students and make them more competitive for a very demanding market.
After all, is the education system failing our kids and us, or are we failing to grasp an enormous amount of knowledge and prepare for the years to come?
THE MILLENNIALS ARE COMING
The concept of having a career is changing. You may be preparing yourself to work 25 years at IBM (like my father did), but that doesn't mean that IBM will want to retain you for 25 years. And one thing that Millennials are doing better than my generation and my parents' is that they are detachable and they don't care if they work for Fortune 500's.
They will follow and work for a company that produces an alternative to plastic for a lower salary instead of a factory that pollutes and has a mission statement that does not convey their values.
The concept of career is changing to the idea of a mission. And Millennials are openly talking about their legacy and the value that they bring to society.
You may be preparing yourself to work 25 years at IBM, but that doesn't mean that IBM will want to retain you for 25 years.
MOST PROFESSIONALS CANNOT PITCH WELL
And this is actually a good thing. That means that students and early-stage professionals develop so many skills in college and with so many things that they want to build their pitch gets confusing.
It's challenging to think that the more people get distracted, the more information we need to pass on. I teach professionals that the secret is in the keywords they use. If they are talking to a busy and easily-distracted audience, they must research and use keywords that will raise eyebrows so they know that there's a chance that in the next 30 seconds their audience will be paying attention to what they have to say.
My 8-year-old kid came back home the other day, saying that her PowerPoint presentation should not last more than 3 minutes together with her speech. And I said, "Wow! are you presenting to a class using PowerPoint already?"
Her public school in Ireland made her produce a PowerPoint deck and present a free theme as long as she would not go over 3 minutes. At home, in her spare time, she had to rehearse and time her presentation so she would be ready for her audience.
Don't we all struggle with public speaking, being concise and compelling PowerPoint screens? Well, the public school is preparing the kids in Ireland.
That means that students and early-stage professionals developed so many skills in college that there are so many things that they want to build that they pitch gets confusing.
WRITING IS THE BACKBONE OF YOUR CAREER
On the Internet, it started with the bloggers and bulletin boards writers. I've been tracking some of the geeks that I used to follow before the year 2000, and they are doing really well nowadays, playing as authorities in their fields and being paid for speaking gigs and multi-million projects.
It's because content creates authority. And they bet on it a while ago. Content of all forms starts with written text. From text, you can re-purpose your thoughts into videos, Podcasts, articles and mere Instagram posts. From text, you tell the world what you know, your opinion, and create admiration as well as despise. From your written word, you generate opportunities.
And where do we all learn how to write?
We must celebrate the educational system now for being on top of a much-required skill for ages. And Today, students on all levels, in third and developed countries, are still required to research, put their thoughts on paper, going in front of the class to pitch and present.
Won't that turn students into 21st-Century professionals?
Content creates authority.
About The Author Felipe Lodi
Felipe Lodi creates 21st-century branded professionals for businesses that want to sell more, attract and retain top talent with the use of Social Media. At the end of 2018, he launched his first book, Advanced LinkedIn, documenting his Learning and Development and Social Hiring methodologies that led thousands of people to succeed using the network.
He believes that the global demand for specialists can be met with the implementation of employer branding and the upskilling of professionals. He teaches that when used strategically, a strong presence on LinkedIn influences decision and change-makers. His vision is to establish a standard of professionals that won't need to be interviewed by recruiters or elected by governments. He wants to create a global culture of automated job admittance that will accelerate the hiring and retire the paper CV along with the middlemen.
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Executive Director
5 年I found this an interesting read, however my perspective is a bit different. The education system in every country fails millions - but for reasons that are more pedagogical than they are topical. That is: the old way of teaching was "All shapes of pegs must conform to a square hole" - in the USA this looks like, high-pressure testing, rote memorization & regurgitation, and an emphasis on what is often portrayed as objective "knowledge" as opposed to focusing on "critically analyzing, understanding, and connecting facts" and "understanding how emotions impact decisions, motivations, and interactions". I teach in medicine, law, and social work in graduate school - almost all of which is social-emotional teaching at this point. "No, you cannot talk to a patient like Bones from Star Trek, your gruff demeanor leads to negative health outcomes".? I think you also fail to take into account the serious class, race, and ability opportunity gaps inherent in all 'one size fits all' systems. Like all human systems - the more of us they are, the harder they are to execute well. I also tend to be skeptical of any dynamic that focuses on 'a personal obligation to learn' vs. 'cultural obligation to teach/train'.?
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5 年Once I read a quote "Students are getting more and more dumb, the education level is decreasing enormously". And who said so? One of the professor, in XVI century ;) Just a fun fact. But, I agree with?Sheelagh Caygill?- everything depends on the country. In Poland we still have an old educational system, and comparing with Northern Countries we seem to be quite delayed... We have to spend hours reading, watching, learning to fill the gaps, but why not just make this system more up-to-date so that we can learn quicker and achieve golas sooner? So this is my main postulate - let's adjust programs to nowadays? (technical, interpersonal etc) needs. Because yes, now, Polish system is failing us, more than less...
Co-founder & Content Lead @ Communicate Influence | Copywriter, content creator
5 年I think it depends on where one lives and the overall government policies which shape society. In Canada the education system appears to produce individuals who are able, for the most part, to find work. Of course, there are exceptions. In parts of the UK child poverty is an issue and expecting schools to feed breakfast is an activity they may not be prepared for. It's also important to remember that trade skills are vital to the success of any economy.
EdTech female founder @Edulai by Smarthink; EdD Online doctoral supervisor presso University of Liverpool Lombardy Region Consultant for Research and Innovation
5 年...we probably need to be able to enhance some key skills in future workers...and finding innovative ways to do so can be a win-win situation...
AI Solutions Architect
5 年?? I'd love to hear the opinion of my colleagues below, also in education: José Soares, Carlo Duprel, Lucilla Crosta, Marcos Pires,, Anna-Maria Wi?niewska, Paul Brad, Portuguese Chamber, Awfa Mustafa, Paul O'Raw, Frank O'Reilly, Janet Benson, Riccardo Antonelli, Aida Faiz, Sheelagh Caygill, Shane Ormsby, Dr. Brid Lane, Tiago da Silva Mascarenhas, MaryPat Kavanagh, John Murphy