Knowledge Is Commoditized... So What Education Should You Seek?
All of the knowledge you need to do just about anything is in your pocket, usually for free. A quick google search or youtube tutorial can teach you almost anything, from PHD level science to cooking a new dish. Online courses and certification programs are becoming increasingly viable ways to develop career skills and qualify for tech roles. With the rise of AI this access to knowledge has become even more streamlined. This easy access has led to the commoditization of knowledge - almost any job-related knowledge is no longer rare or a significant competitive advantage; the barriers to acquiring that knowledge have dropped.
The Shift From Knowledge To Skills
In this market, where information is just a click away, skills are becoming the key differentiator in recruiting. Companies no longer value what you know as much as they value what you can do with that knowledge. Unfortunately, traditional education systems – whether in high school or college – are slow to teach these crucial skills and have not adapted curriculum to support this change. Lectures and classrooms are still focused on delivering knowledge, while students are missing out on developing the key competencies that drive job performance.
Research has highlighted that skills such as adaptability, grit, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication are the true drivers of success in the workplace. In fact, recent studies have only started to uncover how important these skills are, with employers frequently suggesting that their graduates lack soft skills needed in the workplace (Kumar, 2022), making them essential for anyone looking to stand out in today’s competitive job market.
Most People Are Not Learning These Skills
Despite the overwhelming evidence that these skills are critical, most students still follow the traditional path of education: learning facts and theories in a classroom to pass a test, instead of developing the skills that truly make the difference. They attend lectures, take notes, and pass exams based on memorization, not action, and graduate with knowledge but without the tools to apply it in real-world challenges that they will face at work.
So, What Type Of Education Should You Seek?
As a student, you need to prioritize environments that foster the development of these skills. Programs you seek out should be:
Hands-on
Real-world
Team-based
A culture of excellence
Full of feedback
Science shows us that this pedagogy is the most effective path to develop one’s problem-solving and critical thinking skills, one’s emotional intelligence, and one’s adaptability–each skill will only be marginally improved through the acquisition of knowledge alone. A strong team of peers taking reps tackling real-world challenges, and receiving clear feedback and coaching from experienced coaches, will grow quickly.
At Futures Forge we intentionally develop this environment to give students an opportunity to experience this growth, as such environments are rarely created by coincidence. High-performing students get thrown as a team into a hands-on challenge, and often fail. But this failure is where true growth begins. With rigorous feedback sessions, students leave with the confidence and excellence required to take on future college and career challenges–whatever they look like–with panache.
