Traditionally, school systems primarily focus on core academics like mathematics, science, history, and literature. This method was chosen to prepare students for higher education and jobs that needed specialized knowledge. We live in a very different world, however, and this model has neglected broader real-world skills for a modern society.
There are several reasons why schools have been reluctant to change their educational model. Lack of resources, such as teachers, supplies, and budgets, plays a major role in how students learn. Also, with the creation of standardized testing, schools are focused more on passing tests to ensure budgets are passed rather than prioritizing practical life skills.
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Although more of a life skill than simply a job skill, financial literacy helps people budget more effectively and prioritize their savings.
Having a class that taught students how to allocate their money, manage their debts properly, and invest, especially in terms of retirement, would have been extremely beneficial to most people. While some schools do teach accounting, the lessons are minimal.
Data suggests that Gen Zers are the least financially literate generation, with 74% of teens in the U.S. reporting that they do not feel confident in their personal finance knowledge. This is why learning how to properly save and understand retirement strategies like work contributions is an invaluable lesson that schools could and should prioritize.
Also, understanding the basics of cash flow and debt management helps to avoid financial struggles like living paycheck to paycheck.
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Carpentry, car repair, plumbing — these are all considered trades. Trades or any career that involves vocational training typically require specialized knowledge and technical skills.
These careers do not follow the same trajectory and schooling that most high school educations prepare their students for. In fact, many kids don’t know about these lucrative trades and think college is their only option.
Learning about a variety of careers and professions, as well as providing internships and accessibility to apprenticeships or clear paths for applying to vocational school, could be highly beneficial to many students in determining a future profession.
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When it comes to the working world, one of the most valuable soft skills — the non-technical parts of the job that make some employees more sought after than others — is adaptability.
According to OmniaGroupemployees who are quick on their feet, can easily pivot and change directions and tasks, and aren’t reluctant to learn new skills are highly coveted as adaptable. Unfortunately, this skill is not often taught in schools, including higher education institutions.
Keather Snyder, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Omnia Group, wrote, “Schools often focus more on hard, measurable skills. Soft skills are difficult to measure, grade, and give certifications to prove exceptionalism. Certainly, you practice soft skills at school, but to be truly successful, you need to hone them like you do hard skills.”
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Learning how to comfortably speak in public is beneficial to nearly every job and career path.
Expressing ideas clearly, confidently, and persuasively, whether you’re giving a presentation, speaking in a meeting, or discussing ideas with colleagues, is unfortunately not a skill often taught in school.
Writing for PsychologyTodayNick Morgan, Ph.D., explained that although rates of anxiety can be particularly high when it comes to public speaking, practice is the best way to overcome that fear.
If the practice became more integrated in schools, starting with younger grades, anxiety levels would decrease, and the actual skill would become much more advanced and second nature.
: The Simple Public Speaking Trick To Command Any Room, Says Psychologist
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Effective time management helps you prioritize tasks and focus on what’s most important. This allows you to accomplish more in less time, making you more productive and efficient.
Properly managing your time prevents the stress of cramming to finish tasks at the last minute. Knowing that you’ve allocated enough time to each task gives you peace of mind.
Researchers from Canada found that time management skills enhance the well-being of the person using them. Finishing the task at hand gives us a sense of accomplishment and makes us want to continue working hard to reach our goals.
Unfortunately, this skill is being lost in schools today as more and more teachers are being forced to have flexible or soft due dates for assignments. Kids are being led to believe that the same grace will be given in the workplace, but that’s just not the case.
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Understanding the basics in regards to employment, free speech, privacy, and personal property laws, among others, should be part of the normal high school curriculum.
If you’re aware of your rights, you’re less likely to be taken advantage of should the circumstance arise. Understanding how to use the legal system to your benefit is important too. That includes how to find legal services, how to use the court system, and the basics of how local and federal laws and law enforcement work. Unfortunately, many of us are not taught the basics of the legal system in school.
Teaching kids the basics when it comes to the law is also beneficial when it comes to critical thinking skills — something that many educators feel has become a rarity in young people today.
Writing for EdWeekEmory Law School professor Michael J. Broyde noted, “Teaching law to young children will provide them with a set of reasoning skills important in many areas of their lives. ‘Legal thinking’ — which is not just rule-obedience — changes the way people approach difficult problems because it gives them tools to organize facts and values to arrive at a reasoned and actionable decision.”
He went on to write, “As an additional benefit, people will be less inclined to fall for rhetorical arguments that spark an emotional response without offering a clear vision of what should be done and how it can be done effectively.”
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Let’s get down to brass tacks. Whether you love your job or not, regardless of your profession, some days just drag. Monotony, slow protocols, long stretches of simply staring at a computer screen — finding patience most days can be difficult. If it’s a skill you never learned, it can feel downright impossible.
Before social media and immediate access to screens, boredom was a part of life. Kids learned patience because they had no other choice. That skill isn’t self-taught anymore because constant entertainment is almost guaranteed thanks to technology.
Teachers are inundated with so many tasks nowadays, patience often falls by the wayside. Instant gratification is not something often achieved in most workplaces, however, so it’s something many young adults have to learn the hard way.
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Take a moment to look around your workspace. Is it neat and tidy or is your desk covered in piles of “stuff.” A better question might be, does the idea of even trying to organize this “stuff” give you a sense of anxiety? If yes, you probably didn’t learn how to be organized in school.
According to Indeedhaving good organizational skills improves everything from productivity to problem solving and even relationships with co-workers and colleagues.
Basically, when you work efficiently because you know how to utilize proper filing and calendar skills, you don’t miss deadlines, you have more time for relationship building. The best part is that you are less likely to have to work long hours to play catch-up simply because you are messy.
This skill is not often taught in schools, however. But it absolutely should be. Young kids would benefit greatly from learning how to use basic calendar functions, such as setting reminders, which would become habits that would translate to workplace skills.
: 10 Time Management Tips To Easily Organize Your Daily Life
Sylvia Ojeda is an author with a decade of experience writing novels and screenplays. She covers self-help, relationships, culture, and human interest topics.
