Why School Matters Even When the Curriculum Doesn't Align with Career Paths

The multitude of relevant skills learned by participating in the classroom apply across so many career paths

The decreased relevance of traditional educational models is largely rooted in the curricula’s seeming lack of direct applicability to modern day jobs. We even see a lot of figureheads, some more prominent than others, criticizing traditional education as a relevant conduit to success. 

I think many of these pundits are missing the point. School is not just about learning content; it’s an opportunity to cultivate teamwork, social, problem-solving, stress-management, prioritization, time management, and organizational skills in an environment that FEELS "high stakes.” And it’s in this perceived importance of an exam, a test, an assignment, or a project that pushes students to:

1. Genuinely try and achieve 

2. Assess their results 

3. Perform a post-mortem analysis of their approach 

4. Make meaningful adjustments to their process to increase the chances of achieving their goals on the next test/assignment/exam

Do you think traditional educational models are wholly outdated for students with meaningfully ambitious aspirations? 

There’s no denying the need for some meaningful adjustments to the education provision model but I don’t necessarily think we need to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater and completely dismantle it