LETTER FROM THE EDITOR n
PREPARING YOUTH FOR THE
FUTURE OF WORK
P H O T O : K E L LY B A R R
W
hen I was in elementary school, I wanted to become a writ-
er or a dancer. I was a bookworm, and my childhood dance
instructor, Mary, was a firecracker and one of my earliest
role models. I was a shy kid, a wallflower who got good grades and
aimed to fly beneath the radar. But in dance class, I was a different
person. I was outgoing, outspoken and actively engaged, whereas
at school I was quiet and often bored. I’m sure I gave Mary at least
a few headaches during the near decade she spent teaching me —
sorry Mary, to this day your patience means more to me than you
could ever know.
Different environments foster different kinds of students. Dif-
ferent subject matters, ways of learning and instructors can truly
transform the learning experience and how students engage. I was
never bad at math, but I hated it — until the numbers I was count-
ing were steps of choreography or beats to the music.
The recognition that one cookie-cutter approach to education
leaves large swaths of students underserved has become more
mainstream among parents and education reformers. According
to a Brookings Institution study from 2017, “What we know about
Career and Technical Education in high school,” a shift toward
higher emphasis on career and technical education has occurred
in recent years, after experiencing a sharp decline starting in the
1980s as more and more students were put on a track designed to
lead them to four-year university degrees.
It makes sense that our society is realizing again the value of
CTE. In the last decade and a half, college grads are increasingly
finding themselves with crippling debt and without lucrative jobs.
Or they find themselves gainfully employed in professions that
never required a degree in the first place. And we’ve all heard the
old cliche of someone drowning in debt after borrowing tens of
thousands of dollars for a liberal arts degree that leads to no viable
career path.
The Brookings study says “In 2015 alone, 39 states instituted
125 new laws, policies or regulations relating to CTE, many of
which increased state funding for such programs.” We know
there is a dearth of skilled labor, not just in the Capital Region but
throughout California and the nation, in everything from con-
struction to advanced manufacturing. The de-stigmatization of
“blue collar” work is essential not just for a functioning economy
but also for a functioning society. We can’t thrive as a nation of
only philosophers any more than we can thrive as a nation of only
mechanics.
Yet, let’s be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath-
water. The humanities don’t just teach the critical theory of Jane
Austen — they teach curiosity, creativity and empathy. As algo-
rithms and automation increasingly take hold of our daily lives,
the insight that comes from a human touch is more essential than
ever. The job market is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and it’s
difficult to predict what sort of employment needs will meet the
high school graduates of 2030.
What we do know is that the number of freelancers, solopre-
neurs and independent contractors is on the rise with no signs
of slowing. A 2006 report from the federal Government Account-
ability Office estimated there were 43 million “independent or
contingent” workers, which includes temp and part-time workers,
in addition to those who are self-employed or independent con-
tractors. That’s about 30 percent of the workforce. A widely-cited
2010 study by software company Intuit estimates that number will
rise to 40 percent, or over 60 million workers, by 2020. (The GAO
survey has since been discontinued and no more recent data is
available.)
That’s partly why entrepreneurial-focused programs like
those outlined in this month’s cover story (“Youthful Endeavors”
by Torey Van Oot, page 44) are so vital to well-rounded students
and future leaders of the workforce. Sure, skills like financial man-
agement, design thinking and problem solving are necessary in a
great founder or CEO. But they also arm youth with the critical
thinking skills necessary for navigating their way there in the first
place — and adapting to the changes we can’t yet foresee.
In my youth, I didn’t know that dance recitals would help
make me a better public speaker, that stumbling on stage was a
lesson in overcoming failure, or that conceptualizing movement
was an introduction into user experience. I didn’t grow up to be a
dancer, but I understand now that those classes were instrumen-
tal in helping me become the professional I am today.
It’s time we stop asking kids what they want to be when they
grow up, and start asking what they want to do and how they want
to get there.
Allison Joy
Editor in Chief
October 2018 | comstocksmag.com
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