‘Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.’~Mahtma Ghandi
Longevity has disrupted the pattern of the 3-stage life—education, work, and retirement.1 While life is getting longer, changes in lifestyle, science, and technology are demanding that we learn new things in different ways. If you ask a savvy millennial a question, s/he says, ‘I know the answer!’ and proceeds to the internet. So, what does ‘knowledge’ mean? Courses you took in university have been displaced or revised, with new knowledge, format, and priorities. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) is evolving faster. There is a continuous eruption/disruption of discovery and development. Many publications update faster than we can take things in— ‘published 15 hours ago’.4 Big Data looms larger than anything we could keep in our heads. What tools will enable us? What capabilities do we need? The World Economic Forum writes, “Problem-solving, collaboration, and adaptability are the three critical skills that ‘Education 4.0’ must impart to students”.2
‘Try to learn something about everything and everything about something’ ~Thomas Huxley
In keeping pace with Longevity, education needs to be an ongoing pursuit. As we face up to our longer lifespan, the demand for new learning becomes more important at every stage. Whether you are older or younger, you have a much longer career ahead of you.
At age 27 and recently graduated, you are looking at a 50 or 60-year career. Likely the things that you know and what you do will be displaced, obsolete or eliminated, perhaps several times. Reskilling or upskilling will become a pattern in your working life. If you are 47, ‘middlescence’ (average mid-life crisis age is 47.1) 3, your career has twenty to forty years to run. For many, this is the busiest time of life. Among finances, career and family, there is little time for professional development and often no time for personal interests or hobbies. At 67 and still working (Your manager is 37…) is your employer confident that you can still learn ‘new things’. Or say you are 67 and retired (20+ years to enjoy!), what can you do to stay motivated, active, and sharp?
Learning throughout life is now a necessity and at each stage, there are different priorities and opportunities. For our recent graduates at his/her first job, most corporations or associations have continuous education programs. For the upwardly mobile, remember ‘always keep one eye on the exit’. Many online work-related programs include access to a job fair as part of the curriculum, offering online interviews with key managers. Many have worldwide enrolment and offer discussion forums with interested people, who want to do more. Futurists write about mini-credentials; learn the practical aspects, get certified, and go!
Sources
- The New Long Life Bloomsbury Pub, 2020 The New Long Life: A Framework for Flourishing in a Changing World eBook : Scott, Andrew J., Gratton, Lynda: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store 2020
- Wef Catalysing Education 4.0 Investing in the Future of Learning for a Human-Centric Recovery I N S I G H T R E P O R T M A Y 2 0 2 2
https://www.weforum.org/reports/catalysing-education-4-0-investing-in-the-future-of-learning-for-a-human-centric-recovery/