high school students graduates tossing up hats over blue sky.

There are many organizations and public institutions conducting extensive research on the fundamental aspects of answering a profoundly important question:

“What is the acceptable standard of college and career readiness for a high school student upon graduation?”

The truth is, this constantly shifting standard is a moving target never again to be still enough to accurately measure.

We’re in a decade of warp speed as our world gives birth to a knowledge economy. The intense contractions started in 2001 and by 2008 the confluence of many factors ushered in a new workplace where all the rules changed and many workers were left behind.

Schools for the most part are also being left behind. Generally speaking, schools are preparing our students for the wrong economy. A new economy with a global technology is trumping industrialism requiring not only skills but a certain imperative mindset.

Think about it. We could set standards for college and career readiness today that totally shift by the time each one is implemented into a new curriculum or a standard methodology.

Yes, students must be able to read, write, appreciate the basics of math necessary to live while also developing  an excellent skill base of web proficiency. Those skills are not negotiable and are at the core of all thriving economies.

College and career readiness can’t be solely about a core set of competencies for the future. It is about a mindset, an attitude and a posture of openness to possibilities not yet created.

I’ve helped countless college graduates working minimum wage jobs. They scored above 30 on their ACT, received a bachelor’s degree and maintained a 3.9 GPA. They might have been college ready and academically successful yet were clueless about what career readiness really means.

This blog will address the five crucial mindset principles every student must have for success beyond high school in the 21st century. Post-secondary education’s myriad of options is certainly a necessary step. The issue is have we trained our students to make effective career decisions?

In the next post, we will address the first mindset principle: every person is an entrepreneur.

For now, what does career readiness mean to you? Your thoughts are welcome.

 

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The Truth about College and Career Readiness in the 21st Century

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