What problem do you want to solve?
Shelly Humbach • April 21, 2020
As “stay at home” orders continue on for many states, you may find yourself with some extra time on your hands. Have you run out of puzzles, family game night getting old, have you reached the end of the internet? Maybe it’s time to think about some of life's big questions – like “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. But before you start there, consider this advice from Jaime Casap.
Jaime Casap is the Education Evangelist at Google. He promotes the power of technology and the web as tools to transform education. He’s also an author and sought-after speaker and he has some different ideas around choosing a career path. He says the question of “What do you want to be?” is the wrong question. What do you want to be leads you to pick a job that exists now. But things are changing rapidly – that job may not exist in the future. Instead, Jaime says to focus on the three questions below.
1. What problem do you want to solve?
2. How do you want to solve that problem?
3. What do you need to learn to solve that problem (knowledge, skills, and abilities)?
Check out this episode
of his video blog for more detail as he travels to several locations to talk about this idea. Fun tip – watch to the very end to see Jaime encounter a COVID appropriate piece of technology (even though this video was filmed a year ago).
Take Action
What problem do you want to solve? Start small with a problem you could tackle right now. It might not be your future career path but it’s a good exercise nonetheless. Think about the unique perspective you can bring and check out some online resources (YouTube videos, websites, or apps) that could help you build your skills. Maybe the problem right now is your mom’s cooking. If you solve that one – your family will thank you!
In June, I hosted my annual Senior Essay Writing Workshop. This was the first in-person workshop since 2019. I bet you can guess why. I was elated to meet my students face-to-face after months, even years, of connecting through the screen. Imagine my surprise at their height, super-smiles, and warm laughter. Dang, it was wonderful. So, essentially, all my in-state seniors gather at my house for a three-hour intensive workshop on crafting a killer college essay. As I was preparing for the event, it occurred to me that I might be in competition with their PHONE. Classic directness (this is probably a character flaw) led me to inform my students and their parents, in advance, that this would be a no-phone gathering. My messaging went something like this, Important: Phones are placed in a basket at the door and retrieved at noon. No exceptions. Parents: If you need to reach your student during the workshop, text me directly at **********. Now, I am fully on board with the phone-free movement. I support it, advocate for it, and live it (I brilliantly quit all personal media last November). And I thought: my event, my rules. I was a little concerned about how this announcement would land. Turns out my concern was mainly about the parents. The kids? Not so much. In fact, research indicates that students crave phone-free learning environments. Suffice to say, the workshop was a smashing success. Not a single student pushed back against the policy. One poor soul forgot to retrieve her phone and left it sitting all alone in the basket. Not to worry, though. She didn’t get far before turning back to grab it. Here’s the truth: We don’t have to bow down to every technological whim or societal pressure. As adults, we know the phone is a problem, and it’s our job to foster healthy, happy individuals. So let's keep this momentum going. As Maya Angelou wisely said, “When you know better, do better.”
I work with incredible colleagues; collaborative, smart and supportive. They make me better and I am deeply grateful. Every year, Jennie Kent and Jeff Levy of Big J Educational Consulting share invaluable information regarding college admissions. Their research is impeccable and accurate and provides crucial data to help students and families make informed college decisions. Read on, share broadly and give a shout out to these generous professionals! Early Decision and Regular Decision Acceptance Rates Class of 2028 Domestic Undergraduate Need-Based and Merit Aid Class of 2028 In-State and Out-of-State Acceptance Rates Class of 2028 Financial Aid for International Noncitizens Class of 2028 International Noncitizens Acceptance Rate and Yield Class of 2028 Percentage of Students Submitting SAT and ACT Scores Class of 2028 Athletic Divisions and Conferences (partial list) Class of 2028 - NEW! These charts are visual, interactive, and easy to use. They make it possible to instantly sort using any column's metrics and to easily compare subsets of colleges. They are free and can be accessed at www.bigjeducationalconsulting.com/resources . From Jennie and Jeff: We hope you find these resources helpful in your work guiding students. Please feel free to share them broadly as long as they remain in their original unedited form. Permission is not granted to those charging a fee for their distribution. If you find an error after cross-referencing with an institution's Common Data Set, please contact us at info@bigjconsult.com . Thank you!
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