Notes on Jeff Selingo’s Next Newsletter

There are several good insights in this month’s edition of the Next newsletter by Jeff Selingo. It’s always a very thoughtful read with good insights into the trends in the higher education system in the United States.

This month he is focusing on the intersection between college education and the workforce during this time when hiring the right people is especially difficult. I can appreciate the idea of the trouble with translating skills gained into application packages for job seekers. I find this is very often what people need help with as they have no idea the treasures their experience contains until we talk.

He and Matt Sigelman of Burning Glass Institute also discuss the idea that curriculum changes can be made in higher ed to bring skills that are in demand to fill the best jobs forward throughout the college career. They are talking about the kind of skills that aren’t easily replaced by technology. Skills like writing, creative thinking, and the ability to collaborate with others.

Working, as he put it, is a side gig right now for many college students. But maybe it shouldn’t be. Maybe “working is core and maybe the learning is a side gig,” Sigelman said.

Putting an emphasis on working and the learning that happens while doing so seems to me to be the obvious way to empower individuals, especially during this time of educational upheaval at all levels which has been a long time coming.