The education system we have in place now has been doing a good job for quite a while. Two centuries to be more precise. However, the heavily outdated system, which is occasionally refreshed by introducing new computers, projectors, and mandatory PPP with a presentation, is not enough to go shoulder-to-shoulder with the economy and all the new trends observed.
The Switch in the Economy
The economy is switching from the economy of the 20th century on steroids that we see today to a gig economy of tomorrow. The switch is unfortunately not supported by the education system.
The prospective entrepreneurs are left to educate themselves further and gain the knowledge necessary to enter the SME market. Alternative education methods are on the rise, and it is up to the universities.
Gig Economy and Current Education Models
The gig economy is on the rise, and as many entrepreneurs decide to go into these waters and break with the middle man in the job equation, it is becoming a more prosperous place to start working than a large company.
However, not many people have the entrepreneurial knowledge that is necessary to enter these waters. A good start-up company’s manager needs to have several skill sets:
- Market Research,
- Business Plan Making,
- Product / Service Design,
- Product Marketing,
- Social Media and Web Presence,
- CR and HR,
- Solving Legal Status, and
- Deep Analytics.
These are only some of the skills necessary to create and successfully run a business. None of these are taught in schools. Here are four ways how entrepreneurial education can (re)shape a generation:
4 Ways How Entrepreneurial Education Can Shape A Generation
Having an Analytical Mind
Having an entrepreneurial education means mastering these skill sets and many more, and how successful you are in this extracurricular education determines how successful your business will be.
It is no secret that most businesses do not make it past year three of their existence, so shifting the focus of educational institutions from research to a more hands-on approach and case-study can future-proof the students and their knowledge.
Learning how to write is nothing compared to the actual act of writing that can reveal tons about your style, your strong and weak points. A great approach to the problem is to have a look at the Writing Universe.
Their essay samples offer a lot of material to go through, see the things you like and dislike, and help you find your style. Similarly, looking at small business examples can also help you determine what your future business should look like.
Being Able to Innovate
People with entrepreneurial education can see more chances for innovation. This is an easy trend to spot, as many innovations are just creative solutions to existing problems, or they stem from a dire need to optimize and shorten the production times. Once you’ve spent several years in the world of SMEs, innovation becomes your second nature.
On the other hand, current educational systems do not support innovation to a great extent. A lot of the materials are outdated, and novel approaches to common topics are discouraged.
Innovation means breaking from the standard and looking for novel solutions. This is why so many people use personal education software to break with the standard. The standardized grading system seems to be slowing down the development of innovative approaches to common issues as it insists on good but outdated ideas.
Developing Leadership Skills
Having spent some time in the entrepreneurial waters, you will notice that at least some of your proposals or ideas give amazing results. These results, in turn, spark interest into what else can be optimized and how else you can approach your team to get the best results with the least effort.
This kind of approach to analytics, system management, and HR, in turn, builds leadership skills. It is only by trial and error that you understand what kind of approach and solutions work in your respective field.
In the education era of your life, this kind of approach sharpens your mind, and the practical part, actually working on your ideas and ideals, gives you a perfect way to sharpen your entrepreneur tools.
Building Opportunism
Opportunism is a big driving force behind a lot of what is done on the SMEs scale. While it may be true that any need can be created in the market and then exploited, you can also be observant of the market trends and start noticing organic needs that stem from some previous market trends.
Having entrepreneurial education means you will be more sensitive and aware of such small ripples and start using them before they turn into waves that many are on.
Let’s consider writing again. We’ve seen how we can have an entrepreneurial attitude to this simple skill. When it comes to running a writing business, it can be helpful to know that the market is oversaturated and that finding a good writing service, like TopEssayWriting can take a long time. So, once you’ve found it, stick to it. Who knows, maybe you will need a few professionally-written blog posts soon.
Final Remarks
While it is true that the current education system runs much of the world economy, its shortfalls should be noted as well. In the era of small and medium enterprises, it can not be easy to start one.
The importance of this hands-on education cannot be overstated, as over 40% of the UAE economy and over 60% of the German economy are run by small and mid-sized family businesses. Getting an education in an entrepreneurial spirit can have a very positive impact and do so by reshaping the way you think and analyze common and not-so-common issues.
