blog | 4min Read
Published on March 11, 2021
10 Important 21st Century Skills that High School Students Should Learn while in School
This concept of ‘21st-century skills’ is thrown around a lot, most often by people born in the 20th century. We often reject it, thinking that we have an entire century left to learn these skills,
This concept of ‘21st-century skills’ is thrown around a lot, most often by people born in the 20th century. We often reject it, thinking that we have an entire century left to learn these skills, so why hurry now? Well, as any Ivy league mentor will tell you, they aren’t going to take you in unless you have these skills.
Not to use scare tactics, but the fact of the matter is that high school students have higher hopes from themselves, and in turn, higher pressure is put on them. Bringing these skills into your life will ease that pressure. Don’t look at these skills as something boring or an extension of school. Make them fun so that they become a part of your daily life.
1. Know your tech
This doesn’t mean having the latest iPhone or being a streamer. It means to know what’s happening in the world of technology. We have transparent TVs, we have brain implants, we have robot dogs that can fire guns, there is something new every day. You don’t need to become a coder necessarily, but the future is going to be based entirely on tech. You don’t want to become like your grandparents struggling with their phones.
2. Texting isn’t communication
We think of effective communication as another subject to study. But most often we just don’t know how to communicate. It isn’t about making a plan with your friends to meet up. It is about your thoughts cutting across the noise to get what you really want from people. This post-pandemic-Zoom world has created its own issues in terms of communication as well, and we need to adapt accordingly.
3. Adapt to survive
Sounds a bit cliché, but today’s digital landscape is changing at a breakneck speed. So by the time you graduate high school, the schooling system and the job market would have changed. So what will you do then? If you don’t learn how to be flexible and adaptable, you’re probably going to be left confused.
4. Make your world global
Everyone knows if there is a fire on a small island in the Caribbean, while it’s happening. That is the beauty of this connected world we live in. Earlier you probably had to wait for the newspapers to cover it first. But with this new dynamic comes more responsibility in understanding different cultures and perspectives, not just your local ones. One word could be a compliment somewhere, and an insult elsewhere. How would you know the difference if you don’t expand your horizon?
5. Be creative
This isn’t about becoming an artist. To consider the arts as the only form of being creative is outdated. Today you’re competing on a global business scale and creative solutions are the key to the game. If you were a student entrepreneur, how would you train your mind to think out of the box, to find a different answer for an old problem? Don’t think of creativity as just a talking point to impress people.
6. Social skills aren’t for your parent’s dinner parties
Nobody is telling you to be an extrovert or the center of attention. But you can’t be afraid of opening your mouth either. Collaboration has become an integral part of any job nowadays, and you need to have basic Social Skills to get the job done. Funnily even your online behaviour makes a difference, so you need to develop digital social skills as well.
7. There is a difference between information and knowledge
It would take you multiple lifetimes to see all the content on YouTube. There is a sea of information out there, and it’s easy to get lost without actually gaining anything from it. This might not seem like a ‘skill’, but it’s probably one of the most important ones. When you have so much data, how do you process it into knowledge?
8. Don’t criticise. Critique instead.
We often think that when we’re criticising something, we’re being critical thinkers. But often it’s just based on emotions, not on analysis. And therein lies the difference. Critical thinking is the ability to analyse, think clearly and understand the connections between various ideas.
9. Staring at a light bulb isn’t the same as changing it
We spend so much time in front of a computer, just switching it on makes us think that we’re being productive. But not really. We can all agree that we live in an era of distractions, where a million things are vying for our attention. We jump from one to another, not realising that we have the nine-second attention span of a goldfish. We need to reclaim the word ‘productivity’ back from presentations and brochures, to use it as an actual skill.
10. You need to hold your own reigns
It’s pretty straightforward. You have to give yourself directions in life. Taking the Initiative is a skill that can be developed. Sure, leadership workshops, mentors, etc., will give you perspective. But at the end of the day, you will need to learn how to find your own footing and push yourself forward.
This is just a small cross-section of the skills that fit the need of the hour. What do you feel are some of the other skills that high school students need today?
