Nurturing entrepreneurial spirit in kids for the jobs of the future

As someone who was homeschooled and then determinedly chose not to pursue higher studies after IIT, I’ve always been curious about the role of education in a child’s life. In his New York Times bestseller, Barking Up The Wrong Tree, author Eric Barker writes, “Valedictorians aren’t likely to be the future’s visionaries,” says Arnold. According to ​world-renowned educational researcher and professor, Dr Yong Zhao, cultivating entrepreneurial talents requires ‘A paradigm shift — from employee to entrepreneur-oriented education, from prescribing children’s education to supporting their learning, and from reducing human diversity to a few employable skills to enhancing individual talents’. There are obvious benefits to such a mindset, like goal-setting, recognising opportunities, communication skills, or early lessons in financial literacy which will stand children in good stead throughout life. I don’t have all the answers, but what I do know is when we nurture the entrepreneurial spirit within our children, we are not just preparing them for the jobs of the future; we are empowering them to create a future where they are not mere participants, but drivers of change.