Preparing your child for a career of the future

Welcome to the 4th Industrial Revolution! Due to the rapid technological advances of the 21st century, we are living in an era of quick and abundant changes. One change that comes with this age of social media, robots, and artificial intelligence (AI) development is the extinction of jobs. For example, cashiers, bank tellers, and administrative assistants are projected to become obsolete within the next decade.   However, another change is the creation of new jobs! Even just a few years ago, occupations like social media marketers and user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) designers either did not exist at all or were in low demand. Now, companies are scrambling to build influencer outreach programmes while job seekers learn to code at boot camps.   You never know what the future holds, so how do you prepare your child for a career that might not exist yet?   Embrace New Things The very first thing to do is open your mind to all the possibilities. Embrace trends and new developments, even if they seem strange at first. People who see potential in something novel often succeed because they enter the market before it’s overcrowded. They may also set the rules or become frontrunners. One example is Steve Jobs, who predicted computers will be a staple in every home, leading to Apple’s rise to the top. Another example is YouTube, which has become a billion-dollar company. Those who created content when YouTube first started saw great success and still have millions of loyal subscribers today. However, there is a lot more competition now. More and more kids in the United States and United Kingdom want to grow up to be YouTube stars.   Rather than jump on a trend when it's at its peak, try to get ahead of it. The way to do this is to be open to new ideas, and then... Stay Updated In order to embrace new things and get ahead of trends, you must always keep a finger on the pulse. Stay updated by reading the news and talking to others. To get the most comprehensive view of how the future is looking, you should expand your horizons and read publications you may not normally read. Sign up for a variety of newsletters that focus on different industries, like Adweek (marketing) and Wired (technology).   Another good resource for parents is Pearson, which does survey-based research into educational trends. The latest report discusses the future of education and vocational training in career-building for students.   Learning as much as you can is the best preparation for the future, but not the only way. You should also... Work On Soft Skills Even though jobs may change, the skills that make an employee competent and desirable never do. You may be unsure about signing your kid up for coding classes right now, but you can always work on their soft skills, which transcend any one job.   Soft skills include time management, creative thinking, conflict resolution, sense of responsibility, and focus. These ensure that your child will be a good worker. You can help by building up their study habits and routines, removing distractions, giving advice, and encouraging breaks so they can refocus and foster creativity.   You can also improve socialization traits, like empathy, sense of humor, and teamwork. Employers want to know your child is a good person to have on their team since they will spend many hours together. You can lead by example: show compassion and communicate clearly. Your child can also get involved in the community through volunteer work and read more books, which boosts the Emotional Quotient (EQ).   Excellent soft skills ensure your child will be a good worker in any field or position! On top of that, you can... Build Transferable Skills For an even greater advantage, you should work on your child’s transferable skills, meaning skills that are important no matter where they work! Your child may not be able to specialize quite yet, but they can perfect basic skills like writing, public speaking, and comprehension. For example, you may not believe a career in science requires strong writing skills, but that is not the case. Pre-med students are nowadays required to take writing classes so they can write up good reports. Public speaking is necessary for any leadership position. Comprehension ensures your child can follow directions and learn new things for their current job or a new one.   To boost these skills, encourage your child to read more and write daily! They can also sign up for activities that will push them outside of their comfort zone, like going to a theater camp that will improve their speaking skills or signing up for a sport that requires quick and strategic thinking. These skills will prove useful no matter what new jobs the future holds! What lies ahead can be uncertain and ever-changing, but you can still help your child prepare for it to the best of your abilities! Learning about trends and honing basic skills are key so that your child can get into any industry, even if that industry does not exist yet.   Preparing your child for the future job market will ensure they have the best future possible! To work on some of the skills mentioned above, take a look at the programmes we offer and find a JEI Learning Centre near you.

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Must-have skill #8: failing successfully

“When we give ourselves permission to fail, we, at the same time,   give ourselves permission to excel.” — Eloise Ristad If you never try something because you don’t want to fail, how would you ever get better? How would you learn your weaknesses? How would you eventually succeed?   Fear of failure is a debilitating ailment with symptoms including inactivity, anxiety, demotivation, and procrastination. If your child seems steadfast in their aversion to trying out for a sports team, entering competitions, or studying for a test, they may have the dreaded fear of failure. This is unfortunately common due to social conditioning, but the mindset your child should actually adopt is that failure is not bad but the natural step towards success.   Luckily, there are ways to remedy this. The first thing a child should learn is that failure is completely okay, even encouraged!   It will take hard work.   It will take patience.   It will take resilience.   In the end, failing multiple times does not make them a failure. It only makes them better versions of themselves, and this will always be worth the struggle and discomfort. In order to help your child succeed without fail, here are some suggestions as to how they can learn to fail successfully: Accept failure The deep belief that failure is bad needs to change--and this will be a process. Many times, they may doubt themselves or what they’re doing. Even years later, they may seem to be entirely cured only for this old belief to come creeping back in a moment of weakness. However, with time, they will better internalize this new belief that no matter how hard they try to protect themselves or how hard they work, they will fail sometimes--and there is nothing wrong with that. It is as natural as breathing, learning to walk, and stretching after a good night’s sleep.   Fail often “Failure isn’t the opposite of success; it’s part of success.”   — Arianna Huffington The more your child fails, the more they will improve. This can be scary for parents and children alike, but to reap the most rewards, children need to start this early and do it often. This will help them get used to it and grow comfortable with the disappointment that follows failure.   This will also show all of their weaknesses, which can be painful but essential for growth. They aren’t going to get better immediately after one failure, and some issues persist because they are deep-rooted ones, such as self-doubt and impatience. Let them engage in trial and error as many times as they need to see what works for them and what doesn’t. To help them, shower them with as much love and support during this time as possible. Work hard every time Even though failure is a natural part of growth, your child should not go out there with failure as the goal. No matter what, they should make as much effort as they can each time with the intention of winning—that is where true improvement comes from. The important thing is to be okay with falling short of the goal. Sometimes, children are scared to do their best because that might mean their best was not enough. This is understandable, but the important part is not that “their best was not enough” but that they did their best in that moment. Sometimes, children believe that success comes from pure luck or natural talents rather than hard work. Success might come from a combination of the three, but hard work can never be a missing piece.   Look back at what could be improved After failure, it is important to devote time to some retrospection. Some kids may want to jump ahead to the next opportunity or move on from the disappointing results, but they need to take a step back. It's important to let them know that they can’t go onto the next step without looking back and learning from their mistakes. Make sure your child reviews what they can do better next time because the goal is always self-improvement. If they did not do as well as they would have liked in the Math Olympiad, have them look over the questions they got wrong. If they lost a music competition, have them practice their weaker techniques. It could even be their test-taking method: Did they run out of time? What can they do to take full advantage of the given time? Try, try again “90% of all those who fail are not actually defeated. They simply quit.”   — John Maxwell Some children might feel defeated after failing, but they should be okay with trusting in this process and trying again to perfect what they couldn’t on the first attempt. If your child was disappointed with their JEI Essay Contest results, for example, they may not want to go for it the next time. They do not want to relive that disappointment. However, it is important that your child gives themselves another chance.   Failing a lot, as mentioned before, is important, but so is trying again at whatever they failed. There is no point in doing the retrospection if your child does not implement what they learned on their second, third, or even fourth tries. Practice self-compassion Children can be too hard on themselves, and failure is particularly hard. Even after failing a lot, it always hurts a little to see their best was not good enough, so make sure your child is gentle with themselves. Sometimes, they do not fear criticism from others so much as they fear that they weren’t, aren’t, and never will be good enough.   Make sure to foster a positive attitude in your child, reminding them that they should treat themselves like they would their best friends. Guide them toward self-compassion. Encouragement and patience are key, and it helps to get them from parents and teachers, too. It’s okay to have off days, of course, but general pessimism is another big killer of success. Encourage internal competition “Comparison with myself brings improvement, comparison with others brings discontent.”   — Betty Jamie Chung Another mindset issue is a child’s tendency to compare themselves with their peers. Make it clear to your child that the only person they are competing with are themselves. If they got an 85 on a test, they should try to beat the 85 instead of feeling sad that a classmate got a 95. This does not help them in any way. Parents and teachers should try to boost this idea of “the only person to best is yourself.” Do not compare them to others or they will adopt that mentality. Only talk about your child’s results, strengths, and weaknesses. Children only fail if they never improve themselves. They have to look within rather than without. — It is hard to avoid the negative stigma placed on failure. For too long, people have made failure out to be this horrific disease that must be avoided at all costs. People are made to feel bad about their failures. Only wins are highlighted in success stories, when actually the shadows of failure bring relief to the light that is success.   If you want your child to succeed, it is best to work at undoing any negative beliefs they may have about failure. It will be hard, but their aversion to failing is keeping them from their infinite potential, so try to engage them in this process of failing successfully as best as possible! It is a must-have skill for everyone, children and adults!

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What do parents like about the JEI Self-Learning Method?

Many parents who have yet to try our personalized learning programmes may wonder what makes us different from any other tutoring programme. The answer is simple: we are not a tutoring programme. We are an educational system that focuses on lifelong learning and enrichment through our unique JEI Self-Learning Method. Rather than making temporary quick fixes, we target deep-rooted habits and strengthen foundations so your child can become a better, more responsible student. Parents who have enrolled their child in our Common Core-aligned programmes have shown immense satisfaction in our unique methodology. The first thing all parents like about the JEI Self-Learning Method is that it’s personalized for every student with the help of our scientifically proven diagnostic and assessment tests. We recognize that each child can benefit from the same skill sets, such as time management and reading strategies, but they are unique learners who pick these skills up differently. We help them figure out how they learn best at a pace that suits them. One parent, Ruthie Ann Thomas, states: “I’m really happy that I found JEI because they’re way more than just simple tutoring. The diagnostic testing that they perform finds the causes and the reasons for the problems that the children are having, and they customize the study programme—just for what they needed.” This way, our students receive the attention they need to develop the study habits that work for them and grow confident in their learning abilities! Every child has infinite potential, and we make sure they know that. Our parents also recognize the universal appeal of the JEI Self-Learning Method in shaping the right mindset. They have shown immense satisfaction at the change they see in their child beyond good grades. A tutor can’t always be there to make sure the student is doing the work, whereas we teach the student to want to do the work. One parent, Yvonne T., said, “The homework hell has ended. After fighting with my 8-year-old daughter on a daily basis to finish her homework, we sought professional help.” JEI turned out to be the right choice as her daughter enjoys the structure and the atmosphere.   Another parent, Madhavi Malineni, agreed that JEI was the best decision ever made. Madhavi explained, “My kids have become so much more independent doing their homework. They are just 6 and 4 years old. Can you believe it? Yes, they are! They need my help very little now.” Another parent, Billa, added, “My son initially hated to do the homework but later on, he developed the habit of doing his homework regularly with no reminder.” The JEI Self-Learning Method also emphasizes a growth mindset, so our students never grow complacent. Instead, they come to truly enjoy challenges and chase after them. Our spiral-structured workbooks help because every time they completely master one challenge, they are given another. They learn that there is always room for growth—and that this process can be fun. One JEI mother, Mrs. Pokhrel, said, “My son gets bored if he’s not challenged. We worried there wasn’t enough to keep him motivated.” She was grateful that her son, Rian, grew more interested in math because of JEI Math, which challenged him more than what he was learning at school. Lastly, the parents see the results! Yvonne credited the JEI Learning Centre with her daughter’s acceptance into the Gifted & Talented programme while Billa witnessed better understanding of articles and improved school performance overall. Another mom, Carol Hartwell, said, “Since they’ve been coming here, my daughter’s grades have gone from Bs to straight As and my other daughter has gone from getting Cs and Bs to Bs and As.” Parents Mr. and Mrs. Noru said, “Our daughter has become a well-rounded student and has developed strong fundamental knowledge in math concepts. She is doing well in school and entered into the advanced track in math.” Their daughter, Sahana, plans to study Computer Science and Business in the future. There are many reasons parents have been happy with our JEI Self-Learning Method and State Standard-aligned programmes. We go a step above and beyond any other tutoring or educational institution with our special philosophy and lifelong learning practices. Whether your child is in kindergarten or secondary school, they can start learning the right way. Help them create a brighter future for themselves by learning writing skills, math skills, and reading techniques at a JEI Learning Centre near you.   Call us at (09 444 6284) JEI-MATH today to get started. (Testimonials may have been edited for concision and accuracy.)

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