Future Careers

Dear parents,
 
I'm sure you have thought about the future careers of your children. Most of us have. But the times, they are a-changing.  As you may know, we are in one of the largest employment shifts in history.  We have been rapidly moving into a "gig economy" over the last few years. Far more people now work as independent contractors than a decade ago. When I graduated from college most of my friends assumed they would take a job and stay in that career for the rest of their work life. Nothing could be further from the truth in today's economy.
 
Increasingly, each person is his or her own small business. Each person must sell his or her ability to perform a job, even a short term one. Each of these jobs (gigs) has a finite life after which you are selling the next one. Some of these individuals will start their own company, however, in the gig economy they will not hire employees. Each of these contractors is performing a gig for this new company.
 
So how do we prepare our children for this economy? First, they each need to have very well-rounded education, healthy in body, mind, and spirit. Fortunately that's exactly what we emphasize at Epiphany. The second skill they will need is the ability to get along with others. Again, this is something on which we work very hard.
 
Take some time to talk to your children about this economic shift. Give them the opportunity to look around your home and see what needs to be done. Encourage them to describe what they can do to help around the house, their gig. You may even want to give them some incentives.  I used to have my three children bid on the jobs around the house as if they were contracts to be issued.  That's how the business world works, and I wanted them to be ready.  These are the skills that will be needed in the new economy.
 
Blessings on your parenting,
Tim Miesner
Principal