I’m encountering a lot of coaching discussions and general conversations on education. This can be people who are leaving high school and considering further education or training in trades, people who have been caring for children or lost their job and are now looking to education as a pathway back into the workplace, people looking to radically change career directions due to changes in technology or motivation, and some people who just want to learn more about an interest or hobby (some cases in retirement).

Identifying my own bias before I start this blog post, I have been a continuous learner since High School whether it has been University, Polytechnic, MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), or High School night classes. I am just wrapping up a Certificate in Horticulture Studies – with the current global economic environment pointing in the direction of global food shortage/inflation due to wars and trade barriers, it seems to make sense to direct my learning towards food production/cultivation for my family and neighbours. What I have found since High School is that grade creep seems real (it has become much easier to obtain high grades compared to the amount of work required before), the move to online learning has opened access to so much information for me but is also a form of learning that makes it harder for me to retain the information (and interestingly there seems to be some schools in Scandinavian countries moving back to pen, paper, and physical books to promote concentration and improve literacy), and finally AI is a tool that can help or hinder (it presents some errors very convincingly) learning and research as it is currently.

For younger people the question they are asking themselves and want to explore is “What should I study?”. For this I take my coaching hat off and recommend a great resource from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, this lists some great tips as well as having links to free resources such as a School Leavers’ Toolkit and a Career Navigator. Sometimes there is question “Will AI replace this job I am studying for?” which is difficult to answer, and as discussed in the previous blog post about work, there is a definite possibility that AI will be part of the job, change how you do the job, or change how the job is done or the skills that are required (it may even create new jobs that have no formal training available yet).

Choosing what to study is not a problem for some people, they know what they want to do and are committed or even passionate, with an understanding that jobs associated with the course of study may change or disappear. There is still however the costs and benefits to be evaluated. With high unemployment and high cost of living in New Zealand it is a huge financial commitment to undergo tertiary training at present. Our young people in rural areas may have to move to the city for certain courses of study which present a whole lot of additional costs and the lack of family around can make it more of a challenge. Another concern is with the general elections not far away, as the support for students from government may improve or decline depending on which parties obtain power and I myself have started a course of study only for the student allowance for it to be removed half way through by a change in government policy. So it is well worth asking yourself questions about “How will I finance this education?”, “Will I be able to work and study?”, “Should I study full-time to finish earlier, or part-time so I can fulfil other commitments?”, “Would it be better to find a job first and then save for study in the future?”, “Will I need to do post graduate study as well to work in the field?” and “Are there any scholarships available that I can apply for?”. I recommend the Citizen’s Advice Bureau link above to explore some of these questions too.

Ultimately, decisions about education do require careful consideration for the most part. It deserves some thought and a conversation with friends, family, and perhaps a professional like a career advisor or a coach. I think the key thing is to be prepared for change and making the best decision you can with the information you have and not being too hard on yourself if life, the world of work, and your own priorities change.