In the modern world, like right now, where things are moving at a very high speed, especially in terms of technology and advancement, the older generation has little or no knowledge about it since they didn’t grow up in such an environment. Many things are evolving, and parents are probably scared about their kid’s careers. With the increase of jobs that were not available before, there is a scare that the conventional work may no longer be relevant, which is right in some sense. The jobs that were available before may no longer be available in a decade or two, making way for some new career and job.

The parents have nothing to worry about if they encourage their kids to explore new fields and keep their curiosity alive. When the children are young, they believe that anything is possible and are curious about almost anything. Exposing them to new areas and skills will help them be ready for their future. Problem-solving skills are one of the skills that will help the children even after twenty years.

In some years, the job market is very likely to undergo some drastic changes. With all the advancement and innovation happening at such a high speed, much of the currently available work will no longer be in existence. Instead, new jobs and career paths will come up, but no one knows what those jobs will be. We can only help the children prepare for a tech-filled future no matter what lies ahead of us.

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The possibility of robotic and artificial intelligence in the future is very high. While some think that the AI will take over humans leading to job loss, some believe that it will generate new jobs. But it is worth mentioning that various jobs have come and gone. Those that are not relevant anymore have died down, and new ones have come up like digital marketing managers to the mobile app developer to a web designer. Similarly, new jobs will continue to exist in the near future.

The parents should help the children develop soft skills like resilience, curiosity, communication, and empathy, which will benefit in the future, says Katrin Becker, a business psychologist. The child should use their creativity and collaborate with others in a bigger team and setting comfortably. Since it will be a world of competition and technology, children will need to be more resourceful and determined than ever. There are also possibilities that most of the work will be more freelance- and entrepreneurial-based, having two or three jobs instead of having just one because of the nature of the workplace and how independent the future generation will be. 

The first step to secure the kids’ future is to see what they are being taught in the school and at home. The parents should make sure that the kids become resilient, creative, and collaborative. When a child throws a tantrum, reason with them, show empathy and correct them. Encourage resilience by saying they can handle it and that it is okay to be frustrated. The parents should also be asking them what excites the children or find out what problem they want to solve instead of asking what they want to be when they grow up.

Parents should also be aware of what they are taught in school. The school that wants to future-proof their students should be emphasizing group work, interpersonal communication, and creative thinking. Memorizing specific ways of doing things will not help because that specific way will be out of date in a year’s time. Instead, the children should be learning the skills needed to problem-solve, experiment, learn to fail, and learn from failure.

It is not enough to have good grades. In fact, that should not be the focus. What matters is which subject the child is interested in. Make them do more of the subject that they enjoy learning. This will prove to be beneficial as it will build up their confidence and excel in their strongest area. Eventually, their grades will also improve. This will also help the children to make the right choices in their careers. Most of them land up in a job because their brother or friend took the same subject. When parents help identify the children’s strength, what they enjoy, and nurture it, the children will find less difficulty in choosing what they want to do, even when the future is not certain they will find a way out in their own field.

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Even when the world changes, there is always a need for enthusiastic people about certain things than people who are not. The children will make and shape the world so they will be able to adapt it depending on their strengths and weaknesses that they are well aware of.

Teaching the children what to take away from failure is also very important. Looking at today’s world, it is getting more competitive and hard to keep up with the new updates. They are bound to face failure more than once, and if the child has a fixed mindset, they will give up thinking they are not good enough. They will accept defeat and will not be able to rebound. If failure is seen as a way of life and something to overcome, they will put more effort and will most likely be successful. A child should be praised for their efforts and encourage them regardless of the result. It is very essential to acknowledge their efforts and give due credit. 

A strong foundation of a broad basic skill base is important. Learning the basics of maths and science, along with language and humanities, will provide an overall understanding of the world we live in. Critical thinking should be encouraged; just taking information is not enough. They should be able to process the knowledge, criticizing it is crucial, and making them self-aware.

Future-proofing is not about teaching children to get jobs but teaching values that sustain in the world. Taking responsibility, values for the community, and being resilient matters a lot. They need to appreciate the culture and know where they come from. Since no one is sure what the future will bring for the next generation, it is advisable to teach the children values that they will need as long as they live. Education happens at home as much as in school, so the parents should take responsibility for providing the children with values.