Are young adults missing out on the most important skill sets?
We recently found ourselves reflecting on some of the key take-aways since our launch of GapWell just one year ago.
One of our key initial assumptions has proven to be spot on:
University degrees are NOT the singular ingredient to lifelong success.
This "gap" from high school to career requires a lot more than just a college degree to achieve initial and maintain ongoing success as a fully functioning adult. It requires a lot more work than just a degree.
In fact, some influential voices go so far as to say that many universities are getting more things wrong than right and there is a lot of data supporting that as well.
We remain perplexed when faced with statements like this:
If a child can do advanced math, speak 3 languages, or receive top grades, but can't manage their emotions, practice conflict resolution, or handle stress, none of that other stuff is really going to matter.
According to the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States Vivek Murthy, "Social and emotional wellness tools are no longer luxuries any more. They are becoming necessities."
Murthy goes on to insist that we cannot assume that young people are going to grow up with a strong skill set when it comes to navigating relationships, building them, maintaining them and negotiating conflict.
It's a lot easier to push someone out of relationships online, but it's a lot harder to do so face-to-face.
It is important to recognize the differences between transactional relationships, where both parties are protecting their own self-interests (like you and your auto mechanic), versus social relationships.
Social relationships are the ones where you invest in the relationship without knowing what you are going to get back from it. A perfect example of a social relationship is your college roommate.
People have lost a set of skills. The same way that we go to the gym to build our muscles, we have social muscles that we have to build too. We've lost the proverbial gyms in a way where people would go and learn how to engage in these kinds of activities.
Harie Han, Professor and Inaugural Director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University
All hope is not lost.
It's not as simple as popping a pill (with all due respect to Big Pharma). It's simply time to reset what the norms are supposed to be. When people are more connected to one another, they are more creative and more productive.
While AI and other new technologies / apps do accelerate many things, building a sense of community is indeed a necessity that you cannot take for granted on your journey from high school to career.
Healthy relationships are not only a proven ingredient for happiness, they will also help you to find your way. People with strong relationships live longer, and they’re happier and healthier too, according to an 85-year Harvard study.
Put in the work and you will see the results.
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