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The New Career Mash Up

Amy Westby

June 21st 2012

.edu .com .biz .mobi = .org
The new career mash-up

Hello! I am Amy Westby and I am honored to be the newest team member at World Savvy.org I summarize my almost 20-year career as a convergence or culmination of bright and adventurous experiences that have taken me around the globe. At times, all these experiences might have seemed messy and confusing, but as I pull back and look at the whole portfolio, I see a neat pattern of growth and learning within the field of education. This “mash-up” of jobs has included teaching in a traditional classroom, teaching in an online environment, leading a charter school, cross-connecting with students and educators in other countries, traveling the world via edu-business, and landing at the non-profit World Savvy doorstep! What a huge change from my parent’s generation where one career, in one organization was the norm. 

The impact of my own experiences has shaped how I view the future of education. No longer are secondary schools preparing students for the one career, one organization trajectory. More than anything, I watch this convergence and see the need for a full thinking shift in education towards cross-application, cross-geographic, and cross-sector experiences. Students aren’t graduating with one simple degree hoping to land that one perfect job anymore. Instead, they are frenetically moving from job to job and experience to experience and collecting all this knowledge and development into this unique and super-charged portfolio. Companies are seeking these types of personalities, too. Being an ace mathematician is great; being an ace mathematician who can also think using human-centered design methodology is even better.

So how are secondary schools, universities, and multinational companies preparing for this next generation of super-charged, global-minded student? How are students capturing these experiences into a portfolio that showcases their strengths and talents? Share with us your thoughts about this new approach to learning and teaching.