"Call it the "college or Chipotle" dilemma: Ted Dintersmith says schools are giving students two bad options - overpriced degrees or low-wage work - while AI is taking over the real jobs in between. Dintersmith, a former venture capitalist turned education reformer who has toured classrooms in all 50 states, said the US education system is "not just outdated, it's harmful.""
"He warns that schools are setting up Gen Z for a rough landing in the job market by training students to master tasks that machines already do better. "In many jobs, two or three people who are good at AI will replace 20 or 30 who aren't," he said. "If the essence of school is pushing kids to follow distantly in the footsteps of AI, those kids are in for a life of hurt.""
"Dintersmith said it doesn't have to be this way. He pointed to "bright spots" - schools that emphasize real-world projects, career-based learning, and purpose-driven mentorship. His new education documentary, "Multiple Choice," features the Emil and Grace Shihadeh Innovation Center in Winchester, Virginia. The school requires every student to pair traditional academics with a hands-on vocational track - whether in carpentry, welding, health sciences, or other skilled trades."
The US education system trains students to memorize and follow rigid instructions, producing graduates who function like flawed, expensive versions of ChatGPT. Routine tasks and many entry-level roles are vulnerable as AI enables a few AI-proficient workers to replace larger teams. Graduates who lack practical, non-automatable skills face shrinking job prospects and rough labor-market outcomes. Schools that emphasize real-world projects, career-based learning, mentorship, and mandatory vocational pathways pair academics with hands-on trades to give teenagers practical experience and better prepare them for an AI-influenced economy.
Read at Business Insider
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