Skills you'll need for the 2000s By: RU Research Remsen Union Guidance, REMSEN, IA August 21, 2000 OK, you say you'll be glad when the current school year comes to a close, and that all's well for the future, just let me outta here, right? Well, not exactly (something like you've heard on the Hertz TV commercial). Anyway, here's what predictors are saying about the 21st Century. * Whatever you learn in school may have been changed by the time you graduate. Instead, you need the ability to learn more. * Life will always be stressful, and you'd better learn to deal with it. * Gain mental flexibility by looking at things through other people's eyes. That's just the beginning. Here's some things you may want to keep in mind in putting your future together -- and it doesn't matter whether your a senior, junior, sophomore, and yes, a freshman. ALWAYS GO WITH A WELL ROUNDED GENERAL EDUCATION... The experts are saying, once again, that a good liberal-arts education is something to be seriously considered. Specific skills, they're saying, become obsolete too quickly. In other words, going for one thing as a profession may no longer exist by the time you earn a degree in it. DEVELOP MENTAL FLEXIBILITY... Have an open mind, enough so that you will consider the possibility of things you're absolutely certain will never happen. In other words, what's today may not be tomorrow, and what's tomorrow, may not be the next day. You understand? REMEMBER THAT NOTHING STAYS THE SAME... Having the same job for the rest of our lives is way, way in the past. And even if you stay at one place for a long time (or plan to) you can absolutely count on having to learn new things and new ways of doing things. Figure on going back to school when you are in your 30s, or 40s or even 50s. (Look at Mr. D. He's 58 and he's going to college now for a second Masters Degree.) KEEP YOURSELF IN BALANCE. Life will always be stressful. The person or persons who said life gets easier the older you become was and is a liar. Life never gets easier -- even if you have all the money in the world. LOOK BEYOND THE HERE AND NOW... With today's work pressures, many people get so caught up in meeting deadlines that they have no time left to think about doing things differently. As work roles become more fluid, the most successful employees will be those who take an entrepreneurial approach to their jobs regardless of their position in an organization. Imagine different things for yourself. Don't let your options become limited or non-existent. LEARN TO GET ALONG WITH OTHERS... Many American companies have discovered that the old vertical work model of managers and employees, etc., just doesn't work anymore. So, people skills are becoming more important. Businesses want people who work well with others. So, if you want to get ahead, remember, you are not perfect (even though your parents and your friends have said you are). You need to look at yourself and put a check on some things in your personality if you expect to get ahead. DON'T LET YOURSELF GO SLACK... The more complex technology becomes, the less physical activity will be required in order for people to live their lives. Your ability to cope with everyday stressors will depend increasingly on your physcial condition. So... Don't let yourself go. You know what I mean?