With the rise in technology and the overall progression of our nation, there has also been a shift in the demand for unconventional careers: jobs that defy the traditional mold of a nine-to-five desk job. Very few adults that I have asked work jobs they thought they would be when they entered college. Even fewer say that high school prepared them for what they would do to find, even create, their careers. This lack of preparation is why, in order to keep up with the changing world, schools should be transitioning from a knowledge-based curriculum to one focused on creativity and innovation.

In the current digital age, what you can do with the information you have is more important than what you know, things you can find with a quick internet search. It is no secret that in high school, we are given information that, while valuable to the academic future of some, is forgotten by most soon after the test.

This redundant and tedious routine leads to a decrease in motivation of high school students over time. Instead of drudging through this enormous waste of time and energy, during which most of us lose focus (and see the results in our grades), students should be focusing on topics that both interest them and are relevant to potential careers, and given periodic tests that will analyze both their progress in self-directed learning and their ability to take in, analyze and use information.

While students still need to be taught basic, essential knowledge, the skills that they will acquire through a curriculum centered on innovation will be far more valuable than any history lesson (no offense to the social studies teachers reading this). Not only will it teach students to use information efficiently, it will also teach them to become intrinsically motivated – the desire to improve oneself for improvement’s sake – but also to adapt and use what is set before them, a skill valuable in any career field.