Last month, the team here at Education Planning Partners announced the launch of our online educational community. After years of hard work and facing obstacles head on, we were ready to launch the marketing campaign and let the world know that EPP was open for business. Unfortunately, our plans were put on hold again and my dream took another hit.

EPP is not a revenue generating company. At present, yours truly – the irrepressible gal who loves to dream – is completely funding the venture. I have carried all of the costs associated with launching this education support program by working full-time while pursuing this dream in my spare time. So when I was let go from my job this month, I had to halt the marketing campaign and once again put my dream on hold. Given economic uncertainty these days, the job market is not always welcoming. Until I landed a new position, I needed to watch my budget. It was a difficult set-back for me, particularly given the nature of how I was let go, but if I have learned anything during this journey, it’s how to take a hit and get back up.

Perhaps it may not seem like a big deal, but if you had worked at something for over seven years, invested your life savings, and risen from the ground over and over, only to have another curve ball knock you down days away from achieving a major milestone, you might be able to relate. So yes, it’s a big deal to take a hit and get back up, again and again and again, until you reach your goal. As I worked to figure out my job situation, I contemplated what I could do to keep things moving with EPP. It gave me an opportunity to reevaluate my marketing plans and a new idea struck me. Rather than throw thousands of dollars into online and social media advertising, which was the focal point of my marketing plan, why not write a book and then launch a promotional campaign? As I looked into this further, the idea became rather appealing. I could focus on writing the book and prepping for the campaign, while settling into a new position.  So look for my book, 10 Things I Wish I Knew In High School, coming soon to a bookstore near you!

What’s the point in sharing this story? The education system needs to equip students for the inevitable hits they will have to survive. When you look at some of the data on academic outcomes and career success for high school and college students, the story it tells is compelling. Too many of our students are simply not prepared for the realities of college and the workforce. The education they receive, in many cases, does not equip them to anticipate, plan for, and overcome the challenges they will undoubtedly face. It does not provide them with well-rounded, comprehensive information and perspectives to make well-informed decisions about their education. It does not factor in the highly personal determinants of success in today’s rapidly changing environment. It does not help them define what success looks like – for them – and identify the best path to get there. Our students are taking hits, but they are struggling to get up and on track. In my next post, I’ll share the facts and figures to back this up, because it’s the truth and students need to hear it, so that they can help themselves.

Perseverance, fortitude, foresight, adaptability, innovation and resilience don’t happen overnight. They have to be cultivated and a series of pre-programmed courses, from cookie-cutter curricula, reinforced by standardized tests, isn’t going to accomplish this. Our students need their education to be so much more in order for them to make it and reach their full potential. So I am putting pen to paper to spell it out, the 10 things I wish I knew in high school that hopefully will not only help students take a hit or two and get back up, but do it with a smile and a bit of their own style.