For our final article in this series, we’re taking a look at strategic thinking and learning. This is a really important area as it can help with all other forms of strategic thinking. Learning could relate to a formal education. It could simply mean filling a knowledge gap by asking someone else, or anything else in between.
Your learning and education, or that of your children, is one of the most important places you can apply strategic thinking. This is especially true in this time of sky-high tuition costs and student loan debt.
Education is an end in itself, of course, but most of us can’t afford it just for its own sake. If you are going to invest money or time in something, you need to have a reason and an end goal in mind. You need to think strategically, in other words.
As usual, start with your goals. What is the end goal? What do you hope to achieve through your learning? Are you studying for a career, like teaching or medicine, that requires a multi-year degree, or are your goals simpler? Do you want to learn a specific process or strategy to make your your life simpler or healthier? For example, do you want to learn how to practice mindfulness?
Your learning needs may be complex and require a great investment of time, or they may be simple and quick.
Many career paths do not require a degree or other formal qualification. Make certain that you are going after whatever educational level is required for your end goals before you commit. Also, make sure that the end goal is a realistic one. Not every field has jobs in it anymore and you do not want to be left high and dry!
Once you have found out what learning you need for your goal, it is time to design a path that will get your there using an optimal combination of time and money, whilst incurring as little debt as possible.
Even if you want to do something that requires a lot of formal education and potentially a lot of debt, such as medical school, you can utilise strategic thinking to help you reduce the time and cost burdens.
For example, you can start by taking foundation level classes at evening school or online. Finance your education with cash or grants and scholarships if you can to reduce your overall debt burden.
There are all just examples of ways to think strategically about learning. You can use these ideas and the strategic thinking process to design the ideal learning experience for you.