The EvoLLLution (Evo): What was the impetus behind launching Real World?
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David Hollander (DH): The future of higher education—particularly applied professional higher education—is not so much about degrees that pile on content for a specific field relating to specific careers. Fields and careers of today will likely be obsolete or completely different tomorrow.
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We must prepare students for jobs that haven’t been invented yet. Learning about a profession helps a little, but learning how to learn prepares you for everything to come.
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The only way you get that is by being thrown into real-world projects, with real people and real consequences. In the real world, there is no answer key. In the real world, so-called soft skills—cross-collaboration, leadership, interpersonal communication abilities, empathy, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, strategic thinking, a multidisciplinary approach and the ability to learn new things—are what lead to success and leadership.
