Millennials And Their Kids: Why They’re Choosing DIY Education

For millennials the conversation around raising kids is not too far off in the distant future. For many that reality is already here with over 50% already becoming parents. Unlike our parents’ generation where the procedure was get married, buy a house, and then have kids, millennials are doing things a little bit differently.

Take it from Jared Angaza who became the guardian of a 10-year-old Rwandan boy at the age of 27. He’d been studying in Africa for most of his life, and when he noticed a young boy selling peanuts outside of his office, he fell in love.

“Somebody asked me how this happened and my immediate response was I just kept saying yes,” Angaza jokes.

Angaza is the founder of Slapshot Studio, a creative branding agency that builds custom websites and developmental strategies for ambitious leaders. He’s also a philanthropist who has consulted an extensive list of human rights organizations, including the American Indian Movement, Keep a Child Alive, Genocide Intervention Fund, and USAID, as well as the US, Nigerian, Rwandan, and Kenyan governments.

Angaza is one of a growing number of millennials who are approaching the milestones of growing up nontraditionally. Increasingly, millennial parents are turning to alternative education options with 77% saying they are in support of DIY education, wherein learners craft a path to fit their needs.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Angaza shares about why he is choosing DIY education for his own kids, and why it’s a viable option for millennial parents.

Below, discover why nontraditional schooling might be right for you and your current or future family.

DIY Education Teaches Relevant Skills For An Evolving Job Market

Millennials have been dubbed the “true entrepreneur generation,” with career success looking much differently today than it did in the past. Today’s rapidly evolving job market requires millennials to be more adaptable, independent, and entrepreneurial than earlier generations.

Tomorrow’s technology will undoubtedly give rise to job titles that don’t exist yet, as we saw with social media spawning a generation of digital influencers. Which begs the question—is traditional schooling preparing our kids for the career outcomes they desire?

67% of millennials say their goals include starting a business, while only 13% say they want to climb the corporate ladder.

Bjorn Leonards, a millennial entrepreneur and alternative education enthusiast, says, “I realized that 99% of what I had “learned” in school was absolutely irrelevant for what I’m doing now. Reading, a bit of writing and basic math is really all I am using. And it can be learned very quick. We let ourselves be led by excitement and joy. I have no intention to withhold this way of inner guidance from my children.”

DIY Education Teaches Dynamic Learning

More and more millennials are recognizing that the model of being tested on information that you have been taught to memorize does not equal learning. Not every individual learns the same which is why the online course industry has grown to $255B this year.

There are infinite more options available for all learning styles online and personalization on the path to learning is one of the most key factors.

DIY Suits A Mobile Lifestyle

According to the US Census Bureau, millennials made up 43% of all movers in recent years.  Nearly half qualify as “vacation movers,” meaning they’re moving to new cities without the intention of staying there long-term. Often, they’re drawn to neighborhoods with lower rents, direct access to big cities, and trendy atmospheres, including Oakland, Brooklyn, Austin, and LA. 

The rising trend of the digital nomad is undoubtedly making mobility more accessible, with the number of telecommuters increasing 115% in the past decade.

With more millennials pursuing a dynamic lifestyle, traditional schooling is becoming a less viable option. Settling down in one place may have appealed to our parents, but for millennials, traveling is a high priority. Angaza has personally worked in remote locations around the world, from South Africa to Costa Rica and soon to be Kauai.

DIY Education Allows For More Connection

The average family today spends just 49 minutes together. Between the time demands of work and school, what’s left over isn’t a whole lot of quality time. More than one in five children complain they don’t get enough time with either of their parents.

With the average teen spending nine hours a day consuming media, and with ten times as many children and teens obese today compared with forty years ago, it could be that parents just aren’t actively involved enough in their kids’ lives.

Angaza says homeschooling his kids has allowed him to connect with them and foster a strong familial bond. “I’m a skywatcher—I sit outside with my daughter and we watch the stars and planets together and that’s very aligning for me,” he remarks.

Studies show homeschooled kids are happier, healthier, and perform better academically and socially than their traditionally-schooled counterparts.

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