Should Schools Change Their Curriculums to Reflect the Growing Internet Industry?

      

While the world evolves rapidly, little changes within the education system in the USA. In high schools, there is still a heavy focus on English, math, and science, with history and foreign languages allocated more time than computers. Computer courses are in the curriculum, but they only make up two classes per week. With the internet having a greater influence on our lives every year, it is high time that the school system put more focus on web development to prepare students for the future.

Web Developers Currently Forced to Learn Online

People with an interest in web development currently have to learn in college after they finish high school, or seek out online courses to give them a head start. With this in mind, only the students who have a strong grasp of how the future may look are likely to seek out this extra form of education. The vast majority of high schoolers, on the other hand, will simply learn what they are told to by the teachers.

Luckily, for people who do have the awareness that they need to learn about computers, there are plenty of ways to do so online. This is also useful for adults who may fancy a career change and a way into the booming web development industry. Because of the wealth of material online, users are able to zone in on a particular subject that they feel will be most useful to them.

An example of this is how people can choose to take a course in learning how to use After Effects. There is a vast list of tutors online, each with a wealth of knowledge about how to apply this form of visual effects on web pages. Interested parties can simply read the short description of each tutor and select which one is best for them.

Why a Greater Number of Computer Lessons is Essential

The outdated curriculum in US high schools was there in the days before the internet, preparing students for a life of work in the outside world. It did the job in those times and allowed many people to go on to have successful careers. But the world has changed drastically now, with a high number of jobs now existing in the online space. Indeed, it has recently been found that 42 percent of the US labor force works online.

With artificial intelligence and other similar technology advancing at an astonishing rate, high school students need to be able to keep up. Robots are likely to take a lot of classic jobs away from people over the next few decades, so youngsters should learn other skills. Having foundational computer skills will be the start, but they need to build on the basics and learn more advanced things such as coding and web development.

A major rethink of the education system has to take place not just in the USA, but all over the world. The fact that everyone has access to great courses online may not be enough. Instead, high schoolers should be encouraged to get into web development early.