Michael Horn is the author/coauthor of multiple books, white papers and articles on education, and the co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation. I recently Michael’s new book, Choosing College: How to Make Better Learning Decisions Throughout Your Life, is filled with helpful information and excellent advice for parents, teens or anyone considering college. During our conversation, we talk about the “Jobs To Be Done” methodology that Michael and his team applied when interviewing students, and Michael shares some of the big learnings they uncovered during the research. Michael also offers sound advice for parents for helping their teens identify their next steps after high school including asking the right questions at the right time, the importance of making connections and the outlook for non-traditional learning opportunities. You won’t want to miss Michael’s recommendations for helping teens prototype their future as a means to clearly define where they are headed in life and whether they should choose college…or not.
About Michael Horn
Michael’s journey was an accidental journey, as he believes many are. Coming out of college, Michael had a writing and public policy background. He became sick of the Washington D.C. and writing world and wanted to get more on the active side of creating the change. So he went to business school and while there took Clay Christensen’s class on Innovation and it totally changed the way he saw the world. Midway through the class, Clay told the students if anyone would like to write a book with him about public education to please stop by. And Michael stopped by which led him right back into writing and public policy but he also helped start the Clayton Christensen Institute, a nonprofit think tank that he ran for about ten years Then about five years ago, he left the Institute.
Now he spends his time doing a variety of things including continuing his research writing, spending a lot of time with the Entangled Group, and is on some boards and advisory boards. His mission in life has changed. Every morning he wakes up thinking “how do I help every single individual in the world build passion and fulfill their full potential, whatever that might be”. That’s been animating him for well over a decade now.
Episode Highlights
- Michael’s Personal Journey and the Benefits of College
- Is College Worth It?
- Michael “Accidentally” Writes a Book
- About The Research
- The Choices for College and Alternatives Continue to Grow
- Parents Point of View on College Alternatives
- What Are The “Jobs To Be Done”?
- Michael’s Advice for Parents of Teens to Start Identifying Next Steps After High School
- The Important Question for Teens and Adults
- Choosing Careers
- New Opportunities and Trends Post-High School
- Teenagers Need to Get On LinkedIn
- Surprises and Learnings in the Research
- Helping Your Teen Prototype Their Future
- Michael’s Advice to His High School Self
Resources
Connect with Michael
Choosing College by Michael B. Horn and Bob Moesta