Day 11 of 14 · What's Coming

Teach Your Kids

⏱ 6 min 📊 Beginner

If you have kids — or care about young people in your life — this lesson is critical. Because the world they're growing up in is fundamentally different from the one you grew up in, and most of the advice they're getting is dangerously outdated.

The old playbook is broken

For decades, the path to success was clear: get good grades, go to university, get a degree, get a good job, work hard, retire. That playbook worked when the economy was stable, when degrees guaranteed employment, and when careers lasted decades.

That playbook is broken.

Not cracked. Not slightly outdated. Broken. Here's why:

Degrees are losing their premium. When AI can pass the bar exam, medical boards, and CPA exams — what does a degree prove that AI can't match? The signaling value of education is declining while the cost keeps rising.

Career paths are compressing. A "career" used to span 40 years in one field. Now, entire fields can transform in 5 years. The job your child trains for at 18 might not exist when they're 25.

The skills that matter have shifted. Memorization, test-taking, and following instructions — the skills school rewards — are exactly the skills AI does best. The skills school largely ignores — creativity, adaptability, initiative, and emotional intelligence — are the ones that will matter most.

What to teach instead

Here's what matters for kids growing up in the AI era:

1. Teach them to use AI as a tool, not fear it as a threat. Kids who grow up using AI fluently will have an enormous advantage. Let them experiment with ChatGPT for homework (yes, really). The skill of knowing how to work with AI is arguably more important than any individual subject.

2. Teach them to ask better questions. AI answers questions. Humans need to ask the right ones. Curiosity, critical thinking, and the ability to frame good problems are more valuable than memorizing answers.

3. Teach them to create, not just consume. The kids who use AI to build things — websites, stories, games, businesses — will thrive. The kids who only consume AI-generated content will struggle to stand out.

4. Teach them adaptability over expertise. Instead of pushing kids toward one "safe" career, teach them to be comfortable with change. The ability to learn quickly, pivot, and embrace uncertainty is the ultimate career skill.

5. Teach them financial literacy early. If the economic landscape is going to be more volatile, kids need to understand money, saving, investing, and multiple income streams from a young age.

🤖

ChatGPT

online

My kid's school just banned ChatGPT. Is that the right approach?

I understand why schools are doing this — they're worried about cheating and students not learning. But banning AI is like banning calculators in the 1980s. Here's the thing: **What banning does:** • Prevents students from learning the most important new tool of their generation • Creates a gap between what school teaches and what the real world requires • Pushes AI use underground where there's no guidance on using it responsibly **What would be better:** • Teaching students how to use AI as a research and drafting tool • Assigning work that requires AI use plus human judgment • Focusing assessments on understanding and analysis, not just output • Teaching students to verify and improve AI-generated content **Your role as a parent:** • Let your kids use AI at home for learning and projects • Teach them the ethics: always disclose AI use, always verify facts, always add their own thinking • Help them see AI as a collaborator, not a shortcut The kids who learn to work with AI now will be the ones leading teams in 10 years. Don't let a well-intentioned ban hold your child back.

↻ Replay conversation

Knowledge Check

Why is the traditional "get a degree, get a job" path becoming less reliable?

A

There aren't enough jobs in the economy anymore

B

Young people are too lazy to follow the traditional path

C

Universities have gotten worse at teaching

D

AI is compressing career timelines, devaluing degrees, and changing which skills matter

The traditional playbook relied on stable career paths and degrees as reliable signals of competence. AI is disrupting all three assumptions — careers change faster, AI matches what degrees signal, and the skills school rewards are the ones AI does best.

Final Check

What's the most important thing to teach children about AI?

A

How to use AI as a creative tool and ask better questions — not just consume AI-generated content

B

That AI will handle everything for them in the future

C

How to code AI systems from scratch

D

To avoid AI entirely until they're adults

The children who thrive will be the ones who use AI as a creative tool — to build, explore, and solve problems. Teaching them to ask great questions and create with AI is far more valuable than any specific technical skill.

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Day 11 Complete

"The old playbook is broken. Teach kids to create with AI, ask better questions, and embrace change — not follow a path that no longer exists."

Tomorrow — Day 12

The Bigger Picture

Tomorrow we'll zoom out and look at the bigger societal questions AI is raising — beyond just jobs and careers.

Continue to Day 12 →