The Skill Everyone Should Learn and Why Schools Don’t Teach It - Miyagi Mornings Episode-98

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In high school I had the option to take a “business curriculum” path to graduation. This included a lot of early computer training, no outdated skills like 10 Key. Also with useful skills like typing/keyboarding and accounting. In fact most of my math credits came from Accounting Courses.

In my senior year I took an AP Account Course, essentially a first year college course in accounting. Even at that point though I was barely introduced to the skill I want to discuss today, financial modeling. Oh we did projections of things like cash burn rates, income estimates, etc. But it was all basically advanced book keeping. Someone else provided data and you used said data to get an answer, not much different then a basic algebra class really. Any variables were provided and you were in no way encouraged to adapt the inputs, adapt the model, evaluate the projection for sanity, etc.

Now consider that my path was unique and this was a long time ago. I took advanced college level business courses as a high school senior on business principles, advanced accounting and business law. I was in a small group even then and I learned the square root of fuck all about actual financial modeling.

By that I mean here is an idea, now determine if it is valid economically. If not can you make it so or is it a designed financial loss out of the gate and hence should not be done. The education I got in high school did help me later on as I discovered Excel and sales forecasting in my career, doing estimates and take offs for clients on data center designs, etc. I realized then what I could do with it personally and that sadly even the people working beside me didn’t.

To me this is really sad, as you can learn Excel basics in a few days, if you then also know basic math formula rules, and by that I mean honestly the concept of Please Remember My Dear Aunt Sally and have any understanding of math at all, you can be doing basic financial modeling in a week that will stand up to all but the most complex issues. Yes you heard me any one with basic middle school math and a week of their time can do basic financial modeling and it is one of the most valuable life skills a person can have. So why don’t we teach it.

The answer - “Because institutions like entities take actions to protect themselves from extinction.”

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