Choosing College

MICHAEL B. HORN is the author and coauthor of multiple books, white papers, and articles on education. He is the head of strategy for the Entangled Group and a senior partner for Entangled Solutions, which offers innovation services to education institutions. He is also the co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation. BOB MOESTA is an innovator, entrepreneur, and co-creator of the Jobs to Be Done Theory. The co-founder and president of the ReWired Group, Moesta is also a fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation. He is a guest lecturer at The Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School of Entrepreneurship, and Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

• Foreword: Helping You Make Progress xviiPart I Introduction 11 Is This Book for Me? 3Ask the Right Question 3You Could Be Struggling Because… 4Why This Book Can Help 5Helping You as a Student 8Helping You as a Parent 10Helping You as a School Professional 112 College Choosers Face a New, High-Stakes World 13The College-Choosing Problem 13A Higher Percentage of People are Going to College Than Ever Before 14More People Apply to More Places 14Many Don’t Know Whether to Go to College at All 16Want a Job? Go to College! 16Stop Stressing About Whether You’ll Get In 18College Doesn’t Work for Many People 19College Doesn’t Pay Off for Many People 20Even If You Complete, It Might Not Be a Good Investment 22There are Other Good Pathways 23That Adds Up to a Lot of Dissatisfied People 23It’s Not Just 18-Year-Old High School Graduates 24The Rankings and Advice Out There Won’t Necessarily Help You 27Don’t Leave Your Choice to Luck 28Part II Helping Learners Make Better Choices 313 Help Me Get into My Best School 33Getting In 34Devin’s Story 36Talikha’s Story 37Ujana’s Story 38Understanding the Help Me Get into My Best School Job 40How to Be Successful When You Have This Job Arise in Your Life 44What to Do If You are a Parent of a Child with This Job 57What Not to Do 61What to Do 624 Help Me Do What’s Expected of Me 63Going for Others 63Maddy’s Story 65Trisha’s Story 67Greg’s Story 68Understanding the Help Me Do What’s Expected of Me Job 70How to Be Successful When You Have This Job Arise in Your Life 73What to Do If You are a Parent of Someone with This Job 82What Not to Do 84What to Do 855 Help Me Get Away 87Your Escape Room 88Naomi’s Story 88Kyle’s Story 90Understanding the Help Me Get Away Job 91How to Be Successful When You Have This Job Arise in Your Life 94What to Do If You are a Parent of a Child with This Job 102What Not to Do 104What to Do 1066 Help Me Step it Up 109Pick it Up 110Naomi’s Story 110Neil’s Story 111Olivia’s Story 112Understanding the Help Me Step it Up Job 113How to Be Successful When You Have This Job Arise in Your Life 119What to Do If You are a Parent of a Child with This Job 128What Not to Do 130What to Do 1327 Help Me Extend Myself 135Learning for Learning’s Sake 136Naveena’s Story 136Trisha’s Story 138Karen’s Story 139Understanding the Help Me Extend Myself Job 140How to Be Successful When You Have This Job Arise in Your Life 144What to Do If You are a Parent of Someone with This Job 147What Not to Do 149What to Do 1508 Living Life Through the Jobs 151Bob’s Story 151Five Principles for Your Learning Journey 154Part III Helping Educators Design Better Choices 1619 Why Understanding the Job Changes What You Offer 163Applying the Jobs to Your Job 164Why Needs, Demographics, Categories, and Listening to Users Misleads 165Moving from Correlation to Causation: What Job Does a Milkshake Do? 170How Understanding the Job Changes What You Offer 173Organizing Around a Job 17610 How Institutions and Entrepreneurs Can Design Better Experiences 181Wayfinding Academy’s Story 181Comparing the Five Jobs 184Go Beyond the Averages and Surveys 186Help Me Get into My Best School 187Help Me Do What’s Expected of Me 190Help Me Get Away 192Help Me Step it Up 196Help Me Extend Myself 200Why Most Colleges Must Focus 204Part IV Conclusion 20711 Parting Advice for Learners and Educators 209Recommendations, Not Blueprints 209For Students 210For Schools and Learning Programs, Both Established and Yet to Be Created 214Forging an Educational Marriage 223Appendix: How to Unearth a Job 225The Forces and Timeline That Comprise a Job to Be Done 225How to “Watch” What People Do and “See” the Job to Be Done 230Identify the Energy in Someone’s Decision 232Who We Interviewed 234How We Chose the Students We Interviewed 237Interview, Code, and Cluster 238Acknowledgments 243About the Authors 251Notes 253Index 271