Stop Building Learning Products for Yesterday's Problems

The Whack-a-Mole Trap That's Killing EdTech

Most EdTech companies are trapped in an exhausting game of whack-a-mole, frantically solving today's learning problems whilst simultaneously dragging the corpse of traditional education models behind them like some sort of pedagogical ball and chain.

It's rather like trying to build a rocket whilst insisting on keeping the horse and cart attached "for heritage reasons."

We're designing solutions for immediate skills gaps (whack!) whilst preserving outdated course structures. We're creating microlearning modules (whack!) whilst maintaining semester-based thinking. We're building AI-powered personalisation (whack!) whilst clinging to one-size-fits-all assessment models.

Meanwhile, the traditional education establishment lurks in the background like a disapproving Victorian headmaster, reminding us that "proper learning" requires lengthy curricula, formal credentials, and preferably a bit of suffering for character building.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Tomorrow's Jobs

We're not just preparing learners for jobs that exist today. We're preparing them for jobs that haven't been invented yet, in industries that don't exist, using skills that sound made up.

This exhausting dance between innovation and tradition means we're solving yesterday's problems with tomorrow's technology, all whilst wearing today's constraints like an ill-fitting uniform.

Enter "Futuring" (Yes, It's a Verb Now)

This isn't crystal ball gazing or expensive consultancy nonsense. It's strategic preparation for multiple possible tomorrows, because the future refuses to arrive in a single, predictable flavour.

Three horizons matter:

Horizon 1: Where we are now (spoiler: it's already changing)

Horizon 2: The next wave (5-10 years, currently brewing in today's weak signals)

Horizon 3: The long game (15+ years, where today's sci-fi becomes tomorrow's LinkedIn skills section)

The Meta-Skill Everyone Actually Needs

Navigating uncertainty. Not "dealing with change" like it's an inconvenient relative, but thriving in permanent flux.

Smart learning products aren't teaching specific skills anymore. They're building adaptive capacity. They're creating humans who can pivot, evolve, and remain functional when the robots arrive for afternoon tea.

The Million-Dollar Question

Is your learning strategy preparing people for 2025's problems, or 2040's possibilities?

For most EdTech companies we've seen, solutions are only built for 2025 - which is already too late. The question we should be asking ourselves isn't whether our learning products are designed for 2025, but whether they're ready for 2034 or even 2044.

Because the future of learning isn't about catching up to today's problems. It's about getting ahead of tomorrow's possibilities.