The Value of a Foresight Education

Getting ready to kick off my 12th year as the leader of the University of Houston Graduate Program in Foresight. I spent 10 years before that as a part-time Adjunct Faculty while I was in the field as a practitioner, both as a consulting and organizational futurist (at Kellogg’s and Dow). So I thought a series of posts addressing the value of a foresight education might be useful.

The question: “why get a foresight education?” Why dedicate a couple years of my life to this endeavor? Many of our students say they are called to it and must do it. But not everyone has to go completely down the rabbit hole … but if you are thinking about it, this series is for you.

Typical background of foresight students

The typical background of our students … in short, there isn’t one. It doesn’t matter if you’re a poet, an economist, an entrepreneur, or a particle physicist, if you have the desire to build a better future, you’ve got the main qualification. The overwhelmingly common denominator of success in the program is the desire to build a better future. The figure to the right suggests some of the common characteristics of student futurists.

Mastery as a guiding philosophy

So you believe! Now, are you ready to work? Foresight is fun, but it is also hard work. As we say, there are lots of easier ways to earn a living. While the reception to foresight has no doubt improved, and is improving, there is still plenty of skepticism. And resistance to change. You need perseverance and a thick skin. We find that the most successful futurists have a commitment to mastery, a guiding philosophy that is essentially a commitment to lifelong development of the practice.  

What you get from a foresight education

Okay, so now you’re in … what do you get from us. (We know it’s a big ask.) We are focused on the practical application of foresight methods. Through real projects with real clients, students are trained in solving problems that matter in the real world.

• You will learn how to do project work!.
• You will be able to to assess client needs, design projects, and lead clients through the foresight process, bearing useful results and informed decisions about the future.

So, to kick this series off, we learned the key background is a commitment to building a better future (however we define that). If you have this desire, and you willing to work hard and master your craft, you will learn how to design and lead foresight projects!

If that sounds like you, you can drop us a note at foresight@uh.edu. If you need more persuading, stay tuned for the upcoming entries in the series, where we will review things such as the curriculum, skills, and the experience — among other things. – Andy Hines