Group of business students working to solve a problem.
Nurses do it. Engineers do it. So do Teachers. And even Accountants.
They all solve problems by thinking creatively. Sometimes daily.
Because creative thinking is a skill required in all professions.
And while many people think you must be born 'creative', it's not true.
You can learn how to be a creative thinker.
The value of creative thinking
In a global survey of businesses, where participants were asked about the skills they believed would be most in demand by 2025*, the top 5 looked like this:
- Analytical thinking and innovation
- Active learning and learning strategies
- Complex problem-solving
- Critical thinking and analysis
- Creativity, originality and initiative
See a pattern here?
In fact, companies now value creative thinking more than ever before.
It's an asset.
This is also reflected in recent data about students who want to be entrepreneurs.
The share of Australian university students who intend to work for themselves, relying on their ability to think creatively, has jumped from 9.1% in 2018 to 16.1% in 2021^.
More and more students have realised the value of the skills required to start their own business and to solve problems by inventing new products and solutions.
Globally, the figure is close to one-third for uni students who are planning to be an entrepreneur 5 years after they graduate.
Creativity is a mindset, not an output
Creative thinking requires you to be optimistic.
To keep believing you're onto something and not giving up.
Rather than fearing failure, you welcome it.
One of last century's most prolific innovators, Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, the phonograph and the motion picture camera among other things, once said this about one of his projects:
I've not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
Now that's an optimist.
The best creative thinkers learn from each path taken and keep moving on.
Creative thinkers don't always get it right first time.
How do you become a creative thinker?
As we already said, you don't have to be born creative.
And because creativity is a mindset not an output, we believe you can learn to think creatively.
To be taught how to find solutions to problems that others couldn't.
To not be afraid of making mistakes along the way.
Where can you develop this valuable skill that employers are demanding?
Or the thing that helps you launch your first start-up?
Well, you could start with a university course.
Preferably at a university that is all about human creativity.
A university like ECU.
*Source: World Economic Forum / The Future of Jobs Report
^Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS) 2021 Report
