In this essay, I will go through the importance of essay writing and what are the similarities with what are the 21st-century skills students should have. Essay writing might not be something people enjoy doing including myself, but I have detected some of its benefits through writing essays during my studies in Proakatemia. Next, I will go through some of the benefits essay writing develops for its writers.

Critical thinking: Writing an essay requires analyzing information, organizing thoughts, and presenting arguments coherently. This process hones critical thinking skills, enabling individuals to evaluate and understand complex concepts.

Communication skills: Essays help develop written communication skills. The ability to express ideas clearly and effectively is crucial in academia, business, and many professionals.

Research abilities: Writing essays often involves research. This process teaches individuals how to find credible sources, evaluate information, and use evidence to support their arguments, an invaluable skill in today´s information-rich world.

Understanding the subjects: Throughout the process of researching and writing essays, individuals gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter. This deeper comprehension allows for better retention and application of knowledge.

Academic Achievements: Essays are a common form of assessment in education. Excelling in essay writing can positively impact academic performance.

Career Advancement: Strong writing skills are highly sought after in many professions. Being able to articulate ideas, compose reports, and communicate effectively in writing can open up career opportunities.

Self-Expression: Writing essays allows individuals to express their thoughts, opinions, and creativity. It provides a platform to voice ideas and make compelling arguments.

Now that I have listed some of the benefits essay writing gives I will list some of the 21^st century skills every student needs based on an article from the World Economic Forum and see if there are some similarities between them.

According to the World Economic Forum report New Vision for Education: The gap between the skills people learn and the skills people need is widening as traditional learning falls short of providing students with the knowledge they need to thrive and be competent in today’s world. Today’s employers must be able to interact, communicate, and solve issues, which are primarily acquired through social and emotional learning. This social and emotional aptitude, when combined with conventional abilities, will prepare students to flourish in the developing digital economy.

The required skills at this time are Divided into three categories, Foundational Literacies which means how students apply core skills to everyday tasks including the following Literacy, Numeracy, Scientific literacy, ICT literacy, Financial literacy, Cultural and Civic literacy. The second category is Competencies, meaning how students approach complex challenges. These include Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Creativity, Communication, and Collaboration. Lastly, there are Character Qualities which refer to how students approach their changing environments. These are Curiosity, Initiative, Persistence/Grit, Adaptability, leadership, and Social and cultural awareness.

Let’s next compare the top 10 skills of 2020 vs 2015. In 2015 the most important skills were Complex Problem Solving, Coordinating with Others, People Management, Critical Thinking, Negotiation, Quality Control, Service Orientation, Judgement and Decision Making, Active Listening, and Creativity. Five years later they are Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Creativity, People Management, Coordinating with Others, Emotional Intelligence, Judgement and Decision Making, Service Orientation, Negotiation, and Cognitive Flexibility. All the others are the same but Emotional Intelligence and Cognitive Flexibility have switched from Quality Control and Active listening in five years.

Lifelong learning is something Finland is very well known for and has visible effects on the Finnish school system. In Finland, we think that learning should not end when schools end but be something that happens throughout the life of an individual. The development of skills and competencies is seen as a long-term investment and a source of well-being. Writing essays is a continuous learning process where you can learn new things every time you write a new essay. Essay writing makes you research a certain topic more deeply and should be done throughout your entire life to keep up good research and critical thinking skills among others. There is so much information bombarded towards us these days which makes it very important to be able to have a critical mind that doesn’t believe everything at first glance. The skill of being critical is what is going to be for the longest time the separating factor between humans and machines. An AI chatbot is not critical in the way we humans are. It believes blindly in the information provided for it written by a human.

In conclusion, I would say that essay writing develops so many important skills which are needed in today’s world. Writing an essay does not only make you think but it teaches you how to first research information, verify if it is trustable, write it in your own style, and do the sourcing correctly. Writing essays makes you learn things in a much more memorable way as writing newly gained information makes it stick into your brain much better. Essay writing also has many similarities with what are said to be the most important skills students should have in the 21^st century. Skills like critical thinking, communication skills, and self-expression can be seen in both lists. The satisfaction of getting an essay written is very pleasant making it worth it to write them.

Sources:

News Direct, Essay in Education: Why is it Important for Students to be Able to Write it Well, 2023

https://www.newsdirect.com/guest-content/essay-in-education-why-it-is-important-for-students-to-be-able-to-write-it-well

World Economic Forum, Ten 21^st century skills every student needs, 2016

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/03/21st-century-skills-future-jobs-students/