What Are We Actually Forming People For?

One of the things I have most enjoyed in my work with college students is watching them gain insight into their own strengths and weaknesses. This becomes especially tangible when we begin talking about what they can include on their resume.

Often, this conversation happens with seniors who are about to embark on what they call “real life”. Asking them to name what they are good at, and where they might still struggle, is always a mix of pride and uneasiness. Pride in how far they’ve come. Uneasiness about what comes next.

These moments are revealing. Not because students lack ability, but because they are standing at the edge of a system that has spent years preparing them to be ready, without always being clear about what that readiness is ultimately for.

We are eager to celebrate efficiency and preparedness. We want students to be marketable, employable, competitive. But what does it actually mean to be “ready for the world”? And do we ever pause long enough to ask what kind of people we are forming along the way?

In our schools, both K–12 and universities, we often measure success by how quickly students can leave the comfortable confines of the classroom and enter the workforce. But asking what we are preparing students for is not merely an educational question. It is a formation question.

Every system forms people, whether it means to or not.

Formation happens long before we ever call it that. It shows up in what we reward, what we rush, and what we overlook. When efficiency is celebrated above all else, we begin to form people who are highly skilled, but not always wise.

Skills matter. Competence matters. Readiness matters. Work itself is not the problem. But when formation stops there, something essential is missing. Wisdom asks not just how to do something, but why. Character asks not just can I, but should I. Rootedness asks not just am I ready, but who am I becoming?

A system focused solely on productivity forms people who know how to perform, but may struggle to pause. A system obsessed with competence forms people who can deliver results, but may lack the moral imagination to discern when those results come at a cost. A system that prioritizes readiness without rootedness forms people who can move quickly, but do not always know where they are going, or why.

This is not an argument against work. It is an argument for wholeness.

We were never meant to be formed only as workers. We were meant to be formed as human beings, capable of skill, yes, but also wisdom; capable of excellence, but also empathy; capable of readiness, but grounded in purpose.

As we begin this year, I want to leave you with a simple, but uncomfortable, question:

What is my work forming me into?

Take it a step further. Ask it of your schooling, past or present. Ask it of your church. Ask it of the leadership above and around you.

Because formation is happening whether we name it or not.

 The only real choice we have is whether we will be intentional about it.