4A - Forming an Opportunity Belief

I believe that there is an unmet need for learning basic life skills such as filing a tax return, how to grow your credit score, how to get a loan, buying a house, choosing the right insurance, etc. The people I find the most who share this problem is graduating high school students and college students. For the most part, I believe that this problem has been prevalent for years, especially millennials today. In order to combat this problem, most people either ask their parents/guardians for help or learn by themselves when the problem arises (in other words, they cross that bridge when they get there). One way to solve this problem is to have seniors in high school take a class that teaches them the necessary skills before they graduate. I would say I'm 60% certain that this opportunity exists. The main prototypical customer will be high school/college students.

#1 - Male College Freshman

• When did you first realize that you need these skills?
• Probably around the time of graduating high school
• When do you realize that you need these skills?
• It comes into play a lot right now since I'm away at school and I have to take care of things myself 
• When you graduated high school, did you feel unprepared for the real-world?
• yes 
• What do you currently do if you don't know how to file a tax return for example? Are you satisfied with this solution?
• I usually ask my parents or friends and if not them, Google. It helps for now but extra help wouldn't hurt.
• Do you believe taking a class in high school that teaches you these skills would've helped you now?
• yeah probably, especially since most things you learn in high school don't apply to your day-to-day life

#2 - High School Senior

• When did you first realize that you need these skills?
• I felt the need a little bit throughout high school (with having a part-time job) but it was really emphasized the closer I get to graduation.
• When do you realize that you need these skills?
• Mainly whenever the situation arises, like applying for a job.
• As of right now, do you feel prepared for the real-world?
• Absolutely not
• What do you currently do if you don't know how to file a tax return for example? Are you satisfied with this solution?
• I would ask my parents and no - I would want to be able to be independent and not ask them for every little thing
• Do you believe taking a class in high school that teaches you these skills would/would help you now?
• Yes! I wish there was, it's really annoying that we learn about history and algebra but not any actual life skills

#3 - Graduating College Student

• When did you first realize that you need these skills?
• Senior year while using a credit card and thinking about the future
• When do you realize that you need these skills?
• Financial activities such as loans, rent, credit score, etc
• When you graduated high school, did you feel unprepared for the real-world?
• yes
• What do you currently do if you don't know how to file a tax return for example? Are you satisfied with this solution?
• Ask my dad. Not really satisfied because I'm going to have to learn it myself eventually.
• Do you believe taking a class in high school that teaches you these skills would've helped you now?
• Yes, it would've prepared me more.

Reflection from all 3: I learned that most people would ask their parents for help, especially if their parents were supporting them. From this, I would assume that students who are more independent (especially if they are financially independent) learned these skills on their own simply because they HAD to. Regardless, having a class in high school that teaches students these skills would be beneficial. In addition, there are resources students can turn to, but the older they get, the more crucial it is to have these skills.

Summary: Overall, the opportunity still exists partly because there's no harm done in having a class to educate high school students. Even for students that don't necessarily go to college, the skills they would learn is still applicable. However, those who learned from their parents may not necessarily need the class, it could still help. I believe that my new opportunity is more accurate than when I started based off the prototypical customer feedback. Entrepreneurs should definitely adapt and consider customer feedback since there would be no opportunity without them. However, I don't believe entrepreneurs should ever completely abandon their original idea/purpose. There must be a balance between the two.