The Power of Cross-Pollination

This fall I've been spending a lot of time reconnecting with schools and educational institutions through my work as the interim program director at Decoded Futures and also through a speaking circuit about teaching AI and job-seeking skills to college students across several universities.

After nearly every session I lead with students, I walk away feeling a little roasted or burned from some of their real-time feedback or critical commentary. (To be sure, I see this is a very good thing.)

Too many peers in my professional life know me too well to give that raw, first-pass "hot take" on what I’m putting down. Too many share a background, origin story, or demographic profile too similar to my own to offer anything truly fresh. Too many are too far removed from the emerging perspectives of the next generation to provide an insightful view of what’s coming around the bend.

But students don't worry about any of that. Students just tell it as it is, and they don't hold back.

I like working with students because I like being challenged. I believe this offers a healthy and essential component to shaping an ever-changing narrative and vision that stays relevant for the younger eras. And I wish there were an easier way to facilitate interactions between students still in school today and adults squarely enmeshed in the world of work.

Intergenerational Coworking

A few years ago, in the middle of the pandemic, when coworking spaces fell out of vogue and few (if any) of us made a daily commute into an office, I concocted a vision in my head about an intergenerational coworking community, one that invites entry-level employees to mingle with senior folks, but maybe one that also reaches younger (to students) or older (to retirees).

This obviously would be an impossibly hard business model to create at scale, but I stand by the sentiment of craving cross-generational connection opportunities, which is part of why I've been investing in volunteer efforts in both local educational institutions (which skews younger) as well as my local block association (which skews older).

Fast forward to today, and I’ve had the privilege of seeing a version of this vision come to life at Comp Sci High, a high school where I serve on the board in the South Bronx. In their brand-new building, they’ve created a coworking space that serves both students and adults. It’s a place where students can collaborate and focus between classes, and where professionals can work during the day.

I’ve spent a couple of afternoons coworking from Comp Sci High. To me, it feels like a glimpse of the future, where schools evolve into the next incubator spaces and startup hubs, nurturing not just education but intergenerational innovation.

I wonder...is there a way to replicate this experience outside of a brick and mortar environment?

Enter: Learning Pods

Another exciting possibility lies in the rise of learning pods—small hives or learning networks where people from a variety of backgrounds collaborate on meaningful projects or pursue shared learning objectives.

I’ve often daydreamed about the untapped potential of my alma mater to re-engage alumni. What if, instead of inviting me back for homecoming once a year, they invited me to learn or build a project alongside students? Imagine a mutual exchange: I could share lessons on using practical AI to optimize workflows, while students could highlight the gaps they see in bridging their college experience to the world of work.

Here are a few ways learning pods might take shape:

1. Project-Based Collaboration
   The simplest way to learn together is to build together. Picture “project pop-ups” or micro-activations where teams tackle small, actionable scopes of work. For instance, students might pair off with industry leaders to build apps, design a community garden, or solve practical problems together (like mitigating the growing rat population on a typical New York City block... just me on that one?).

2. Upskilling Across Generations
   As another option, learning pods could intentionally exist as hubs to promote cross-generational learning. Retirees could mentor younger participants in soft skills or life lessons, while students teach tech-savvy skills like social media, coding, or leveraging AI. (I’ve been asked more than once to teach AI or social media courses to my parents’ generation; why not normalize this behavior?)

3. Real-World Study Groups
   As a fractional worker who constantly dips in and out of various industries, I’m always on the lookout for fellow fractionals in a similar phase of their learning journey. Real-world study groups could bring professionals together around shared goals—whether that's learning a skill like data visualization or tackling topics like climate change solutions.

4. Workplace Pods
   Alternatively, learning pods could also function within workplaces as a way to designate more intentional cross-functional teams. Employees of different seniority levels might collaborate on exploratory projects outside their usual roles, sparking creativity and mentorship. To take this one step further, you could also invite workplace alumni to re-engage with current employees in learning pods, giving everyone a chance to mix up their work a bit more.

5. Idea Incubators
   Of course, one of the biggest benefits to catalyzing quick product teams is that you'll also get to spread the serendipity of an ideas exchange. Over time, learning pods could act as micro-incubators where emergent entrepreneurs from different backgrounds refine their ideas, or maybe even team up together for the long term.

I especially love the idea of short-term “pop-up” learning pods—purpose-built for a specific sprint or activity. Imagine hosting a community-oriented hackathon, offering a quick skills refresher, or diving into a targeted subject like AI ethics or creative problem-solving.