Retrospectively, it’s easy to understand which parts of our education have most impacted us. I can’t say my college European History 101 class helps me as an entrepreneur, but my seventh-grade typing class continues to serve me well, and the art class I took that same year opened me up to seeing the world in new ways.

But there’s one class I never got to take, and it’s one I desperately wish had been on offer. I’m talking about education on transitional intelligence. In the past, Americans didn’t change jobs much: Half of Americans age 65 and older have stayed with an employer for at least 20 years. Today, the average worker holds 12 jobs throughout their career.

Life is far less linear than it used to be, but we have no formal education process to help us navigate the many personal and professional changes we now face. It’s as if we’ve moved from horses to cars but aren’t being offered driver’s ed....