College Graduates Do Not Have the Skills Needed for Today’s Economy
Several decades ago, there was a push for high-school graduates to continue in their studies to obtain at least a two-year college degree. In theory, doing so was a way for individuals to ensure that they would qualify for great jobs with a livable wage and significant benefits. However, as unemployment numbers have risen, college graduates are discovering that a college degree does not guarantee a job.
Many college-educated adults are still of the mindset that they need to work to update their knowledge and skills on a constant basis in order to ensure that they remain relevant in what is inarguably a highly competitive job market. Certainly, there are some industries in which ongoing education is not expected or desirable, but for the majority of college graduates, the fear that they will not be able to succeed in their chosen without additional training is significant.
Research indicates that the more education an individual has, the more he or she believe she needs (Pew Research Center, 2016). This leads to a revolving door of completing training and coursework for many of them. However, individuals who work in the service and trade industries typically report that they will not need additional training to maintain their positions or to advance to their satisfaction within the industries they work. Additionally, there are those who have not completed any education beyond high school who tend to believe that they need no further education other than what they have already gotten (Spector, 2018). In general, the motivation for most individuals to work toward more training or further education is a higher wage. Yet, more education has not always, in recent years, proven to equate to a higher paying job. And, at least 25% of those seeking employment sometimes desperately update their skills or seek additional training in order to present those newly acquired skills to potential employers (Pew Research Center, 2016).
It may also be argued that college graduates do not have the necessary interpersonal skills to compete in today’s workforce. The rise of the internet and social media have presented individuals with unique opportunities to communicate in ways that do not always promote the best social skills. Certainly, some industries require more interpersonal communication than others, yet the lack of such skills continue to be reported by consumers during customer-service encounters (Buckley, Bachman, & Schleeter, 2017). It may be that the lack of relevant face-to-face communications in today’s technology-heavy society is driving such complaints.
One final issue is that the education system as a whole has failed to prepare college graduates for the positions they will hold after they graduate. Some graduates have noted that they received the majority of the skills they need while working on the job, not in the classroom. This may indicate that colleges are not meeting the challenges of life outside of the classroom. If workers are reporting that the education they received has not proven necessary for their jobs, then colleges may need to take a hard look at their curriculum and industries may need to revise the skills they are looking for in applicants (Buckley, Bachman, & Schleeter, 2017). And, when workers report that the education they received in college has little relevance to the job they are actually doing, the age-old belief that a college education is necessary for a higher-level job may simply be incorrect. It may be that industries, colleges, and universities have overblown what people need to know to be successful. Yet, as long as the perception remains that more education equals a better worker, the push to spend time in college will likely continue.
References
Buckley, P., Bachman, D., & Schleeter, T. (2017). No college, no problem.
Pew Research Center (2016). Skills and training needed to compete in today’s economy.
Polish-Translator. The Rewards Gained from Obtaining a College Education. Online: https://polish-translator.com/education-rewards.html
Spector, N. (2018). Amid a robust economy and low unemployment, why can’t grads get hired?