The Stark Contrast Between School and Work

If you have been awarded a degree from an institution of higher learning, what does that mean…really? Today, the current talent pipeline is leaking, and employers are considering too many employees that aren’t work-ready and don’t have the relevant skills to succeed in the workplace.

In an interview with The New York Times, Google’s senior vice president for People Operations, Laszlo Bock, made a very a interesting statement, as reported by Max Nisen of Business Insider:

“Bock’s critique of higher education goes beyond debunking the GPA as a hiring metric. He says the academic setting is an artificial place where people are highly trained to succeed only in a specific environment.”

If schools are supposed to prepare you for the real (read: working) world, how can the artificial setting described by Bock possibly be representative of it?

Allow me to share some observations about the university environment and the real word, some of which were mentioned, in concept, by Bock:

At work, more than one person typically assesses and mentors you, formally and informally. At school, one person — the professor — typically assesses you.

At work, you typically work collaboratively in teams that are ultimately accountable for the work. At school, you typically work by yourself and ultimately you are solely responsible for your work.

At work, you are typically exposed to a diverse, changing environment. At school, your schedule is typically highly structured with curriculum, course loads and testing schedules.

At work, you typically progress by what you can do. At school, you typically progress by what you can memorize for a test.

At work, you typically find solutions and innovations for problems for which there may be no existing answers. At school, you are typically solving problems for which the answers are in the head of the professor.

There are fundamental differences between school and work. Unless we promote and enact change, the education-to-employment pipeline will spring more leaks, especially as you add the rapid flow of technology to the mix.

Knod is transforming the education and employment ecosystem by pioneering the movement towards employer-engaged, project-based learning. By focusing the learning process around the acquisition of skill and experience — not simply information — necessary to a particular career, employers are getting more value out of their hires. In this way, we’re making a new generation of graduates both credentialed and competent.