"Employers and career experts see a growing problem in American society — an abundance of college graduates, many burdened with tuition-loan debt, heading into the work world with a degree that doesn't mean much anymore."
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1946088,00.html#ixzz0ZGNogXcL
Because of the growing number of college graduates, competition has increased and looking for a job with a degree isn't as easy as before. With record high unemployment rates for recent grads at 10.6% and with the cost of tuition rising by an average of 6.5% this fall, has the value of a college degree declined?
Though recent graduates do have a harder time getting a job than maybe 30 years ago, the economy does have a factor in this. The recent conditions of our economy have definitely made jobs more scarce and have reduced the amount of new job opening. But even if the economy was back to normal college grads will still have a harder time looking for jobs than about 30 years ago. I believe that even though it is definitely tougher now to find a job with degree, it is still worth a lot and will continue to be. Most well earning jobs would be very hard to get without at least a bachelor's degree or higher. As the economy improves, new job openings will likely open and reduce the rate of unemployment of recent grads. But a big difference is that you won't be able to rely simply on a degree to get a job as easily anymore, you will need to do or find something that distinguishes yourself.
Though recent graduates do have a harder time getting a job than maybe 30 years ago, the economy does have a factor in this. The recent conditions of our economy have definitely made jobs more scarce and have reduced the amount of new job opening. But even if the economy was back to normal college grads will still have a harder time looking for jobs than about 30 years ago. I believe that even though it is definitely tougher now to find a job with degree, it is still worth a lot and will continue to be. Most well earning jobs would be very hard to get without at least a bachelor's degree or higher. As the economy improves, new job openings will likely open and reduce the rate of unemployment of recent grads. But a big difference is that you won't be able to rely simply on a degree to get a job as easily anymore, you will need to do or find something that distinguishes yourself.
5 comments:
I think this is only normal. More people go to college, so of course it's not as easy to find a job as it was thirty years ago. Thirty years ago not as many people were qualified. Now, so many people are qualified and there are only so many jobs. Our current economic state doesn't help, because employers are picking out the BEST of the best. A lot of people are overqualified for their jobs, but continue to work because they have nowhere else to go.
I think that the society that we come from blinds our view a little bit. The vast majority of the population does not hold college degrees.
Yes, the economic situation is making it harder for people right out of college to get jobs. However, where the unemployment is truly hurting is with the people who do not have any degrees or education. College graduates are forced to take less beneficial jobs or worse pay. The people without degrees are the ones who cannot find any work and are making up most of that 10 percent unemployment figure.
So does a college degree mean a ticket to an amazing job like it might have some time in the past? No. However in comparison to no degree, it is more important than ever.
This is frightening when most of us are about to pursue a college degree. We have been told to follow/discover our passions and interests in college, but seriously some "passsions" don't bring home the bacon, or at least not at TON of it in the real world. Combined with the current economy, its like an "o crap" for college kids. But still, wouldnt having a degree put someone up for a job up for more consideration than someone who doesnt?
I agree with you Sally. A degree is better than no degree. Sure, the company plays a big role in this college degree issue but we shouln't blame everything on the economy. However, I think that, like Britney said, more people are going to college and more people are pursuing higher degrees.
Going back to Sally's point, I just wanted to go back to the centerspread that the Aragon Outlook did for the Sep. issue. There was a pie chart (from the sourced site) that was talking about how fewer and fewer people are even graduating high school. Therefore, they are either jobless (b/c of the competition now, or have a really bad job) but the competition in the job world shouldn't freak people out. Sure, you have to try harder but that is true for anything.
My co-worker that I worked with over the summer as an intern was a college degree student in biology and now she is working in a company and getting paid a hefty amount because to some extent, she is able to automate and work the same machines or run the same reactions as a person with a masters in chemistry.
~Amreet Aujla
I believe that the economic situation we in affects the number of jobs available in many different aspects.Yes, there are less jobs available because people are hiring less people. But also, because people and their families have to become more tight with their money, people who are currently employed are staying in their jobs for longer. This means that there is no longer the wave of new workers replacing those who are retiring anymore. A lot of students believe that they are invincible and that this will not affect them, but I have quite a few friends who went to very respectable colleges all over the country, graduated with respectable degrees, but still find themselves either unemployed or working jobs that hardly require any degree. But we have to take this with a grain of salt. Just think about how much harder it must be for people without the degree. If someone with a degree is having a hard time, imagine the struggles of the person without the degree. But hopefully, as time passes and our economy gets better, more jobs will become available. This is a situation that only time will tell us about.
-Jane Hayashi-
Post a Comment