In today’s workforce, a number of college graduates with a standard bachelor’s degree is settling on jobs for which they are underemployed.
Graduates are taking jobs that require little or none of the skills acquired in college.
With such a vast amount of college degrees in the workforce, it is nearly impossible for every qualified person to find his intended job after graduating from college.
This change in the workforce now yields the question: Is the bachelor’s degree the new high school diploma?
According to data found in a recent study published by The Center for College Affordability and Productivity, the answer is yes.
The study found around 48 percent of employed college graduates have jobs that the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests do not necessitate a four-year college education.
Thirty-seven percent of degree-holders currently have jobs that require no more than a high school diploma.
Students are spending thousands of dollars and waiting four years to earn a degree that may potentially yield delayed or undesirable results.
Professor Ryan Thames of Georgia State’s Film Department also agrees the college degree is now the bare minimum to acquire a well-paying job.
“I think especially in this economy it’s definitely a requirement,” Thames said. “Because of the massive amount of people looking for jobs, it’s the easy way to weed out the number of applicants.”
If hired, employees may have to spend more years in the lower ranks of a particular company to finally reach their desired position.
“It is a little intimidating knowing that a good job may not be available right out of college, but people do have to start from the bottom,” said Carlan Loeb-Muth, a Journalism major. “You have to start somewhere, then work your way up and show you are dedicated. ”
It’s difficult for graduates to acquire a job on their field of study.
“If push came to shove, I would definitely take what I could get,” Loeb-Muth said.
Although college degrees seem to have lost some value due to becoming so common, students can take actions that make their resumes more appealing to employers.
According to Phil Rockwell, coordinator of Career Training of Career Services, students might not be doing everything to guarantee success.
“Most students don’t know how to sell themselves in the market to get the job they want, versus just getting something they’re given,” Rockwell said.
Not all jobs can be accessed with just the necessary education. Participation in clubs, internships and university functions that give experience are becoming mandatory.
“That’s one of our main functions here, to help students understand you just don’t get a great job leading to a career with a degree,” Rockwell said. “You have to know how to find those worlds, and how to sell yourself.”
