When did just having a college degree become "not good enough"?

Question

I can remember when I was still in high school, my counselors, teachers and parents all telling me going to college would pretty much secure my future. When did that change? Nowadays, grads are always talking about how hard it is to find a job. It just doesn't seem fair or right to me that having a college education isn't good enough anymore. I've heard more people talk about being overlooked or rejected due to lack of experience than I care to know. It almost discourages me from continuing my education. Also, It seems to me systematically more and more hoops are being placed out there for people to jump through, and I for one am not interested. First the message was go to college get an education. Then it was don't waste your time with an associate's degree, get your bachelor's at least. Now it seems companies won't take you serious if you don't at least have a bachelor's degree and/or an extensive amount of experience. How is that right? Now I need to train myself on my own dime too?

Answer 1

Sorry to say it but you fell for the "education scam".

Answer 2

Everyone's parents and counselors and teachers were telling them the same things yours told you. As a result, far more people have degrees than the number of degree holders who are needed, and there's no marketplace bonus for having rare skills just by having a degree. That bonus now goes to plumbers, carpenters and electricians, who ignored the incorrect message that only college-educated people can have a good career, and instead took away the correct message that people with uncommon skills get the highest incomes.

In fact, there are so many degree holders, that a lot of employers now require degrees for jobs that can be done with a high school education. It helps them cut down the number of resumes to go through while eliminating only the now very small number of people who are smart but didn't go to college.

I don't see what "fair" or "right" have to do with this. Economics is always about almost everybody doing what's in his or her own best interest, with a few philanthropists doing something different, and it has always been this way. It may be unfortunate for you. Realistically, people at all levels of academic ability are getting better incomes now than they were in the past. It's just that in the past only the very best students (maybe the top 10-20%) went onto higher education. The top 10-20% still do very well in the job market. It's just that now the top 50-70% in some parts of the country are getting degrees.

Answer 3

Honestly, people with bachelors' degrees and experience have always been in demand. It's just that as more and more people start doing high-level research and internships, they enter the workforce with more experience, which means employers can afford to be more picky.

Don't get discouraged, though. Remember, you need both experience and education, and your resume is much more likely to earn a second look if you have the degree than if you only have the experience. Also, think carefully about how you can use your classes and extracurricular activities to fill the skill sets employers are looking for (like leadership and computer skills).

Answer 4

I was a recent bachelor's graduate, and I easily obtained a career in banking because I had the mix of experience added into it. As the previous posts have mentioned, having the one-two combo of a degree with added experience instantly makes you the most marketable person out there. Think in terms of the employer. If you were such an employer who would you honestly hire, someone who only went to school, or someone who has had several years of experience in your company's field and has the added benefit of a degree. You can easily gain this experience while in college by either entering some kind of internship, or by working in an environment that compliments the career you'll be going into later on. (In my case I worked retail for over three years while going to college, which with its sales, customer service, and managing aspects perfectly complimented the career in banking that I wanted).

IMO the reason why many current bachelor's graduates have a hard time getting jobs is because either a) they lack the epxerience the employer is looking for, while the person next to them, who doesn't have any degrees, does have several years of the experience needed, b) the students continue to stall said needed experience by jumping straight into a Master's right after their bachelor's, or c) the students obtained their bachelor's in an impractical major that doesn't appeal to many hiring employers (i.e. an anthropological studes degree, or a sociology degree, or a political science degree, etc).

Most of my business professors have constantly stressed to their students to avoid going into a Master's right after college until they've been at least 2 or 3 years into their career, so that they build the needed experience on their resume and make themselves so much more appealing. It's just a sign of the times that this is definitely an employer's market, with the company's being able to pick and choose whom they deem most valuable to their organization, and because of that a one-two combo of a degree (at least a bachelor's) with added experience will always win. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

It's always been the case that employers prefer college graduates to have some work experience on their resume. Of course, at times when their is very low unemployment, some employers tend to be more flexible on this requirement. But over the past, say, 15 years, that's pretty much been constant. They want you to have some sort of work experience.

But what do they mean by experience? For an entry-level job, they'd want you to have done something in school which you can show as being somehow related to the job you're applying for. That can include part-time work, co-ops, internships, volunteer work, work with clubs, all sorts of things.

And this sort of experience doesn't just look good on your resume. It's also good for you, personally. For example, in school, I thought I wanted to be a graphic designer - that is, until I did my first internship. Realised very quickly that, although I loved doing design, I hated doing it with a client or boss looking down my back. So I changed paths.

So it's not too late. If you don't have any experience in the field you hope to enter, you can get it now. Say, you want to do Public Relations or marketing when you graduate. Join a club, and volunteer to do such work for them. Go to your career/internship office and try to get a placement. Make sure that you have something that you can put on a resume - preferably, several somethings, that you believe are somewhat related. Heck, for customer service jobs, often retail or waitstaff experience will do it. There are all sort of options. Now that you're aware of what most employers are seeking, you have a chance to add it to your resume and make yourself a more attractive candidate.

Answer 6

Because so many people now-a-days get their Bachelors that it's become the equivilant of a high school diploma. Plus jobs now-a-days are far more specialized and technical than for the Baby Boomer's generation, and they require advanced degrees. 50 years ago, a high school degree worked. 25 years ago it was a bachelors, and now-a-days it's a Masters, at least.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

When more and more school leavers could get into colleges and complete a first university degree!

Answer 9

Since it is an employer's market, they can be picked over the caliber of degree