The Next Great Debate: Do College Degrees Equal Jobs?
March 3, 2010 | Alicia Ostarello
Jobs, jobs and yet no jobs.
Okay seriously, is my college degree not actually going to secure my place in the job market? For some of us, graduation of either high school or college is looming, and the path we take next feels like it’s going to make or break who we are and life we’re going to live. With the economic depression and the severe drought of living-wage jobs (heck, of even non-living wage jobs), I’m beginning to feel a bit freaked out about how much money I just spent on my education.
Part of my concern stems from the fact that I just met a guy in a parking lot whose job it is (today) to paint white and blue parking lot lines and then guard the lines to make sure no one smudges them. He’s standing outside in sunny southern California outside the Gypsy Den as he tells me about his hourly salary ($25) and how he went to trade school instead of college. Here’s a guy making bank (in my eyes). He’s literally making a salary I could only dream of. He didn’t go to college, and he has a full-time job.
Another part of my concern? Definitely seeing an article by Zac Bissonnette pop up in my Google Reader entitled, Is This the Worst Year to Graduate College Ever? Oh Mylanta, seriously? According to Zac, “The sudden collapse of the financial sector has devalued MBAs that were still prized only six months ago, and Ivy League grads with heaps of student loans are fighting over jeans-folding gigs at Forever 21.” Is this my future after June? Folding teeny-bopper clothing with a vapid grin on my face?
Oh, and the fact that graduate school has become a beastly bear to be accepted to due to the overwhelming number of applicants, and that teaching credential programs are leaving certified teachers without jobs after completing their degree? Yeah, not helping my hope of more education being the answer to my finding-a-job prayers.
Thankfully, I do have some salvation to these worries. One of my favorite sources of life inspiration, Roadtrip Nation, has interviews with all kinds of really successful people who do earn money, and the interviews often include this theme: You’re gonna struggle, but just keep pushing forward. (Check out Bev Kearny if you’re feeling low – she’s amazing!)
So I’m not feeling too steady about entering jobland, especially not in my field of expertise (English). But what’s a humanities major to do? With the economy in a tailspin and jobs being yanked off the shelves, it’s time to get crafty and draw from the DIY culture our generation is embracing. Maybe trade school is the best answer – I could go be trained for something at a community college. Or maybe I just stick it out and work at The Gap while I try to find myself. Or I could start my own business…
I guess the possibilities and pathways are endless. Take that, sucky job-market. I’m going to rock regardless of how you try and stop me!
I graduated in December of 2008 and spent a year underemployed. I worked for about eight months as a part-time receptionist, then I moved to WashDC and interned (for peanuts, luckily I had some cash saved up) in the fall. Eventually, after several fruitless interviews and dead-end job leads, I landed a job at a marketing company. It took some time, and I was applying for bartending/serving jobs by the time this opportunity came along. But you just have to keep your head up.
I think the most frustrating part is knowing the possibilities are endless but not knowing how to make the best of that vast realm of possibility. But yay working serving jobs! Love it!
I just graduated this last fall and all this time I told over and over you needed a college degree and then you would get a job. Without a degree you are not going to be getting a job, well… Where is that job? I find it just stupid that you spend 4-6 years studying and getting ready for a job only to have to work as a waiter or at Walmart. Whats the point I can do that in High School.
Seth, it’s definitely hard to have been told that college equals a job, and then realize that just isn’t so (especially in this economy). I guess I tend to believe that college is the right path for certain areas, but lots of trade school jobs pay just as well. And my best friend got into insurance right after high school and makes a higher salary than I can imagine ever making with my degrees.
I think what you can do is hope that working at Walmart or serving tables is just temporary; that’s it’s a life experience that will eventually aid you in your job search and in your eventual career. Walmart is just a job; there is the rest of your life to look forward to.
I hope so, anyway.
I think it’s worth pointing out that “You need a college degree to find a job” is not an equivalent phrase to “If you have a college degree you will get a job.” The first phrase is problematic in its own way, because of course the trades are perfectly viable and respectable means of making a living, but it also doesn’t mean that if you get a degree there will be a job waiting for you. It just means that adegree is the *first* step for the professions.
I have no advice for a humanities major (I’m in accounting), I think if there’s a trade you’re interested in it would be a great idea to get training. I would consider healthcare if that’s at all apealing to you. Otherwise, I don’t know. I’m in a professional program and in the top 10% of my class and I’m STILL worried about finding a job next year. There are no guarantees.
The business brokerages network will provide you with access to some big pool of individuals who’ve the details about companies for sale and buyers or investors searching for any organization venture. By making good use in the info you have, you might be cutting a offer and make a handsome profit out of the transactions.