People always remind us that we're the privileged ones. We're privileged because we've earned the chance to better ourselves through higher education. But the value of our precious bachelor's degree is declining, and the number of opportunities we have with such a degree is following suit.
For example, in 1953, 26 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 24 had earned a high school diploma. In 2008, the same number of people have bachelor's degrees. Therefore, from a purely statistical comparison, the bachelor's could arguably be called the new high school diploma.
To be fair, I understand that there are more careers today that require college degrees than there were in the 1950s. Any job dealing with computers or environmental issues are obviously more in demand now than they were 50 years ago. But those statistics are still alarming.
Jobs that used to be filled by people holding just a high school degree are now attracting college graduates. Cops, teacher's aides, hairdressers, bank employees and many other jobs traditionally held by people who probably didn't have any college experience are now requiring at least an associate's degree in some cases.
While this may be alarming to us because it means the quality of the jobs we're qualified for is declining, it's also alarming that the number of decent jobs available to high school graduates is decreasing as well. How bad will the situation get for those with just a 12th grade education? Will it become impossible for someone to support a family on the salaries they'll receive?
It's also important to note that not all college graduates will suffer from this problem. And not all bachelor's degrees are created equal. A degree in computer science or finance will probably yield more money and jobs than one in English. If you can have your dream career with a bachelor's degree in English, that's great. If we look at a degree as a tool for making us a competitive force in the job market, however, we may want to take a closer look at how much return we're making on our investment.
For example, an economist who studies the value of college degrees for the College Board was quoted in a recent article by "U.S. News and World Report" after making several interesting findings. She found that a person with an undergraduate degree makes an average of $51,000 a year, around $20,000 more than someone who only has a high school diploma.
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I fear to be stuck as an undergraduate for I dread that I can't earn enough income to support myself in the future, given that those who have bachelor degrees get the most opportunities. For now, I have to focus on getting a job to earn up for my college tuition and continue my nursing course. I have signed up to this student resume network: nuresume.com and already built my free online resume there. Since I can also post the jobs that I want on my profile, I'm thinking of jobs that I can carry out as an undergrad.
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I graduated during the Carter recession. Imagine today's job market with higher unemployment and 16% inflation. It was hard to find a job. When I got a few months of experience, people started calling me with job offers. If you are willing to live anywhere, you will find a job. But nothing beats a small amount of experience in a tight market.
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I'm worried that regular CT columnists don't know that "pro-active" should be "proactive". I couldn't read the article.
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