College grads with well-packed parachutes
By the end of the 2018-19 academic year America鈥檚 colleges and universities will have handed out nearly 3 million associate (two-year) and bachelor鈥檚 (four-year) degrees. And nearly a million more students will graduate from advanced master鈥檚 and doctoral programs, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
For those headed into the job market, the news is good. A low unemployment rate, driven in part by baby boomers exiting into retirement, should make the job hunt easier than in recent years.
What kind of graduates are today鈥檚 employers looking for? Those educated in STEM-related fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) are in high demand. They鈥檒l step into work that will shape innovative areas from robotics and artificial intelligence to genetic engineering.
Parents who鈥檝e paid high tuition fees and students who鈥檝e racked up loan debt can be comforted that these STEM graduates will likely jump into well-paying jobs. For many graduates, in fact, paying down debt will be a top priority: According to research conducted by Bloomberg, student loan debt hit a record high of $1.465 trillion in December 2018.
Yet STEM prowess isn鈥檛 the only skill employers seek. Liberal arts degrees are bankable as well. Employers complain they have a hard time finding hires with 鈥渟oft鈥� skills. Ninety-three percent of employers, for example, say that the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems 鈥� abilities honed in liberal arts courses 鈥� are more important than a graduate鈥檚 major, according to the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Graduates will still face doubting elders who question whether they鈥檙e up to the tasks needed in the workplace. Not so, says Purdue University鈥檚 Brian Leung in a recent newspaper essay. Today鈥檚 young people are a generation toughened by events from the threat of school shootings to the looming threat of global warming. These 鈥渟tudents demonstrate themselves to be resilient, engaged citizens who have learned the importance of calling out injustice,鈥� writes Professor Leung, director of creative writing in Purdue鈥檚 English department.
His confidence is echoed by Simon Peck, group managing director at Engine, a marketing and advertising firm in London. He writes that not only are younger people 鈥渕ore socially, ethically, and environmentally conscious than their predecessors 鈥� this is the generation that coined the term 鈥榳oke鈥� after all 鈥� they鈥檙e also more independent thinkers, willing to disrupt the status quo in favor of a more sensible solution, be it dating apps over dinner dates or Airbnb over hotels.鈥�
Wherever it may be, finding a secure spot in the 21st century economy is an important step for graduates. But as this year鈥檚 myriad graduation speakers will no doubt echo, students who go on to do their part to make the world a better place will bear the true mark of a life well led.
