Higher Education And The Job Market

Higher Education Name Institution Due Date Higher Education Currently, debates challenging the credibility of higher education have emerged. From students to parents, the rhetoric continues to be the same with the majority saying that higher education is of no use in today’s society. Topics such as the rise in student debt, coupled with the unemployment statistics, continue to discredit higher education. Friedman (2019), from Forbes, reports that as of 2019, the U.S. student debt stood at $1.5 trillion. This figure is more than the entire national budget of many countries in the world and is an indication that many graduates languish in student debt years after completing their university education. Aside from student debt, there is also the issue of underemployment, which continues to be a major issue in the world. Millions of graduates in the world are working in sectors that do not coincide with the education they received. However, regardless of the above issues, people still go to school and in their millions. This begs the question why? Why do students subject themselves to years of hard work only to find themselves in fields that pay them less for tasks unrelated to their training? What is the purpose of higher education? Is it still a viable option? Well, a significant number of students believe higher education is indeed viable. The reasons why students still choose to go to college vary with some saying that the sense of belonging experienced in college attracts them there. However, in this essay, the focus will be on students seeking to enhance their attractiveness in the job market. So, this paper posits that higher education remains a relevant option to students mainly because of the promise of securing a job after graduation. A majority of parents still consider higher education as an investment. Like any other investment, the expectation is that the money spent or incurred has to be recouped at a later date. So, the expectation is that once a student has graduated, they will get a job with a good salary and within a few years or for some, months, be able to recoup what was spent. In a 2018 study by Gallup, “fifty-eight percent of education consumers say getting a good job is their primary motivation, compared with 23% who report a general motivation to learn more and gain knowledge without linking it to work or career aspirations.” Fewer people are in school for the sake of advancing their understanding of different theories or helping to advance these theories. The majority, as the statistics indicate, are in school to rec...