TeamWhile having a university degree was considered to be a must to have a nice and comfortable professional life, this trend has been rapidly changing. Unemployment rates, low pay, high tuitions and a surplus of people with a degree have completely changed the flow of the market. We are now seeing an increase in people that do not want to pursue a college degree, and would rather pursue more practical training and professions.
However, I would argue that a university degree is always important and everyone should really consider stepping up their education and finish a degree. Yes, it may sound redundant if you are determined to not pursue this kind of education, but I would like to give you some food for thought here.
Higher education, more money
There are several variables to this, but the general consensus is that higher education provides better pay. Sure, manual labor jobs are on the rise; we are facing a big demand and low supply of electricians, plumbers, specialized manual labor. However, we are also in high demand for specialized higher education jobs like IT, high management, scientists.
At the end of the day, people with higher education, especially a Master’s or a PhD end up getting paid more when they land a cushy job in a big company. On top of that, these jobs usually are not as demanding on our bodies as physically intensive gigs. Of course, this is not a linear topic, although it is undeniable that people with higher education have more opportunities at their disposal.
More opportunities
Adding to the point I was making, a university degree opens more doors than no education at all. For one, higher education offers better opportunities, as in, better-paying jobs with better conditions. Secondly, they offer more flexibility when looking for a new career.
Let’s take English literature for example, which gets a bad rep since there are so many unemployed Literature majors. It is true that it is not a specialized degree that comes with great employability but, at the end of the day, it is super flexible. With an English major you can work at newspapers, magazines, books, editing, writing, marketing and more. You have tons of options. More specifically, you are not trained to work on just one field, you can approach and look for jobs in several other fields.
It is an investment
People often forget that a university degree is an investment in our future and in ourselves. Sure, like with other investments, you might not make the best profit out of it, but it is a road to betterment. Like all other skills that you learn throughout life, a college education adds to your curriculum and your development.
Let’s imagine that you are working as an electrician and you suffer an accident, leaving your hand disabled. With a degree, you can pursue other options that do not require you to be 100% physically fit. Since you made that investment, now you can ponder about your future career flexibly.
Networking
University is also the perfect place to network. It is where we make most of our friends that will stick with us for life and where we build our connections to enter the job market.
Many universities even have programs to help students connect with employers before ending the degree. In today’s market, it is increasingly hard to find high-paying jobs without having some sort of network to reach out to. Or, if you happen to start your own business, it is also a perfect place to establish relationships with possible partners, employees or other businesses.
Events like career fairs or job fairs are one of the best moves that you can take to propel your professional career.
Prestige
This one is more for vanity’s sake and even though the prestige associated with having a university degree is slowly fading away, it is still an important factor in today’s job market and our society. We like to think that it isn’t, but a college degree, if nothing else, shows some accountability and responsibility right from the start.
Final thoughts
Society is slowly steering away from the idea that a degree equals a bright future. Nevertheless, the benefits of higher education are still clear as day. If not for the career opportunities, at least when it comes to our personal development and character.
The propaganda saying that a college degree is silly and useless is unwarranted and this idea should not be disseminated. It is a personal and professional choice, though it is not silly at all. It should be encouraged.
