"Get a Good Education" - Out-of-Date Language (globally)

 The emerging meme in the UK is the concern about the professional fates of its college graduates. It's documented that 36% of them are overqualified for their jobs or working at low-skills positions.  The latter include:

Administrative 

Clerical

Personal assistant

Secretary

Bartender

Security guard.

That affects overall life-satsifaction of those in careers which are a bad match for their education.

Post-WW II, as affluence caught on in developed economies, higher education was perceived as a magic tool for upward mobility. Those who made it their business to be admitted to university could transform their destiny from being part of the lower class or even poverty to being middle class or lots better. 

Now that perception is being reviewed not just in the UK but also in the US. In addition, China is struggling with a glut of those with higher education credentials who can't land a fit for employment. Meanwhile, their expectations are high for what kinds of positions they should be getting. 

Already in the US enrollment has been declining. In 2010 it peaked at 18.1 million. In 2021 it was 15.4 million. This spring there had been a small uptick but some assess that as an aberration. The infrastructure of the 4-year higher education system can come tumbling down. It's predicted the Ivy League would be left standing but, given recent political turmoil, that might not be a sure thing.

Meanwhile we boomers who bought the ethos of The More Education The Better wonder if we might have had greater professional and personal satisfaction had we not bulked on advanced degrees. For example, from a lower-middle class background, I went all the way to the Ph.D. and matriculating at Harvard Law School. Those diplomas increased our assumptions of how our careers ought to be going. We might have put too much hope in educational credentials. 

As a coach, I guide those wondering about training and reskilling to opt for certifications and licensing, not formal four-year academic degrees. 

In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please text 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com)

 


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