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Students, employers disagree on the role of college majors
Natalie Schwartz & Valerie Bolden-Barrett
Dec. 5, 2019
Dive Brief:
Most students place "outsized importance on college majors," finds a
recent survey from Handshake, a career services platform for college
students. While 81.5% of surveyed students said their majors are key to
future job opportunities, only 50% of employers using the company's
premium service listed a certain major as a requirement in job posts.
Students' views on college majors are "outdated," Christine
Cruzvergara, Handshake's vice president of higher education and student
success, said in a statement. Instead they should "focus on developing
skills including the ability to synthesize information, think
critically, and communicate well."
Students from all majors except engineering ranked "prior
internship/job experience" as the No. 1 factor in landing a job.
Engineering students selected "relevant skills" as their top factor.
Dive Insight:
Even though some employers aren't taking much stock in majors, they still have a big impact on lifetime earnings.
Students who earn a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, for
instance, can expect median lifetime earnings of more than $3.6
million, while the typical theology major can expect to earn less than
half of that amount, according to data analyzed by Douglas Webber, a
Temple University economics professor.
That said, more companies are placing their focus on skills rather than college majors when vetting candidates.
"The new world of work is about skills, not necessarily degrees," said
JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon in a statement earlier this
year announcing a $350 million, five-year global initiative to help
community colleges and nontraditional career pathways.
"We must remove the stigma of a community college and career education,
look for opportunities to upskill or reskill workers, and give those
who have been left behind the chance to compete for well-paying careers
today and tomorrow," he said.
In response to the tight talent market, some employers have gone even
further, prioritizing so-called "soft skills" over technical skills.
They've placed a premium on abilities that are applicable across job
functions and industries, such as critical thinking, communication and
attention to detail, and organizational skills — especially for
entry-level professional candidates.
In turn, colleges are teaming up with companies that offer students
badges for soft skills. Education Design Lab helps institutions offer
such badges by providing them with a tool kit, including lessons and
performance assessment tools, that they can adapt to their needs.
However, there's no guarantee a potential employer will accept or be
familiar with such a credential. To that end, several credential
providers have partnered to help develop a common language for
describing badges and determining their value.
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