- It used to be that simply possessing a degree could easily lead to prestigious jobs; now, when more people have a degree, it becomes harder and harder to stand out
By Derek Sun
Unemployment remains a pressing issue for many Americans, with many recent college graduates struggling to find jobs that match their educations. It is apparent that the biggest problem facing Americans in search of work is not a shortage of jobs, but a shortage of workers qualified to fill job requirements.
At first thought, it may make sense to claim that job creation is not keeping up pace with job demand. Businesses are growing very slowly and in some cases shrinking or stagnating under the economic climate created by the Obama administration. Any sensible observer would state that America’s overall economy is unfriendly to business growth. However, business owners and employment specialists agree that too many people do not possess useful skills for jobs. One employment expert states, “If you have a useful skill, we can find you a job. But too many are graduating from high school and college without any skills at all.”
The increasing numbers of Americans with college degrees is causing a devaluation of higher education. It used to be that simply possessing a degree could easily lead to prestigious jobs. Now, when more people have a degree, it becomes harder and harder to stand out.
Furthermore, plenty of Americans pursue degrees in abstract and pointless disciplines that do not attract employers, leading to massive difficulties for themselves in finding work that matches their qualifications and experience. There are still many university students who major in liberal arts and emerge from university with worthless degrees.
Decades of praise for the necessity of attending college have resulted in a serious lack of appreciation for professions such as welding, carpentry, and mechanics. The sole desire of many people is to find intellectual jobs that are glamorous and high-paying. However, there are only so many positions available for lawyers and college professors. An engineering degree or certificate in plumbing is infinitely superior in intelligence and earning potential than an African American studies or art history degree.
It would behoove many Americans to focus their energy and effort on developing practical skills instead of earning meaningless credentials. Data incontrovertibly shows that demand is consistently high for workers trained in field such as engineering, nursing, trucking, plumbing, and other fields. The common factor uniting all of these professions is that they are absolutely necessary for the economy, require high levels of training, and are applicable to the real world.
A deep stigma is attached nowadays to physical labor, and many parents and children refuse to consider any jobs that seem “blue collar”, as they are invariably viewed as uneducated and useless careers. As more Americans receive liberal arts degrees, more Americans leave college equipped with minimal work skills and plenty of hatred and negativity towards America. Some of the few abilities they possess are repeating leftist mantras and working as professional propagandists.
The last few decades saw outsourcing and modernization decimate American industry, and the growth in popularity of college. No matter what data shows, many people still insist on attending college and pursuing any job that doesn’t involve physical labor. Government welfare is always present to discourage finding work, and more and more schools do away with shop class, auto class, and other practical courses, replacing them with ethnic studies and other meaningless courses. Decades of propaganda from liberals in the form of commercials, movies, and books have told people that there are no decent career prospects without college, and anyone who never attended college is a complete failure. We seem to have completely forgotten that working on farms and in factories are highly effective at bolstering work ethic and teaching essential skills.
The United States could learn quite a few things from Germany, which has staved off some effects of outsourcing and still has robust industrial and manufacturing sectors. Instead of urging all young people to attend college and get degrees, Germany recognizes that some people do better without college, and offers comprehensive apprenticeship programs to prepare students to get a job quickly.
Students can learn plenty of essential skills that guarantee that they will be employable upon completion of their apprenticeships. Our national obsession with giving everyone a college education has to end, and we must rediscover the importance of practicality.
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