The higher education community has finally come to the realization that colleges should do a better job of preparing students for careers.
It is time. The fact that students do not always understand the connection between their studies and their potential careers is a long-standing problem that must be addressed.
Twenty years ago, I co-authored the best-selling book “Quarterlife Crisis,” one of the first books to explore the transition from college to work. We found, anecdotally, that recent college graduates felt ill-prepared to make the transition to work life or to choose a career. At the time, liberal arts institutions in particular did not see career preparation as part of their role.
While there has been some progress since then, institutions could still do a better job of connecting the educational and economic mobility missions. Recent studies have shown that college graduates struggle to leverage their degrees into the workplace.
The important point is that improving career preparedness will help not only with employment, but also with student retention and graduation.
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I believe that if students have a career plan in mind and a better understanding of how their academic coursework will help them succeed in the workplace, they are more likely to complete their studies, persevere in their studies, graduate, and succeed in finding a job.
First-generation students, especially those whose parents had little college experience, may not understand why they should take a course like calculus, which on the surface seems like it would be of little help in getting a job.
They will benefit greatly from a clearer understanding of how these required subjects connect to their career choices and skills.
Recognizing the need for higher education to better demonstrate the link between courses and careers and to demonstrate its role in preparing students for employment is an important first step.
Taking steps to improve these connections will improve the standing of students and institutions. Students will be better prepared for the workplace, which will increase their chances of success, and as a result, universities will improve their rankings on measures of student success.
In some cases, a cultural shift may be necessary, but with tuition costs skyrocketing, institutions need to think about the return on their investment for students and parents, not just intellectually but also financially.
These changes could help promote much-needed social and economic mobility, especially for students who must borrow money to attend college.
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Recent articles and studies on the low employment rates of college graduates often claim that internships provide the necessary link between college and careers. While practical experience is important, there are other ways to make your college degree more relevant to your career.
One. Explain the relationship in detail to the students. The course syllabus is one opportunity to make these connections for students. Faculty can explain how various course topics and texts translate into career skills and provide real-world examples of these skills. However, in some cases, this can be a difficult sell to faculty who have spent their careers in academia and do not view career counseling as part of their job.
However, providing this additional information to students does not have to be a huge help and can be done in collaboration with campus staff, such as career services counselors. These connections can also be made through course catalogs, departmental websites, and student seminars.
2. Raise awareness of realistic careers. Many students start college with the goal of entering a widely known career, such as a doctor, lawyer, or teacher. However, there are hundreds of careers that students may not know about, such as public policy research and advocacy. Colleges should provide students with detailed information about a wide range of careers they may never have considered, and how courses can help them enter those fields. Experiential learning can provide a great opportunity to sample careers that match students’ interests, helping them to further determine the right fit.
Increasing awareness of career options can also help motivate students as they formulate goals and plans. Careers can be described through the same information paths as the career-course connections listed above, with examples of how courses are used in each career.
three. Prioritize course and career connections across campus. College leaders should emphasize to their faculty the importance of better preparing students for careers. Economic mobility is becoming increasingly important to institutions and the general public, and consumers now rely on information about career outcomes when choosing a college (e.g., see College Scorecard).
Faculty can be assured that adding career preparation to a college degree does not diminish its educational value. Quite the contrary. For example, critical thinking and analytical skills are very important to liberal arts programs and future employers. Simply demonstrating such connections does not change the course content or objectives.
4. Help students translate their academic assignments into job market-ready content. In addition to understanding the connection between courses and careers, students need to know how to express it. Job interviews are not natural for anyone, especially for students who are new to the workforce, and especially for those who are the first in their families to graduate from college.
Career centers often provide interview tips to students, if they ask for it, but they should focus particularly on helping students reflect on their studies and communicate the skills and knowledge they have acquired to employers.
A portfolio can help you achieve this, and can be developed regularly while you are on campus, as it can be difficult to look back on several years of coursework all at once. A senior seminar can further facilitate your career readiness and tie together the career skills you have acquired while on campus.
By making these simple changes, institutions can take the lead in educating students and the public about the benefits of higher education.
Abby Miller, Founding Partner ASA studyI have been conducting research on higher education and workforce development for over 20 years.
This story about college and careers was produced by: Hechinger ReportA non-profit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.. Sign up Hechinger's Newsletter.