Is a University Degree Still Worth Anything?

[slapper]

Has anyone else noticed that these days, having a university degree does not seem to guarantee a good job anymore? In the US, more than 40% of new graduates are working in jobs that don’t even need a degree! In the UK and Canada, youth unemployment is even higher, and entry-level jobs are much harder to get. Now, for each job, there are more than 100 people applying

A lot of people blame technology (especially AI, robots and automation) for stealing jobs. But the truth is more complicated. Companies are using AI to get rid of simple tasks, yes, but they’re also sending jobs to cheaper countries. And when there are jobs, many companies do not care about your university name anymore. They want to see if you really have the skills or special training for that job. That means people have to pay even more to get extra “certificates” after graduating

Meanwhile, graduates are stuck with debt and stress. Many young people feel lost, frustrated, and even angry, like society promised them something it can’t deliver. In the past, too many frustrated young people has led to big changes. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Do you think the old way of working (one job, one company, climbing step by step) is over? Now, I see many young people having several jobs, working on short projects, or even starting small businesses on the side. In a recent report, more than half of workers noticed more people working two or more jobs

Is university still worth it today? Are “extra skills” and certificates just another money-making trick? Has anyone here found success without a degree, or by learning something new outside of school? Is this the start of a new way of working, or just a big mess?

[mindrust]

Depends. Healthcare is always high in demand. Dentists, nurses, medical doctors will have no problems getting a job no matter what happens. Even AI cannot take their jobs away.

The others? They seem dead unless you highly specialize in a field but then you need to be able to sustain yourself till you reach that stage and that’s why it seems it is not worth the wait.

If you ever want to get a job just because you finished college, go get a license that’s related to healthcare. Otherwise get ready to work way way harder just to land on a job.

[Helena Yu]

Depends on where you live.

If the jobs vacancy require degree, pretty sure university degree is important.

If you live in a country who choose experience over degree and other theory thing, university degree isn't important anymore.

Many people that I met usually say this to me "the most important thing of school is you can make friends and relationship, they will help you in the future". So, I think university is important for the social benefit than the thing you learn since you can learn in work.

[SmartGold01]

Usually in my country there is a common slogans that keeps spreading around that "School is a scam", I must say the truth, university degree aren't scam and sincerely they are worth it. Why because school today are one way of giving people formal education which involves all part of our life, and of course not everyone who must work in a white scholar job rather some people over there are meant to be an employer of Labor.

Meaning after graduation they can become self employed and also keep employing other people to work under them than entirely depending on government or company around their country, yes those companies are being owned by graduate who gained university degree from all part of the school around the world and they now became established and owned companies around the world.

So, to me it's always better for every graduate to acquire special skills for themselves as most of the companies do ask of working experience over the years and if they weren't able to provide it then it's assumed that they aren't suitable for that task, hence there should be a formal skill acquired before seeking for an employment.

[Ultegra134]

Depends on where you live and what sector we're talking about. As @mindrust already mentioned, the healthcare industry is impossible to enter without a degree. From my perspective, certain industries, such as programmers and generally the IT sector, are something that can be taught and can be proven with the right portfolio, at least compared to other degrees in economics or business administration. I studied at an economics faculty, and if I could go back in time, I'd opt for something more practical that can be applied directly in use; economics are just theories that can hardly be applied in real life.

With that being said, some occupations that are in huge demand (at least here) and will never be replaced by AI are plumbers, electricians, vehicle mechanics, and so on. Knowing myself and how I like working on things, I would certainly be way better off if I had taken up one of these jobs.

[Findingnemo]

A degree is pretty useless, not just now but for a while. Companies prefer candidates with actual knowledge and skills about the tasks they are recruiting for. In the past, they used to hire top scorers and provide the necessary training for a while at their own cost. But students are not aware of it yet, they spend hundreds of thousands to get a degree but they realize about it's worth only when it's too late.

Depends. Healthcare is always high in demand. Dentists, nurses, medical doctors will have no problems with getting a job no matter what happens. Even AI cannot take their jobs away.

But now we have technology where surgeries can be done remotely, a surgeon doesn't necessarily need to be present at the location. If I am not wrong, China has already demonstrated a surgery using robotic hands that was operated from a different location so it got some risks too.

[Fortify]

Has anyone else noticed that these days, having a university degree does not seem to guarantee a good job anymore? In the US, more than 40% of new graduates are working in jobs that don’t even need a degree! In the UK and Canada, youth unemployment is even higher, and entry-level jobs are much harder to get. Now, for each job, there are more than 100 people applying

A lot of people blame technology (especially AI, robots and automation) for stealing jobs. But the truth is more complicated. Companies are using AI to get rid of simple tasks, yes, but they’re also sending jobs to cheaper countries. And when there are jobs, many companies do not care about your university name anymore. They want to see if you really have the skills or special training for that job. That means people have to pay even more to get extra “certificates” after graduating

Meanwhile, graduates are stuck with debt and stress. Many young people feel lost, frustrated, and even angry, like society promised them something it can’t deliver. In the past, too many frustrated young people has led to big changes. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Do you think the old way of working (one job, one company, climbing step by step) is over? Now, I see many young people having several jobs, working on short projects, or even starting small businesses on the side. In a recent report, more than half of workers noticed more people working two or more jobs

Is university still worth it today? Are “extra skills” and certificates just another money-making trick? Has anyone here found success without a degree, or by learning something new outside of school? Is this the start of a new way of working, or just a big mess?

While I agree that degrees have potentially lost some of their value, as it seems every man and their dog is getting one - some in courses that never end up relevant to what they actually do, you have to look at the applicant pool to understand why people get them. For some of the top tier jobs, you may not even get an interview or through the application phase without having that university level of qualification these days, which is why it does still have some value. 40% of new graduates don't need a degree? Good, there are plenty of people that don't or cannot make it through university who should be able to work too, and there are plenty of trades that can take a learn on the job approach or have a different qualification structure. I dislike the debt it piles on to students the most, as it can create major stress early on in life and they are getting charged obscene rates in some cases.

[Coyster]

Of course a university degree is worth quite a lot, the thing is many people do not understand the kind of education they are in the university to acquire, it is common for graduates to complain about their lack of money and blame it on their degree, but the truth is that you go to the university to learn a profession, you are not taught how to make money in school or to be rich.

That said, if you don't get a university degree, you'll be limited in quite a lot of ways, most times even the jobs that require just your skills and knowledge, still requires that you have a minimum of a university degree. So i'd never be of the opinion that a university degree is worth nothing.

[Alphakilo]

Yes, a university degree is still worth it even with the technology there are areas that technology cannot replace except humans and they must require a degree to be qualified. some fields like health practitioners, you must have the degree before you will be able to have the experience, so it is the degree that qualified you to have the experience.

Even though there are areas that even with the degree, they still ask for extra certificates like how experienced you are before you can qualify for the job. But without a degree and you have all the experience those with degree and experience will still be at the upper hand. That is to say that the degree is the ladder that helps us to climb higher, so in my opinion it is worth it.

[Rockstarguy]

It depends. If you are thinking of becoming a university graduate to attain a degree or certificate for jobs, then going to university may not be worth it because there are fewer jobs, especially in fields outside health science. But if there are other reasons to be a university graduate not just for the sake of having a job then going to university to study is really worth it. The world has really changed; this is not the time when people go to school to get certificates to secure jobs. Even if there are no jobs, there are still good reasons why one needs to go to school. The university is a place for exploration, and it is a place where one can even get good life opportunities from the people you meet.

[coupable]

It depends on the type of job you're applying for. If you're in a country governed by bureaucracy, you won't get a government job in a state-owned institution without a certificate proving your competency. Even simple jobs require a certificate of experience or a certificate of skills. Security guards are among the easiest jobs that don't require experience or skills. However, applicants are required to provide proof of a certain academic level and take written tests to confirm their qualifications. This is absurd because, on the other hand, private companies only require proof of skill and experience in the field and won't place much importance on whether the person capable of performing the tasks has an academic level or not. This also depends on your country's economic system and the structures used to determine employment conditions.

[passwordnow]

Is university still worth it today?

Really depends on what kind of degree the new graduates have. Just like the old times, there are in demand jobs that are related to computers and in the health sector. I've seen the massive hiring for most countries with nurses and that's why many of the relatives of mine took it and they worked offshore. And the traditional parents will still require their kids to finish studies in the university so, it's still a badge of honor for their parents and for the kids to become good ones, it's what they'll present to them. This is a debate because it's not the parents that will study but, let's just keep it that way.

Are “extra skills” and certificates just another money-making trick?

In computer related certificates. There are money making seminars that only provides certificate of attendance. But if it's about the expertise and actual certification of skills, I think they're also worth it as an additional skill.

Has anyone here found success without a degree, or by learning something new outside of school?

I've read stories that even without degrees, they became successful. But I've also seen people who graduated became happy and successful with their careers.

Is this the start of a new way of working, or just a big mess?

Not a mess but it's really depending per individual and we have to adopt what we think is applicable to us. Either go to school or find your niche, work on your skill and be hired. While for the others who really are skilled, they don't go to college anymore and even google and other fortune 500 companies don't require it anymore but this is only for exceptional people.

[Botnake]

If you aim to achieve long term profession, like a teacher, policeman, doctor, or a pilot, you need to finish your college degree, but if your goal is just for short term and any time you can again change your career, then you can develop your own skill and gain temporary profits from it.

The social media is offering wide range of opportunities for all people, young or old, so if you are good in building your own name and create your own spotlight, then even without a university degree, you can succeed on it.

[Reatim]

Has anyone else noticed that these days, having a university degree does not seem to guarantee a good job anymore?

you are right but i also believe it really depends on the person’s personal path because some of them do find success through having a degree

but not having a degree doesn’t mean you will never succeed either it’s just a matter of how you make the most out of every situation so if you have a degree make sure you use it well and that you have chosen wisely

[tsaroz]

There are many specific posts that requires specific degree. Private companies are now more flexible where it don't matter much but government jobs mostly still requires proper college education. For core technical posts like doctors, engineers and lawyers, you'd need a degree.
I have a good example at my family. My brother is a biomedical technician almost handles all problems and deals for a hospital but the salary he get is smaller (half of) than an electrical engineer who works under his supervision. Same goes with doctors, no people can replace licensed doctors and its a long academic career.
While something demanding technical posts like nurse, technicians are now being fulfilled with a short term training than long academic degrees.

[STT]

As words on a sheet alone its barely worth the money paid alot of the time but if you actually learn and benefit from the teachings then of course its worth alot, your entire career perhaps.
  Alot of courses can be gained in knowledge via source some free even, if you have discipline to self learn yourself but you wont get any credit for learning unless you can prove it with some finished product, some people can do this but its probably quite rare.   

[red4slash]

In terms of prestige it is still quite valuable but literally for now the certificate is just a piece of paper without really meaning anything especially with the rise of people who only make certificates in terms of training or even graduation certificates from universities just as a formality to get a job no matter whether the qualifications are suitable or not.

I don't deny that university degrees, especially in my country nowadays, have become very useless because everything is sometimes the same where we are just trying to make the requirements met without really being able to know the essence of what we are studying for.
As a result, there are a lot of people with university degrees but their behavior and attitudes don't really show that they are educated and even seem inferior to those who never even went to school.

[mirakal]

Yes, it certainly has its own worth these days. Mostly, the things you learned from your college degree will be finally applied when you landed into your dream job. So if you have no university degree way back then, then it’s hard for you to apply for a job especially if you are targeting for an executive position.

Now, if you are just looking for temporary jobs, take example an artist or a performer, or even a social media influencer which gained high demand nowadays, the worth of having university degree will not be as essential as it is. Just you and your skills, and your resiliency will be your weapon towards your life’s success.

[TastyChillySauce00]

From my experience, degree from top tier university still worth it, but other than that I can hardly see the worth. However what you need to seek in university is not the degree, it's just piece of paper. Instead you need to seek for connection and networking.

Wise men said your network is your net worth and that's true. You will have significantly bigger chance of getting employed if you have good networking doesn't matter if you have degree or not.

[reagansimms]

We cannot deny and blame increasingly sophisticated technology, the presence of AI, robots, and automation makes it difficult for people with university degrees to find work, this is a fact that must be accepted. College is still very feasible at this time, someone who goes through college can form a more professional and disciplined character, there they can also improve their knowledge and skills in the field that suits their major and can help them to understand the theories and concepts related to their field. If you have mastered all of that, then why not think more broadly amidst the lack of job opportunities?

The ideology indoctrinated in universities (such as requiring someone to become an employee) is a big mistake, so in the midst of the threat of technological developments, it is necessary to prepare oneself to make a decision to start a business, someone must be more creative and innovative through business by developing the knowledge gained while still in college. Instead of looking for a job, why not try creating your own job?