Page 44 - Keys to College Success

No matter your path—becoming a journalist like John Diaz, starting a nonprofit,
joining a traditional for-profit company, or any other professional or personal quest—
you can use your college experience to shape a productive and satisfying life. The spirit
of risk with which you approach education, learn from others, and honor and develop
your personal qualities will reward you with a full life in this rich, diverse, and often
challenging world.

WHAT DOES THE
workplace demand of you?

You will be entering (or may have already entered) the workplace during a time of The Rewards of College
great economic challenge. As of June 2013, the unemployment rate was 7.6%, with
11.8 million unemployed workers. A million others were considered “discouraged
workers,” meaning people who have not looked for work in recent weeks because they
believe no work is available for them. However, education continues to be linked with
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more consistent employment (see Key 1.3).

The Global Workplace
Workplace expert Hugh Lauder notes that many western companies are filling higher
management positions with eastern workers for a fraction of the cost of homegrown
managers, with virtual collaboration facilitated by advances in communication tech-
nology. The result is that fewer jobs are available for U.S. workers, with tougher com-
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petition. In fact, a survey by Adecco Staffing US (one of the world’s largest staffing
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firms) notes effects of the recession such as a longer job-hunting period, the need to
apply to more jobs, and an increase in the number of graduates working in jobs that do
not require a four-year degree. 7
Another change in the workplace is the number of jobs that workers tend to hold
over a lifetime in the job market. Two generations ago it was normal for full-time
workers to spend their entire working life in one or perhaps two jobs. However, today’s

KEY 1.3 More education is likely to mean more consistent employment.

Unemployment rates of persons 25 years old and over, by highest level of education, 2009
all education
levels 7.9

Bachelor’s degree or higher 5.2

Associate’s degree 6.8

Some college, no degree 8.6

High school graduate, no college 9.7
Less than high school graduate 14.6

0 3 6 9 12 15
Percent unemployed

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics. “Current Population Survey.” May 2010.

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