The Importance of a Degree Essay

Why Do Many Employers Want Job Candidates to Have a Degree?

Introduction 

Many employers in today’s world have been raising their educational requirements for job candidates, particularly over the past five years. A high percentage of companies acknowledge the fact that they now only employ college graduates for positions that in the past had been held by those with only high school diplomas. The growth of the educational requirements set by many companies stems from the belief that degree holders can bring new perspectives into the workplace and improve essential business processes.

College degrees and high school diplomas in employment opportunities

The increasing demand for a college degree today can be compared to the requirement of having a high school diploma to access job opportunities in the past. According to Rampell, most employers require job applicants to possess a college degree to get even entry-level positions in a variety of fields (16). A study conducted by Burning Glass, a company that analyzes the labor market based on online job postings, indicated that various jobs are experiencing degree inflation (Rampell 16). Rampell relates these occupations to management, sales, administration, and other careers associated with business (16). Based on the report, 25% of people working as insurance clerks in different companies have a degree. The changing trend as described above demonstrates the importance of college degrees in the modern employment environment.

The importance of technical skills

The most liberal justification for this trend relates to the impact of technology on the employment landscape. Technology has undoubtedly transformed both the nature of and responsibilities involved in many jobs. Notably, workplace duties have become more sophisticated and require robust critical-thinking skills and technical knowledge (Rampell 16). For example, heading a logistics department required resilient management and organizational skills in the past. However, in addition to these skills, this position’s current iteration demands familiarity with refined replication and optimization software competencies. On the bright side for employees, employers have increased compensation forin most of these up-credentialed jobs due to the need for more specialized skills and the demand for higher productivity from the workers.

Analytical skills as an advantage

Besides the changing workplace environment that comes as the result of technological advancements, employers prefer candidates with a degree due to their ability to think analytically. Being able to analyze situations from different perspectives enables employees to recognize problems and potential problems (Sanchez, Ma. and Guzmán 38). The creative and critical thinking skills acquired in college also help degree-holding employees to design plans that improve the overall performance of the business by using these skills to handle situations in the most appropriate way (Lowden et al. 4). Higher learning institutions also offer professional training in various problem-solving skills, which improves students’ ability to handle high-tech problems competently.   

Conclusion

Modern-day employers have amplified the academic qualifications for many positions. The up-credentialing trend in the modern world is often linked to the unfolding technological advancements that confound tasks that were previously considered simple. It is vital to note that the complexity of these tasks necessitates the possession of resilient skills and technical competencies, which are offered at higher learning institutions. Furthermore, employers believe that college graduates possess essential critical, creative, analytical, and problem-solving skills that are crucial to the modern workplace environment. Most companies in the contemporary world prefer to hire candidates with higher educational qualifications because they believe that they can transform the workplace.      

   Works Cited

Lowden, Kevin, et al. “Employers’ perceptions of the employability skills of new graduates.” London: Edge Foundation (2011).

Rampell, Catherine. “More and more, job screeners demanding degrees.” Fort Worth Business Press, vol. 26, no. 36, 22 Sept. 2014, p. 16. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=98654201&site=ehost-live.

Sanchez Cañizares, Sandra Ma. and Tomás J. López-Guzmán Guzmán. “The relationship between level of education, organizational commitment and job satisfaction: An analysis in hotel establishments in Andalusia (Spain).” Acta Turistica, vol. 22, no. 1, June 2010, pp. 37-63. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hjh&AN=53281933&site=ehost-live.