Investigating education inflation
School is challenging, particularly University. Students find themselves under tremendous financial, social, and academic pressure. This pressure to do more, be more, and become more can be so overwhelming that an increasing number of students are developing depressive and anxiety disorders in response to the average university workload. University has always been difficult – it’s supposed to be a challenge, that is what makes it worthwhile. However, there used to be a tangible reward at the end of the student road – decent jobs that would allow recent graduates to recoup some of their mental and financial resources, and presumably have more comfortable lives than if they had not put in the years of scholarly work. This is no longer the case. What we are experiencing in Canada is education inflation; a degree just doesn’t mean what it used to.
We live in a capitalist world where company loyalty, jobs-for-life, and pensions are increasingly becoming notions of the past. Employees need to be constantly adaptable, consistently produce maximum output, and are considered replaceable should someone, or something else come along which can do what they do with a better profit margin. This is part of the reason that there are fewer ‘good’ jobs for graduates.
Another big problem is the way that universities are operating like businesses; enrolment is not based on a projected number of available jobs (no such metric exists in Canada) but on how many people want to study. Universities are accepting an unprecedented number of students largely because they are paying to attend. This has contributed a great deal to the unfortunate truth that a (costly) undergraduate degree is needed to give access to the opportunities a high school diploma offered 50 years ago. For more information on the problem of unemployment and underemployment as related to education levels, watch Generation Jobless – a Canadian documentary – or (ironically) take one of the many sociology classes at Guelph which touch on the subject.
…jobs-for-life, and pensions are increasingly becoming notions of the past.
I am not suggesting that education does not have intrinsic value – far from it. I have often said “I will get a degree but the reason I came to university was to get an education.” However, we live in a capitalist society and eventually we all have to get jobs in order to live comfortably – to live at all really. The self-improvement associated with an education is wonderful, but we all need to eat. So how is someone with an undergraduate degree to find a fulfilling job which allows them to use their full range of skills and knowledge? Do such jobs still exist in the increasingly globalized, stratified world of the 21st century? Yes. Somewhere.
Undergraduates need to work hard and smart. Good grades are important, but it is as important – often more important – to involve oneself in extra-curricular activities like student government or internships. Even though the average student has very little time for anything besides coursework it is important to differentiate oneself – to have a resume that shows a range of skills and interests.
Do your coursework, but don’t let your learning stop there. There is at least one course at the University of Guelph which helps to prepare students for entering the job-market; SOAN: *4320: Transition from School to Work. It is a small course with 20 spots, offered only in Winter semesters and intended only for students majoring in Sociology or Anthropology but it’s a start. It also highlights how helpful professors can be. Your professors are tremendous resources who have much to offer beyond the classroom. Get to know your professors; if you don’t make an effort, you will not get the full benefit of their wisdom.
Be willing to travel. Our world is getting more and more interconnected. Be willing to work or volunteer somewhere else to expand your skills and network. Do not let fear of the unknown prevent you from seizing important opportunities away from home. You can always come back, and you will be that much better off from having had experiences abroad.
Make an effort, make a difference. Your education gives you the tools to see societal problems, to recognize when things are not ideal. Rather than lament over the insufficiency of a degree, your mounting debt, and the increasingly distant experience of education, educate yourself about how these decisions are being made for you. Be aware of, and attempt to understand, initiatives like the Program Prioritization Process (PPP) at the University of Guelph and our government’s perspective on higher education, and form your own opinion. It is only when we allow apathy to take over, when we become comfortable with things we know that we should not stand for, or when we become comfortable with ignorance of the forces and people who are influential in determining the courses of our lives, that we have failed. Your degree may not mean what it used to but it will mean what you make it mean.