Career-Oriented College Education

With the recent economic crisis, job placement and the value of a college degree is a popular topic.  Last month I wrote about the importance of exploring the career centers at the colleges and universities that interest you.  While looking at the type of career advising you will recieve is important, it is also interesting to look at the practical side of a college education.  Two recent articles highlight the importance of the practical, career-oriented side of a college education.
Recently, US News and World Report published an article on the “10 College Courses That Will Pay Off at Work”.  The article describes how 10 different career-oriented college courses which offer “hands-on” experiences that can be directly related to potential career paths.
Just this week, InsideHigherEd.com published an article on research conducted by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.  The new findings show that there will be a serious shortage of American workers with college degrees.  “Specifically, the report says that by 2018, the economy will have jobs for 22 million new workers with college degrees, but, based on current projections, there will be a shortage of 3 million workers who have some postsecondary degree (associate or higher) and of 4.7 million workers who have a postsecondary certificate.”  The article also highlights how the lead research also feels that colleges need to offer more career-oriented curriculum.
 
Katherine Price
Educational Consultant
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