There Is Life After College

1. The Traditional Path from College to Career Is Broken

But today there seems to be a lot of noise interfering with that signal.

Degree value diminished. A college degree, once a clear signal of job readiness and potential, is now less reliable to employers. Despite more people earning degrees, nearly half of recent graduates are underemployed, working jobs that don't require a bachelor's. This isn't just due to recent economic downturns but reflects a longer-term shift in the global workforce.

Underemployment is common. The stereotype of college graduates working as baristas or waiters is often accurate. A 2014 study found demand for college-educated knowledge workers has slowed, suggesting a bachelor's degree is increasingly needed just to get any job, not necessarily a high-skilled one. This leaves many young adults struggling to launch into fulfilling careers.

Anxiety is widespread. Parents, students, and counselors are anxious about the value of college and whether it provides the necessary skills. Many recent graduates feel adrift, moving from internship to internship without finding full-time work, questioning if they did something wrong by following the expected path.

2. Adulthood and Career Launch Now Take Longer

This stuttering route to adulthood is now the new normal for most kids, transcending generations and occurring regardless of the economy’s health.

Extended transition period. The period between adolescence and full adulthood has lengthened significantly, now often extending through the twenties. This isn't entirely new (Stanley Hall observed a similar phase in the late 1800s), but it affects far more people today. The post-WWII era, where young adults quickly married, bought homes, and started careers, was an anomaly.

Emerging adulthood defined. Psychologist Jeffrey Jensen Arnett coined the term "emerging adulthood" for this stage (ages 18-25), characterized by exploration in love, work, and worldviews. It's a time when many directions remain possible, and the scope for independent exploration is greater than at any other life stage.

Three pathways emerge. Young adults navigate this extended transition in different ways:

• Sprinters: Start fast, often with jobs lined up or quickly climbing the ladder, investing early in human capital (grad school, key internships).
• Wanderers: Drift through their mid-twenties, often taking jobs unrelated to their major or returning to school, struggling to find direction.
• Stragglers: Take the longest to find a path, often struggling to finish college or bouncing between dead-end jobs, lacking viable options after high school.

3. Success Requires "T-Shaped" Skills Beyond the Degree

Today, employers need a different kind of talent: they want T-shaped individuals.

Depth and breadth needed. Employers increasingly seek "T-shaped" individuals: those with deep expertise in one area (the vertical bar) and the ability to work across diverse subject areas and collaborate effectively (the horizontal bar). Simple "I-shaped" expertise in a single subject is no longer sufficient in complex modern workplaces.

Key skills in demand. Analysis of job postings reveals employers prioritize a mix of soft and hard skills. While technical skills are important, soft skills like communication, writing, organization, problem-solving, and teamwork are frequently listed, indicating a perceived deficit in these areas among graduates.

• Communication & Writing
• Problem Solving & Planning
• Teamwork & Collaboration
• Digital Awareness (beyond passive use)
• Curiosity & Learning Agility
• Grit & Resilience (learning from failure)
• Contextual Thinking (connecting disparate ideas)
• Humility & Social Awareness

Self-direction is vital. Colleges often manage students' learning, but the workplace requires self-direction. Graduates need to be resourceful, independent learners who can cobble together experiences and continuously acquire new skills throughout their careers, rather than waiting to be told what to do.

4. Hands-On Experience (Internships, Co-ops, Apprenticeships) Is Crucial

other coming-of-age, real-world experiences in the late teens and early twenties—particularly apprenticeships, jobs, or internships—actually matter more nowadays in moving from college to a career.

Internships are essential. Once a "nice-to-have," internships are now critical for landing a first job, especially at large companies. Employers increasingly hire from their intern pools, making summer internships extended tryouts. Students need to seek out multiple internships early in college, strategically building on previous experiences.

Co-ops offer deeper learning. Co-op programs, like those at Northeastern or University of Waterloo, integrate paid work experience directly into the curriculum. Students alternate between classroom learning and full-time jobs, fostering a deeper understanding of how theory applies in practice and developing essential work habits and responsibility.

Apprenticeships are undervalued. While common in Europe, apprenticeships are rare in the U.S. but offer a respected pathway to skilled jobs, often paying well and leading to guaranteed employment without college debt. Modern apprenticeships, like those in advanced manufacturing or healthcare, require both technical skills and critical thinking, challenging the outdated perception of vocational training.

5. Strategic Detours and Post-College Programs Offer Launchpads

Life is not linear. Neither should the pathways of getting started.

Gap years provide perspective. Taking time off between high school and college (a "gap year" or "bridge year") can provide valuable exploration, maturity, and real-world experience. Structured gap years involving travel, work, or academic preparation can lead to better academic performance in college and a clearer sense of purpose, unlike simply drifting at home.

Post-college launch programs. Programs like Koru or Venture for America (VFA) offer intensive, short-term training and real-world projects after graduation. These "finishing schools" bridge the gap between college and career, teaching practical business skills, providing networking opportunities, and helping graduates articulate their experiences to employers.

Alternatives to traditional paths. These detours challenge the pressure to go straight from high school to a four-year college and immediately into a job. They offer alternative on-ramps for students who are unsure, need specific skills, or want to explore different career paths before committing, potentially saving time and money compared to traditional graduate school.

6. A College's Location Matters More Than Ever for Opportunities

Even in a virtual age, when it is easy to connect with anyone anywhere, a college’s physical place matters more than ever before to its graduates’ ultimate success in the job market.

Access to experiences. A college's location significantly impacts students' access to crucial off-campus learning opportunities like internships, research projects, and networking. Schools in vibrant metropolitan areas offer a constant churn of such experiences, which are increasingly necessary to gain the skills employers want.

Urban advantage. Urban universities, once seen as less desirable, now benefit from their location in cities with diverse, innovative economies. They can attract hybrid faculty (combining academia and industry), offer real-world projects with local companies, and provide students access to wider professional networks.

• Faculty with real-world experience
• Abundant internship opportunities
• Diverse local economies
• Strong professional networks

Talent magnets. Cities that attract and retain college graduates become economic powerhouses. Students attending college in these "college destinations" or "employment destinations" are better positioned to find jobs and build careers after graduation, benefiting from the concentration of talent and industry.

7. The Bachelor's Degree Needs Redesigning for the Modern Economy

Simply put, the bachelor’s degree is overdesigned, with too many options and not enough focus or practical applications.

Outdated structure. The traditional four-year, 120-credit bachelor's degree, rooted in 17th-century models, is ill-suited for today's diverse student body and rapidly changing job market. It often lacks focus, practical application, and fails to measure actual learning or prepare students for the ambiguity of the workplace.

Pressure to specialize. The demand for job-ready graduates has led to a focus on vocational majors and a move away from liberal arts, viewing college purely as job training. This narrow focus can limit students' ability to develop critical thinking and adaptability needed for careers that may not even exist yet.

New models emerging. Some universities are experimenting with redesigning the degree:

• Combining liberal arts with vocational master's degrees in four years (Georgetown).
• Project-based degrees where learning is tied to hands-on challenges (Arizona State).
• Programs blending diverse disciplines like arts, technology, and business (USC).
  These models aim to integrate practical skills and real-world application throughout the undergraduate experience.

8. Just-In-Time Education Supplements or Replaces Traditional Graduate School

More of our education will be “just in time” rather than “just one time.”

Lifelong learning necessity. In a world of constant change, formal education cannot end after college. Workers need to continuously learn, unlearn, and relearn throughout their careers. This informal, lifelong learning is becoming more formalized and collaborative.

Rise of alternative providers. New providers like General Assembly, coding boot camps, MOOCs (Coursera, edX), and digital platforms (Khan Academy, Lynda.com) offer education in shorter, more flexible formats. They provide specific, job-relevant skills at a fraction of the cost of traditional graduate school.

Filling the skills gap. These programs cater to twentysomethings seeking practical skills (web development, data analysis, marketing) that they didn't acquire in college or need to update. They offer a faster, cheaper alternative to graduate certificates or master's degrees, which have become expensive and sometimes less relevant to immediate job needs.

9. Employer Hiring Is Often Dysfunctional, But Data Is Changing It

Surprisingly, employers often didn’t know what they wanted, revealing a level of dysfunction for matching talent and opportunity that I didn’t expect in an economy as advanced as that of the United States.

Inconsistent practices. Employer hiring practices for new graduates are often inconsistent, relying on subjective factors like "fit" and the prestige of a candidate's school or previous internships. Many managers lack training in interviewing, leading to ineffective and biased evaluations.

Applicant tracking software. Large companies increasingly use software to filter applications based on keywords, often discarding qualified candidates who don't perfectly match the job description. This makes it harder for students from less traditional backgrounds to get noticed.

People analytics emerges. Companies are starting to use data analytics ("people analytics") to make hiring more scientific. By analyzing employee performance data, they can identify predictors of success beyond traditional credentials. Tools like Knack's assessment games measure skills like resourcefulness and problem-solving, potentially offering new ways for candidates to demonstrate abilities and bypass traditional filters.

10. Crafting Your Career Story and Embracing Lifelong Learning Is Key

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.

Narrative is powerful. In a competitive job market, being able to articulate your experiences and connect them to the job you want is crucial. Employers look for the "why" behind your choices and how your past situations prepared you for future challenges. Crafting a coherent career story is essential for selling yourself.

Everything is sales. Getting a job and succeeding in the workplace involves selling – persuading, negotiating, and pitching ideas. Graduates need "street smarts" and social skills to apply their knowledge effectively, which are often not emphasized in traditional academic settings.

Continuous adaptation. Success in the modern economy requires constant learning and adaptation. The ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn is paramount as technology changes job requirements. Seek out mentors, build networks, and actively pursue opportunities to sharpen your skills throughout your career.

Last updated: June 24, 2025