Why Career Matters

According to the Higher Education Research Institute’s 2018 Survey on the American Freshman, “85.1% of respondents agreed that a very important reason for attending college was to get a better job.”  This generation of students and parents are the savviest consumers of higher education – they are asking: Will this degree move the needle on the career satisfaction I can achieve? Countless research has been conducted demonstrating this notion of the importance of preparing students for their futures.

According to Gallup, there are 6 experiences vital for college graduates to feel confident about the job market,

  1. I had at least one professor who made me excited about learning.
  2. My professors cared about me as a person.
  3. I had a mentor who encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams.
  4. I worked on a project that took a semester or more to complete.
  5. I had an internship or job that allowed me to apply what I was learning in the classroom.
  6. I was extremely active in extracurricular activities and organizations while I attended college.
For additional reading on the importance of careers in the liberal arts, and what other institutions are doing to support students in this area: