The question, “Are college graduates ready for their careers?” is a bit misplaced. The answer is, “No,” but the reason or blame isn’t what you might believe. In the report, How well is higher education preparing their graduates?, 89% of employers did not think college gradutaes were prepared for their career. Conversely, 92% of college and university Chief Academic Officers believed higher education did a great job preparing graduates for their careers. So what is the truth?

The truth is:

• College courses provide a foundation of what students need to be successful. However, that foundation is only a small fraction of the experiences employers are looking for when they evaluate college graduates.
• Employers respect grades but they are more interested in the experiences of the students over 4 years that demonstrate their grit, determination, abilities, and capacity to grow. Every college provides for these opportunities but does not require them.
• Graduates who engaged in a variety of activities that demonstrate professional development, leadership, communication, organization, and other career skills are what employers are looking for.

Bottom line: College students need to spend most of their time in a variety of experiences that build career readiness. If you want to learn more about these experiences, purchase my book Unlocking the Code to College Success. 

Steven J. Harvey, Ph.D.

CEO, My Campus Max (MyCollegeMax.com) LLC