September 26, 2001

University Park, Pa. --- Without realistic career goals and planning, a college degree may not lead to automatic job success or satisfaction, a Penn State educator says.

"In the 1960s, a university degree by itself was a virtual guarantee of access to professional and managerial employment," says Dr. Kenneth C. Gray, professor of vocational education. "Unfortunately, for today's generation of young people, this is no longer true, because now there are more four-year college graduates than there is commensurate employment. Ironically, a number of good-paying, prestigious jobs are still available that do not require a college degree but which continue to go begging."

Gray notes that many high schoolers, even those who dislike formal studies, opt for college because they don't know what else to do with their lives. Well-meaning parents and guidance counselors encourage them in this course, thinking that they can muddle through and find a sense of direction.

College by itself is not a plan, but a means to execute a plan that leads to career success and fulfillment. For the unprepared and unwary, it often amounts to a postponement of responsibility in the real world. "It can be an extremely expensive one at that, for students, parents and society at large," says Gray.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, out of 2.8 million high school graduates in 1997, 67 percent had enrolled in college by the following October, Gray notes. Within two years of graduation, 72 percent were enrolled. But, while college enrollments have reached unprecedented levels, so have college dropout rates, not to mention the number of remedial classes needed to keep marginal students in the classroom.

"The sad fact is that only 25 percent of college students graduate on time, get through school without the need for remedial courses and find employment that matches the level and type of education pursued," says Gray, a former high school teacher and counselor and author of "Getting Real: Helping Teens Find Their Future," published by Corwin Press.

Two out of three college students withdraw at least once before they finish school, and more than one-half will need six years to graduate. Out of all arts and humanities graduates, only one third will find employment in line with their academic experience. For all graduates, regardless of major, the figure is one-half.

Because one-half of the students who start a four-year degree program graduate in 6 years, and of those who receive a degree only one-half find commensurate employment, the final success rate for college students is one in four. In the worst case scenarios, college graduates find themselves working at a mall gift shop and struggling to pay off their financial aid debt with near minimum-wage incomes. This kind of career failure does not build confidence or character, Gray says.

"Teens have two choices. They can let fate and labor market Darwinism decide their future, or they can be proactive and plan for success," Gray points out. He adds that parents, teachers and guidance counselors can assist young people by stop telling them, "You can be anything you want to be." Contrary to conventional wisdom, this belief can be a recipe for disaster. Instead of promoting false dreams, parents should encourage teenagers to look long and hard at their prospects, size up reality and plan their post-high school lives accordingly.

High school students, especially those less confident or focused, have to be taught to balance hopes and aspirations with talents and opportunities, says Gray. Ultimately, teens have to ask themselves where they want to go in terms of a career and then ask themselves if college is the best vehicle to take them there as opposed to a technical school, an apprenticeship program or even the military.

By the 10th grade, all students should have taken part in curricular or extracurricular activities that help them pinpoint several tentative career interests that they can pursue after high school. The West Virginia State Board of Education already requires all high school students to select career majors by the 10th grade, Gray says.

The current workplace makes use of very few academic skills. What most employers are looking for are occupational job skills, which often are quite technical in nature and becoming more so, notes the Penn State researcher.

"While increasing numbers of college graduates were ending up in low-wage service jobs, the nation's economy was generating record numbers of unfilled positions for technicians in high-skill and high-wage technical jobs," Gray explains. "The problem was not an under supply of college graduates, but rather an under supply of technically skilled graduates."

In the face of this crisis, American companies have been compelled to turn down contracts because of the scarcity of skilled workers and have sought authorization from Congress to recruit technically skilled workers from other countries using H1-B visas, Gray says.

In 1995, Gray and Dr. Edwin L. Herr, Distinguished Professor of Education at Penn State, co-authored the book, "Other Ways to Win: Creating Alternatives for High School Graduates," also published by Corwin Press.

**pab**

Contacts:

Paul Blaum (814) 865-9481 pab15@psu.edu

Vicki Fong (814) 865-9481 vfong@psu.edu

EDITORS: Dr. Gray is at (814) 863-2593 or at gty@psu.edu by email.