The Job Market: Is College Overrated?

NCPAOf course the answer is yes. Especially when you consider how much mis-education is going on. From the NCPA:

During the most recent economic downturn, college graduates have had a hard time finding work after they earn their degree. Predominant public policies and a mismatch between college graduate supply and job demand are the two primary reasons that half of all college graduates under the age of 25 are unemployed or underemployed, says Pamela Villarreal, a senior fellow with the National Center for Policy Analysis.

  • Though many jobs do not require four-year degrees, the U.S. Department of Education made $166 billion dollars in loans in 2012.
  • With an outpouring of federal funding, college costs have risen 130 percent more than inflation since 1988.

The mismatch between the number of graduates produced and the jobs available is evident in the teaching profession, where colleges have turned out more than a quarter of a million bachelor’s or master’s degrees annually since 2000, despite the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating that only 539,100 teaching positions will be available between 2010 and 2020.

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