This article discusses the reality that universities are prioritizing employability and losing their original academic values. As students and universities are caught in a dilemma between employment and academics, it raises questions about the role and nature of universities.
The university world is in deep trouble. Youth unemployment has reached a critical level, and students are postponing graduation, writing resumes, and scrambling to accumulate all sorts of credentials in order to get a job. This raises fundamental questions about why we enroll in college and what our goals are. What is college for? Is it just a tool to get a job, or is it a place for academic achievement? Students are no longer passionate about their studies, but are instead focusing all their energy on preparing for a job.
In particular, college students who succeed in finding a job while still in school face a double dilemma. On the one hand, they are relieved to have found a job, but on the other hand, they wonder if they should continue their studies. The dilemma of “I don’t need to take classes now that I have a job” and “I can’t afford to take classes, but I need to graduate” plagues them. University professors also face this dilemma. While they can’t ignore the hard work and pleas of employed students, they can’t ignore the original purpose of college: academic inquiry and equity with other students. Moreover, we cannot ignore this issue in a world where the employment rate of each university is an important metric by which universities are judged.
In this context, the question of how to handle students who miss classes due to early employment or job interviews is a frequent topic of discussion in our university community. Different professors have different standards for accepting interviews and jobs as excused absences, which has led to frustration among students. “Given how bad the job market is right now, shouldn’t we be able to count this as attendance in order to increase the employment rate?” and “I didn’t miss class, and you missed class anyway, so it’s only natural that there is a difference between me and you.” In this way, conflicts among students are deepening, and skepticism about the original function of universities is spreading.
These problems are not just about individual self-interest. When did universities become training centers for employment? When did the criteria for evaluating universities become narrowed down to employment rates? Many students are frustrated with the changing role of universities. The belief that college should be a place to truly explore and build character, not just get a diploma, is being eroded. The selfish reactions of the rest of the student body make this reality even more bitter.
Some universities have come up with alternatives to address these issues, such as introducing customized bachelor’s programs or expanding online courses. However, these alternatives are tantamount to universities giving up on being universities. They are simply acknowledging the importance of employment and creating an easier pathway for employed students to get a diploma. This dilutes the academic value of universities and the essence of education.
Of course, this problem is not unique to universities. Our society’s excessive push for college graduation, where every high school graduate is expected to attend college, has contributed to this problem. With more highly educated people and fewer jobs in the workforce, it’s not uncommon for people to find themselves unemployed after college. This vicious cycle has reached universities, and universities are not immune to this problem.
Therefore, we need to face this reality and focus on solving the underlying problem. We need to prevent universities from becoming a tool to get a job and restore their original academic value. This may be a difficult process, but it is necessary to close the legal rat hole. Otherwise, solving the problem will be an uphill battle. If universities are to return to being places of academic inquiry, professors and university administrations will have to take the lead in addressing this issue.
Ultimately, universities need to realize that the process is more important than the diploma. It is the role of universities to strive to instill a genuine sense of academic passion and inquiry in their students, and only when they do this will they be able to reclaim their true value.
