A significant number of undergraduates and recent graduates feel that artificial intelligence (AI) is undermining the value and relevance of their college degrees.
Nearly half of Gen Z job seekers (49%) report that AI has made their degrees feel irrelevant, with many questioning whether the time and money invested in higher education is still justified in an AI-driven job market.
As artificial intelligence floods the workplace, nearly half of Gen Z job seekers say their degrees have already been made obsolete by the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT — and they’re wondering why they even bothered hitting the books in the first place.It’s a waste of time and money, according to respondents to a new Indeed report, which found 49% of Gen Z job hunters think their college education has lost value in the job market thanks to AI.Only about one-third of millennials feel the same way, and just 1 in 5 boomers have similar regrets, as CIO Dive reports.The tech tide isn’t turning anytime soon. Businesses are adopting AI faster than you can say “resume rewrite,” and young workers — especially fresh-out-of-college grads — are feeling the squeeze most.
The survey also suggests that a lack of AI knowledge among graduates coincided with a general decline in optimism about the job market.
More than a third of graduates (39 percent) said they feel threatened that generative AI could replace them or their job entirely.“That’s spot on to what I’ve seen and heard,” said Ray Schroeder, senior fellow at UPCEA, an online and professional education association, and a contributor to Inside Higher Ed. “Those students are looking ahead; they’re looking at not just the next class but their careers and what the HR department or owner of the start-up is going to look for in students. And it’s the ability to use the rapidly evolving technology that’ll make a huge difference.”Employers report a skills gap in the ability of workers to use generative AI. Roughly half of 1,000 employers polled said they expect hires to lack generative AI skills. Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) believe both prospective and current hires should have foundational knowledge of generative AI tools, while more than half (58 percent) said they are more likely to interview and hire candidates with AI experience.
Beege Welborne of the Hot Air blog also noted these reports and paired her analysis that higher education is facing an enrollment disaster, as the number of 18-year-olds declined in what they’ve called a ‘demographic cliff.’ No matter how many high schools push “college for everyone,” there is now a new awareness of just how useless many degrees are.
Apparently, academic bureaucrats had not counted on the truth being revealed and prospective students opting for vocational school.
I’m sure, in their arrogance, they hadn’t counted on general disaffection with their institutions among the graduating seniors they had left to draw from, to maintain their student bodies. Toss in a healthy dose of parents who will no longer allow their seniors to consider certain institutions thanks to what’s going on on campus, and these colleges could have a real financial crisis on their hands in short order.It’s going to be quite a shock to the system if the virtues of honest blue-collar labor are once again celebrated instead of reviled and mocked.Rebalancing that would be a pretty neat thing.
Trade school isn’t the only option high school graduates are considering, either. Our military is experiencing a notable surge in recruitment across all branches in 2024 and early 2025, marking a dramatic turnaround after several years of struggle.
Military enlistments rose by 12.5% from fiscal year 2023 (200,000 recruits) to fiscal year 2024 (225,000 recruits). Part of the success of these efforts has been related to the launch of preparedness programs.
The Navy spokesperson said the service makes assessments on figures on an annual basis but noted that some policies that enlarged the pool of recruits, including a preparatory course that helps potential sailors meet Navy academic and physical standards, have helped the effort.The Navy’s prep course followed the success of the Army’s Future Soldier Preparatory Course that contributed close to a quarter of last year’s Army recruiting goal of 55,000 recruits.”We did open up the aperture a little bit for people that want to serve in uniform, and we expanded various policies to increase opportunities for qualified candidates,” the spokesperson said.Policies that open the aperture enable services to tap into a wider range of potential recruits — and the prep courses are intended to help them reach the academic or physical shape to meet standards.
I can see why young Americans would prefer preparedness over indoctrination.
It appears that universities are going to land in the Sea of Reality once they fully jump off the demographic cliff.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY