One of the ongoing themes of these weekly blogs is the fact that the current college system is broken.

This system not only limits those who chose not to attend a university, but also a significant portion of those who graduate. The fact that employers tend to favor college graduates over those who did not attend university has not only saddled a large segment of the population with debt, but has also caused businesses to overlook many skilled employees.

There have been countless case studies and surveys conducted which have shown that in many cases graduating college alone does not properly prepare an individual to complete tasks at their job. There is no significant difference between the skills of someone who graduates from a university and a high school graduate in entry level positions.

Within the Bloomberg article “Do You Really Need a College Degree for That Entry-Level Job?” Peter Coy compares the job experiences of college graduates to high school graduates.

Because employers tend to respect candidates with college degrees more, graduates have an easier time receiving a position that high school graduates. However, 49% of recent college graduates indicated that they “didn’t have to go to college to acquire the skills they needed for their current jobs.”

This data might cause one to reconsider the college process altogether. If college does not prepare a young adult for an entry level position, then why are they placed at a premium?

The article’s second case study further proves that a college diploma may be overvalued. A new research algorithm (funded by the Rockefeller Foundation which was created to test employee skills) indicated that 83% of high school graduates without college experience performed at a level comparable with the average entry level employee at various businesses.

While we can all agree that there are several benefits to attending university, perhaps it is time for us to stop placing so much importance on it.

What do you think?

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The Smart Talk weekly blog posts and online job seeker articles are atypical from the common job advice you might receive from your parents in the past. Perhaps this reflects the changing mindset of the modern job seeker.

In the past, jobs were seen as a career, so you have to work hard to impress future employers knowing that this business could probably be your place of employment for life. However, the combination of distrust of big business, and the importance of happiness at your workplace has led to a new modern mindset.

Twenty years ago you may have gone into a job interview looking at the experience as a one-way relationship, now the you’re more likely to observe how you are being treated within the interview process.

While bill collectors wait for no one, and some still view the job interviewer as the party with all the power, a growing segment of the younger generation looks at employment as a mutual relationship: I provide a much needed skill, you provide me with respect and happiness.

Therefore when you read our weekly blog posts, we want you to read about more than just techniques to please your interviewer, or the right words to say during an interview. Here, you’ll find employee empowerment pieces. You will read about signs you should look for during an interview process, and what you should gather from them.

The current generation changes positions at a faster rate than previous generations, and if some continue to rush into positions specifically for a paycheck this trend will only continue.

So keep following us, and stay tuned for more tips and guidance on how you can prepare for a job that meets your budgetary requirements as well as your happiness ones.

Do you have any suggestions our other readers can benefit from?

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Students majoring in Liberal Arts fields are often undervalued. Relatively speaking, these degrees do not carry the same weight as medical or engineering degrees.

In an uncertain job market some look at these graduates as individuals who do not possess a certain skill to do a particular task. These are not graduates who can do an open heart surgery or write code for a Fortune 500 company, therefore finding a job after graduation for these students can be rather problematic.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers “only 32.6 percent of philosophy majors in the class of 2015 secured full-time employment by January 2016, compared to 65.7 percent of business majors” within the same timeframe.

However, this mindset may be on the precipice of change. Recently, Forbes contributor Renee Morad wrote an article titled “Why Mark Cuban Believes Liberal Arts Is The Future Of Jobs” in which the Dallas Mavericks owner is quoted explaining why Liberal Arts majors may be in demand in the near future.

Cuban theorizes that as technology advances some skills may become redundant. Cuban believes that society will give machines more of the tasks which we attend college for today.

This change will cause freethinkers to play a more integral role in the workforce.

Commonly overlooked skills such as communication, foresight, and critical thinking will be needed because these are skills which machines can not possess. This information would be welcomed by colleges, who in recent times have attempted to add more skills based courses to their Liberal Arts curriculums in order to secure more job prospects for their students.

What are your thoughts? Does this make you re-think your liberal arts choice, or reinforce that you made the right one?

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As job seekers, we are sometimes too eager to settle for any position. This mindset can be destructive to future success and happiness. Usually before we accept an opportunity there are several signs that this position might not be the right fit, but we choose to ignore it.

A huge indicator may be how the interview process goes. While a positive interview process does not guarantee a positive future work experience, a negative interview process can be a tell tale sign for a negative working environment. So the question is “Why do individuals normalize, and stick through a negative interview experience?”

During Liz Ryan’s latest article “Ten Reasons To Get Up And Leave A Job Interview,” Ryan theorizes about this question, and provides her audience with several reasons that would justify leaving an interview.

Ryan’s basic premise is that individuals simply do not know how to remove themselves from a negative interview. Therefore, Ryan informs the job seeker that it is not disrespectful to simply excuse yourself from an interview if it is not what you expect. Ryan also states that if you do not feel comfortable abruptly leaving an interview, you can call the office, or send an email shortly after declining consideration for the position.

Ryan’s article explains more than how to end a negative interview, the article is multilayered. Ryan provides job seekers with several acceptable reasons to leave an interview prematurely.

While these reasons include everything from aesthetics to safety, most of her talking points revolve around a lack of respect exhibited by some interviewers.

If an employer continuously questions the legitimacy of your resume, perhaps this is not the best working environment. This can be a sign that you are not being taken seriously, and possibly will not be treated with respect.

If your interviewer arrives late, disorganized, or ill prepared, this may not be the best place to work. This behavior may be a microcosm the company’s overall shortcomings.

Remember it is better to pass on a bad opportunity and allocate your time looking for a better fit than to settle for the position at hand then find yourself leaving it shortly after.

Here’s to finding a job that makes you happy!

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My first full-time job during high school was interning with the USDA. Students were guaranteed a position for at least the summer, and our productivity determined whether we would be kept on any longer.

I was stationed in the IT department which luckily allowed me the privilege of not having to be stationary for 40 hours a week. However the dim lights, older coworkers, and tedious work made everyday a struggle. In fact, if I did not make friends with the other interns I probably would have quit early.

I managed to make it through the summer and work a couple extra months, but when my partner informed me that she was moving to go to college, it was all the incentive I needed to move on from that position.

Sometimes I wonder if I should have stayed in that position, especially since one of my fellow interns stayed for 7 years, and enjoyed all the benefits of working for the government. However, Jules Schroeder’s article “Millennials, Don’t Make This Mistake When Applying For A Job” helps me tolerate my decision by explaining her first experience in an office setting.

Schroeder’s first full-time job experience was very similar to mine, however without having other young people on the staff she ended up quitting within two weeks. Schroeder is essentially explaining to the reader that you must seek out a job that you can be happy at, not one that is tied to financial success.

Studies have shown that our overall happiness is tied to the happiness we have at our jobs, therefore we should look for a position that brings us the most joy possible.

Here’s to finding a job that makes you happy!

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A couple weeks ago I wrote a blog detailing the misinformation about the lack of opportunities available for someone who didn’t have a four-year degree. This post is meant to highlight careers that are possible without a degree.

Contrary to popular beliefs, there are some high paying career options for those who do not want to be shackled with student debt and college loans. Here we list 10 of the highest paying jobs that do not require a college degree. This list is courtesy of Susannah Snider’s article “25 Best Jobs That Don’t Require a College Degree.”

Unsurprisingly, the jobs on the list are predominantly in the Medical or Technological fields. While they’re achievable without a degree, they do require specialized skills which help advance their pay scale.

SkillSmart is designed to help our members identify, learn and improve skills. We help create a transparent career path in various industries. Register or log in now to see our latest opportunities, and the skills needed to be qualified.

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