College graduates value their education based on how relevant it is to their career paths. This is according to research done by Gallup, and which involved 100,000 interviews.
Research by Gallup in conjunction with Strada Education Network is shedding light on how students value their coursework. The study has made a direct connection between the coursework and students’ later employment and how it influences students to value their courses.
Students who see a direct connection between the two value their education more than their counterparts who fail to see the connection.
Factors influencing college graduates
The study, which focuses on pathways between education and employment, involved interviews from nearly 100,000 people who have undergone a post-secondary education in the last two decades.
Among those interviewed, people who had attended vocational colleges were more likely to be satisfied with tier course work, where 57 of these graduates chose that they strongly agree their education was worth the cost.
They were followed by people who were graduates, with 50 percent of the interviewees saying that they strongly agreed. People with a bachelor’s degree accounted for only 40 percent who agreed that their education was worth the cost.
Students who had done courses in health care and education disciplines were the likeliest to say that their education was worth the cost. However, college graduates who had majored in arts courses gave the lowest score when asked if it was worth it.
Only 34 percent strongly agree their degree was worth the expense
Strada reported,
Among these college graduates, only 34 percent strongly agreed their degree was worth the expense, and just 36 percent strongly agreed it would benefit their careers.
Clayton of Strada indicated that the students’ focus was not on how much money the courses they were doing would be bringing but rather the viability of the courses on their future work.
This was clearly demonstrated by students who were pursuing education. They did not expect to be making a lot of money when they graduate, but there was a feeling of pride in what they were doing. Clayton finished by saying that this showed that student sees education as a means to an end, not an end in itself.
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