Degrees and Work
A university degree used to be the antidote to poverty. These days, however, there is a strong argument for it being a tool that keeps young people poor (student loans).
If you have an arts or humanities degree more or likely you are staring deeply down the debt barrel. Graduates with these degrees have to work harder to gain employment.
Be an Insider
We live an age where we must keep up-to-date with changes that can get us paid work.
Change is constant and I am sure you have all felt overwhelmed by new technologies. It seems as if we need to change our cell phones every six months just to have the needed technology.
We also live in an age where collaboration is a must we can’t just live in our little corner, gathering dust. We must work with others to achieve our goals.
We must approach our degrees in this manner; we have to update and collaborate with others to get employment -network, network and network some more.
Why do I need to supplement a degree?
The truth is many degrees are only an accreditation that tells employers that the holder attended university. In fact, most employers do not even ask to see your degree. They might do a background check but they rarely ask an applicant to show their degree.
Employers, however, need applicants who can show that they have the necessary skills that will fit the job description. They also need efficient workers.
Gone are the days where OK was good enough. We all need things to be done perfectly – if it is not perfect we will quickly move on to the next thing. This is also true in the working world. Employers will move on quickly.
If employers could replace us with artificial intelligence they would have already. Therefore, you have to counter this by increasing your skill-levels.
TEFL/TESOL Certificates
You may decide to increase your skill levels however you see fit. However, in this article, I will introduce you to teaching English as a second language certification.
It is estimated that over 1 billion people use English to communicate[i]. Also, of the over 3 billion users that use the internet, over 900 million of these users use English to communicate. These numbers are a clear sign that the language is growing and will be in use for a very long time.
English is still the world’s language. Many of the world’s top films, books, and music are published and produced in English. Most of the content produced on the internet is written in English. Therefore for these reasons and more people from non-English speaking countries will always be clamoring to learn the English language. English is simply the language through which people engage the world.
If you have spent three or four years to earn a degree there is no reason for you not to take advantage of this opportunity. If you get certified to teach English as a second language you will be able to use a skill that is as natural as saying hello. Teaching English might not be a career but it certainly is a skill.
Fear
I know that many of you fear the English language even though you are native speakers. But, why allow fear to stop you from progress? Teaching English in a foreign country will beat being unemployed at home any day. The unemployment rate for recent graduates is now below 5%. However, this doesn’t help you if you are among that percentage.[ii]
There is no need to feel hopeless if you are unemployed. You can start taking charge of your life today. All you have to do is admit that your degree is not a skill and gain a skill that will supplement your years of study. Start your journey today.
Resources
[i] http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm
[ii] https://www.newyorkfed.org
