Bachelor's degree doesn't equal job

A bachelor’s degree no longer guarantees a good-paying job.
Federal statistics show that almost 1.5 million people are graduated with bachelor’s degrees each year, while there are an estimated 750,000 jobs available each year that require those same degrees.
At the same time, there is at least a 1 to 1 ratio for jobs for students who go to trade schools or earn technical degrees, said James Knapp, a Bethel Park guidance counselor and Trinity School Board member. Teachers at Greene County Career and Technical Center say that’s because baby boomers are retiring from high-paying skilled trades and there aren’t enough trained workers to replace them.
Yet today, 70 percent of high school graduates attend college to earn a bachelor’s degree, with even more saying they want to, said Ken Gray, a Penn State professor emeritus of workforce development. Only about half of those who start college actually graduate, he said.
“Mostly they are saying what they think the community wants to hear,” said Gray, who is the co-author of “Other Ways to Win.”
Find out more at the Observer-Reporter website, where we take a look at why this is is true, talk to graduates who can't find work and talk to those who have found jobs in their fields.