January 14, 2015

By Dr. Roy Carriker

In April 2013, Accenture reported results from surveys of 1,010 recent college graduates in 2011 and 1,005 in 2012. Shockingly, 41 percent of these recent graduates said they were underemployed and holding jobs that did not require a college degree.

A research survey involving students graduating in 2013 and reported in May 2014 found that — in just one year — this figure had increased another 5 percent to 46 percent.

Why this matters:

While Accenture’s college student surveys have noted students are more carefully investigating the career potential of chosen areas of study, this care has not yet made a positive impact on the disturbing trend of college degrees not assuring entry-level career success. Clearly, university students and those about to become university students need to more carefully research the career track they plan to pursue and the market potential for the jobs they hope to land upon graduation.

Both Drexel’s co-op program and the Close School of Entrepreneurship give Drexel students a tremendous advantage in assessing real-world career opportunities.