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With our higher education system facing trying times, there is a constant debate on whether investing in college is worth it or not. All these debates are spearheaded by entrepreneurs like Thiel, politicians and employers.

Who we should be asking about the value of getting higher education are our recent graduates, students who have graduated from American universities and colleges. Voice of the Graduate is a report obtained from surveying 4900 recent graduates for their opinion on what they felt about our higher education system.

This study was conducted by McKinsey and Chegg, a student hub operating online connecting students with textbooks, tools and other support they require. According to the CEO of Chegg, institutions and professors hand over the report cards to students. This survey gave students an opportunity to give a report card to their institutions.

Not surprisingly, colleges and universities are receiving a failing grade from students. It is time for us to strive to reach our full potential as obviously our nation’s well being depends on our educational institutions.

The report clearly points out to the discrepancies in the way colleges act as a bridge between school and jobs. At least fifty percent of our graduates are in jobs that do not need them to have a degree. Many of our recent graduates wish they could have chosen a different school or major.

Those who have graduated from liberal arts find themselves in low paying jobs and are not happy with their debt situation. Students have found a way to express their unhappiness. If given a chance, they will definitely choose a different set of skills, different school and different major.

These are feelings that are best acknowledged as soon as possible and it is time to bring about the necessary change. Evaluation of schools must in future depend on not how they prepare students to get into the right career but purely on aspects like selectivity.

The trend is troubling indeed. Many of our public institutions are cutting back on curriculums instead of expanding them to accommodate additional skills students need to equip themselves with in order to be successful in their chosen profession.
 
Technology should be leveraged to break down habits and barriers and adapt to emerging trends and changes. As a first step, our colleges and universities must accept online credits and also start offering courses online. This is the only way we can integrate skill-based training and expand our curriculum to a great extent. It also helps break time and geographic location barriers.

Leveraging technology could make education more accessible, affordable, relevant and personal. It is time to bridge the gap between skills acquired in college and the job market. Such surveys are useful in fostering awareness and ringing the alarm bell.

It is imperative for us to move fast and bring about the necessary change in an aggressive manner say recent graduates. While many institutions are already taking steps to bring about the change, many of them are yet to realize the gravity of the situation.