MBA alternatives….

We all know that many of us are not made out for MBA degree. Some of us know our limitations while others might look at it as a complete waste of time. After all, not everyone is cut out for the same. Add to that the fact that there seems to be a dearth of opportunities as far as possibilities go after Bachelors. Most try and get into another masters program which they might have no penchant for! let’s look at a few possibilities which exist but are often overlooked!!…….

Many actually look at MBA as a method to cement the future prospects in an attempt to enhance opportunities.

Master’s in Advertising or Marketing: Instead of choosing an M.B.A. with a concentration in advertising or marketing, pursue a degree that focuses entirely on these interests. Advertising and marketing programs have rigorous curricula involving, for example, psycho-graphics, demographics, and appropriate analytics and business metrics, but without the survey of general business topics you would find in an M.B.A. program.

Master of Human Resources: If you have a career in human resources, and intend to stay in HR, this is the obvious choice for you. It is far more beneficial to focus on the law, policy, best practices, and theory of your chosen field than to spend time on such arcane subjects as general corporate finance.

Master’s in Organization Development: Organization development (OD) is a relatively new field, focusing on the human side of organizational systems. In short, OD is a human-focused, systems-based approach to addressing organizational problems. If you want to learn how to build teams, resolve conflict, design information flows, deal with organizational culture, create large-scale organizational change, or develop post-merger integration strategies, then OD might be right for you.

Master of Public Administration: If you work in the public sector, for a government contractor, for a major nongovernmental organization (NGO) or nonprofit, or in any type of highly bureaucratic organizational structure, this degree may be a good choice for you. M.B.A. programs focus on the needs of major corporate organizations, and outside the corporate world, the types of information flows, information technology (IT), finance, and regulatory environments are different.

Master of Public Policy: Although popular in the same sectors as public administration, the public-policy curriculum is more theoretical and more analytical than the focus of the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) People with M.P.A.s do things–people with M.P.P.s think about how things should be done. The M.P.P. degree is popular in public-sector consulting, think tanks, policy-setting and regulatory environments, and with such glamour employers as the United Nations.

Master of Public Health: If you work in health care, or in a government agency concerned with health-care delivery, then the MPH can be an excellent choice. The MPH is a wide-ranging degree, with curricula that may range from epidemiology to immigrant/nonnative communications and marketing, to public finance.

Master of Health-Care Administration: This is a more specialized degree choice than the MPH, appropriate for people who plan career advancement within a hospital, insurer, health maintenance organization (HMO), hospice, gerontology center, adult daycare, extended-care facility, or similar. One variant is the Master of Hospital Administration, which is obviously for people who plan to advance within a hospital setting.

Master of Sports Administration: This degree is self-explanatory, but with a caveat: It is sometimes more popular with aspirants than with practitioners. You need sports experience, either as part of the degree program or before you even enter, in order to get the maximum career benefit. If you plan to run a college athletic program, work in professional or Olympic sports, or even run a youth sports league, this degree may fit.

Master of Educational Administration: This degree can focus on primary/secondary education, or on higher education, but usually not both, so be sure you choose a program with the concentration that interests you most. There are many variants, such as the M.Ed. with a concentration in administration, or the M.A. in student affairs.

Master of Arts Administration: If you want to work in the business side of museums, theater, public art, or music, then this degree may be perfect for you. As with sports administration, if you want this degree to help you in your career, you need to have internships or experience in arts administration at some point before you graduate.

Master’s in Urban Planning: City and regional-planning degrees are not just for planning officers. Architecture firms, construction companies, commercial and residential developers, and such specialized firms as shopping-center design consultants will employ and advance people with this degree.

Master’s in International Relations: The MIR will help anyone in business, government, nonprofit, or NGO environments with transnational or international business to conduct. Candidates should speak more than one language proficiently before entering this type of program. Career success with an MIR hinges on the student having lived overseas prior to entering the degree program. As with some of these other choices, an MIR without the right experiences may have little career impact. And just for the record, the U.S. diplomatic corps use the Foreign Service Written Exam (FSWE) as an entrance requirement, not a master’s degree.

There are many more examples of alternatives to the M.B.A., such as the M.S.I.A. (master of science in industrial administration) or the M.E.M. (master of engineering management). Any master’s degree will have career value as you gain valuable transferable skills, but some of these degrees make more sense than the M.B.A. for people with specific career plans.

Source: http://education.in.msn.com/

Changing direction!

First up, I humbly apologize for not posting anything for the past few days. I hate to admit this but I needed a break of sorts and used the time to finish up on a few old things which were pending. I also used the opportunity to strengthen my mind and “develop” some semblance of sanity in these difficult times! I might get irrational and I hope my readers understand!

We all know of mid life crisis. But how about crisis aversion. There are many return students who get into grad studies after 5-10 years of work in the industry. And some move on to get into academia…..

Many professionals are reshaping their careers and returning to study after stints in high-paying jobs. 

As many of his peers were considering retirement, Mr Warwick Lyon left a 40-year career in the IT industry and a $100,000 salary to go back to university. “I have dropped back to nearly half of what I was earning in the computer industry but it doesn’t worry me,” he says. “As you get older you realise money doesn’t mean much, it is the quality of life that matters. I wasn’t doing anything productive or making the world any better.”

Although his career U-turn came late, Mr Lyon is an example of a 21st-century trend. Young, established professionals in their late 20s and 30s, in particular, are driving a phenomenon as they ditch well-paying careers to change direction, mosyt often by getting into academia, but often in much more radical ways. Not happy with law? What about zoology? Bored with accountancy? What about astronomy? So you might find a law practitioner coming in with you for grad education in aeronautics…….

Of course, none of this comes easily. Reshaping a professional life means a return to the rigours of university study, the likelihood of another hefty bill (some postgraduate courses such as law and medicine can creep past $80,000) along with at least a short-term drop in income – and the near-certainty that they will start at the bottom of the ladder in their new field.

Career consultant Julie Farthing has experience of this group. “It’s usually professionals and they’re going back to do another degree,” she says. “They are people in their late 20s and early 30s who get to a particular stage in their career quite early and they’re going, ‘Well, there’s nowhere else to go or where I am isn’t really that exciting’.”

Whether triggered by boredom or a need to develop a lifelong passion, for many the process begins with a realisation that they have made a grave mistake.

For such people, the task is really cut out! To cope with the entire education process once again would mean facing the rigors of academic life. For such candidates, there needs to be a radically different approach when it comes to application and preparation!

Here are a few links for those who either want to know more about this phenomenon and associated planning and intricacies….

http://www.quintcareers.com/career_change.html

http://careerplanning.about.com/od/careerchoicechan/Career_Choice_or_Change.htm

Grammer!?

I stumbled upon an article recently which talked about the appalling state of proper spelling and grammar usage among fresh graduates! I believe that communication is the most vital tool which a researcher has at his/her disposal! Without this, the entire process f research and development (be it industry or institution) falters.

I will reproduce parts of the original article…..

It’s not bad enough that many young employees have poor spelling and grammar. Now some university graduates are using text message abbreviations and gaming slang in job applications.

People in the graduate recruitment industry have the following complaints - that the spelling is substandard, the grammar is not very good and at times the correspondence can be a bit familiar.

Recruiters also report it is a big problem. The problem seems to be more pronounced for engineering graduates….In a job, it is known to be a particular problem among those who had studied for a technical degree such as software engineering. They sometimes use very relaxed language as though communicating with friends by text message.

It’s high time that students get their act together and try and make necessary amends (for those who really are plagued with such inadequacies). Graduate students are professionals and should act like the same.

Another article says…

More than three-quarters of employers would be put off a job candidate by poor spelling or grammar, a survey has found.

In Europe, the biggest draw for potential employers is relevant work experience, mentioned by 46%, followed by a “good work ethic” (43%). Just a quarter (24%) of employers said they were interested in a candidate’s class of degree and 14% in the reputation of the university they had attended. Research from the CBI earlier this year indicated that 42% are unhappy with the basic skills of those applying for jobs. Even graduates are writing illiterate memos and are in need of constant supervision, employers report.

PS: The original article talked about problems in Europe and Australia!

Soft Skills!

Soft skills are very important and vital for the industry! A new era has ushered in with serious thought being given to the importance of soft skills by the academia and unique steps being taken to make sure the are considered. The university of Wisconsin system is showing the first signs of moderation with a new soft skill based transcript which is going to be issued to the graduating students along with the traditional transcript showing grades. This would pave the way for better evaluation of the candidates (grads) by the prospective employers!

Quoting from the article…..

With competition for jobs heating up, colleges are looking to give their graduates an edge in the employment market. Will a second transcript; one that focuses on a student’s so-called soft skills, do the trick?

University of Wisconsin officials think so. The 26 universities that make up the state system, which includes the undergraduate business program at Madison, are working on a plan to develop dual transcripts that could be sent to job recruiters and graduate school admissions committees. These dual transcripts would include the traditional one with courses and grades and a second one that somehow validates a graduate’s creative thinking, participation in extracurricular activities, jobs, and internships, and gives those reading it a sense of the person’s life outside the classroom.

Service Sector Helping to Drive Demand

Initial reaction to the plan has been cautious, with some critics saying it was unclear why such a transcript, which would include some of the skills and activities currently part of the typical student résumé, is even necessary. But proponents say the résumé would provide official verification of the student’s abilities outside of academics.

Recruiters have been saying for years that they would like more information on graduates’ soft skills. Indeed, employers listed communication skills, a strong work ethic, teamwork skills, initiative, and interpersonal skills, in that order, as the top characteristics that they look for in new hires, according to the Job Outlook 2008 survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE).

Documented Learning Outside the Classroom

The motivation for creating dual transcripts came from a desire to prove just how well-rounded graduates are, University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly said in telephone interview. He says all sorts of learning goes on outside the classroom, and the university should capture it. Full disclosure and open dialogue, he adds, are important for all institutions of higher learning, but especially public universities.

But students are not convinced the transcripts are feasible or necessary. “We’re a little worried about how the university can make this a credible thing,” says Ryan Masse, editorial board chairman of the University of Wisconsin at Madison independent student newspaper, The Badger Herald. “How will they verify everything from school activities to jobs, internships, projects?”

Fears About Duplication and Verification

An editorial in the Feb. 11 issue of The Badger Herald condemned the proposal by pointing out that such an undertaking – signing off on an official document that assesses lofty and hard-to-grasp characteristics such as creative thinking – could require numerous resources. The editorial board also argued that most employers today get this information from a person’s résumé and references, which would eliminate the need for such a transcript.

School officials maintain that a transcript from a university would hold more weight with employers because the school is standing behind the information. Giroux, the university spokesman, noted that the second transcript would only add to the traditional academic scorecard, and not replace it. “When we look at prospective students, we look at them as whole people, not numbers,” says Giroux. “Prospective employers do the same.”

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/

FulBright Scholarship/Fellowship

For many of us, a grad program may not be what we are looking for. Also, it so happens that many other courses / exchange programs are available for professionals, researchers and so on! Please see this website for more information when it comes to Indian nationals! Fulbright program is under the auspices of USEFI in India. This program is, however, for USA alone! It promotes exchange programs and also acts as a source of useful information for prospective students!

Some areas which can see support under this program include: Art, Literature, History, Sciences, Business Management, Law, Mass Media, Language, economics, political science, journalism, environmental management, food processing, IPR, basic sciences, mathematics, psychology, education, etc. Please note that this program is best for visiting or exchange students and professionals (it most often than not supports only such candidates)

http://www.fulbright-india.org/

For foriegn nationals. Go to your home page from the following website:

http://foreign.fulbrightonline.org/

here is a list of the current fulbright fellows in USA which can give you a good idea of the type of programs which the program supports!

http://www.fulbright-india.org/Scripts/CurrentFellowIndianFulbrightersCurrentlyintheUS.aspx

Note: This program is a gem of an opportunity for those who are planning to try and go for a exchange program in their undergraduate study. This open the door for international exposure and good research experience!

American Attraction….

Every year, many thousands of European and Asian students flock for the US shores in the hope of the “promised land”. Notably, young scientists from Europe, but also from Asia, leave their countries because they find better conditions for their research in the USA. Indeed, the list of US noble laureates reads like a Who’s Who of international science.

The reasons have been analysed in numerous statements and articles. USA spends a higher percentage of the gross domestic product on research than European and most Asian countries. And the amount of money the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation is spending has been steadily increasing compared with the stagnating budgets of most European research councils and the meagre budgets of Asian Universities. The high quality of research is more visible in the USA than in Europe, making it easier to define ‘centres of excellence’—universities and research institutes with a high reputation among scientists world-wide. Europe faces the additional problem of complex language and cultural differences that make it harder for scientists to make demographic shifts. Asia seems to be plagued with an efficiency craze! Though research spending has gone up, most investment goes towards infrastructure development and industrialization (And for cheaper economies, into services).

Many PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, however, have additional, more personal reasons to leave Europe/Asia. For them, it is mainly the access to funding that has become the decisive argument. Salaries for researchers in the natural sciences have never been comparable to those of, say, stock brokers and corporate lawyers in spite of more training, and it is certainly not the prospect of becoming rich that attracts young students to follow a career in the sciences. But for a growing number of PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in Europe, the access to money has worsened, not improved, over the last decade. In Asia, the situation has been gloomy for the past few decades. The coming recession is also raising concerns for the students and agencies alike. Not surprisingly, a dire financial situation and uncertain future prospects force many young European and Asian scientists to leave for the less bureaucratic and more resourceful funding system that the USA offers.

In fact, salaries for many European researchers are in the same range as those of their American colleagues. Asians lag in this measure but that has more to do with the economic realities! A postdoctoral fellow in the USA with a NIH stipend receives between 31 000 Euro (US$ 29 000) and 40 500 Euro (US$ 38 000). In the UK, at the renowned Imperial Cancer Research Fund, a postdoctoral fellow is paid between 34 000 and 46 000 Euro a year depending on her or his experience. The Wellcome Trust pays a person in the same position an annual salary of up to 47 000 Euro, and even more if he or she works in London. A postdoctoral fellow in Germany can earn more than 40 000 Euro—if she or he is lucky enough to get a government-funded grant. But government-paid jobs that include health insurance, social security and pension funds are the exception for many young European scientists. A lot of postdoctoral fellows and PhD students receive grants from private institutions with limited or no access to the social security nets of their countries (unlike USA). 

Europe faces an issue far greater in complexity than funding. Basically, decisions made by national research councils in Europe are often influenced by economic or political interests rather than being judged strictly by the scientific excellence of the proposals submitted. The victims of this decision making are usually scientists working in basic research. Another drawback is the strictures placed on the uses of the money provided by research councils, because they deter primary investigators from shifting funds to continue paying their researchers. Postdoctoral fellows often have to change their area of specialization in pursuit of new funding opportunities when their initial grant runs out. As a result, many PhD students and postdoctoral fellows have to rely on monetary sources outside of research funding simply to finish their work. In fact, it is shocking to know that, in Germany and France, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows can be obliged to finish their thesis or project without being paid. Compared with this situation, the UK seems like a paradise, with many postdoctoral fellows finding enough support from the government as well as other organizations like the Wellcome Trust. But even there, the rising number of PhD students and the scant growth of permanent positions make it increasingly difficult for junior scientists to find employment after their postdoctoral training.

Another reason for young scientists to value the American research system is the fact that primary investigators at US research institutions are generally interested in extending the funding of their PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in order to obtain results and publications. NIH or NSF grants give researchers greater flexibility than European grants do. Investigators can decide how much of the money they will use for salaries, equipment or other material. In addition, European postdoctoral fellows and graduate students find a better social environment in most American laboratories. This results from having smaller departments, a more casual atmosphere between researchers and their superiors, and a less hierarchical system in American research institutions.

There is another aspect of the American research system that gives primary investigators an incentive to take care of their researchers. Hartmut Land, director of the newly founded Centre for Cancer Biology at the University of Rochester, NY, points out that the overhead that comes with NIH and NSF grants is a particularly strong motive for American universities to attract, keep and support those researchers that produce results. ‘The dean of a university is measured by the success of the scientists,’ he says, ’so people are keenly interested in helping people to be successful.’

In simple words, we go to the US because there we have the best research environment and because you get a lot of money for your research. Plus, they offer incentives like having an entire group supported with a single grant.Researchers value the competitiveness and the multiple funding avenues they find in the American life sciences. Furthermore, the high competitiveness of NIH grants is a guarantee of the high quality of research performed in the USA, even when Congress limits or decreases funds. ‘If you have more trouble to get funding for your work, it weeds out the mediocre ones .

The brain drain from Europe/Asia may have economic and political consequences in the future. Researchers who leave Europe/Asia not only fertilize US science and the economy, but they also take away the considerable investments that their countries have made in their education. And many European scientists choose to stay in the USA as they face difficulties in getting adequate positions in the European research system after coming back. Just to add an indicator, there has been a steady increase in the number of scientist who apply for immigration visas with US consulate!

For an Indian perspective,

In India, not much funding is allotted for carrying out fundamental research in educational institutions, especially graduatelevel institutions. There are very few funding agencies in India such as UGC, CSIR, DST and AICTE. Since our government has drastically reduced grants for carrying out research activities, these funding agencies cannot allocate sufficient funds to educational institutions. Further, in some of these funding agencies, the authorities restrict funds to a few select areas only. As everyone is aware, many educational institutions – government, government-aided and selffinancing – have introduced postgraduate and research programmes. However, these institutions suffer lack of adequate laboratory facilities required for advanced research activities. Despite the knowledge, drive, potential and motivation, the Indian youth miserably fail in research activities, because of inadequate funding. It is very saddening to note that our country is losing young, energetic and research – oriented students, since they migrate to foreign countries where the universities are supported by wellequipped research laboratories. There is no meaning in blaming these students who are going abroad for higher studies (brain drain) without providing even the basic needs to support their higher studies in India. Our government has to take keen interest in providing adequate funds to carry out research activities in the field of science, since the development of any nation is based on fundamental research activities in the field of science. We sincerely expect our government to learn from well-developed countries about how much priority it should give to fundamental research activities in science. In fact, the country is losing a competitive edge in the world because of improper utilization of scientific resources and the strength of young scientists. Sourced from iisc intranet server

Source: http://www.nature.com/

Culinology

Yes! I love to eat good food! And I won’t be lying if I said that I would probably have gone for this if I had known of such a course after my High School! Alas, things had to go differently……so here is an insight into one of the “tastiest” courses out there……literally!

You might ask what the hell is this!? well…..to give a brief introduction,

Culinology is an approach to food that blends the culinary arts and food technology. Through the blending of these two disciplines, culinology seeks to make food taste better – whether purchased in a supermarket or eaten in a restaurant. Culinology also seeks to make food more consistent and safer. A primary method of culinology is to logically translate sophisticated food concepts, such as those applied in fine dining or in a traditional ethnic cuisine, for items on the menus of chain restaurants or those processed for retail sale. Such product or chain-menu development is only possible through the astute combination of the culinary arts and food science or technology.

Rapidly changing technology and the demand for tastier, more nutritious and safer foods are driving a new educational trend that many in the food industry predict will result in new flavors and food products that reach consumers faster.

Universities around USA are offering degrees in culinology. The training combines the science associated with food production and preservation research with the cooking or culinary artistry of chefs who strive to create the quality taste, texture and visual appeal that consumers, like your’s truely, look for in food.

“It should help jump-start product development,” said Harry Crane, executive chef and culinary manager at Kraft Foodservice, a division of Kraft Foods North America Inc. in suburban Chicago. “The traditional way of developing products such as lines of salad dressings has been to hire chefs to create the dressings and then have food scientists figure out how to manufacture them in large quantities.”

Culinologists will be able to understand both parts of the process and cut the time needed to develop products and get them to consumers more quickly, Crane said.

“Culinologists will have the ability to help the food industry find more efficient and economical ways of manufacturing convenient, shelf-stable foods that actually have the look and taste of food served in a restaurant,” said Jeff Cousminer, education committee chairman for the Research Chefs Association which is an international group that has encouraged the development of culinology programs.

Johnny McGregor, professor and chairman of the Food Science and Human Nutrition department at Clemson University, said the South Carolina school’s program has drawn a new type of student to food science.

Clemson’s food science program traditionally attracted students primarily interested in science, but the new culinology program with its added emphasis on the art of cooking also is drawing liberal arts students strong on creativity.

“Once those students learn the basic science and chemistry of food and gain the necessary culinary skills, they will be the ones to come up with the creative products and flavors that consumers will love,” McGregor said.

A Clemson team made up mostly of culinology students won the $10,000 first prize in a competition sponsored by Danisco, a Denmark-based food ingredient company. Clemson won the contest for unique and creative food concepts or products with Jala Mango, a multi-use sauce, marinade and glaze that blends Mexican and Asian flavors in a sweet-sour base.

Julie Larson Bricher, editorial director of the trade publication Food Safety Magazine, goes on to say,

“It’s difficult to see a downside to any endeavor that has a scientific underpinning and can lead to safer and more wholesome food,” she said. “Culinologists who work in restaurants and institutions will not only have the chef’s eye for presentation but the scientific knowledge that can prevent contamination in food handling.”

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Metropolitan Community College in Omaha started their culinology degree partnership in 2001. Students take two years of culinary classes at the community college and finish with two years of food science at the university. Clemson followed with a four-year program offering culinary and science classes within the one school.

The University of Cincinnati is partnering with Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to become the third school to offer a culinology degree.

Students learn proper cooking techniques, how food is prepared and how it should taste at Cincinnati State. At UC, they might take chemistry classes, learning how foods react at the molecular level when cooked and studying foods’ biological components.

Michael Cheng, assistant dean for math, science and health careers at Metropolitan Community College, said culinology’s growth will help restaurants as well as food manufacturers and flavoring companies, especially chains needing to offer consistent yet flavorful food for consumers who are becoming more discriminating in their food choices.

“More consumers are watching television cooking shows with celebrity chefs and traveling to foreign countries where they are being exposed to a variety of foods,” Cheng said. “As their taste buds mature, they are becoming more savvy about what to expect from food.”

About 130 students are enrolled in culinology programs, and more schools are starting or planning programs. They include Kendall College and Dominican University, Orange Coast Community College and California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, The University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Rutgers, the University of Southern Minnesota and the University of Georgia.

“When we first started trying to interest schools in culinology, we spent a lot of time knocking on doors and getting the cold shoulder,” Cousminer said, adding that schools are now coming to the RCA for advice on starting culinology programs.

Hartmut Handke, a certified master chef who has won many awards in his 47-year career, said culinology sounds very promising.

“We will have to see how it develops,” said Handke, who owns Handke’s Cuisine restaurant in Columbus. “There may be some fine-tuning needed to be sure that these programs provide the quality training that is needed.”

This portion of the article comes from Associated Press (AP) which has the original CR (presented here with modifications) -more.

Listing of Graduate programs: http://www.edinformatics.com/careers/food_science_programs.htm

For expensive read and information: http://www.culinology.com/

Other sources: http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/

Graduates! – too many!

Are there too many graduates coming out! We have already seen that in case of bio-sciences (I had posted an article on the same ….. how things are getting out of hand when it comes to bio based research in USA. The NIH and NSF funds have increased tremendously in the past few years (a decade), but at the same time, the increase in the number of students has been beyond comprehensible proportions! The grad fraternity in USA is feeling the heat with the absence of adequate number of tenure positions.

There has been a sudden surge in the number of students going for USA/UK. After 9/11, there was a perceptable dip. But things have again changed for the better (or worse)! People are flocking for the seemingly greener pastures and this might lead to a blow-out of sorts (a melt down so to speak!!)

The need is to understand as to what the opportunities are and how to tap them! Think of it as a career choice.

If we consider what the different sections involved think, this is what I got from a review paper from UK! - more.

Elitist perspective	There are too many graduates and not enough graduate jobs. The benefits of education are seen purely in economic terms
Democratic view:	The more educated people the better, graduates are of social benefit and there is no such thing as a graduate job; what graduates do is a graduate job. Besides, graduates ‘grow’ jobs.
Vocational Education Advocates	Irrespective of how many graduates there are, there are not enough skilled crafts/technical people. There are too many people doing degrees who should be learning a trade, hence foundation degrees
Business investment:	Lack of commitment to life-long learning on the employer’s part. Employers do not use graduates effectively.

From UICIFD blog, I got some additional information (outside the realms of engineering):

Source: Rise in graduates over-qualified for jobs

Recent reports suggest that one in three university graduates in Britain are currently in a job that does not require a degree. Critics suggest that this number suggests that mass education goals are producing a sector of young people who might not have the opportunity to realize their career ambitions because there is insufficient demand for these educated youth. The number of young people attending university is already above 40%, and Britain’s goal is 50%. The government contends that Britain needs as many skilled workers as possible to keep up with competition. The labor market, however, cannot keep pace with the rapid increase of graduates.
Some subject areas are more vulnerable than others. Researchers at the London School of Economics (LSE) found that the number of English and other humanities subjects and social sciences are three times as likely to take work that does not require a degree; art and design students are six times as likely.

These numbers also mean that fewer graduates are earning the salaries they might have expected. The difference in earnings between vocational students and students in English and the humanities continues to grow as well. Researchers suggest that whereas money is not everything, problems arise if young people are led to believe that choosing a particular career will result in a higher salary than is actually possible, given the relatively constant demand and quickly expanding supply of university graduates.

Another article which I feel throws light on the issue! In essence, it says: America’s problem is not that it has too few educated workers, but that it has too many. Over 20 percent of all college graduates are either unemployed or hold jobs that do not require a college degree. Competition to get into graduate school has reached a fever pitch, and American universities produce 25 percent too many doctorates than the economy can use. At the college level, the U.S. is the most highly educated country in the world. -more.

I would like the grad fraternity to chip in. I know that the best answer can come only from graduates and students. They will know what the exact scenario is and their insights would help all prospective students! Looking forward to some useful and enlightening comments.