The Changing Landscape of Work in the 21st Century - Research Paper Example

The Changing Landscape of Work in the 21st Century Introduction College education is into two broad categories, the liberal arts, and skill-specific courses. Specifically, liberal arts are educational disciplines that provide an overview of the arts, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and natural sciences. For this reason, the liberal art category aims at developing a free person with relevant skills to benefit the society. Students with liberal art degrees are as lifelong and self-motivated learners who can flourish and transform the world. Some of the liberal art courses include, but not limited to, Anthropology, History, Languages, Political Science, Mathematics, and Sociology, among others. On the other hand, non-liberal arts courses or skill-specific courses are disciplines that focus on training the learner to master a particular skill that is highly guided by specific factors. Specifically, these include Architecture and Engineering among others. In particular, these are the major components of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) courses. Parents recommend their children to pursue these courses based on the belief that job prospects are better compared to the liberal arts. However, the modern marketplace requirement is mostly inclined towards the liberal arts than the skill-specific. Specifically, this is because liberal art learners are taught in life skills capacitating them to handle life challenges in the workplace better. Therefore, this paper argues that skill-specific graduates are more likely to be than the liberal art graduates are. In addition, non-liberal art graduates earn better incomes than the liberal art workers do. The current status of the labor market The current labor market statistics suggest that the employment rate for new college graduates has declined since 2009. Additionally, the starting salaries similarly decreased in the same period, raising questions about the importance of a college degree. The modern labor market demands individuals with special skills to handle different situations. Specifically, successful careers require teamwork, critical thinking skills, cultural competence, and demographic, economic and political knowledge (Rampell n.p). Surprisingly, these are the cornerstones of a liberal art degree course. It is not startling that most chief executive officers and manager have a liberal art degree. Precisely, this is because liberal arts give real-life experience and skill to deal with such situations compared to the static learning course outlined in the non-liberal courses. According to Rampell, the employment rate for graduates and the starting salaries has declined. Specifically, the starting income has dropped by ten percent to $27,000 from $30,000 per annum. However, these statistics are dynamic given that her article was written in 2011, two years after the 2008-2009 economic depression that paralyzed most industries in the world (Rampell n.p). Her statistics compare the year 2006-2007 and 2008-2009 when the economic depression had hit the American economy affecting most sectors. Nonetheless, the prospect of being employed depended on individuals' education background as shown in the following pie charts obtained from the article in The New York Times’ (Rampell n.p). The importance of a college degree The assertion that most college students are working as waiters, bookstore keepers, and data entry specialist are unreliable due to the economic period of her research (Rampell n.p). Precisely, her perspective is flawed compared to Carnevale, Cheah, and Strohl’s article on the Hard Times, ‘College Majors, Unemployment and Earning: Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal.’ According to Carnevale, Cheah, and Strohl, a bachelor’s degree is an essential weapon for individuals seeking better employment and income. In particular, the authors argue that a bachelor’s degree holder 91.9 percent likely to get a job compared to a 77.1 percent of a high school diploma holder (Rampell n.p). Based on this perspective, college education is important in the contemporary society. Nonetheless, it is significant to address where some individuals find it easy to get a job opportunity compared to others. In answering this question, a focus on the equality of a college degree is imperative. Specifically, which degree course has a higher employability potential than the other? Employability rate between liberal art and non-liberal art degree holders Unemployment is dependent on the major as well as the industry aligned with the course. However, the rates of unemployment are relatively higher for non-technical majors. Precisely, the unemployment rates for the Arts are at 9.4 %, Law and Public Policy 8.1%, and Social Science at 8.9 percent (Carnevale, Cheah, and Strohl 4). Nonetheless, the collapse of the construction and home building industry caused a higher rate of unemployment for Architecture graduates. According to Carnevale, Cheah, and Strohl (2012), skill-specific degrees have the highest prospect of employability compared to the liberal arts. However, there are some specific exemptions in some particular fields, such as experienced workers with a BA degree in healthcare or education (Carnevale, Cheah, and Strohl 5). Specifically, education is the most sought after degree majors. Other courses such as Computer and Mathematics majors depend on the technical and scientific content of the course. Although the current employability rate for non-liberal art courses is small, they are projected to rise once the economy recovers from the recession. It is important to note that he rate of employability increases with an increase in education level. Precisely, this means that an individual who has attended a graduate school is three times more likely to get a job opening than a Bachelor’s degree holder is. Specifically, this is practical to liberal art graduates as explained by Rampell in an interview with Travis Patterson, who obtained his Ph.D. to increase his chances of employment (Rampell n.p). Amazingly, having a graduate degree, regardless of the field of study raises the prospect of employability. Income between liberal art and non-liberal art degree holders Revenue for fresh graduates is highly dependent on the degree course pursued by the individual. However, skill-specific graduates earn almost twice the starting salary for the liberal arts. Specifically, the average income for engineering majors is $55,000 while the liberal arts make an average of $30,000 per year. In addition, specialized-majors such as Computer Engineering receive higher with an annual average of $60,000 (Carnevale, Cheah, and Strohl 6). However, the most top earners in the market today are majors with strong technical skills, business and healthcare content. According to the recent market research, Engineering majors are the leading earners, followed by Computer and Mathematics Major, and Business courses. Although fresh graduates in Healthcare courses earn the highest in their first years of employment, science, business and Engineering graduates, earn more when they gain experience in their area of specialization. An obvious observation is that individuals with liberal art degrees are less likely to get a higher pay even when they accumulate experience or attend graduate school (Carnevale, Cheah, and Strohl 6). However, graduate education increases the average earnings in all courses. For example, graduate degrees in arts earn $62,000 while bachelor’s degree in arts earns an average of $48,000. Education graduates are the exceptional earners in the liberal art categories, earning an annual income of $100,000. Other factors that affect employability and income Other than education, other factors affect employability and income in the US labor market. Specifically, these factors include age, race, gender, and experience. Age affects the employability and income of an individual when looking at an individual’s possible working day. In most cases, young people with proper education and working experience are more likely to be employed than older individuals are (Rampell n.p). In the US, racism is a silent factor that influences personal chances of employment and the level of income. In most cases, African Americans re the disadvantaged community because they have a small chance of employment and if employed earn less than their white counterparts are. Finally, gender has been a factor of discrimination in the workplace in both employability and income distribution. Often, women have a smaller chance of employment, and when employed, they earn less than men make in the same position, and with similar education. Conclusion As observed, skill-specific graduates are more likely to be employed than the liberal art graduates are. In addition, non-liberal art graduates earn better incomes than the liberal art workers do. The labor market is dynamic, and other economic factors such as a recession affect the performance of the industry. Nonetheless, graduates with a non-liberal art degree earn more than the liberal art holders make, except for an Education major. Other than education, employability and income are influenced by other social factors such as age, race, and gender. Higher education, such as a graduate school degree increases both the chances of employment and the starting salary. For this reason, making informed decisions when joining a college is crucial because it has a direct impact on the personal future wife. Furthermore, pursuing a graduate degree is advantageous to an individual, regardless of the degree major. Works Cited Carnevale, Anthony P., Ban Cheah, and Jeff Strohl. College Majors, Unemployment, And Earning: Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal. Liberty: HARD TIMES, 2012. Print. Rampell, Catherine. "Outlook Is Bleak Even for Recent College Graduates - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. The New York Times, 2011. Web. 8 Feb. 2015. . Read More