Almost half of graduates regret their course choice
46% of Ireland’s graduates are in jobs unrelated to their qualification, according to research. When it came to securing their current job, only 13% said that their qualification alone was instrumental in landing the role.
The survey, entitled Education vs. Experience, which was undertaken by Matrix Recruitment to examine the correlation between third-level education and career choice, found that 49% regretted third level course choice and wished they had chosen a different course.
More than one in five would not recommend their course to someone looking to pursue a similar career.
“Because there is a lot of movement within the jobs market, we expected that a high percentage of people might be in jobs unrelated to their qualification, and this turned out to be the case,” said Joanne Foley of Matrix Recruitment.
“However, when asked which was more important when it came to securing their current job, almost four times more respondents chose experience over a qualification, which was quite unexpected. This may be related to the stage these respondents have reached in their career as, generally speaking, the more years experience you have under your belt, the less emphasis an employer places on your qualification.”
She added that there are exceptions to this, such as pharmacy, medicine and teaching:
“But many of our clients looking for the best candidates interrogate a CV or LinkedIn profile for relevant experience before looking at a qualification.”
Ms Foley did point out that the findings shouldn’t undermine the importance of a qualification, particularly for professions such as law, accounting, HR and medicine.
“With 41% of respondents ranking their qualification alongside experience when it came to landing their current role, a combination of the two really is the best option for job candidates,” said the recruitment expert.
Another unexpected finding was that 54% of respondents claimed that they would like to return to college to pursue another career, with the reasons offered including wanting to try something new and revising career goals.
“The world of work has changed considerably,” she explains.
No longer is it about the secure, permanent and pensionable job. Younger generations are much more willing to explore new options, change the course of their career more than once and try new things — even if they don’t work out.
According to the survey, three quarters of third-level graduates do not believe their course sufficiently prepared them for the working world.
31% said their course was too theoretical, while 40% said while it was helpful, it did not properly prepare them for the rigours and demands of a day-to-day job.
“This is a worrying finding, as it shows that there may be a disconnect between the knowledge and skills being acquired at third level and what is actually needed at a more practical level in the workplace,” said Ms Foley.
85% believe more emphasis should be placed on people skills, and Ms Foley agrees.
“Many of our survey respondents felt third-level courses should cover things such as emotional intelligence, communication skills, organisational psychology and project and time management skills.”
She suggests students advance their career by working as much as is practicable during term and holiday time, to build up their CV and demonstrate experience of the working world.
“Approaching potential employers with a degree, complemented by work experience, will help make you a more attractive proposition.”
