{"id":105729,"date":"2023-06-20T09:59:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T13:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=105729"},"modified":"2023-06-20T15:59:51","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T19:59:51","slug":"is-college-necessary-for-a-successful-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/is-college-necessary-for-a-successful-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Is College Necessary for a Successful Future?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why are more employers abandoning college degree requirements? What are the pros and cons of eliminating them? Is college necessary for a successful future?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A growing number of public and private sector employers in the US are dropping college degree requirements for job seekers. Human resources experts say that, in the years ahead, successful companies will reduce requirements that narrow talent pools and hire candidates with evergreen \u201csoft skills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a look at the pros and cons of eliminating college degree requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Credentialism Requirements Are Waning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For decades, young Americans have been told that a college degree is the golden ticket to a better job and life. Companies believing that a college degree provided the best workforce preparation have historically excluded the 62% of Americans who didn\u2019t have one<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, however, a growing number of public and private sector employers are dropping college degree requirements<\/a> and expanding the definition of a “qualified\u201d candidate” to include life experience and real-world skills. This has people asking, “Is college necessary for a successful future?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The 2008-09 Great Recession<\/a> reinforced the call for four-year degrees in the workplace. With job seekers in abundance, employers could be selective about who they hired\u2014so more began requiring candidates to have a college degree. The requirement stuck in the decades that followed, even as the economy improved.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, employers have warmed to the idea that a college degree isn\u2019t a necessity. Experts say that more employers are shedding the college credential requirements, for several reasons including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n