Is a university degree alone still worth it?

It is an expensive venture and can take up much of your social time if you are studying for a highly skilled profession.

Indeed, there are numerous advantages to getting a degree that those without would relish.

These include higher chances of securing a job, networking opportunities and higher earnings.

With many fairly successful people such as Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Osei Kwame (Despite Group) without degrees, many young people have been left questioning the significance of obtaining one.

That is because in contemporary times, possessing a degree has become commonplace and its relevance continues to decline. This is a phenomenon some have termed ‘degree degradation.’ University graduates increasingly find themselves unemployed or underemployed after they have left campus. That degree they hoped would be a one way ticket to a better future did not materialise.

So is a university degree still enough?

The verdict is, it is not. This is because, there are so many people on the current job market who have the same degree as you do (some from a better university than yours) and are in contention for the same position as you are. There are also those who did not study in the field but are highly skilled and would be favourites to be hired by human resources or get selected for promotions.

How can you rectify this problem?

For jobs in fields such as journalism, marketing and management, the most important asset is not your polished degree. You will need to possess sheer skill and creativity to survive. Although, university education would widen your knowledge in that field, it will not be sufficient. You will need to have honed your creativity and skills overtime.

While in school, you will need to take advantage of part time jobs, internships and work placements to build what all hiring managers are looking out for; experience. With your degree in one hand and experience in the other, your chances of getting hired, considered for positions and a pay rise increase significantly.

One institution working towards this goal is BlueCrest College. The college facilitates internships and work placements for students. The courses offered include journalism; fashion and design; business and administration and information technology. As such students can get to work in the actual media houses, banks and fashion houses long before they graduate. This ensures that graduates from BlueCrest have racked in the necessary work experience eagerly sought after by industry.

BlueCrest College Ghana has offerings in certificate and diploma programmes, undergraduate, as well as postgraduate degrees in Information Technology, Business Administration, Mass Communication, Fashion and Design. Visithttp://register.bluecrest.edu.gh for more information and to apply

This article was commissioned by BlueCrest College Ghana.