Predictive Characteristics of Adequate Employment in Baccalaureate-Prepared Graduates
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/ie.2022.216Keywords:
predictors, employment, undergraduate, internship, STEMAbstract
Underemployment, which occurs when baccalaureate degree holders are employed in occupations that do not require or fully use a college-level degree (Lederman, 2018), challenges the notion that a college degree alone adequately prepares a student for a satisfactory level of employment based on education level. During 2018 and 2019, the higher-ed capstone team conducted this study to identify predictive characteristics of underemployment among undergraduate alumni from a large, public, urban, Tier-1 research university. Although identifying underemployment characteristics was the primary impetus for the research, the team instead discovered three primary predictors of adequate employment from the analysis. Higher education institutions and policy leaders may be able to better ensure students gain employment, particularly during challenging economic times, by encouraging student participation in internships, extracurricular activities, and the selection of STEM majors.
References
Abel, J. A. & Deitz, R. (2015). Agglomeration and job matching among college graduates, Regional Science and Urban Economics, 51, 14–24.
Accordino, J., Fasulo, F., McKenzie, M., Bland, T., Martin, M., Powers, S. (2016). VCU’s impact on the region: Talent, innovation and collaboration prepared for VCU president’s office report prepared by Center for Urban and Regional Analysis at VCU. L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Virginia Commonwealth University. https://cura.vcu.edu/media/cura/pdfs/cura-documents/TheImpactofVCUontheRichmondRegion.pdf
Allen, J. M., & Smith, C. L. (2008). Importance of, responsibility for, and satisfaction with academic advising: A faculty perspective. Journal of College Student Development, 49(5), 397–411. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.0.0033
Auter, Z. & Marken, S. (2017). Half of college students say their major leads to a good job. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/199307/one-six-grads-say-career-services-helpful.aspx
Bathmaker, A., Ingram, N., & Waller, R. (2013). Higher education, social class and the mobilisation of capitals: Recognising and playing the game. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 34(5), 723–743.
Blau, G., Snell, C. M., Campbell, D., Viswanathan, K., Andersson, L., & Lopez, A. B. (2014). Testing a new measure of perceived professional development engagement for undergraduates. Journal of Assessment & Institutional Effectiveness, 4(2), 137–159.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Employment situation: Summary table a. Household data, seasonally adjusted. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t06.htm
Burning Glass Technologies and Strada Institute for the Future of Work. (2018). The permanent detour: Underemployment’s long-term effects on the careers of college grads. Burning Glass. https://www.burning-glass.com/wp-content/uploads/permanent_detour_underemployment_report.pdf
Caplan, B. (2017). The case against education: Why the education system is a waste of time and money. Princeton University Press.
Cappelli, P. H. (2015). Skill gaps, skill shortages, and skill mismatches: Evidence and arguments for the United States. ILR Review, 68(2), 251–290.
Carnevale, A. P., & Cheah. B. (2015). From hard times to better times: College majors, unemployment, and earnings. Georgetown University, Center on Education and the Workforce. https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/HardTimes2015-Report.pdf
Carnevale, A. P., Smith, N., & Strohl, J. (2010). Help wanted: Projections of jobs and education requirements through 2018. Georgetown University, Center on Education and the Workforce. https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/bitstream/handle/10822/559303/FullReport.pdf?sequence=1
Christensen, C. M. & Eyring, H. (2011). The innovative university: Changing the DNA of higher education from the inside out. Jossey-Bass.
DeOrtentiis, P. S., Van Iddekinge, C. H., & Wanberg, C. R. (2021). Different starting lines, different finish times: The role of social class in the job search process. Journal of Applied Psychology. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/apl0000915
Ferguson, S. (2022). Understanding America’s labor shortage: The most impacted industries. https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/understanding-americas-labor-shortage-the-most-impacted-industries
Fishman, T. D., Ludgate, A., Tutak, J. (2017). Success by design: Improving outcomes in American higher education. Deloitte Insights. https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/industry/public-sector/improving-student-success-in-higher-education.html
Fogg, N., & Harrington, P. (2011). Rising mal-employment and the great recession: The growing disconnection between recent college graduates and the college labor market. Continuing Higher Education Review, 75, 51–65. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ967808.pdf
Gault, J., Redington, J., & Shlager, T. (2000). Undergraduate business internships and career success: Are they related? Journal of Marketing Education, 22(1), 45–53. https://doi.org/doi: 10.1177/0273475300221006
Haggard, D. L., & Turban, D. B. (2012). The mentoring relationship as a context for psychological contract development. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42(8), 1904–1931. https://doi.org/doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2012.00924.x
Hirudayaraj, M., & McLean, G. N. (2018). First-generation college graduates. European Journal of Training and Development, 42(1), 91–109.
Institutional Research and Decision Support. (n.d.a). Virginia Commonwealth University’s common data set. https://opds.vcu.edu/eaar/facts-and-figures/data_sets/
Institutional Research and Decision Support. (n.d.b). Virginia Commonwealth University’s facts and figures. https://opds.vcu.edu/eaar/facts-and-figures/
Institutional Research and Decision Support. (n.d.c). Virginia Commonwealth University’s outcomes survey. https://opds.vcu.edu/media/decision-support/pdf/pie-surveys/cso-first-destination-results/May2016-12MosPostGraduation-FullReport.pdf
Joyner, F. F., & Mann, D. T. Y. (2011). Developing emotional intelligence in mba students: A case study of one program's success. American Journal of Business Education, 4(10), 59–72.
Kahn, L. (2010). The long-term labor market consequences of graduating from college in a bad economy. Labour Economics, 17(2), 303–316.
Kelchen, R. (2016). Education under review. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.ellucian.com/White-Papers/Student-Success-Chronicle-Education-Under-Review/
Kuh, G. D. (2008). High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/publications/high-impact-educational-practices-what-they-are-who-has-access-0
Lederman, D. (2018). The bad first job’s lingering impact. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/05/23/college-graduates-whose-first-job-doesnt-require-bachelors-degree-often-stay
Maertz, C. P., Jr., Stoeberl, P. A., & Marks, J. (2014). Building successful internships: Lessons from the research for interns, schools, and employers. Career Development International, 19(1), 123–142.
McEvoy, G. M. (1998). Answering the challenge: Developing the management action skills of business students. Journal of Management Education, 22(5), 655–670.
Moret, S. M. (2016). Attainment, alignment, and economic opportunity in America: Linkages between higher education and the labor market. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania). ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
Mourshed, M., Farrell, D., & Barton, D. (2013). Education to employment: Designing a system that works. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/social-sector/our-insights/education-to-employment-designing-a-system-that-works
National Information Center for Higher Education. (2018). Net cost of attendance. http://www.higheredinfo.org/dbrowser/index.php?submeasure=75&year=2018&level=&mode=policy&state=
Nunley, J. M, Pugh, A., Romero, N., Seals, R.A. (2017). The effects of unemployment and underemployment opportunities: Results from a correspondence audit of the labor market for college graduates. Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 70(3), 642–669.
Olson, J. S. (2016). Chasing a passion: First-generation college graduates at work. Education & Training, 58(4), 358–371.
Oreopoulos, P., von Wachter, T., & Heisz, A. (2012). The short- and long-term career effects of graduating in a recession. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 4(1), 1–29.
Pascarella, E. T. & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research. Jossey-Bass.
Pascarella, E. T., Pierson, C. T., Wolniak, G. C., & Terenzini, P. T. (2004). First-generation college students. Journal of Higher Education, 75(3), 249–284.
Raelin, J. A. (2007). The return of practice to higher education: Resolution of a paradox. Journal of Higher Education, 56(1), 57–77. https://doi.org/10.1353/jge.2007.0014
Redford, J. & Hoyer, K. (2017). First-generation and continuing-generation college students: A comparison of high school and postsecondary experiences. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018009.pdf
Robles, M. M. (2012). Executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed in today's workplace. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 453–465.
Rogers, J. M. (2017). Internships as a bridge from community college into a career. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania). ERIC.
Saltikoff, N. (2017). The positive implications of internships on early career outcomes. http://www.naceweb.org/job-market/internships/thepositive-implications-of-internships-on-early-career-outcomes/
Savickas, M. L. (1999). The transition from school to work: A development perspective. The Career Development Quarterly, 47(4), 326–336.
Seibert, S. E., Kraimer, M. L., & Liden, R. C. (2001). A social capital theory of career success. Academy of Management Journal, 44(2), 219–237.
Shin, Y. J. (2010). Cross-cultural comparison of the effect of optimism, career decision-making autonomy, and family support on vocational identity. (Doctoral dissertation.) ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (Order No. 3444869).
Sigmar, L. S., Hynes, G. E., & Hill, K. L. (2012). Strategies for teaching social and emotional intelligence in business communication. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(3), 301–317. https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569912450312
Staklis, S. (2016). Employment and enrollment status of baccalaureate degree recipients 1 year after graduation:1994, 2001, and 2009 (NCES 2017-407). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2017407
Swecker, H., Fifolt, M. & Searby, L. (2013). Academic advising and first-generation college students: A quantitative study on student retention. NACADA Journal, 33(1), 46–53. https://doi.org/10.12930/NACADA-13-192
Tate, Kevin, Caperton, W., Kaiser, D., Pruitt, N., White, H., & Hall, E. (2015). An exploration of first-generation college students’ career development beliefs and experiences. Journal of Career Development. 42(4), 294–310.
Walters, D. & Zarifa, D. (2008). Earnings and employment outcomes for male and female postsecondary graduates of coop and non-coop programmes. Journal of Vocational Education & Training. 60, 377–399.
Weissman, J. (2014). The growth of college grads in dead-end jobs (in 2 graphs): The rise of the baristas. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/the-growth-of-college-grads-in-dead-end-jobs-in-2-graphs/283137/
Winstead, A. S., Adams, B. L., & Sillah, M. R. (2009). Teaching the “soft skills”: A professional development curriculum to enhance the employability skills of business graduates. American Journal of Business Education, 2(5), 35–44.
Zarifa, D. (2012). Choosing fields in an expansionary era: Comparing two cohorts of baccalaureate degree-holders in the United States and Canada. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 30(3), 328–351. https://doi.org/doi.org: 10.1016/j.rssm.2012.06.003
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 laura Kottkamp, Cynthia Kiefer, Justin Moses, Jana McQuaid
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
- Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
- The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
- Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
- The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
- Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
- The Author represents and warrants that:
- the Work is the Author’s original work;
- the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
- the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
- the Work has not previously been published;
- the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
- the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
- The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.
Revised 7/16/2018. Revision Description: Removed outdated link.
