SURVEY: Nearly half of college graduates say their jobs don't require a degree

Forty-five percent of graduates from four-year colleges work in jobs that do not require a four-year degree, according to a new survey by consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

Four-in-ten graduates from the nation’s top 100 colleges say they were unable to find jobs in their chosen field, according to a new survey.

“[T]he most striking finding from our survey may be the extent to which recent graduates find themselves in jobs that they say do not require a college degree,” says the report unveiling the survey’s findings. “Overall nearly half say this is the case, though graduates of public universities are 11 percent more likely to feel overqualified than those who attended private universities.”

The report also found that about one-in-three college graduates feel their four-year education did not prepare them well for employment. That number grew to forty percent when graduates of two-year colleges responded.

Four-in-ten graduates from the nation’s top 100 colleges say they were unable to find a job in their chosen field, with only thirty-six percent of those majoring in language, literature, and social science landing employment in a desired field, according to the survey.

These unfavorable outcomes also appear to have affected the way graduates reflect on their schooling.

According to the survey, half of all graduates would choose a different major or different school if they were to start over.

“It’s clear in listening to recent graduates that there is no shortage of work to be done to help higher education reach its full promise in an era of accelerating change,” concluded the report.

“We hope this report contributes to the ongoing dialogue among educators, policy makers, and other stakeholders on how to fulfill higher education’s vital mission in the years ahead,” it added.

Mckinsey & Company said the survey was conducted in October and November 2012, focusing on students who graduated between 2009 and 2012. The report detailing their findings was published in May.

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