Question: Why do so many jobs require a bachelor’s degree?
Answer: Employers know that college graduates come with a number of qualities they’re looking for in an employee. Although every job and its requirements are different, there are certain traits that almost every employer wants in a new hire, and many of these traits can be taught or perfected in the process of getting a college degree. Below, learn what top employers are seeking, and how completing your BA can help you gain those skills and land the job of your dreams.
Strong Communicator
Regardless of the field you’re in, being able to communicate clearly is a key aspect of every job, from the factory floor to the C-suite, and employers know it. While earning your bachelor’s degree, you’ll need to communicate in myriad ways, from writing emails to professors to arguing your perspective in class to persuade others. Learning these key text-based and verbal communication skills comes no matter what you study, and so employers know that if you have a bachelor’s degree, you’re likely to already be an adept and adaptive communicator.
Critical Thinker
Employers want someone who can look at a situation, rapidly analyze it, and figure out how best to respond. One of the best ways to learn this incredibly important skill—critical thinking—is to complete your bachelor’s degree, which requires critical thinking at an extremely high level. Whether you’re studying Management or Human Development, Human Services Administration or Literature and Creative Writing, your bachelor’s degree program will require you to read and research extensively to discover key issues in your subject and develop your own thoughts and opinions on them. College is the perfect place to perfect this skill, as you’ll have professors with you every step of the way to encourage you to dig deeper, think harder, and build a more robust framework for critical thinking on any topic.
Problem-Solver
All jobs come with their own set of challenges, and employers today are seeking employees who can respond to those challenges creatively and effectively. Once you’ve developed a critical-thinking mindset, you’ll begin to unravel problems in your college-level work, taking on high-level problems that affect the world today. By responding to case studies, working through complicated mathematical formulas, and successfully applying theory to real-world situations, you’ll be practicing the problem-solving that can turn any worker into a star employee in their boss’s eyes.
Team Player
Although it sounds cheesy, most employers believe the old cliché, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” It’s rare to find a job that doesn’t require the ability to be a part of a team today, and so employers want to know that their new hires will work comfortably with existing team members to collaborate on projects that no one could accomplish on their own. From team projects and study groups to in-class and online discussions, college is full of opportunities to learn how to work well within a team. Throughout your time in college, you’ll discover the skills you need to be a strong team player—and to lead a team to success.
Independently Minded
Even though employers want someone who can fit in with the corporate culture and work well on a team, they also want to be sure their employees can be trusted to work on their own without being micromanaged. College is the perfect time to build the skills you need to work independently, especially if you’re considering an online degree program. Because you’ll be working on your own schedule to complete the necessary work, you’ll build valuable time management skills that you can bring with you to the workforce. While working on your degree, you’ll be solely responsible for your success—and when you reach those goals all on your own, employers will take notice.
