For generations, pursuing a university degree was seen as the most reliable path to economic stability, professional respectability, and upward social mobility. Parents sacrificed, students endured years of study, and governments poured resources into higher education, confident that every graduate would step confidently into a career worthy of their qualifications. That confidence has been shaken in recent years. Across the globe, an increasing number of graduates are discovering that their hard-earned degrees do not guarantee the jobs or lifestyles they had imagined. Instead, many find themselves working in positions that neither utilise their academic credentials nor pay them enough to justify the years and costs of their studies.
The problem of overeducation leading to underemployment is not simply a personal disappointment for individuals; it is a social and economic concern. The expansion of higher education over the past three decades has resulted in a growing population of degree holders. Yet, job creation in many countries has failed to keep pace. As a result, graduates are competing for a limited number of professional positions, which is pushing some into jobs traditionally held by less-educated workers. This saturation gives employers more bargaining power, allowing them to lower starting salaries or increase job requirements, confident that there will always be more applicants than positions.
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Adding to the challenge is the growing mismatch between what universities teach and what employers demand. A degree is often a signal of general knowledge, discipline, and the ability to learn. However, it does not always align with the specific needs of an industry. Employers increasingly prize practical experience, technical expertise, and adaptable skills over purely theoretical knowledge. This means that many graduates, while academically accomplished, lack the competencies required for the roles they aspire to. Ironically, they can be overeducated for low-level jobs yet underqualified for the ones that would match their ambitions. For example, a graduate in sociology may have spent years analysing social systems but may lack the digital literacy or data analytics skills demanded by modern workplaces.
The value of a degree has also been eroded by credential inflation. In the past, a high school certificate might have been enough to secure an administrative position; today, the same role might require a bachelor’s degree. Similarly, positions that once required a bachelor’s now often demand a master’s or even a professional certification. This constant raising of the bar has created a vicious cycle in which students seek increasingly higher qualifications to remain competitive, often accumulating more debt without a guaranteed return on their investment. In the meantime, employers have learned to use these rising educational thresholds as filters, regardless of whether the jobs truly require such advanced academic preparation.
The financial consequences of underemployment are profound. Graduates who accept low-paying jobs struggle to repay student loans, support themselves independently, or save for the future. Many postpone milestones such as buying a home, getting married, or starting a family, decisions that in turn have broader economic effects. Societies lose out when a generation of well-educated young adults cannot contribute fully to economic growth because their skills are underused and their incomes are too low.
At the same time, the breakdown of the degree-as-a-guarantee narrative has opened the door to alternative career pathways. In some industries, vocational training, apprenticeships, and short professional courses are producing more employable workers than traditional degrees. Tech companies, for instance, increasingly hire candidates who can demonstrate coding ability or design skills, even if they lack formal academic credentials. Online platforms offer certifications in project management, data science, or digital marketing at a fraction of the cost and time investment of a university programme, and these qualifications can lead directly to well-paying jobs.
For students and policymakers, this shift calls for a reevaluation of how education systems prepare young people for the realities of the labour market. Universities cannot afford to focus solely on academic theory; they must integrate practical skills, industry placements, entrepreneurship training, and problem-solving exercises into their curricula to remain competitive. Governments need to collaborate with employers to forecast future job market needs and shape educational policy accordingly, ensuring that resources are directed toward courses and training that match demand. Students themselves must approach higher education with greater strategic thinking, considering not only their passions but also the employability of their chosen fields of study. In many cases, pairing a general degree with specialised skills training can create a far more competitive profile.
A degree still carries value—it can broaden perspectives, deepen understanding, and open doors—but it no longer guarantees the economic and social security it once did. In a rapidly changing world where industries evolve and new technologies disrupt entire sectors, adaptability is as important as academic achievement. Those who succeed will be the ones who blend formal education with relevant skills, cultivate professional networks, and remain willing to learn and reinvent themselves throughout their careers. The sooner students, educators, and policymakers accept this reality, the better prepared the next generation will be to navigate a job market that values ability, creativity, and resilience as much as a framed certificate.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford teaches English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub-County and serves as Dean of Studies.
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