Korea – Don’t Go To University!
I just read an interesting article about South Korea. Some senior person in the country advised some students to NOT go to college and just start working right away.
(First of all, I know not to take international news too seriously. I’d love to hear some opinions from Koreans as well as people from other countries.)
The idea of the article, which I’ll link to below, is that too many Koreans are very educated, but they are trying to get the same good jobs. The concern is, that there just aren’t enough jobs at Samsung, Kia, and the other top Korean companies. Unfortunately, not all jobs are “university jobs”. Some people need to do the other types of jobs that don’t really require higher education.
South Korea is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. That means, a very high number of people living per square kilometre. (South Korea has over 500 people per square kilometre. China has about 135, and Canada has only 3!) That’s just one reason it’s so competitive.
Koreans are very educated and it’s a very competitive country. Students study 12 hours a day to try to get degrees from the top schools. In the past, a great degree from a top school almost guaranteed you a high paying job in Korea. Now, it’s not the case.
(Again, I don’t really know, I’m just reading the news)
So, if it’s so difficult for Koreans to get jobs, even with an amazing degree, what should they do?
Is the same, or similar, kind of thing happening in your country?
I think this is something that is happening all over the world. University degrees are getting less and less important. This doesn’t mean “don’t go to school” but it does mean that “university is not enough”. You need to be “special” in some way. You need to differentiate yourself.
If school isn’t enough any more, what is? I don’t believe this is a problem for Korea only. A friend of mine was paid $500 USD last month to speak for 1 hour to a group of international MBA students in China. His job was to tell these students “don’t expect a good job just because you got your MBA and learned Chinese) It’s not that easy any more!
To get better jobs, everyone needs to do different stuff from the “normal people”. It makes no sense for everyone to have the same job. Unfortunately, we can’t all be rich. When countries get richer and richer, more families can send their kids to school, but then degrees mean less and less because more people have them.
At the end of the day, employers are looking for people who can “add value” and bring lot’s of money into a company. People who have the right attitude for business and are creative, are much more valuable to a company than those with a good degree (a piece of paper)
It’s the same idea with English. Who cares what it says on your test score? (Ok, some people do) but a lot don’t. It’s your real level that matters.
Here is the article: Korean University Advice
I’m VERY interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions. Please keep using this site as a place to actually challenge yourself and improve your English.
I’ll write some thoughts after I hear from several of you guys.
Thanks!
September 13th, 2012 at 11:54 am
That’s the sheer fact, the thing you just mentioned in ur post. I guess the world is going to a point of no return when it comes to education and all. This efed-up situation is the result of unreal and not realistic principles our education policy makers have set in the past 30 over years. Just overgrazing students with theories and our poor students dont have the chance to think. If were at the legislative body of any country, i would definitely go with the motto that “Dont teach students what to think, teach them HOW to think”
Hope this post sparks a good debate among the peeps here.
September 13th, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Thanks Eagle Eye!
Great comment. I hope this sparks an awesome debate too! Thanks again for kicking things off!
September 13th, 2012 at 4:09 pm
Hello, guys. I liked the theme, and I totally stunned of this opinion Don’t Go To University! interesting perspective, and what I read in this article makes sense in reality. But I do not think this is the solution to this problem. It is everywhere that people with high degrees can not find work. I personally know many. And where then is the meaning of education. This is because what is learned in schools, can not in practice be applied. Many schools produce the conveyor and nobody cares what comes out the end of this. It is the same with English, I know many people who cannot speak fluency, having learned it at school 5 years. If you have a sharp mind and if getting off your butt, then I think that everyone has a chance to work.
September 13th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
You have a point Mr.Eagle Eye, most developing countries like ours, we spend more years of schooling and then after completing a degree from a university most students ended up call center jobs, factory workers and other vocational fields overseas. But I also must say,it isn’t true all the time, we cannot climb up to the top of a ladder without taking on the first step, I hope you can see the picture and know what I mean. We still need formal education, sometimes skills aren’t enough without knowing the theories. Maybe the governments can limit the academic requirement pertaining to years of study to just focus more on motivating students to be creative in their own way..It is impossible to totally abolish formal education because comes with it are also self discipline and patience, we’ve been there and I know for sure it has developed something positive in you too..skills and theories should come together, that’s my opinion:)
September 13th, 2012 at 8:56 pm
Nowadays everyone wants to go to college, but why? Everybody wants to sit in the office and be a boss. Another reason is they want to be supported by their parents as long as possible because they’re scared to take care of themselves. How will it end up at last? A lot of high educated students have to work manually like ordinary workers. What do companies usually ask you as their first question? Pretty much every time the first question is: “Do you have any experience in this environment? We need somebody who has two years experience at least. (usually they want people around 30 years old with five years of experience.
My point is: If everyone wants to be in their own office who will work for them and make real values???
September 14th, 2012 at 8:07 am
I absolutely agree with what the article’s implying.
I am working at LG company and there are lots of degree holders working under a temporary contract. They are mostly qualified to work proper permanant jobs but for some reason; either they couldn’t go through the inverviews which require a remarkable creativity, outstanding test records, language fluency, and lots lots of abilities or most possibly there is no job for them to be ‘lucky’ enough to get, it didn’t work out.
To get reasonable jobs is a luck, not an opportunity or a result of his/her efforts nowadays in S.Korea mainly in Seoul.
September 14th, 2012 at 11:56 am
Well, having a piece of degree not enough per se but knowledge and skills acquired during your studies that’s the most important part. It is up to students in the end.In third world countries, people can even buy a degree(a piece of paper). Skills that are acquired during your formal education are very important and will help you perform tasks at work with ease. You won;t be a total dumb-ass. Yes, real learning takes place at work and no one is denying that hard fact but at least students should have decent knowledge and skills at their disposal beforehand and that’s only possible because of going to university.
Also, such a notion is only happening to South Korea and I can not speak of such thing happening in my country, Pakistan, at a widespread level. Without good academic qualifications and acing job interview you are not even considered for a right job.
In my country, everyone has a computer or engineering or medical degree why do every one want to go such fields because they are WELL PAD jobs. Let’s say. i just want to distinguish myself from the rest of the crowd and have a course/work experience in culinary , i might become a good cook but cooking at a restaurant is not a well paid job in my country and not prestigious either.
Yes, higher education is important and there are no 2 ways about it.
September 14th, 2012 at 3:31 pm
If the Korean students study 12 hours a day in order to get degrees while it’s possible to get good jobs without having degrees, then they are all big fools! Or the government or companies are big fools for employing such uneducated people, or the universities just suck for not being able to make their students capable of landing jobs.
September 15th, 2012 at 3:38 am
we have something worse than Korea in our country. In Iran we study hard and many students have MS or BS but there isn’t enough job. Most people are working in jobs that isn’t the same of their field of studying and economics problems make life hard for not well-educated people too. so we have much more difficulty that Korean.
September 15th, 2012 at 4:31 am
Ooooh guys when i read ur blog i did not get surprised, that sounds like an old story to me . In my country Iran evey one has at least Master degree, but not everyone who is more educated has better job, even they have no or not well-payed job. I guess that’s comming from the same problem here like u said, lots of people and big competance! If you do not enter to the univ you will go looking for a job sooner than one who wants to get MSc or PhD degree, so you will find a job, get settled down and accupy the positions will not be accessible anymoreً, make situation worse for people who still are studying. I m the one who made this mistake, Im a PhD student now, have no job no money. Poorer than my friends who went to find a job after bachelor. I feel im such a looser, but a good looser though, cause I really enjoy studying my major but being poor is not always negligible!
September 15th, 2012 at 8:40 am
In this education and high tech era, such kind of issue is happening not only in Korea but also in over the globe especially in our third world countries.
I don’t want to debate with others but would like to discuss and figure out some solutions on the above article as we are also facing such situation in our country.
Now a day, young people have a big dilemma; going to continue their higher education/academic level? Or jump into the working environment? Or else? On the other hand, just holding even a Master Degree (just a piece of paper) is not sure to pursue a well-paid job. It could not make the young people to be confidence in the competitive world. So what if without such a piece of document? just simple answer; no hope!!
Moreover, learning cost is quite high in my country even though the quality of learning environment and services provided by the colleges and universities are comparatively poor. Ok, let it is in the Government and policy maker’s hand.
So, as a young, enthusiastic and potential one, the decision of “not go to the college or university” shouldn’t be come out. Should go and complete certain degree (Master Degree is much better if you could) as the fundamental asset to hunt the best professional career in the outside world. Then, should build up the professional and technical skills for yourself to be more and more differentiate from your competitors.
Degree + Professional Skill + Innovation >>> the best and well-paid job
September 16th, 2012 at 4:18 pm
It,s reasonable post and i totally agree with it. But i have slightly different situation in my country (Russia): BS or even higher degree has almost everyone. But about 95% of diplomas mean nothing, because our education is terrible. I dont know how it,s going in Korea but it seems like people are actually studying things and achieving real knowledge there. And with real knowledge you can be world demanded and competitive. So if your country doesnt need people with qualification, they atleast have a chance to apply their skills in different place. But with our education you usually cant doing job you’ve studied in university just because you have absolutly no skills but only paper with some degree.
PS. I’d appreciate all comments on mistakes in my message, my english is very weak yet so i need some help here
September 17th, 2012 at 7:58 am
Hi guys
somehow,I agree with this article and this is one kind of the problem in my country too.
Here (in Iran) you can training in a hair dressing about 1 year and then earn about 50000$ in a year but when you study 4 year after school and could be a teacher you will earn about 2000$ in a year.
have nice times
arezoo
September 17th, 2012 at 5:22 pm
nowadays, a lot of people have university degree, but that does not mean that all of them are qualified enaugh to get a good job. For me I beleive that technical work with high professionalism (commerce, fiing tires,…) they are jobs which does not require any particular high education. so people can take it shortly and start working earlier and getting money is more much better than losing time to get your university degree and then queing in line and waiting to get a job which will not be paid enaugh to substain to your needs.
September 19th, 2012 at 6:51 am
hi everyone,
in my country the problem has also appeared (Poland), we have so many high educated students, but many of them haven’t a job or they are blue color workers despite their education. There are many resons of that problem. For example government says us “we have lack of technical educated students and too many with economic education”, but after ending technical studies you go on interview and there are 60 candidates on one place it’s ridiculous. Maybe we have too many educated people compared to vacancies. But I know one thing if you don’t take care of yourself nobody does it, so the point is if your country doesn’t provide you a good job or a good place to living maybe you should go to another country.
best regards
October 9th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
…Canada has only 3
LOL)))
July 8th, 2014 at 7:11 pm
High education boom is what exactly has been happening in my country for over decade. More and more young people think that degree is exactly what they need to get well-paid job. Unfortunately it is not the case. A great number of students got university degrees that are not that worth as they used to be 20-30 years ago. What is more a lot of people just study to get any degree from any university even though there is no demand for people with this kind of degree (forgot to mention that education in my country is free for everyone) But they think that this piece of paper somehow make them get the job of their dream. In the end most students end up working in low-paid jobs. The job market is so competitive that degree is not enough for sure. What is important apart from degree are skills and most of students lack of them. Almost no one think to go to work after secondary school. They do not understand that high schools are not for everyone and sometimes it is better to get some experience and become professional not necessary as a doctor, engineer etc. As a result more and more students graduate, they start looking for a job without any experience and if they are not lucky enough they have to work in jobs that do not require any special experience. Do not have to mention what money they earn – for sure not what the dreamed about before going to university.