Alessandra Gass, Editor-in-Chief
@agasscourant
As a high school senior, getting into college has long been the epitome of my educational pursuits. All of the extracurriculars, long hours studying for AP classes, mental strain – it all seemed to culminate in just one acceptance. However, such a mindset has proven largely ineffectual to college students arriving on campus. The culprit? Careerism.
Simply put, careerism is the belief in advancing your career at the expense of other passions or duties. In an academically – and now, professionally – rigorous environment, many believe the rise of careerism to be ruining the modern college classroom.
New York Times Guest Writer and University of Pennsylvania alumni Isabella Glassman calls this recent phenomenon “pre-professional pressure,” in her piece Careerism Is Ruining College, describing it as the “prevailing culture that convinces many of us that only careers in fields such as computer programming, finance and consulting, preferably at blue-chip firms like Goldman Sachs, McKinsey or big tech companies, can secure us worthwhile futures.” In colleges today, she says this pressure is “an inescapable part of the current college experience, like tailgating or surviving on stale dining hall food. It not only steers our life choices; it also permeates daily life and negatively affects our mental health.”
Such a reality comes as no surprise. With the advent of the internet and digital media came the rise of digital networking, notably on sites like LinkedIn. On LinkedIn, one can simply search the name of a peer and see a list of their credentials, ranging from GPA to internship experience. Such accessibility cultivates a constant pressure to out-do classmates, whether through higher test scores or stronger networking tactics. With information like this publicized for all college students to see, a thirst for impressive high profile jobs deepens. And, just as Glassman mentioned, such high-profile jobs are few and far between in sought-after, money-making fields, leading to an intensely competitive atmosphere where students feel compelled to prioritize career-oriented pursuits over exploration and personal growth: two essential elements of the college experience.
This shift not only affects students’ academic choices but their mental well-being, forced now to grapple with the stress of maintaining a perfect resume while potentially sacrificing their true passions and interests in the process. Why waste your time with a mundane club or tailgating with friends when you could be applying for an undergraduate medical internship or founding a nonprofit?
However, simply labeling careerism as harmful to student achievement is largely futile. Sure, you could label a variety of elements of our professional society as inherently bad (nepotism, product-oriented work, burnout), but doing so does nothing to address – or even utilize – the underlying motivations and realities that drive career-focused behavior in students and professionals alike.
Afterall, we can’t realistically expect students to completely disregard career concerns without substantial financial security. With an average yearly tuition and fees of $47,000 at ranked private universities in addition to loans, such a cushion exists for a very small group of college students.
To foster a genuine desire for learning in students, we must find a way to make it coexist with, rather than exclude, career-oriented thinking. While such a large mindset shift from such a large group of people would be extremely difficult, implementing career and professional opportunities into the curriculum could ease this transition. For instance, colleges could offer courses that blend theoretical knowledge with practical applications, inviting industry professionals to speak and offer external work as a part of the course. Such an idea exists currently, (for example, at the University of Michigan) where certain students can obtain course credit through internships. This approach would satisfy career-minded students while still maintaining the integrity of academic exploration.
Ultimately, the key to addressing the careerism dilemma lies in striking a delicate balance between practical career preparation and the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. By reimagining the college experience as one that values both personal growth and professional development, institutions can create an environment where students feel empowered to explore their passions without sacrificing their future prospects.
But at the end of the day, such a reality will never truly change, no matter how much universities choose to embrace the rise of careerism or neglect it as a whole. Afterall, the job market remains cutthroat, with no promises of it improving in the slightest. The best thing students can do to avoid the stress brought on by four more years of academic competition is to be aware of its existence and understand how tunnel vision on a certain career path can impact your mental health negatively.
There are definitely a few ways to actively avoid getting down on yourself. Try to limit your time on sites like Linked In to avoid comparing yourself to others, set boundaries with friends in regards to pre-professional conversation, and make sure that you’re still putting yourself out there socially! Join that Rubix Cube club, tailgate that football game, and if you have time, maybe start a nonprofit with a fundraising goal of 200k in three weeks.
