Discuss and Opinion Essays

Is a university degree more important than developing soft skills?

Completing a university education is thought by some to be the best way to get a job. On the other hand, other people think that getting experience and developing soft skills is more important.

Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Solution

Most people are willing to invest their hard-earned money into getting a degree because they believe that it will increase their chances of getting a job. In contrast, others perceive that developing interpersonal abilities and gaining experience is vital. In my opinion, earning academic degrees certainly boost the chances of employment, especially at responsible positions.

The first advantage of having degrees is that it acts as credibility and knowledge of the specific domain. Degrees would speak for the abilities of the person. Also, at many credible positions such as government office or scientific positions, the candidate must be highly qualified with degrees. It ensures that the candidate has the required knowledge of technical skills to perform his job, which is more important than interpersonal skills.

Moreover, having a degree from a highly prestigious university is even more beneficial. In this case, the employer indirectly gauges your intelligence. They are likely going to be impressed by the fact that you were smart enough to gain admission into the top-ranked university in the first place. This is known as a signalling mechanism: the prestige of your university signals to employers that you are capable.

However, this does not mean that a degree from a reputed university will guarantee job success. Yes, this ensures that you gain entry into a job but whether or not you stay successful depends on the soft skills that you’ve developed. Skills like critical thinking, communication and conflict resolution are highly important to be successful in any job. For this reason, one should also place emphasis on developing soft skills.

In conclusion, I think getting a university degree is more beneficial to getting a job as it makes it much more likely that you’ll be accepted for a job. However, you should also ensure to develop soft skills in the process.

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