Professional Life

Does the academic education prepare for working life?

This is not an easy question to answer and it highly depends on your academic courses and the profession you are aiming for.

But if you are looking for a short answer: Don’t expect too much.

The question "Does the academic educatin prepare for working life?" above and below a black and white picture of an old English college.

The journey continues

Any academic qualification or title is usually just the beginning and not the endpoint of your professional journey.

Don’t expect that after completing your studies, you will be equipped for every professional task or challenge in the future.

Embrace new beginnings

Many graduates do not work in their respective field of study later on. But for those who do, the start of their working life hardly feels like a smooth continuation of their academic education.

In fact, starting your first job after graduation can feel like being a newborn baby. You open your eyes to a new world. You have no idea what you are doing. And you are overall quite helpless.

Extracurricular courses

But wait, you might object, what about the multiplicity of extracurricular courses. What about the career counseling offered by universities these days.

Most universities do offer extracurricular courses for career relevant skills. Oftentimes it is even compulsory to do a certain number of them.

These courses are great and the quality often is good. However, they are not enough to prepare you for your professional life ahead.

Know what you are getting into

Despite having said all that, I very much do recommend getting an education. It is the prerequisite for many jobs.

I am a great fan of getting an academic education, too. Just be aware of the fact that no kind of academic education is a free pass to an easy going and carefree working life.