Graduation indeed is one of the momentous points in a person’s life as it marks the sense of accomplishment and success that result from hard work and perseverance. It serves as a milestone that opens the door to many opportunities for a person to reach his life-long dreams and aspirations. Truly, it is also an occasion that may symbolize the beginning of an independent and rewarding life.
During my pre-employment talks, I always try to motivate future graduates regarding the “reality” waiting for them the moment they step out of the university. I ask them to look at the person seated beside them, who may be their closest friend in college. But after graduation, this person whom they consider as their best friend will become his or her direct competitor as they both carry the same degree from the same university. So, to impel them into a reality check, I ask them this very thought-provoking question: “What do you have that other graduates like you don’t have?” And just as I anticipated their reactions, I could see a sense of sudden realization on their faces.
After more than eight years of teaching at a state university, I feel happiness and pride whenever my students graduate. It’s as if I am their parent who saw them grow and mature as the years passed. I have asked myself a couple of times, am I that old to see these students graduate? And suddenly, I realized it had been four or five years ago when I first handled their English classes when they were still freshmen.
However, it is unfortunate nowadays that these graduates do not end up where they are supposed to be. I have several former students whom I have seen working in supermarkets as cashiers and baggers, and I can’t explain how I feel whenever I see them. As graduates of a four-year course, they do not deserve to work in blue-collar jobs. At least, they should be office assistants in government agencies and private companies, call center agents, or even professionals in multinational companies here and abroad. Hence, the problem is not actually unemployment but rather it is underemployment that besets our country nowadays.
Add to that the impact of the ASEAN integration on labor demands and market wherein based on a study, the projected growth in the country will be focused on low-skill employment. Secondly, there will also be fewer new jobs for women, possibly in sectors that are vulnerable and informal leading to greater inequalities. Another possible consequence of the ASEAN integration will also affect professionals as other Asian workers will be welcomed to work in our country.
And with the increasing popularity and utilization of artificial intelligence in the academe and even in the workplace, the question is also on whether our acquired skills and knowledge in schools and universities are still relevant and will be needed in the future.
Are we seeing the looming end to human talent?