Viacom And The Associated Press Study Finds Young Adults Are Creating Their Own Path In Higher Education

Education's One-Size-Fits-All Approach is No Longer Unifying, But Polarizing

According to the study, students are increasingly creating individual, self-tailored curricula by cherry picking schools and courses.  They're also taking longer to graduate because they feel that, by combining school with work and internships, they stand a greater chance of finding a desirable job. Young adults are relying more on themselves, their families and friends and less on community or religious organizations and high school counselors when it comes to education decisions.

• Overall, 27 percent of young adults say the education system has little to no understanding of their values and goals. More than a third (36 percent) report it is ambivalent to their values and goals.
• Only 37 percent say the education system mostly or completely understands them.
• Among those surveyed with a high school diploma, but no college experience, 33 percent say the education system has little to no understanding of their values and goals.  

"I am having a hard time finding a school that teaches what I want to learn," says Evan Wardell, a 23 year-old male, part-time student.

How College Leads to a Better Life is Unclear

The most consistent theme among those interviewed – from those with no college experience to those with bachelor degrees – is that college should prepare one to join the workforce. But today's pragmatic, goal-oriented young adults are unsure that the education product being offered to them will deliver the job or career that they want.

• More than half of young adults say it's more worth the money to get "an education that is focused on success in the world."
• In fact, 28 percent of those who have attended college say college doesn't adequately prepare you for the workforce, while almost twice as many young adults (55 percent) say high school doesn't prepare you for the workforce.
• Thirty-one percent say college doesn't provide enough practical skills to survive as an adult and 51 percent say the same about high school.  

"I wish that college was more focused on careers. You take so many useless classes throughout your college education. I wish that wasn't part of the process," says Preston Van Dyke, a 23 year-old male, part-time student.

The Social Aspect of Education is Not Being Acknowledged

Driven by personal ambition and armed with the technological tools to create change, young adults say that high school and colleges are missing out on the new education toolkit being used by both those who choose college and those who don't. This toolkit includes traditional and social media, as well as mechanisms like internships that connect education to the real world.  

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