I am sure that most of the students who will pass the ABAU tests in the coming days are facing the same doubts: which studies?, what do I want?, why?, will I like to work in this?… The answers are very different, depending on the person. But don’t be fooled, they will choose with their future work in mind, preferably in areas they like. That of studying for the sake of learning, of training, of opening the mind, is secondary. Maybe in the future.
Unlike previous generations, they also include another variable when choosing studies: will artificial intelligence be able to replace my knowledge?
These are some of the survey findings of the third flash survey Why do we study? , from the SM Foundation. The objective was to know the reasons that lead to the choice of some qualifications and not others, when there are only a few days left for the ABAU.
According to this report, leaving work concentrates the main motivations of the respondents regarding their choice. Being able to do what they like (29%) and having more employment opportunities (23%) are answers that represent a greater importance than those related to the interest in learning, training or changing the world . The two answers are not mutually exclusive. In this way, it can be understood that, from what they like best, students choose what suits them best in terms of their future work rather than their vocation. The coordinator of the study, Ariana Pérez, indicates that the choice by vocation “is based on an already defined itinerary”, because the students choose from a catalog of studies that they consider to have the best job opportunities.
Consistent with the above, vocation (26%) and professional opportunities (21%) are the main reasons for choosing their studies, according to this work by the SM Foundation, which includes the responses of 1,600 young people from 15 and 29 years old from Spain, Mexico, Brazil and Chile.
77% of respondents are passionate about what they study. However, slightly more than half (54%) acknowledge that they would have chosen another type of training if they had their future financially secured. And 67% believe that to be successful professionally it is more important to be well connected than to study.
Social class conditions the choice of studies. Young people with fewer resources opt in greater proportion for shorter training itineraries because of the ease of obtaining a degree; and, consequently, they are the ones who feel the least passion for what they study. In this sense, Pérez regrets that young people from lower socioeconomic classes have more difficulty combining work with studies that require more time and paying for four years of university education. On the contrary, those from the upper class mostly study to have more employment opportunities.
Young people perceive an education system that prioritizes productivity and the acquisition of professional skills above all else. Goals related to environmental commitment and social justice would be less important.
Half of those surveyed believe that education systems are adapting enough to changes in the labor market to prepare students for the jobs of the future. However, 78% affirm that professional training adapts more quickly than university training to the demands of the labor market. A percentage that drops significantly (to 66%) in young people aged 18 to 20.
75% believe that teachers’ lack of vocation has a negative impact on students. A more widespread opinion among those over the age of 21. Even so, they value the role of a good teacher: three out of five young people say that the teachers they have had have fostered their interest in learning and positively value the methodological updates they are making to meet the needs of students. Young Spaniards, in relation to the rest of the countries studied, are the ones who are more critical about the two issues.
The work points out that four out of five understand that society places more importance on having a degree than on being an educated person. In line with this social perception, the majority (61%) say that having a range of knowledge or skills is of no use if it cannot be demonstrated with an academic qualification.
There are some conflicting answers. So, 71% believe that public education should be placed outside of economic rationality. Almost in the same proportion, they affirm that the offer of academic places should be subject to the needs of the labor market.
82% demand an education more focused on the development of skills applicable to the world of work, but they recognize that the stigma about FP is still valid, since less than half of those consider that this training has the same recognition as the university
