Surely the vast majority of students who will face the EVAU tests in the coming days will face the same doubts: what do I study?, what do I want?, why? The answers are very diverse, depending on the person. But do not be fooled, they will choose thinking about their future work, preferably in areas that they like. Studying for the pleasure of learning, training, opening the mind is secondary.
This is the conclusion of the survey data from the third Flash Survey.”Why do we study?”, whose objective is to find out the reasons why young people choose their studies when there are only a few days left before the EVAU.
According to this work, the reasons linked to the future job concentrate the main motivations of young people towards studying: being able to dedicate themselves to what they like (29%) and having more job opportunities (23%) are answers that represent an importance greater than those related to the interest in learning, training or changing the world.
Consistent with the above, vocation (26%) and professional opportunities (21%) are the fundamental reasons for choosing their studies, points out this work by the SM Foundation based on the response of 1,600 young people from between 15 and 29 years of Spain, Mexico, Brazil and Chile.
77% of young people are passionate about what they study. However, slightly more than half (54%) admit that they would have chosen another type of training if they had their future financially secured.
The social class determines the choice of studies. Young people with fewer resources choose training itineraries in a greater proportion due to the ease of obtaining a degree; and, consequently, they are the ones who feel less passion for what they study.
Young people perceive an educational system that prioritizes productivity and the acquisition of professional skills above all else. The objectives related to commitment to the environment and social justice would have less importance.
Half of young people believe that education systems are adapting enough to changes in the labor market to prepare students for the jobs of the future. However, 78% say that vocational training adapts more quickly than university training to the demands of the labor market. A percentage that drops significantly (to 66%) in young people between 18 and 20 years of age.
Half of young people are concerned that they have chosen a profession that in the future will be replaced by technology.
75% believe that the lack of vocation of teachers has a negative impact on students. A more widespread opinion among those over 21 years of age.
However, three out of five young people state that teachers have fostered their interest in learning and positively value the methodological updates they are carrying out to meet the needs of students. Young Spaniards, in relation to the rest of the countries considered, are the ones who are most critical of both issues.
The work indicates that four out of five young people understand that society gives more importance to having a degree than to being a trained person. In line with this “social perceptionâ€, a majority of young people (61%) affirm that having a series of knowledge or skills is useless if it cannot be demonstrated with an academic degree.
71% believe that public education should be placed outside of economic rationality (a percentage that drops, curiously, to 57% in the case of minors). However, in almost the same proportion (74%), young people affirm that the offer of academic places should be subject to the needs of the labor market.
The vast majority (82%) demand an education more focused on the development of practical and applicable skills in the world of work, but they recognize that the stigma around professional training is still in force, since they do not reach half (45%). who consider that this type of training has the same recognition as university education.
