Chapter 38: The Changing Landscape of Career Development in Higher Education

Historically, those in the hallowed halls of higher education were buffered from the highs and lows of the broader economic reality. Traditionally, a college degree has been viewed as a ticket, at the minimum, to a comfortable life, and for many, depending on how hard you worked or how creatively you used your knowledge, a path to status, prestige, and economic security and freedom. Today, while education still means a great deal, in light of the current economic downturn, just getting a college degree or advanced degree does not automatically provide the kind of fast track to the career or economic dreams that most Americans were raised to believe.