What are new generations looking for from degrees?

A student can study computer science and move into product development. A business graduate may build a company instead of joining one. Someone studying design might find themselves working with technology. With AI becoming part of so many professions, the job someone prepares for at 18 may not be the one they are doing at 28. Which is why the way young people look at degrees is changing too. The qualification still matters. But increasingly, they are asking what comes with it.

Relevance to the world outside

Youngsters want their education to feel connected to the world they are preparing to enter. They are paying attention to AI, data, automation, digital businesses and changing ways of working.

They want to understand how these developments relate to what they are studying. That does not mean every course needs to chase the newest trend. A strong foundation still matters.

But students also want to see where that foundation can take them and how what they learn connects with real situations.

Experience alongside education

Knowing something for an exam and knowing what to do with it are two different things. Work on a project with four other people and suddenly the theory is only the beginning. Someone misses a deadline.

The first idea does not work. Two people disagree. You have to figure out what happens next.

That experience teaches something a textbook cannot. Internships, research, competitions, live projects and industry interactions can give students that exposure.

They can also help them discover what they actually enjoy doing, rather than trying to work it out entirely from a course description.

Skills beyond a job title

A first job does not have to define an entire career. People move between industries, change roles and sometimes build something of their own.

Skills such as communicating clearly, solving problems, working with different people and learning something unfamiliar can stay useful through those changes.

Technical knowledge remains important. But knowing how to use that knowledge, explain

it and build on it matters too.

Freedom to find a direction

Not every student arrives at university knowing exactly what they want. Some do, initially. But there are many who change their minds after a while. A student interested in finance might discover entrepreneurship., on the other hand, an engineering student may become interested in management instead. Someone else may find a completely different direction through an internship, a project or simply meeting people outside their usual circle.

That is why exposure matters. Having the chance to try different things can help young people make choices based on experience rather than assumption. And sometimes, finding out what you don’t want to do is useful too.

A more personalidea of success

The traditional picture of career success was fairly straightforward: get a good job, earn well, get promoted and move into a senior position. People have not necessarily stopped wanting those things. They are simply asking other questions alongside them.

Can I do work I care about?

Do I want to build something myself?

How much time do I want outside work?

Would I rather lead a team or become highly skilled in my field?

There is no single answer. For one person, success may mean leading a large organisation. For another, it may mean running a small business, having greater flexibility or doing work that feels meaningful.

What students want to take with them

This is perhaps where expectations around degrees have changed most. The aim is not necessarily to walk away with a qualification that points towards one specific job. Students want something they can continue to use after graduation: knowledge in their field, confidence to learn, experiences that shaped their thinking and a clearer sense of what they want to pursue.

The degree provides the starting point. What happens next may take a few different turns. Careers will change. Industries will change. New roles will appear. Some familiar ones will look very different. For a generation growing up with that reality, perhaps the most useful degree is not one that claims to have all the answers. It is one that gives them enough knowledge, experience and room to find some answers of their own.

(The author is Chancellor of Pratap University)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shailendra Bhadauria

Shailendra Bhadauria