A university education is recognized as an almost essential tool in the arsenal of the typical enthusiastic youth. It forms the foundation on which these impressionable youngsters can build and learn the fundamentals of academic development. Arguably without the ground rules laid down by the university institution these professionals in training would lack the discipline and understanding to reach the peak of their ambitions.
Universities and the modern working environment
It’s hard to devalue the importance of university, but in 2015 these proud institutions are starting to show signs of their age. With the nature of the internet, social media and global communication the world is now developing at a breakneck pace. Unfortunately universities are failing to keep up; courses are developed years in advance and as such fail to prepare the common student for the modern working environment.
Source of the problem
Take the ‘wonderful world’ of marketing for instance, this field moves at a breakneck pace and is built upon the principles of reactivity, and yet in an academic context this is not reflected in the slightest. These institutions regularly fail to identify how the fields they supposedly specialize in are developing and as a result fail to prepare students for life beyond academia.
Of course universities cannot take all of the blame, there seems to an almost arrogant attitude arising amongst modern youth, entitlement is now rife and unless students are guided in the right direction they rarely move to seek out the path for themselves. Self-motivation is rather depressingly at an all-time low.
The importance of flexibility
If universities truly intend to justify their exorbitant fees then they need to recognize the importance of flexibility and adapt courses on an annual basis to reflect the external environment. Failure to acknowledge the problem will merely result in a widening gap between those who pursue a university education and their working equivalents.
