LA IGLESIA Y EL PROBLEMA RELIGIOSO.-

Some students offered a counterpoint to the seemingly undesirable position that vocational graduates have in the job market, as perceived by the students above. They believed that individual capability or personal competence is more important than the degree when it comes to finding a job:

Int: Do you think being treated differently for having a vocational degree could be a barrier in your job hunting?

Jiren: I think it is a problem. But I don’t see that the degree matters that much. I will try my best to show them [the employers] my skills and capabilities, show them I am up for it. I think if I put in enough effort and find the right methods, I will achieve my career goals and find the job I want. (Seaside)

Tai: I think they [the employers] cannot see everything about you just based on your degree. That [the degree] is just a way of selection. I don’t think the companies would decide everything just by that. I think they would like to see more work experience or personal accomplishments. Some academic graduates may have fewer achievements over the years than us. (Riverside)

Jia: I think a wise employer will always find employees who are capable of doing the job. The employer will test one’s capabilities. There are people with degrees from top universities who cannot perform well at their jobs. So, a wise employer certainly won’t only hire people for their degrees. I don’t think it [the degree] is an issue. (Seaside)

Rong, who was interning at a financial management company (see previous chapter), was working alongside academic graduates. She shared her view of this issue:

I don’t have the feeling that I have been treated differently there, because your degree or your college is one thing, and you and what you are capable of is another thing. They are totally different. You cannot completely shut someone out for having a vocational degree. (Seaside)

As can be seen from the above, those who did not think their vocational degree would be a barrier to obtaining employment emphasised individual effort and a personal portfolio of achievements, which, in their view, were unrelated to the status of their degrees.

The above students were among the 12 who added their own comments when responding to Question 27: ‘Is it more difficult or less difficult to find employment with a vocationally focused degree compared to students with academic degrees?’ (see Table 6.2).The phrases found among these comments were of the type: ‘up to individual competence’, ‘the degrees do not matter if you are capable of doing the job’, and ‘the chances are all down to ourselves’. What is evident from both sources of data is the emphasis on individuality and the phenomenon of individualisation. The students had developed the conception that individuals are essentially responsible for their own capacities and achievements.

One item in the questionnaire that was particularly relevant to the above issue is: “To what extent do you think success in finding a job depends upon the individual?” The responses to this question are presented in Table 6.3 below.

Table 6.3—To what extent do you think success in finding a job depends upon the individual?

Riverside (Public) Seaside (Private)

Percentage Percentage

It is very much down to

the individual 43% 51%

It depends on both the individual and other factors, such as family background

42% 44%

It mainly depends on other factors, such as

family background 15% 5%

It can be seen that in Riverside, the percentage of students who felt that finding a job was “very much down to the individual” is almost equivalent to those who believed “it depends on both the individual and other factors” (43% and 42% respectively). 15% of them thought it mainly depends on other factors. In Seaside, over half of the respondents indicated that they felt obtaining employment was very much affected by individual factors. 44% of the respondents deemed it to be a joint effect of the individual and other factors. Only a few students (5%) considered it was mainly down to other factors.

The previous quotes emphasising individualism and self-achievement shed light on why the respondents in each of the two colleges took the view that individual factors are paramount. Those who considered that “other factors” contributed to success in finding a job (respondents who selected “it depends on both the individual and other factors” and “it mainly depends on other factors”) were invited to select three external factors they thought were important (see Table 6.4 below).

Table 6.4—Please select three factors you think are the most important in affecting your success in finding a job

Riverside (public) Seaside (private)

Percentage Percentage

Family background 47.37% 46.94%

Family and personal

connections 77.19% 75.51%

Gender 10.53% 10.2%

Government policy 38.6% 30.61%

Job opportunities in

the region 68.42% 77.55%

The cost of living in

the region 29.82% 18.37% Employers’ attitude to employing young people 24.56% 22.45% Other factors (Please specify) 3.51% 18.37% Total 100 100

As can be seen from the above table, the three factors that were most frequently selected by the students were: “family and personal connections” (77.19% at Riverside; 75.51% at Seaside); “job opportunities in the region” (68.42% at Riverside; 77.55% at Seaside); and “family background” (47.37% at Riverside; 46.94% at Seaside). The qualitative data provides evidence on why students in these two colleges took this view and how they formed their opinions regarding the factors influencing their employment prospects in the absence of sufficient experience of the job market.