How Gen Z is building successful careers without college degrees

For years, going to college straight out of high school was the only pathway to a successful career. But the younger generation is continuing to find a new way to do things — and they're asking employers to get on board.

According to a new survey commissioned by American Student Assistance and Jobs for the Future, not only are 50% of high school graduates actively pursuing non-degree opportunities instead of going to college directly, but 70% have high confidence in their post-high school plans. Nearly all of them are satisfied with the pathway they chose. 

"We are trying to move away from the idea of traditional versus non-traditional college alternatives," says Julie Lammers, senior vice president of advocacy and corporate social responsibility at American Student Assistance. "It makes these options seem like a lesser alternative to traditional college, when we really want to talk about them as adequate paths that don't necessarily need to end in a two-or four-year degree." 

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A non-degree opportunity could refer to anything from a certificate program, apprenticeship, or other  independent education and training program. Of those who participate, nearly three in four said they felt prepared for the workforce. Non-degree opportunities have a high rate of employment, too: 65% of Gen Z report working part-or full-time, compared to 51% of young people that didn't try to pursue additional programs. 

"The opportunities are very tailored to a specific industry," Lammers explains. "For example, they're building skills specifically for healthcare in order to go work for a hospital. Young people come out of these programs with really in-depth knowledge of a very specific industry that ends up helping them perform on the job almost immediately." 

This speaks to a larger trend of questioning the necessity of four-year degrees in order to start a successful career. While proven to be a possible track toward professional success, nearly one in three non-college highschool graduates report a lack of confidence in knowing the steps they need to transition into a career. Meanwhile, 64% of Gen Z that chose college say they would have considered a different pathway if they'd known more about their options. 

Many college graduates also listed a lack of encouragement by their school as a reason they hesitated to explore non-degree options — which is where employers could potentially step in. 

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"These types of pathways are things that Gen Z increasingly wants to pursue, but there's still, in their minds, a little bit of risk about whether or not employers will accept them as quality indicators that they're ready for work," Lammers says. "We need to do more to bridge that gap between what employers are saying they want and what Gen Z wants."

Employers could start by eliminating their degree requirement altogether — a tactic that's already gaining traction in many states — or restructuring their recruiting strategies so a degree is not as important as other resume competencies. Companies could also set up apprenticeship programs and pull candidates from high school, instead of waiting for college or post-graduate internship programs. 

"It's certainly a hard effort for an employer to undertake, but it's necessary," Lammers says. "While a degree implies that you're able to finish tasks and that you have a certain amount of academic success, it doesn't necessarily translate into workplace skills and we need to be doing more in order to ensure that young people are on a path to success in employment."