The State of California is working to make state jobs more accessible by lifting some degree requirements. Many programs have also been trying to bridge the gap by uplifting career education for those who cannot afford college. While these programs are essential and could help, the state is failing to address the significant issues that make California as a whole inaccessible.
In an executive order, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for the creation of a centralized system to facilitate career education in just over a year. The goal is to expand access to employment by creating online portals for those seeking state jobs and introducing the idea of a “career passport,” which would include work skills and experience as part of one’s transcript. This order paves the way to look beyond academic grades as a part of someone’s value in the workplace by including experiences outside of the classroom. It makes room for non-traditional students, and research has suggested that expanding the job pool this way will create a more diverse workplace.
Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, in 2023, put forward legislation that would make degree requirements less common instead of the standard. In a statement supporting Assembly Bill 1693, Bauer-Kahan stated, “There is no reason for California to have an arbitrary barrier to access these good-paying jobs that benefit our state.” This bill is made even more necessary to help address worker shortages in state jobs that were exacerbated by the pandemic. Prior to the spread of COVID-19, the state job vacancy rate was below 15%, and it has increased by 5%.
However, the degree requirements are not the primary issue; the pay is. For some positions, the government pays more than the average, but not all or even most. There are also concerns that by lifting bachelor’s degree requirements, private employers will use it as an excuse to pay even less. These workers need to be paid a livable California wage. California is rated the third most expensive state in the U.S. to live in and the highest in poverty. Workers need to be paid more for these jobs to be worth taking.
Furthermore, going to college gives more than a bachelor’s degree, it gives students connections and opportunities. A major draw to the UCs is the research and internship opportunities offered exclusively to the student body. If lifting degree requirements is going to have a substantial impact, the fact that connections trump everything else needs to be addressed.
Going forward, this is not a real solution. As California faces affordable housing issues, high rates of homelessness and income disparity, lifting degree requirements is an incredibly small effort. There is a larger economic problem here that needs to be addressed. Efforts such as these need to be made in tandem with major shifts in how California governs overall.
College is an incredibly valuable experience and needs to be more accessible, but not having a college degree needs to stop being counted against people. A large portion of what college students do is theoretical, and it is not the pathway for everyone. The way college is structured means that people have to study things that do not apply to their future career path, and many specific markets require more practical experience than anything else. There must be economically feasible options for everyone, regardless of whether or not they attend college.
Despite these drawbacks and shortcomings, Newsom’s plan to include opportunities for students to learn real-life career skills for pay is a nod to the need to respect the economic roadblocks to social mobility in California. This plan has a lot of moving parts that have the potential to make an impact, but not without widespread reform. The executive order’s declaration that “Students and workers should have access to career education through systems that reduce the burdens of substantial debt and the challenges of navigating confusing bureaucracies” should have been the standard.
The order also advocated for college and career readiness as early as the ninth grade. For first-generation college students, especially, this is important. The bureaucracy surrounding college and financial aid is confusing enough without being compounded by a lack of an experienced support system. This is yet another major issue that permeates higher education and decreases universal accessibility.
California’s problems are so much bigger than college degree requirements, but it’s time to stop punishing people for being unable to attend university. The efforts to make career education programs more cohesive and accessible is a step in the right direction that is in the state’s best interest.
