Howard Covitz on the Role of Education in the Economy

This one is by Howard Covitz – second one of the day!

————-

Over-education.
In the very chaotic system we have in the U.S. of matching people to careers, there is inevitably some element of mismatch. There is concurrently a mantra that more education is better, if not a panacea, and of course, globalization is supposed to mean workers in the United States will move to being Knowledge Workers. With this in mind, consider the implications of a Dutch study which, if I am to interpret it correctly, concludes that you are a happier and better worker if you are in a job for which you are undereducated for, than if in one for which you are overeducated.

The study summarizes,

This adds to the relevance of preventing overeducation, and shows that being employed above one’s level of education contributes to workers’ cognitive resilience.

I was alerted to this study by the observations at Limits of Education.

——

This one was by Howard Covitz.