In fact, there are so many degree holders, that a lot of employers now require degrees for jobs that can be done with a high school education. It helps them cut down the number of resumes to go through while eliminating only the now very small number of people who are smart but didn’t go to college.

I don’t see what “fair” or “right” have to do with this. Economics is always about almost everybody doing what’s in his or her own best interest, with a few philanthropists doing something different, and it has always been this way. It may be unfortunate for you. Realistically, people at all levels of academic ability are getting better incomes now than they were in the past. It’s just that in the past only the very best students (maybe the top 10-20%) went onto higher education. The top 10-20% still do very well in the job market. It’s just that now the top 50-70% in some parts of the country are getting degrees.

Don’t get discouraged, though. Remember, you need both experience and education, and your resume is much more likely to earn a second look if you have the degree than if you only have the experience. Also, think carefully about how you can use your classes and extracurricular activities to fill the skill sets employers are looking for (like leadership and computer skills).

IMO the reason why many current bachelor’s graduates have a hard time getting jobs is because either a) they lack the epxerience the employer is looking for, while the person next to them, who doesn’t have any degrees, does have several years of the experience needed, b) the students continue to stall said needed experience by jumping straight into a Master’s right after their bachelor’s, or c) the students obtained their bachelor’s in an impractical major that doesn’t appeal to many hiring employers (i.e. an anthropological studes degree, or a sociology degree, or a political science degree, etc).

Most of my business professors have constantly stressed to their students to avoid going into a Master’s right after college until they’ve been at least 2 or 3 years into their career, so that they build the needed experience on their resume and make themselves so much more appealing. It’s just a sign of the times that this is definitely an employer’s market, with the company’s being able to pick and choose whom they deem most valuable to their organization, and because of that a one-two combo of a degree (at least a bachelor’s) with added experience will always win. Hope this helps.

But what do they mean by experience? For an entry-level job, they’d want you to have done something in school which you can show as being somehow related to the job you’re applying for. That can include part-time work, co-ops, internships, volunteer work, work with clubs, all sorts of things.

And this sort of experience doesn’t just look good on your resume. It’s also good for you, personally. For example, in school, I thought I wanted to be a graphic designer – that is, until I did my first internship. Realised very quickly that, although I loved doing design, I hated doing it with a client or boss looking down my back. So I changed paths.

So it’s not too late. If you don’t have any experience in the field you hope to enter, you can get it now. Say, you want to do Public Relations or marketing when you graduate. Join a club, and volunteer to do such work for them. Go to your career/internship office and try to get a placement. Make sure that you have something that you can put on a resume – preferably, several somethings, that you believe are somewhat related. Heck, for customer service jobs, often retail or waitstaff experience will do it. There are all sort of options. Now that you’re aware of what most employers are seeking, you have a chance to add it to your resume and make yourself a more attractive candidate.