Tomorrow’s Talent: Is the next generation prepared for the future?

ASHLAND — Brennen Nalley always loved video games as a youngster. 

“I think I learned more from video games in terms of critical thinking, problem solving and learning how to read… than I did in school,” Nalley said. 

So, it made sense he chose to complete a degree in computer science at Ashland University. He graduated in five years, leaving school with a job as an IT technician at Charles River Laboratories.

He likes the job, but it wasn’t his first intended career path. Instead, when Nalley first started college, he attended Ohio Northern University as part of its pharmacy program. It took him about a year and a half to figure out the right fit.

Nalley’s experience — of starting in one degree pathway and wanting to switch — isn’t unique.

In fact, a 2022 Cengage survey found at least 50% of those who earned college degrees had “second thoughts about the program they were studying for.” Unlike Nalley, though, respondents struggled with feelings that they were too late to make a switch. 

Only a quarter of respondents in that national survey said they would’ve followed the same path if given the chance for a do-over. 

Not only are college graduates uncertain about their degrees, but many also struggle with feelings they aren’t prepared for the workplace, or that skills they’ve gained upon graduation might not be fully applicable to their career fields. 

An abundance of choices makes it challenging for young people to find the career path that fits them best.

Flooded with options

For people like Nalley coming out of college today, job options and opportunities are wider than ever. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the unemployment rate for young people sits at its lowest in 70 years.

This data shows the unemployment rate in general, versus the unemployment rate for 16-19 year olds and 20-24 year olds. The Economic Policy Institute highlighted the unemployment rate for young people sitting at its lowest in 70 years in May of 2023.

In April of 2023, the unemployment rate for 16-19 year olds sat at 9.3%, while for 20-24 year olds, it was at 5.4%. As of April 2024, the unemployment rate for 16-19 year olds stood at 11.7%, and at 6.7% for 20-24 year olds. The current rates still remain among the lowest since 1954.

Touby McCammon, president and CEO of the College Planning Alliance, works with students and families as they make choices about the future every day. 

In his experience, students and families struggle with topics like financial planning and comparing themselves to others as they look toward the future.

“If your parents went to college, they might have a choice of 30 to 40 or 50 majors,” McCammon said. “Now, colleges have 300, 400, 500 majors.”

McCammon said the challenge for students today can be wading through all the noise to discover their passions and talents. Doing that, though, is key to unlocking one’s future potential. 

Monetizing one’s talent and passions should be the goal, McCammon said. It remains the same whether students attend college or enter the workforce straight out of high school.

But challenges persist even after they’ve waded through options and found what fits. Today’s young adults and their employers are navigating challenges with communication, technology and attendance.

Communication challenges

McCammon said communication serves as a point of disconnect between young people and potential employers.

“Thirty years ago, if you wanted to play a game, you had to go over to your friend’s house,” McCammon said. “You had to introduce yourself to their parents. You had to actually have a conversation with adults. I do find that’s probably more lacking in a student today.

“They never had to, and the vernacular is different. Even the writing is different, because most students don’t have to write emails. They just text.” 

In conversations with high school students in Ashland, Knox and Richland counties, students pointed to their familiarity with technology as a double-edged sword. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, they appreciated technology for keeping them connected.

But growing up with social media and technology has impacted the way they prefer to interact. Teens that spoke to this reporter said they are more likely to text, but still prefer speaking face-to-face for important conversations. 

Several attendees at a Knox County Chamber of Commerce event, “A Cross Generational Workforce,” talked about the challenges those preferences posed for them. 

Attendees, most of whom ran offices of employees, said the younger generation communicates in a more fragmented manner. They also expressed a perceived lack of professionalism, and said they view Gen Z as communicating more “informally.”

Vicky Kothari, a retired accountant and lawyer, ran Knox County’s training. She emphasized that communication differences tend to come down to differences in perception. 

In her opinion, struggles with communication don’t necessarily indicate a lack of preparedness with Gen Z. Instead, it comes down to something more simple: not everybody communicates the same way. 

Still, Kothari said, it’s important to learn how to effectively communicate with others, even when their style differs from your own. Preparing for that — on both the employer and employee sides — is important for the future, Kothari told event attendees.

Attendance woes

Beyond communication, difficulties schools are facing have created concern for some employers.

David Lance, a guidance counselor at Loudonville High School, said he exposes students to future career opportunities by bringing employers into the school. 

Companies like Kokosing Construction and Adena Corporation offer presentations to his students regularly, he said. 

According to Lance, one of the most common topics employers speak with his students about is their attendance. 

“Different large corporations come in and they’ll say, ‘I’m not as concerned about your grade as I am your attendance history,’” Lance said. “If you find a reason not to come to school, you’ll probably find a reason not to come to work.”

Schools nationally, statewide and locally are battling chronic absenteeism. That designation happens when students miss 10% of the hours in a school year.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of chronic absenteeism rose dramatically. Missing that much school impacts students far beyond the classroom.

Studies show that, in the long term, chronic absenteeism is linked to higher dropout rates, adverse health outcomes and poverty in adulthood.

For employers, absenteeism can also pose a financial burden. 

Circadian, a Canadian workforce solutions organization, found that unscheduled employee absences cost U.S. employers $3,600 per hourly employer per year. For salaried employees, it costs $2,650 per employee per year.

Beyond costs, absenteeism can also result in lost productivity and excess staffing, Circadian found.

Figuring out the future

Bridging the gap between employers and their employees on communication and technology, along with improving attendance in both school and the workplace, remain important for the future workforce.

Still, in McCammon’s work with the College Planning Alliance, he said struggles with preparing for what lies ahead don’t necessarily have to be so big.

The advice he offers parents is to have honest conversations with their children about the future, and to do it early.

That way, students can wade through options and focus on tackling the challenges they’ll meet once they enter the workforce.

That type of conversation is one that helped Landon Davis, an Ashland High School senior, feel ready to tackle his next step.

… I know that the educators and advisers here at AHS have always pushed their students to say, ‘OK, where is that next rung on that ladder?’

Landon Davis, Ashland High School Student

Davis plans to attend The Ohio State University next year, and will study visual communication design. But for him, college wasn’t a foregone conclusion. Even his current plan looked different at the beginning of his senior year. 

Davis knew visual arts were his passion. He spent much of his time at Ashland High School working under Cameron Dedrick, the visual arts teacher. Davis also interned with the Ashland City Schools district, helping produce advertisements and the high school’s senior video. 

At the start of his senior year, Davis wanted to go to a private art school in Sarasota, Florida. He hoped the move would offer him more independence. 

Then, his dad sat him down for one of those honest conversations — the type McCammon said are so important. 

Davis said his dad laid out a pathway with a school that might be more realistic. Davis’ dad then guided him as he navigated majors, schedules and started to build connections at Ohio State. 

The key to the conversation, he said, was that he didn’t feel his dad pushing him in any direction. Instead, he felt supported in what he wanted to do. Davis knew his dad was looking to help him find success.

“He basically has been holding my hand this entire college process and just helping me to make this next period of my life super comfortable,” Davis said. 

As a result, Davis feels prepared for it.

He’s nervous about the newfound independence college will offer. But, his work with Ashland’s media arts program has offered him skills. He noted drive, work ethic and curiosity as traits he thinks will help him in the future.

“At the end of the day, there’s always something more that you could be doing,” Davis said. “I know that the educators and advisers here at AHS have always pushed their students to say, ‘OK, where is that next rung on that ladder?’”