Measuring the importance of job outcomes
Results confirm that work outcomes are the main reason most people chose higher education, with most reporting job and career outcomes as their primary motivation. This is true across all higher education pathways and demographic subgroups. Work outcomes are also more than double the next-most prevalent reason, with almost a quarter of students reporting a general motivation to learn more and gain knowledge without linking it to work or career aspirations.
Perhaps most significant, the survey revealed that those who start down an educational path and fail to complete it are more likely than those who completed a degree to report general aspirations for learning and knowledge as their top motivation.
