Make Yourself Indispensable: Skills Employers Desperately Need to Succeed in the Knowledge Economy

Abstract

Many college graduates find themselves underemployed or even unemployed because they lack necessary skills. Moreover, many firms are finding it difficult to thrive, or even survive, in the knowledge economy because they have not hired the right kind of employees. This paper describes six basic skills students need to acquire in order to become indispensable to any organization in today’s fast-changing business environment.

Keywords: Skills, liberal arts education, college majors, critical thinking, adaptability, communication skills, creative thinking, collaboration, curiosity, life-long learning, and character.

JEL Classification: A22, A23