Higher education has been lauded, for better or for worse, as one of the best paths to a career. This makes some sense: A significant percentage of today’s jobs require bachelor’s degrees, and workers with four-year degrees earn higher wages than those with less education experience. While more than 80 percent of students cite the prospect of a job as a critical factor in their decision to enroll in college, few feel confident once they’re enrolled in their ability to participate in the job market and the workplace (34 percent and 36 percent, respectively), according to nationally representative findings outlined in a new report by Gallup and the Strada Education Network.

Gallup and Strada reached out to students currently enrolled across 43 randomly selected colleges and universities, both public and private. The survey found that, after creating or updating a resume, students tend to use some of career centers’ least beneficial services — taking a skills test, for example — more than they do the more beneficial ones. Fewer than 20 percent of undergraduate students reach out to their school’s career centers for advice on finding jobs or finding and applying to graduate programs, both of which the recent report identifies as some of a center’s most valuable services. Often, students instead consult with friends and family members about important decisions that can determine employment, such as choosing a major.

College students’ failure to fully capitalize on their career center’s services in their pursuit of a job is not a new problem. But this tendency could help explain why so few students are confident they’ll graduate with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in the job market.

Read the full article about college students not using career services by Lolade Fadulu at The Atlantic.