Sonny Perdue: College still pays. We can’t afford to pretend otherwise.

Credit: handout

Credit: handout

Palantir may find a few unicorns, but the real test isn’t in hiring them. It’s in keeping them. Because what colleges develop isn’t only technical know-how. It’s critical thinking, teamwork and adaptability — traits employers rank as more important than any single technical skill. The demand for those abilities is already increasing. Within six years, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce estimates 72% of jobs will require some form of postsecondary education or training, up from approximately 68% in 2021. The percentage of jobs requiring at least a bachelor’s degree is also on the rise, estimated to reach 42% by 2031.

That’s not a projection you can dismiss with a catchy headline or a contrarian hiring strategy. Artificial intelligence is transforming every sector of the economy, and its impact on the workforce is undeniable. Tomorrow’s graduates won’t just use AI, but will need to know how to prompt it effectively and connect it to real-world applications. That’s the next frontier of problem-solving, and it demands the same critical thinking and adaptability that a college education provides. There’s a bigger piece often missing from the debate: readiness for the workplace doesn’t happen by accident. It grows out of culture. And culture — whether in a company or a college — determines whether people succeed.

Recently, during our university system’s Ethics Awareness Week, former Synovus CEO Jimmy Blanchard reminded us why culture matters. His philosophy was simple: You can’t expect good work from a bad work environment. At Synovus, during his tenure, leaders focused on hiring managers they themselves would work for. That wasn’t simply a hiring preference; it was a standard of leadership and accountability.

The same principle applies to colleges. A culture of fairness, responsibility and shared purpose doesn’t just help employees thrive; it helps students persist. In Georgia, our institutions more than ever are using data and predictive analytics to identify early signs that a student may be struggling, allowing advisers to intervene before a temporary challenge becomes a permanent setback. That’s not bureaucracy. That’s how you change lives.

Enrollment isn’t a vanity metric; it’s the foundation for everything that follows. Getting students in the door is important, but keeping them there and guiding them to graduation is where the real work happens. The record number of degrees awarded across Georgia this year reflects the effort happening inside classrooms, advising offices and campus communities every day.

Let’s be clear about why this matters beyond campus. According to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia, a bachelor’s degree from Georgia’s public colleges and universities boosts lifetime earnings by more than $1.4 million. That’s not a talking point. That’s a generational advantage. It’s why the debate over whether college “still pays” feels disconnected from reality. The evidence is already in.

A degree isn’t only a piece of paper. It’s four years of learning how to “figure it out,” culminating in what I call an FIO degree. It’s also a crash course in learning how to “get stuff done,” otherwise known as a degree in GSD. Those phrases may sound lighthearted, but they reflect something serious. When you do things right, college students graduate with effective communication skills, the ability to navigate complex situations and the flexibility to think on their feet. Those are the abilities today’s employers need, especially as the share of jobs requiring higher education continues to rise.

Employers don’t want team members who need step-by-step instructions. They want people who can solve problems, resolve conflicts, collaborate and innovate. And with nearly half of all jobs soon requiring at least a bachelor’s degree, that kind of preparation isn’t optional — it’s the baseline.

Georgia’s public campuses understand this responsibility. They’re not ignoring skepticism around higher ed; they’re responding to it. They’re aligning programs with workforce needs, closing knowledge gaps and using data to keep students on track. They’re ensuring that a degree is not only attainable but also valuable.

Despite the critics, college is not an outdated luxury. It’s a public good. A workforce engine. A pipeline of high-skilled talent that keeps Georgia the best place in the nation to do business.

None of that happens without our campus presidents, faculty and staff doing the quiet, unglamorous work of helping students succeed. That’s the culture that sets public higher education apart. It’s rooted in service, responsibility and the belief that doing right means educating everyone.

College still pays. It still matters. And for the sake of our economy, our communities and the next generation of leaders, we can’t afford to pretend otherwise.

Sonny Perdue, the 81st governor of Georgia and 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, is chancellor of the University System of Georgia.

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