Educated but Unemployed? Why You Need Skills Beside Your Degree

"Those who study ride in carriages," goes an old Bangla saying many of us grew up with. Yet countless young people today hold good results and good degrees and still spend years looking for a job. Why are so many educated but unemployed? This article looks for the answer through the story of one good student, the latest official figures and a practical plan for learning skills alongside your degree. The core idea comes from an old article by entrepreneur and digital marketer Sultan Muhammad Rashed, updated for today.

The story of a good student

Since childhood, he focused on nothing but his studies. Sport, hobbies, time with friends: he gave them all up, believing that if he studied hard, one day he would become something great. But as the years passed, that "one day" never came.

Rahim, who sat on the back bench, is now a father of two with a peaceful home. Karim, who failed in class nine, now runs a business with many people working for him. And the good student? He is past 30, his pocket barely covers coaching fees and food, and marriage feels like a dream. Every time he hopes, he is disappointed. Day by day he grows quieter.

The story is fictional, but we all know these characters. So where is the problem? The answer: there is nothing wrong with studying; what goes wrong is studying and learning nothing else. As the English saying goes, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." If all of your time goes into exams, this kind of disappointment is almost bound to come one day.

What the numbers say about graduate unemployment

Combining analyses by several news outlets and a research institute of the latest annual Labour Force Survey report by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) (2024 data, released in September 2025), the picture looks like this:

The numbers make one thing clear: a degree does not guarantee a job. Competition is rising, and many people still look for work mainly through personal contacts rather than by showing their skills.

The real causes of graduate unemployment

1. A skills mismatch

In the analysis of Fahmida Khatun, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), a major cause is the skills mismatch: a wide gap between what the market needs and what graduates have. Many hold certificates without quality education or courses aligned with the market. So on one side there are unemployed graduates, and on the other, vacancies that go unfilled.

2. Preparing only for exams

We learn to pass exams, not to work. Writing an email, giving a presentation, keeping accounts in a spreadsheet, talking to customers: these practical skills often sit outside the syllabus.

3. Zero work experience

Employers often ask, "What can you do, and where is the proof?" Without an internship, part-time work or a project of your own during your studies, that question is hard to answer.

4. Ego about "small jobs"

Many highly educated people struggle to accept a low-paid first job or a small business of their own. Yet look around and you will see people selling fruit from a van or running a snack stall, and many of them earn well. If education creates an ego that keeps a person away from work, it weakens them from the inside. Any honest work deserves respect.

Degree vs skills: a few hard truths

A few lines from Sultan Muhammad Rashed that sum up the issue:

• Without real work experience, it hardly matters whether you studied at Oxford or learned on the streets of Gulistan.
• A degree makes the first impression, but income comes from experience.
• Certificates hang on the wall; skills bring in money.
• In real life nobody asks where you studied; everyone wants to know what you can do.
• Ten certificates are worth little if you can't solve a single problem.
• A degree without skills is like an expensive locked phone: nice to look at, useless in practice.
• Learning matters, but earning starts with applying.

This does not mean a degree has no value. A degree opens many doors. But once you are through the door, skills are what keep you there.

Which skills to learn alongside your degree

Don't try to learn everything at once. Match your subject, your interest and local demand, choose one skill and become truly good at it.

A practical 90-day plan

1. First 2 weeks: choose. Research 2-3 skills, check which ones job ads ask for most, then settle on one.
2. First 2 months: learn 1-2 hours a day. Build the basics with good free courses and tutorials. Take the time from your phone's screen time.
3. Apply as you learn. A Facebook page for a local shop, a design for a local organisation, the accounts of a friend's small business: do 3 small jobs for free or a small fee.
4. Third month: portfolio and visibility. Collect your work samples in one place, add them to your CV and create a professional profile. For advice on personal branding and career planning, you can look at Sultan Muhammad Rashed's articles and consulting services on his website.
5. First step to earning. Part-time work, an internship, a freelance project or your own small venture: start with whichever comes first. Even a small first income builds confidence.

Don't just wait for a job: your own venture

Not everyone has to become an entrepreneur. But instead of waiting years for a job, many young people now start small ventures alongside their studies: selling clothes, food or handicrafts online, or offering services from home. Check demand first, start small with little capital and keep your accounts separate. To run an online shop, a ready platform such as eCommerce Autopilot, which handles the website, orders, courier and payments in one place, takes the technical hassle away so you can focus on products and customers.

A word for parents

Give your children's skills the same importance as their results. Encourage them to learn computers, a language or a craft during holidays, and give them small responsibilities. The pressure of "just study, nothing else" can leave young people unprepared for real life.

Final word

Keep studying and finish your degree, but don't make it your only hope. Starting today, give a little time each day to one earning skill, use it on real work, and learn to respect any honest job. A young person who follows this advice and keeps moving forward will, God willing, never have to sit in disappointment.