Nowadays, in the pursuit of better career opportunities, some argue that graduating from university is the best way to get a job. In contrast, others believe that what is more important when seeking employment is practical experience and polishing soft skills. Although both factors are important, I largely agree with the latter view that the development of soft skills is more necessary to pursue a good career. The reason is that while the requirements of job hunting vary across different occupations, polishing soft skills is more important in almost all occupations in which communication is necessary.
To begin with, some areas, such as sales or management, consider developing soft skills more important than a university degree. In particular, sales representatives are required to have developed communication skills to build good relationships with their customers. In other words, those with polished soft skills can highlight them to employers. For instance, superior communication skills are often among the most important skills in securing desirable career opportunities in Japan.
Indeed, academic credentials are significant in professions such as doctors, lawyers, researchers, or engineers, because extensive academic knowledge is among the most important things for such occupations. However, employers consider soft skills as one of the important criteria in hiring professionals. As an example, engineers are required to have excellent communication and teamwork skills to collaborate with their team members. This implies that practical experiences and soft skills are significant in some professional occupations as well.
In conclusion, while academic credentials play an important role in the pursuit of some specialized occupations, soft skills, especially communication skills, are more important in almost all occupations. Therefore, I believe that developing soft skills is instrumental in securing good career opportunities than academic credentials, because of their universal importance.