Article Abstract 2

Getting a college degree is supposed to be a ticket to a better future. However, for most of the students who are completing their graduation, they do not see it as an accomplishment; rather, this has become a source of their deep anxiety. This anxiety develops from the fear of educational mismatch. i.e., they may end up in a job that does not require or may not suit their hard-earned skills. The aim of this paper aims to explore this anticipated post-education fear. We use information collected from 237 college students in Kolkata, West Bengal and using an Ordered Logistic model, measure how severe students expect their labour market mismatch to be before they even graduate. The findings of the paper point out that not only what the student studies matters, but also who they are matters more. A degree in a technical field from a top-tier college or university acts as a confidence booster against such anxiety. Further, the most powerful safety net for the students is their families social capital. Having parents with formal/ salaried jobs significantly reduced their fear of failure or future worries, while those students who are firstgeneration learners are highly vulnerable. The findings also point out a harsh reality from intersectional analyses. The students who belong to the religious minority group, like Muslims, are anticipating higher level of mismatch, and this becomes amplified for Muslim women. This reflects a painful, intuitive awareness of structural barriers in the urban job market of Kolkata. Moreover, we find that there is a commuters’ penalty. Those students who are commuting from peri-urban areas have to suffer in terms of disconnection from city networking hubs, as well as the opportunity cost of commuting. Finally, our findings shows that merely expanding access to higher education does not level the playing field for all. To truly help these students, policymakers must look beyond just handing out degrees. We need to build formal mentorship networks for first-generation learners and create targeted placement corridors to help marginalised women bridge the gap between college and a meaningful career.
Keywords: Educational Mismatch, Labour Market Transition, Social Capital, Religious Marginalization, Higher Education, Youth Employment