Parents still place much importance on prestigious degrees, recruiters less so

IT is often said that parents want the best for their child. But how far would they be willing to go to ensure that their child attends a recognized university? Some might be willing to go as far as altering their child's genome, according to a recent American study.

Thirty-eight percent of Americans would agree to test their embryos before in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to select those with a high chance of being accepted into a world-renowned university. Another 28% said they would be willing to modify their embryo's genes if it would ensure that their child would go to Harvard, Stanford, Princeton or Columbia.

This opinion poll, conducted by bioethics researchers, reveals that willingness to genetically modify human embryos to improve their academic abilities is more frequent among people under age 35 and among individuals with at least a university degree. A phenomenon that could accentuate certain social inequalities, as Michelle N. Meyer, one of the authors of the study, stated on Twitter.

To date, there are no such tests commercially available for embryos. However, some biotechnology companies do offer couples the possibility of examining the genome of their embryos in order to choose the gender of their future child, or to make sure that the child doesn't carry genetic mutations that cause serious diseases.

These analyses make it possible to calculate a "polygenic score" for each individual, and to estimate their predisposition -- greater or lesser -- for everything from achieving academic success and having a high IQ to developing Huntington's disease or another condition. A technique decried by many specialists in human genetics.

Diplomas - one criterion among many for recruiters

The results of this study, published in the journal Science, show to what extent future parents value higher education. The results reinforce the idea that a college degree is gold in the US, even if it can cost tens of thousands of dollars to get one. Europeans aged 15 to 34 are much more skeptical about the value of higher education.

Only 45% of young working people consider that their degrees help them a lot in their jobs, according to the 2016 Employment survey conducted by INSEE. Conversely, 33% consider them to be very little useful, or even useless.

A view shared by many business leaders and recruiters, who are increasingly taking into account work experience, the famous "soft skills" (interpersonal and organizational skills) and "mad skills" during the recruitment process.

Some 75% of recruiters say they attach importance to "large-scale personal projects" when reading a resume, according to a 2019 Indeed survey. A degree is now seen as just one criterion among others in getting a job, and no longer as the Holy Grail that opens any professional door for its holder.

This new approach to recruiting could help make the labor market more diverse and inclusive, according to Joseph Fuller, professor of management at Harvard Business School and co-director of the Managing the Future of Work project.

"If we want to increase equity in the labor market, one important way to do it is by removing barriers to well-paying jobs -- and there's no question that in recent years, one of those barriers has been inflated degree requirements," he wrote in the Harvard Business Review.

"A successful reset will represent a win-win: previously overlooked workers will be able to pursue attractive career pathways, even without a four-year degree, and companies will be better able to fill jobs that need filling." It could also help discourage some parents from wanting to alter their future child's genome to ensure that they get a top-rated education.