Browsing by Author "Fernström, Pinja"

The point of interest to this thesis is university studies and the impact they have on future employ- ment and societal status. Previous research has shown, that the meaning of education has changed in relation to employment. Nowadays, to be competitive in search of an employment one must educate oneself continuously. In this thesis I analyse the meanings given by university students to their stud- ies and the societal impact they have. I analyse my topic with the concepts of neoliberalism, cognitive capitalism and human capital. I consider neoliberalism as a zeitgeist that affects societal and personal activity. Knowledge and skills (human capital) are being collected for personal benefit. This could be described as a new form of capitalism, otherwise called cognitive capitalism. Four university students have been interviewed for this research. Discourse analysis has been used to examine the material from semi-structured interviews. University studies formed to bare great meaning, but didn’t guarantee an employment. Along with studies, students made all sorts of other activities, with which to prove to be an active citizen. This was often done to the detriment of one’s own wellbeing. It could also be read from the material, that the possibility for the collection of skills and knowledge was not equal in society. Education appeared to have an influence on inequality.