Carreras extensas y problemas de inserción en Ingeniería

This article seeks to relate the interruptions and extension of the university studies with the lack of interest in obtaining the degree within the corresponding time, on the one hand, and, on the other, with the conditions of employment and the characteristics of the industry sectors where these professionals are demanded. The delay in obtaining the degree seems to go against the requests for a profession like civil engineering, since its practice requires a degree due to the liability it implies. The study of engineers’ story lives allows to identify three interrelated factors that explain the educational paths with periods of interruptions, the extent of the careers longer than the average and unsatisfactory professional experiences. The first factor is of an educational and institutional character, while the second one relates to the economic context and the labor market. Both of them have an impact on the third factor: the depreciation of the qualifications. This last one means that assuring the obtainment of the degree is not reflected in significant achievements at work and the degree does not guarantee a defined position in the professional labor market.