Soft skills. Professional skills. Essential skills. Whatever you call them, one thing is clear: skills like teamwork, communication, leadership, customer service, and problem-solving are more important than ever. Technology is quickly changing the way we work. Automation is eliminating routine tasks, while artificial intelligence is giving low-skilled jobs the boot. While software and coding languages can change before a student graduates, soft skills such as creativity, adaptability, and collaboration will be valuable forever. Despite employers and educators alike acknowledging that soft skills are not nice-to-haves, recent grads are facing major barriers preventing them from developing the key skills needed for success. If current and future generations of entry-level employees are ill-equipped for the workplace…well, let’s just say it won’t bode well for the future of work or education.