While some degrees look interesting in the brochure, the job market sees them very differently, and it turns out that some degrees are nowhere near as impressive.
The fieldwork trap
Anthropology sounds useful. It involves studying humans, and well, every workplace has humans, so it seems like it’d be a good choice. But maybe not. There are very few jobs that specifically look for people with an anthropology or archaeology degree.
On average, there are only 800 openings a year in these fields. That’s it. But it gets worse. Anthropology has the highest unemployment rate for recent grads, according to the New York Fed. Somehow, studying people doesn’t sound worthwhile.
The portfolio problem
Anyone who’s genuinely talented might benefit from doing a fine arts degree. Employers don’t really care, though. They’d rather hire someone who’s got the work and the portfolio.
Someone with the clients and the proof that they can make products worth selling? They’re more valuable.
A fine arts degree might help, sure, but it’s not going to carry the whole thing. It’s the skills themselves that really count here.
The audition wall
It’s brutally simple. The hiring process for performing arts jobs involves performing right now, in a room, better than the next person. That’s it. You might think a degree will help with that, and sure, it can be good for your training.Â
But it doesn’t make the audition easier. Employers are looking at your ability to actually, you know, perform, rather than something on a piece of paper. Anyone who can’t do that is going to struggle.
The too-wide lane
Yes, a liberal arts or general studies degree is going to make you seem well-rounded. What’s wrong with that? A lot, really. Employers aren’t searching for a well-rounded person with thoughts because that’s way too vague. They want Excel. They want bookkeeping and coding.
They want practical skills, verifiable skills, things that you can prove you have. Broad majors don’t do that. You show an employer that you can learn lots of things, great, but what kind of value is that? Not much.
The gallery squeeze
You learn a lot in an art history degree. You get to grips with museums and learn about paintings, all that stuff. That doesn’t always translate into something useful, though, and the job market itself is pretty small.
Most people with art history degrees end up as museum workers, if they’re lucky enough to get a job at all. Art history isn’t going to get you an open seat in a regular company. Maybe you should think about something else.
The narrow calling
Religious studies degrees can be meaningful, of course, and employers usually get that. They just don’t know what to do with it. A bank isn’t looking for someone who’s trained in scripture, nor is a software company. Church history doesn’t matter to them.
There are some more obvious jobs, like in the church or schools. But you’re not going to get employed off a religious studies degree alone. No, you’re going to need some extra credentials to really stand out.
The shrinking newsroom
You can work anywhere. At least, that’s what a communications and mass media degree seems to tell people. But then work gets complicated. Your employer asks for experience with six tools and seven platforms, not a degree in media.
You’ve got to have actual skills. A degree like this one can be useful, but employers would rather hire someone who’s got a track record. You know, someone who has proven they can get an audience. Not someone who’s only studied media in the classroom.
The unclear job title
Hiring managers usually struggle with gender studies and cultural studies degrees. They know these courses can help people become better readers and writers. What else, though? How is understanding identity and history going to help in a plain job with plain requirements?
There are only a few jobs you can get into with this kind of degree. You could be an HR assistant. Maybe a policy analyst. A teacher too, perhaps. However, you’ll really have to prove yourself useful, and a gender studies degree isn’t going to do that.
The badge confusion
Uniforms and courts. Prisons and investigations. That’s what a criminal justice degree sounds like it’s going to get you. But employers are looking for more than a certificate. They want to hire through tests. They want real training.
You can use a degree to help you talk the language, yet it’s not going to beat a clean record. It certainly won’t beat a passed exam. Worse still, 60% of recent criminal justice grads are actually underemployed. What a nasty surprise.
The summer-job label
The real issue with parks, recreation, and leisure studies is the branding problem. It’s too cheerful. Employers assume someone with that kind of degree knows about day camps and sports leagues. But not much else.
You can’t really apply that sort of knowledge to many jobs, and that’s the problem here. It’s not going to give you an advantage.
The Capitol Hill dream
There’s something so proper and grown-up about a political science degree. It kind of helps a little. But once you hit the job market, you’ll realize that the degree is more of a stepping stone than anything permanent.Â
Campaign work is what employers want. Policy writing and internships, too, instead of something you’ve got from university. You might know Congress inside out. But can you actually apply any of that knowledge to something real?
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
