<p>I pretty much agree with this
Don't</a> Let Your Kids Study These Majors - Yahoo! Education</p>
<p>I don’t. We don’t need a gazillion people in the don’t majors but we need some. None of the do majors appeal to me- too business-y or education. You have to look at aptitude and interest as well as the job outlook. College is for an education, not just job skills. Those who major in something less ideal for jobs need to have a work after college plan. That second major, perhaps.</p>
<p>The world is made up of more than freaks and geeks.
I always encourage people to pursue their interests. Possess tangible & marketable skills as well, but do what you love.</p>
<p>What a dopey article. Architecture at least is one job that will never be outsourced. Is it underpaid? Sure. But if you specialize in renovation work instead of brand new buildings you are pretty much recession proof.</p>
<p>Never going to be rich…but really…if you want live musicians at an event, that’s hard to outsource. </p>
<p>I think the article looks at one facet…where the MOST jobs are now. Sorry…but neither of my kids would be good elementary school teachers (at my old school we got over 300 applications for EACH opening!), or finance professionals. </p>
<p>As noted upstream, we need some of all.</p>
<p>There is like a 3 year hiring freeze on elementary ed (other than SPED) in NYC.</p>
<p>“The real reason why so many students who study the humanities are having a tough time is because their professors seldom teach them to how to recognize and tap into the real-world practicality of their intelligence and skill the same way that professors of professional schools aim to do.”</p>
<p>Part of this is due to the fact that most of those professors have spent their entire professional lives within the bounds of the academic community. Many of them truly don’t know how a degree in their field of study could translate into a career that is not closely allied to that field of study.</p>
<p>Wow, my major was anthro and my grad degree was theology. S1 is into Fine Arts and Math and is considering architecure. I agree with previous posts re. elementary education, at least in our area teachers have been hit hard by hiring freezes.</p>
<p>Also an interesting point: I have read elsewhere that lawyers are in surplus. Yet a NYTimes article had a story on a current crisis , a lack of legal service in rural areas where there are simply no lawyers to be found. So…a grain of salt.</p>
<p>As the mother of many children, all young adults and teens, I have not had the privilege of pushing my kids into any major, and have been on my knees just praying they get through college in 4 years with ANY major. Just get that degree, please, I beg you, is where I was and probably will be again. It’s all well and good if you can get your kid into this program or other. I have one that just got turned down for a program/major due to gpa not high enough. He’s doing all right, just not good enough, is happy at his school, life is good,–should I make him transfer to a school that will take him in that major that would pretty much ensure a job vs his general liberal arts bent which is going to make finding a good paying job difficult? I don’t think so. Sometimes the choices are not all based on pragmatism. I know many who dropped premed majors, not because they decided they did not want to go to med school and become a doctor, but because they bombed the courses and their chances of getting into med school. The reality then becomes getting them through college, with a degree and no major mental breakdowns and avoiding toxic, tense situations. Not a subject I can write an article about with stats and proof, but I’ve seen it and lived in for the last too many years.</p>
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<p>Thank you for this comment, which places the article in some context.</p>
<p>However, the article itself just feeds the myth that unless you major in engineering, nursing or accounting, you are going to end up living under a bridge. It’s true that liberal arts majors have to think carefully about how to market themselves after college and build some relevant real-world experience in industries they might want to work in. But a world where everyone took a pre-professional major would be a much poorer place in all respects.</p>
<p>And I also have to add, along with others, that in my area there are no jobs at all for elementary school teachers. It’s a disaster.</p>
<p>Just because your kid gets a degree in engineering,doesn’t mean he/she will want to WORK in that field! Just saying!</p>
<p>My oldest has an undergrad in biology & a Masters of Arts in education.
She did not look for a classroom position and is working in education. In more of the administrative end in the northwest. I think like any field it depends on your skill set.</p>
<p>Yahoo is a joke, telling people to study Business Admin and Management, really? Compared other business majors its job prospects are dreadful.</p>
<p>So much of this advice is based on the state of the economy at the moment, without any projections for the future. For example, architecture is a bad choice because of, “the collapse of the construction industry during the recession.” Okay, but will we be building again in four years when the student graduates?</p>
<p>The advice to major in elementary education is similarly problematic. While there should be growth down the road, job availability will vary by region and by specialty. [K-5</a> teacher overload: Too many trained, not enough jobs](<a href=“http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/18/oversupply-elementary-education/1917569/]K-5”>K-5 teacher overload: Too many trained, not enough jobs)</p>
<p>I’m glad that Mr. Reynaldo showed up to clarify things, but I for one am sick and tired of reading stupid articles like this one.</p>
<p>We’ve had this discussion over and over, and over and over some of us have said that people should study what they love but think carefully about how they might make a satisfying living, making sure to have internships and/or volunteer activities and experiences that can be put on a resume and show how their skills can be applied. And don’t go into big debt!</p>
<p>There is nothing new here, just the usual short-sighted education bad/job training good garbage.</p>
<p>Liberal Arts majors are fine, especially for the people that intend to go to graduate school. I do not have any general rule re UG degrees when I hire, but I do look at UG majors and I value humanities majors and science majors over business majors. (Everyone that I interview has a graduate degree, however.)</p>
<p>The article is somewhat simplistic. Succesful job applicants bring a lot more to the table than an undergraduate degree. I look at their work experience and the ability to handle an interview more than an UG major.</p>
<p>Suggesting someone major in elementary ed for the job prospects is bad advice, IMO. It’s hard to get a job in that field in a lot of areas of the country. Some of the few jobs available require other skills, such as fluency in certain foreign languages. It’s also not a field which employers in other fields value all that much. </p>
<p>Philosophy on the other hand is a well-respected major. It’s common for philosophy majors to go on to law school–though I admit law school isn’t a good bet right now. I don’t think an employer is less likely to hire a philosophy major than a history or poli sci major.</p>