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<p>Rising and falling enrollments in response to short term labor market conditions is not unique to CS (consider civil engineering and architecture in the most recent economic downturn). Students and parents need to realize that four years is a long time when it comes to economic and industry cycles. One should be aware of job and career prospects associated with one’s choice of major, but use caution to note cyclical trends over time to avoid unpleasant surprises.</p>
<p>Obviously, job and career prospects should not be the only reason to choose a major, but awareness can help avoid unpleasant surprises at graduation time (“$xxx,xxx in debt and no job”). It would not be surprising if biology majors are most likely to encounter this type of letdown, since there seems to be a general assumption that “STEM major => good job at graduation” which is not really safe to assume for biology.</p>