This often cited study from 2012 reported that something like only 27% of those with bachelor’s degrees were working in a field related to their major. It’s over 10 years old but there’s no reason to assume that the general broad principles don’t still apply in the modern economy.
University educations have never been intended to be mere vocational skills programs. Being able to research, read, and write critically are important broad skills that are useful in life (including in the workforce), and most jobs out in the world don’t actually require significant specialized education.
People who work in sales, management, design, logistics, event planning, contracting, marketing, advertising, finance, real estate, and things like that don’t need particular degrees to do those jobs, but most of the white collar world has degrees. There’s nothing wrong with majoring in English literature and then going into software sales, or majoring in history and going into logistics, or majoring in philosophy and becoming a journalist. It’s not like you get a free pass to stop learning once you’re in an industry, and keeping up means learning things that weren’t even known when you were in college.
It’s liberating when you realize that the choices you made at 18 don’t box you in for life. You have the flexibility to make career changes into different industries, different roles, different cities, and different employers when you realize that most jobs can be learned as you go.
And most jobs suck, so it’s worth finding something that fits your strengths and ignores your weaknesses, so that it’s just easier for you to do.
This often cited study from 2012 reported that something like only 27% of those with bachelor’s degrees were working in a field related to their major. It’s over 10 years old but there’s no reason to assume that the general broad principles don’t still apply in the modern economy.
University educations have never been intended to be mere vocational skills programs. Being able to research, read, and write critically are important broad skills that are useful in life (including in the workforce), and most jobs out in the world don’t actually require significant specialized education.
People who work in sales, management, design, logistics, event planning, contracting, marketing, advertising, finance, real estate, and things like that don’t need particular degrees to do those jobs, but most of the white collar world has degrees. There’s nothing wrong with majoring in English literature and then going into software sales, or majoring in history and going into logistics, or majoring in philosophy and becoming a journalist. It’s not like you get a free pass to stop learning once you’re in an industry, and keeping up means learning things that weren’t even known when you were in college.
It’s liberating when you realize that the choices you made at 18 don’t box you in for life. You have the flexibility to make career changes into different industries, different roles, different cities, and different employers when you realize that most jobs can be learned as you go.
And most jobs suck, so it’s worth finding something that fits your strengths and ignores your weaknesses, so that it’s just easier for you to do.