What is the most worthless college major?

Anything in the liberal arts category is "useless". English majors have the lowest unemployment rate of all majors, but do you consider working at Starbucks true employment (how many actually use their degree). If you are a parent and you let your kid go to college to major in anything in liberal arts then you have failed. If your kid is successful, then it is not from the liberal arts. It is from something else (they inherited YOUR business, YOU or SOMEONE ELSE hooked them up with a job they didn't deserve, or they are actually intelligent and motivated but for some strange reason picked a useless major). I'm all for following your dream, but pick a real major and take classes as electives that interest you. I don't know any engineers that can't find a job, but I know plenty of art and history majors who struggle every day. Major in engineering or nursing and take electives in art and history and philosophy.

Most college age human beings are totally useless anyways. Obviously some majors will improve your chances of being employable straight from undergrad (see: hard sciences) but for the most part kids piss away the four-six years they spend "studying." College serves a social, rather than educational purpose. That being said those students that do work hard, and have a modicum of intelligence, can probably succeed coming from any major.

Having median grades sucks regardless of your major, unless it is at a competitive program (like UW electrical engineering).

People would be better served going to community colleges and learning life skills before pissing away 65k to get better at drinking.

...

Unless someone offers evidence to the contrary, I am going to continue to assume that no school offers an anatomy major and that the other poster has simply fabricated the idea that this major exists.

Here you go

TRACK AND FIELD...ALL THOSE HOURS SPENT RUNNING DA ROADS INSTEAD OF PLOWING DA HOES

Newsflash, not everyone can be an engineer. Not everyone is able to and not everybody wants to. Why do you care what others do with their lives? At least they ENJOY it and aren't out strictly to try to impress people. There are thousands of other positions in society to be filled. Do you really want the market to be flooded with engineers and doctors/nurses?

halp wrote:

econ major here, started @ 65k

degree paid off in no time

English PhDs (assistant professors) start off at 65-70k also at decent research universities. Just sayin'..

Interesting.. wrote:

halp wrote:

econ major here, started @ 65k

degree paid off in no time

English PhDs (assistant professors) start off at 65-70k also at decent research universities. Just sayin'..

This sounds like a circular reference. Go study English, so you can become a teacher, who will then teach others English... Somehow, unless the University teacher:student ratio is 1:1, there is a flaw in your proposition here.

Not sure that this an effective use of US labor force either...

Yes, an English PhD, who has spent 7-8 years in school makes the same starting salary as someone with just their undergrad? sounds like a good plan.

I got my English degree and went to law school. The only other career path is teaching other people English.

Someone commented that companies are snapping up English majors? Which ones? McDonalds? Target?

Laughtus wrote:

lkwmflkewmfew wrote:

I got my CPA license (certified public accountant) and many firms are handing me offers even though no one has heard of the college(s) I attended.

Very interesting, considering the abundance of CPAs are slowly depressing wages. I have a feeling these firms are seeking your work experience and intelligence much more than your degree.

Also for some reason you have to prove you are able to keep the CPA by taking CPE exams (which again are a waste of money)... but I degress.

CPE is continuing education and is practically free. There are no exams. It's similar to CMEs medical licensees take

Pretty much anything you pay out of state tuition for. Unless it something unique, Harvard Law etc... where networking is a majore reason for attending. I cringe when I see my athletes from out of state getting a Degree in education or generic business. Student loans need to be issued like mortgages. They wouldn't approve anyone for a 200K home loan on an income of 24K but they'll give them a 250K education. No wonder these kids can't afford their student loans.

Because our nation is based on politics. Political science can easily be used for pre law, city politics or any government branch. And anatomy? People will always get sick and the human body is still a mystery to us.

I think people here surround themselves with making money. The whole idea is to be happy and work where you enjoy it. I know people who make half a million yearly and they hate their job. While there are some studies that can only take you far like black studies or art, others can be an extension to breathers.

outplayed stereotype wrote:

You can do plenty with an English degree. It's arguably the broadest of the majors. One of the major complaints by employers now is that kids can't read or write for shit. Companies are eating up English majors because of those as well as the analytical skills they exhibit.

This is true. How many times do you see "excellent written and oral communication skills" in a job posting? Nothing shows that better than a degree in English. English majors are in higher demand today than ever before.

WOW! Dude, you are SOOOOO wrong about just about everything you just wrote.

I've used my degree in English since I graduated in 1989 to land some very good jobs. All the people I worked with had degrees in English and/or journalism also. In NONE of those jobs would they have considered hiring someone with just a high school diploma. I currently consult for manufacturing companies, and I have landed EXTRA work and pay from a few of them because I interview potential hires. Why? Because I have excellent oral and written communication skills! These companies hire a lot of people with degrees in English too. The non-college graduates work on the shop floor. The college graduates work in the offices or are the bosses of those on the shop floor.

And man...to rip on liberal arts education is ridiculous. There are some GREAT liberal arts colleges in this country - Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Bowdoin, Vassar, Carleton, Middlebury, Haverford, etc.

Yes smart people go to college, but those who apply themselves come out better than they were when they went in. I was a decent writer before college, but I am 10 times the writer now because of my college education, and it would be a VERY RARE person who just has a high school diploma who could out-interview me or out-perform me on the job if great writing skills were needed.

You guys are ridiculous.The type of "excellent written and oral communication skills" that companies are referring to in job listings are basic communication skills that you should be able to pickup while completing any degree from any school. It's usually one of at least 10 required abilities, not THE most important skill they're looking for. They're just trying to filter out the socially awkward from applying.A large percentage of English majors have difficulty finding well-paying jobs after college. This, of course, leads to overall negative feelings about the "real world", hatred of corporations and people with well-paying jobs, and the inevitable anti-business, ultra-Liberal political stance that they feel aligns with their lifestyle. It's just one of the many self-perpetuating cycles with a genesis in academia.

Flagpole wrote:

outplayed stereotype wrote:

You can do plenty with an English degree. It's arguably the broadest of the majors. One of the major complaints by employers now is that kids can't read or write for shit. Companies are eating up English majors because of those as well as the analytical skills they exhibit.

This is true. How many times do you see "excellent written and oral communication skills" in a job posting? Nothing shows that better than a degree in English. English majors are in higher demand today than ever before.

Hyhvghgvhgvvgu wrote:

http://www.mcgill.ca/study/2012-2013/faculties/science/undergraduate/programs/bachelor-science-bsc-major-anatomy-and-cell-biology

...

Unless someone offers evidence to the contrary, I am going to continue to assume that no school offers an anatomy major and that the other poster has simply fabricated the idea that this major exists.

Here you go

Not sure why you're shouting, but I'm sure you can see why "anatomy and cell biology" is very different from a major that is simply titled "anatomy" in relation to my initial argument.

English is the #1 undergrad major for law school.

Too bad there are too many lawyers and not enough jobs for them right now.

I have an English degree. This is what I have done with it since graduating in the Mid-2000s.

1. Got into Law School

2. Became GA for a a Power 5 school

3. Deferred from law school

4. Became a college XC coach

5. Deferred again from law school

6. Left college coaching after 3 years

7. Did not want to go back to school

8. Found a job in sales (b2b)

9. Got a job for with O&G company in market development.

It has been less than 10 years since I graduated with my English degree. I have had 3 rewarding career jobs.

I own a $400k town home, make over $100k, and have a good starting job at a fortune 500 company.

It is just a piece of paper, it does not define me. You decide what you want to do once you graduate. Life is easy, work hard while everyone else complains.

Flagpole wrote:

WOW! Dude, you are SOOOOO wrong about just about everything you just wrote.

I've used my degree in English since I graduated in 1989 to land some very good jobs. All the people I worked with had degrees in English and/or journalism also.

Keyword: 1989.

The job opportunities for college graduates in 1989 were different than they are for college graduates in 2014. I know someone who majored in Philosophy around 30 years ago, had no technical skills and immediately got hired as a software engineer for IBM. If she graduated in 2014, she would've been one of the ladies who asked me "Do you want any room in your Americano?" when I went to Starbucks this morning. An academic major (e.g. English, Philosophy, Mathematics, Physics, Greek, etc.) is not worth it these days. Some vocation-specific majors aren't worth it either, since the number of grads far exceeds the number of job openings. Of course any major can be worth it if you go all-out to try and capitalize on it, compete for the available job openings and so forth. But if you have that level of motivation to succeed, you can succeed without going to college in the first place.

College grads working on Bourbon Street in New Orleans:

This is something I have to reiterate.

Due to automation and outsourcing, there is a decreasing number of white collar jobs for Americans. At the same time, there is an increasing number of young American adults pursuing white collar jobs, through the educational route, because Obama and other dummies act like we're headed towards some Star Trek society where everyone is employed as engineers and doctors. You shouldn't go to college unless you're able and prepared to compete to be in the top 5-10% in terms of your college resume -- your combined university, degree, GPA and internship experience. As Thomas Friedman says, "Average is over."

asdhjkashdkhjsd wrote:

The first two responses (Sociology and Film Studies) made me laugh because my best friend majored in Sociology and his wife has a masters degree in film.

They are the most successful people I know. .

So you know 2 people that are successful with these degrees, so that means that getting a degree in these fields isn't short sighted?