The astronomical cost of college today makes finding a suitable major even more important. Getting the most out of your college education is vital to your career success. While finding something you love is a blessing, keeping an open mind about the job market and job opportunities is a must.
Since student loan debt increases every year, our college students must be very careful how they spend their money on education. Your ultimate goal upon graduation is to find a career and a job that makes you happy and allows you to have a decent life.
Parents should help their high school students research the career opportunities that will be available after they graduate. Before making your final decision on which college career to pursue, you need to weigh the pros and cons of your desired field of study. The end result is that students will make better decisions about what the future holds.
Here are six college majors with limited employment opportunities upon graduation:
1. Religion: Traditional colleges are not the way to go if you are looking to dedicate your life to religion. Most religious careers have low-income potential and provide great rewards of self-satisfaction for the right candidate. If this is the career you want to pursue, talk to your local priests, bishops, ministers, or rabbis. They can guide you down a path that will likely cost nothing and provide the guidance you are looking for.
2. English literature: While literature is a wonderful way to enjoy your free time, it may not be the best career path in today’s job market. It may help you develop some great skills, but in the real world, others with a more diverse set of business, computer, or technical training will overlook it. Careers in this area pay very little and would not help pay off your student loans that you incurred during your education.
3. Anthropology: There are very few opportunities for recent graduates in this field and in the coming years there will be even fewer. While this can be an interesting and enjoyable hobby for many people, it is not a promising career alternative. Something in the medical sciences would be a better alternative and would provide many different avenues for career advancement.
4. Fine arts or photography: Being an artist or photographer is a wonderful talent and it can be nice to visualize your final work. But the reality is that careers in this area are not very profitable or abundant. With the advent of great mobile phone cameras and sophisticated, easy-to-use editing programs, digital arts and photography have become simple for the average person to achieve great results.
5. Music: If you are talented and focused, you will be successful. Usually that is true, but careers in music are very hard to come by. Their success rates are similar to those of professional athletes. Many great voices, many great musical minds are left behind as only the top 1% actually make a reasonable living in this field. It can be a great side job or a hobby, but if you plan to turn it into a career, it will be a bumpy road.
6. Exercise science: For those considering this specialization, please reconsider. Your job opportunities are no better than if you were an athlete in high school looking for gym work or a personal trainer. The pay scale is generally low and there are no specific jobs that require this title for employment.
Resume: These six majors offer less than desirable job potential upon graduation. Be aware of your need to earn a living and to pursue a passion. Unless you are independently wealthy and do not need to work, it would be better to invest the cost of your education in building a prosperous and enjoyable career.