I have to admit the list of top paying college majors featured recently in a broad array of media outlets, including The Huffington Post, makes interesting reading. But for most students, choosing a major -- or even a college -- based solely on earnings expectations is a big mistake.
Sure, some students are truly interested in petroleum engineering and have an aptitude for that type of career. Many more, however, may feel pressured in this economy to select a "top-paying major" that doesn't really suit them. Students who choose majors based on earnings power may be setting themselves on a path to discontent and frustration.
A much better approach is for students to set a course based on subjects that truly interest them. Choosing a major is a personal decision based on subjects that match a student's interests, aptitudes and personality.
The global economy is changing so rapidly that some of the specific jobs college students are training for today won't exist in another decade or two. Other students will eventually take jobs that don't exist today and some professions will see a radical change in earning power. There's no question that job destruction and creation will only increase in the years to come. Today, the job market includes a number of jobs that didn't exist 10 years ago, such as sustainability manager, social media strategist, blogger, patient advocate and more. How do you choose a major -- or a college -- that will prepare you for a job or career that hasn't been thought of yet?
For most students, the best way to learn the broad skills every employer looks for in a job candidate is to get an education in the liberal arts. Not only will you be prepared with strong communication and analytical skills, you also will excel at solving problems and bringing seemingly unrelated thoughts and ideas together. The key to the liberal arts is your ability to learn, even learning to determine what you don't know but need to know. As the rate of change continues to advance, your ability to learn is critical to your professional success.
A recent survey of employers conducted by Hart Research Associates for the Association of American Colleges and Universities found employers consider the essential learning outcomes of a liberal arts education to be what their companies need to be successful today.
With a strong liberal arts college -- where the educational programs are properly constructed -- there is value in any major you choose. I was a history major at my undergraduate institution, and in today's environment people might ask, "What are you going to do with a degree in that?" My degree in history took me to the Peace Corps and to leadership positions on Wall Street and in higher education.
Many successful senior executives come from a wide variety of majors. They used their college years to learn how to take advantage of professional opportunities and to develop the skills to navigate this complex world.
During the college search process, students and parents will be better served if they look for colleges with rigorous academics and a strong support system that connects student learning to real-world experiences. This approach is more complex than simply searching for schools that offer a petroleum engineering major, but will result in a far better fit for most students.
The college search process can seem overwhelming at first. Students want to know if they will be comfortable socially, if the college has majors they are interested in, if there are clubs and activities they can be involved in. Parents want to know their students will get a comprehensive education, that they will thrive and be safe and that they will be well-prepared for whatever path they choose after they graduate.
As you visit college campuses and ask questions about the educational programs and campus life, don't forget to ask how the institution prepares graduates for life after college. What programs are in place to guide students through their four years and help them transition into a profession, graduate school or other post-graduate fellowships or service opportunities?
Some questions I recommend you ask all colleges include:
Too often these questions are left for the later part of the college career and that's a big mistake. Every student and parent should ask questions like these during the college visit. Don't wait until you are a college junior or senior to think about life after college. And, most importantly, don't make assumptions about majors or colleges based on today's earnings expectations.
When comparing schools, think carefully about the experiences you want to gain during your four-year college education and the rigor of the academic program, and also make sure you know what to expect from the institution to help you advance to the next stage of your life.
Jeff Selingo: Beyond Super and Ill-Prepared Students, How About Some With Creativity?
Training is to fit somebody for a task. This type of person isn't designed to think as much as he's designed to do. Frankly, this is what our society seems to want. I don't see much of a market for people who are taught to question whether this or that is proper or improper. The conventions today tend to place a high value on those who do what they are told and who leave the thinking to the board of directors.
Cultivation is designed to create a person designed to think, not necessarily to do. This is the type of person that, historically speaking, tended to be preferred in most positions of responsibility. But I don't think this is the type of person that's in demand today, not in America at least. As often repeated, we tend to think of ourselves as a nation of doers, not thinkers. As a result, thinkers in America seem to be regarded as a liability rather than an asset. It seems we want 'team players.' We want people who 'toe the line' and 'not make waves'. We want people to 'buy in' to the mission statement, not question it.
I could say more, but I'm running out of space. If I had to do it all over again, however, I'd go into engineering, not political and social thought.
But if you're really passionate about the humanities field and really, really want to study it, then you have to think about the fact that you'll probably need at least a masters in order to forge a decent career in those areas. So cut down on the undergrad costs as much as you can, look for scholarships, opt for state colleges (you don't have to go to ivy's or other expensive private schools to get a good education in the humanities), and you'll have more resources to invest in your advanced degree education where it really counts.
As a Gen X'er I grew up being told that if you went to college, you could do well for yourself. Back then this was the truth.
He must not remember what a bell curve is from his liberal arts days, then he could recognize what true successes are who have liberal arts degrees are: outliers.
Mr. Higdon's traditional point of view would make sense if a college education was free. This gentleman could consider backing up his words with free tuition for his students, then they won't care about their future job or earnings. But you have to pay for college with an old thing called money. And money comes from having a job. Period.
Sure an education is beneficial in many ways, but just try paying your landlord with a diploma. A diploma doesn't get you more money at the unemployment office either.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to sit back and figure out what to say to my recent students who just graduated with $50K of debt and no job.
Today with no jobs it has to be worse, but the approach should be the same.
Back then technology like to day was changing fast and Corporations had "On the Job Traiing" for people who could learn quickly and righteously
Then, Microsoft and IBM decided to start manipulating the Employment Rules and REFUSE to have on the JOB TRAINING, etc. Making more proifit by saving the cost. Of course, they did train on the job. JUST in EAST India for free too. More Profit same cost
Today there is not much change in Technology but IBM and MS change Names and ReName the same old principals for Education, Job Security, Market Share and Wage control.
There is much more risk involved with choosing a major today. Choosing "wrong" can lead to a world of hurt as you attempt to make payments and keep a roof over your head. Students simply cannot afford to waste a year "finding themselves" when that year costs $8k on average if you go to a state school.
To say this generation's intelluctual curiousity is "non-existent" is highly inaccurate, and probably indicative of what generation you come from. The generation that felt so superior to everyone else that they felt it was appropriate to support deficit spending for 30+ years and built up trillions in debt in the name of tax cuts.
At this price, a young person cannot gamble that their BA in History is going to get them a job that pays the bills in a world that has an ever increasing cost of living. Maybe back in the 60's when an education was affordable, you could use college to discover and pursue your passions. A college degree meant a good job with benefits. You cannot say that is true in 2011. Today, you are taking on at least a decade worth of debt that cannot be discharged. A degree in itself is not a ticket to a professional career. You may very well find a world of job offers that do not offer health insurance, or a decent wage. The reality is, that degree needs to pay off in dollars.
Academia needs to step outside the la-la land of the ivory tower and stop acting like a diploma is free.
You are far, far better off getting a degree in something you don't totally enjoy simply to make enough money to pay back the loans. Once you're out from underneath school loans, then go do something you like. Education is no longer for "learning" unless you are a trust fund baby. I would argue, actually, that it never really was except for a very small window in history.