One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a college is what you want to study. But what about the less valuable degrees? In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the most useless college degrees available. Of course, some degrees are more useless than others, but all degrees carry some value, with the job market favouring those with specific experience over those with a degree.
Moreover, with the advent of online classes and many universities offering degree programs without requiring students to be on campus, there has never been a better time to pursue your education.
The Most Useless College Degrees 2022
1. Advertising
If you major in advertising, you could pursue digital marketing, e-commerce, or sports marketing careers. However, many advertising majors are unaware that their degree must be directly related to one of these fields to secure a highly competitive job in one of these fields. So instead, advertising majors learn how to market and sell things using various mediums such as social media, television, and bulletin boards.
They also study which parts of advertising, such as colour and design, are enticing to individuals. After graduation, work options are limited as a result of this degree. Graduates with an advertising degree can work in the advertising industry, but few firms will hire them if they do not have one. Those who fail in the advertising industry have few alternative options.
2. Anthropology And Archeology
A degree in anthropology and archeology may appeal to you if you enjoy history, travel, and outside. However, this career path isn’t for you unless you’re willing to invest time and money in obtaining a Ph.D. in the field, as well as years as an underpaid intern or research assistant. Anthropology studies people and their civilizations, whereas archeology is the excavation-based study of human history.
Those who earn a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and archeology may wish to work on a historical dig site or, at the very least, study the findings at a museum. These positions, however, are few and few between.
While a distinguished doctorate from Harvard or Yale can earn you a job at an excavation site, the majority of degrees are unlikely to get you out of your backyard. Those who fail to make it in this sector may look for work elsewhere, but they will have difficulty finding one.
3. Art history
Art history students are passionate about art and design. Students pursuing an art history degree often study art composition classes and various classes on art history throughout history. Influential artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet may be explored.
Even though students with an art history degree are passionate about historical art and sculptures, it isn’t easy to make a living. Graduates have a plethora of information about art throughout the centuries, but they have a hard time finding work that allows them to put that knowledge to use. Some people work at an art museum and become art appraisers later on, but this is one of the most challenging industries to break into.
Most art galleries will want to see a comprehensive resume with a lot of experience. Those who graduate and cannot find work in the field of art must seek employment elsewhere. However, their restricted degree limits their options. Most employers prefer to see education more directly related to their jobs.
4. Communications
Majors in communications study the science of communication. They learn how to make communication more accessible to everyone while promoting effective communication techniques. If you’re interested in communications, you can attend seminars on oral and visual rhetoric, as well as classes on how to promote your message effectively. However, the degree has no particular focus because communications are vast. While this may be beneficial, it makes it more challenging to get work after graduation.
Journalism, marketing, and business administration are prominent career paths for communication degrees. Those who are interested in one of these fields, on the other hand, should pursue that degree. Unfortunately, many of the occupations available to communications majors after graduation are related to their major. This makes it more difficult to find work with a wide communications degree.
5. Computer Science
A computer science degree may appear to set you on the path to a successful profession after graduation. But unfortunately, like many of the most useless academic degrees, computer science is challenging to put to use once you graduate.
This is because, as a communications degree, a general computer science degree is wide. Some computer science students intend to work in coding, information technology, or cybersecurity. However, many job choices have specific programs that appear much better on a résumé.
If you have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, you may be unsure of what to do next. Higher education in your sector or more specialized education focusing on coding or cybersecurity may require a job. Instead, you may find yourself hunting for work based on your present degree and experience, which may prove to be fruitless.
6. Creative Writing
Creative writers have highly sought-after skills by those who want to publish short stories and novels. Their education, on the other hand, is limited and focused. Students who focus on creative writing learn how to convey stories with vivid words and write poetry and professional essay during their education. In addition, their writing is easy to read and understand.
With a creative writing degree, you can become a good writer, but you won’t be able to support yourself unless you publish a remarkable novel or children’s story. To seek a job writing for a newspaper or other news organization, creative writers do not study the skills of journalism or the technicalities of linguistics. Instead, they are left with excellent writing abilities but no work.
If you’re interested in creative writing and want to write a book someday, consider concentrating in a related profession such as journalism and taking some creative writing classes on the side. This will increase your employability after graduation and provide you with a consistent income while you write a novel on the side.
7. Criminal Justice
Many students are inspired to pursue a career in criminal justice after seeing TV episodes and movies such as NCIS or Criminal Minds. Actors make positions like detectives and special agents appear appealing and enjoyable. However, employment like this is that they are dangerous and scarce.
Many criminal justice majors will spend a significant amount of time after graduation looking for a rare desk job for which they are qualified. They could end up working as paper pushers for their city or state of residence. Others may further their education or training to pursue a profession as a police officer, lawyer, or foster care worker. If you want to work in criminal justice, make sure you first examine what profession you want before choosing the correct career route for you.
8. Culinary arts
Culinary arts may educate students on cooking and showing their cuisine, but it does not teach them many other skills. If you want to work as a cook or chef after college, a degree will appear excellent on your resume, but any other career will consider your training obsolete.
This is because culinary students receive little instruction in transferable skills such as business or health-related information. For example, culinary students learn how to chop vegetables, blend spices, and boil potatoes, but they do not gain transferable skills. As a result, many students who earn a culinary arts degree find themselves unemployed but well-fed after graduation.
If you’re serious about becoming a chef, you’re probably better off attending a culinary school or trade school to get your education rather than a college or university. This allows you to receive more specialized training in your profession while saving you time and money.
9. Education
At first glance, this may appear to be a beneficial degree. Isn’t it true that teaching youngsters are beneficial? However, many people who enter the field quickly discover that this isn’t as valuable as it sounds.
Education majors must declare a specialty, such as early childhood, special education, or secondary education. Some of those who do this must obtain a master’s degree to practice in their profession. However, those who pursue a general education degree may find it useless after graduation. For example, they won’t be accepted into a preschool because they aren’t certified in early childhood education. Likewise, they will not be taken into special education since they do not have the necessary certificates or endorsements.
If you’re thinking about becoming an education major, consider what kind of education you want to pursue and declare your specialty. You should be aware that you may need to obtain a master’s degree or additional training and endorsements to practice. Furthermore, education majors are often required to complete rigorous placements at schools of their choice to get student teaching experience. Only when all of these channels have been finished can an education major expect to find work.
10. Entrepreneurship
A degree in entrepreneurship may sound appealing to those who want to start their firm eventually. However, the degree is one of the most useless degrees available. This is because students can obtain all of the education they desire, but without hands-on business experience, their education will be meaningless.
To be successful in beginning a firm, you must have a complete working knowledge of business gained through years of experience. Many successful entrepreneurs have a business degree and have spent years learning before starting their own business in the real world. Some may decide to return to school later to obtain a degree in entrepreneurship, but others may only take a few classes.
On the other hand, an entrepreneurial degree leaves the student unsure of where to go next. They are less employable than someone with a business degree and may lack the necessary education and experience. Those interested in entrepreneurship should first gain experience.
The Most Useless College Degrees 2022
Rank | Degrees | Unemployment Rate |
---|---|---|
1 | Advertising | 5.90% |
2 | Anthropology And Archeology | 7.0% |
3 | Art history | 9.1% |
4 | Communications | 5.7% |
5 | Computer Science | 2.8% |
6 | Creative Writing | 11% |
7 | Criminal Justice | 7.6% |
8 | Culinary arts | 5.0% |
9 | Education | 12.1% |
10 | Entrepreneurship | 7.4% |
11 | Ethnic and civilization | 19% |
12 | Fashion design | 3.7% |
13 | Film & Video | 9.4% |
14 | Languages | 4.5% |
15 | Music | 5.0% |
16 | Philosophy | 10.8% |
17 | Psychology | 19.5% |
18 | Studio Arts and Fine Art | 9.1% |
19 | Theater Arts | 8.8% |
20 | Travel and tourism | 16.5% |