A Forbes Public Service Announcement: The 17 Most Useless College Majors (Avoid! Avoid! Avoid!)

[hughesfan20]

Criminal Justice worker is a pretty broad term. Does that mean in all the possible CJ occupations people are struggling to find work? Do some/any of these people have criminal backgrounds (because that makes it almost impossible to get a job in the field)?

For what it's worth, I'm a corrections major and I know to be competitive employment wise a master's is highly recommended.

 

[SammyPops]

lol @ exercise scientist!

Not sure I agree with all the teacher positions on that list. In Ontario a teacher will earn $80k+, 3 months off, 6.5 hour work day, solid gold pension and benefits.

 

[klnOmega]

Im a chemistry major... I really hope I can find a job after college without having to do more school.

You can. In fact, the Chemistry Ph.D is market is what is oversaturated. Places need low-level lab techs.

 

[sub_thug]

Criminal Justice worker is a pretty broad term. Does that mean in all the possible CJ occupations people are struggling to find work? Do some/any of these people have criminal backgrounds (because that makes it almost impossible to get a job in the field)?

For what it's worth, I'm a corrections major and I know to be competitive employment wise a master's is highly recommended.

Again, why get a criminal justice degree? Many law enforcement jobs do not require a degree, and for those that do (such as FBI agents), any degree is technically acceptable. Would those candidates, at an individual level, not be better served with degrees in forensics or something that will help them specialize in their field? I understand that at an organizational level, you'd want people educated on how this system works, but are the people getting the criminal justice degrees becoming the people who are managing the system or affecting change in it?

 

[sub_thug]

You can. In fact, the Chemistry Ph.D is market is what is oversaturated. Places need low-level lab techs.

But for what kind of pay? Is a college educated chemist incentivized to stay at the lab tech level, or is it clear that they should advance onwards to make a salary that supports their families?

 

[Chomsky Honk]

If you're okay with working in unrelated stuff to chemistry, or just being some bench monkey then you'll be happy.

You can. In fact, the Chemistry Ph.D is market is what is oversaturated. Places need low-level lab techs.

Thats good to hear.

 

[hughesfan20]

Again, why get a criminal justice degree? Many law enforcement jobs do not require a degree, and for those that do (such as FBI agents), any degree is technically acceptable. Would those candidates, at an individual level, not be better served with degrees in forensics or something that will help them specialize in their field? I understand that at an organizational level, you'd want people educated on how this system works, but are the people getting the criminal justice degrees becoming the people who are managing the system or affecting change in it?

Outside of probation/parole officers, I'm not sure which jobs specifically require a CJ degree. At the university I go to, there isn't a specific CJ major, it's either Corrections or Law Enforcement.

A quick google search shows http://www.criminaljusticedegreehub.com/top-10-bachelor-level-criminal-justice-jobs/ that list but I would assume most of them would take a bachelor's in other fields as well.

I haven't taken any classes officially in the major yet (doing gen eds and my minor atm) but I personally chose corrections because I'm looking to get a Masters in the field to get a higher starting salary and a wider range of jobs I can pursue out of college.

 

[Fluffernutter]

It doesn't matter what you major in.

If you are a decent writer and reader, you will be employed.

 

[klnOmega]

Thats good to hear.

I worked as a Chemist (lab tech) for a year before I went to grad school. Being a lab tech is pretty boring in that it becomes completely routine after a while. Imagine doing one of your Chemistry labs, and then imagine that it is your job to do that every day, with only slight variations. Its easy, but boring. You tend to make good money though. Starting, I was just shy of $40k/year, which is fucking excellent for a first job out of college. Its also twice what I make as a grad student.

 

[klnOmega]

But for what kind of pay? Is a college educated chemist incentivized to stay at the lab tech level, or is it clear that they should advance onwards to make a salary that supports their families?

I worked as at a lab tech at a paint chemistry company, and made something in the neighborhood of $37k/year. You can support a family on that.

There is a bound on how high you can go though. You are probably never going to rise into a managment level positoins with just a B.S. in Chemistry, since you are going to be competiting with a million Ph.Ds and M.S. degrees.

 

[HunterSdVa29]

lost it at 'art historian'

I thought my BA in History was weak enough haha

 

[HunterSdVa29]

I'm thinking Project Management may be too 'new' a major, perhaps most people have degrees in Business and a PMP certification instead....hence why it's on the list
b/c I've heard the same as Mick

 

[sub_thug]

I worked as at a lab tech at a paint chemistry company, and made something in the neighborhood of $37k/year. You can support a family on that.

There is a bound on how high you can go though. You are probably never going to rise into a managment level positoins with just a B.S. in Chemistry, since you are going to be competiting with a million Ph.Ds and M.S. degrees.

This really depends on the region of the country that you are talking about, but your point is well taken. Haha, I took a second job working nights because I didn't think that I was making enough pulling in about $80k/yr. Thanks for the insight into the field.

 

[JonesBones]

lol @ exercise scientist!

Not sure I agree with all the teacher positions on that list. In Ontario a teacher will earn $80k+, 3 months off, 6.5 hour work day, solid gold pension and benefits.

Yeah, that is why so many people try to be teachers and the market is over saturated. Most people would take that job in a flash. It isn't saying it is a bad job, just that the supply of teachers is too high. It's a good job, if you can get it.

 

[sub_thug]

I feel like that can be applied to most business and management degrees.


Gone and not coming back, brother.

Economies don't have rewind buttons.

Complicated topic. We can still have factories and factory jobs, but they won't be the blue collar ones that people think about. It'll be stuff like working in Tesla's Gigafactory as an engineer, not pulling levers and turning screws. There may be a few maintenance workers, but the trend here is inevitable: The future belongs to the educated. Blue collar work is dying, and the country needs to realize it. This mentality that "college isn't for everyone" is nothing more than coddling weakness, and if you choose to squander your educational experience with a Women's Studies, Africana Studies, Art History, or Criminal Justice degree, then that's on you. It won't be the government's fault when you can't find work. Rugged individualism, yo.

If you are a college student, I have some golden advice for you: Study engineering, math, medicine, technology, finance, or science. All of the other degrees are not worth the paper they are written on. If you enter the social sciences field, you can expect that the job that you get (which will be outside of your field of study) will eventually be automated. Expect it to be automated within 10-15 years, so you are fucked. The economy is going to become even more cutthroat than it already is, so you will either be in the Top 10% or you will live in helpless dependence on the government. Best of luck.

 

[luckyshot]

Complicated topic. We can still have factories and factory jobs, but they won't be the blue collar ones that people think about. It'll be stuff like working in Tesla's Gigafactory as an engineer, not pulling levers and turning screws. There may be a few maintenance workers, but the trend here is inevitable.

These jobs won't exist in anywhere NEAR the number needed to sustain the middle class economy.

There is one robotics engineer hired for every x-hundred (thousands, more likely) laborers laid off.

People who think that the factory workers can just get jobs fixing the machines that replace them drastically misunderstand what a machine is.

By definition, a machine is a labor reducing device.

Followed to its logical conclusion, machination will lead to the virtual end of human industrial labor on a large scale.

The fields that are best protected from mechanization are those that deal with diverse, unpredictable environments (so, the opposite of a factory).

 

[Fatchops]

These jobs won't exist in anywhere NEAR the number needed to sustain the middle class economy.

There is one robotics engineer hired for every x-hundred (thousands, more likely) laborers laid off.

People who think that the factory workers can just get jobs fixing the machines that replace them drastically misunderstand what a machine is.

By definition, a machine is a labor reducing device.

Followed to its logical conclusion, machination will lead to the virtual end of human labor on a large scale.

The fields that are best protected from mechanization are those that deal with diverse, unpredictable environments (so, the opposite of a factory).

It will be interesting to see universal basic income become a necessity. Perhaps a cull in population will be easier.

 

[luckyshot]

It will be interesting to see universal basic income become a necessity. Perhaps a cull in population will be easier.

Well, those are the options.

And it's the one reason I am glad Americans are so well armed.

I think for the course of our lifetimes, people will continue to go to service jobs with more and more of their income coming in the form of government subsidies. It will probably take Americans a couple of generations to psychologically wean off the dog and pony show of "going to work."

(If I were a conspiracy theorist, which I'm not, it wouldn't surprise me to see a worldwide outbreak of a virus with very minor symptoms but that makes reproduction extremely undesirable.. Something like, say, oh, I don't know... Zika. That would be the most humane way to handle a "population cull.")

 

[sub_thug]

These jobs won't exist in anywhere NEAR the number needed to sustain the middle class economy.

There is one robotics engineer hired for every x-hundred (thousands, more likely) laborers laid off.

People who think that the factory workers can just get jobs fixing the machines that replace them drastically misunderstand what a machine is.

By definition, a machine is a labor reducing device.

Followed to its logical conclusion, machination will lead to the virtual end of human industrial labor on a large scale.

The fields that are best protected from mechanization are those that deal with diverse, unpredictable environments (so, the opposite of a factory).

I totally agree that it's not a 1:1 transition unless you plan to increase output at an exponential rate.

Like I said in my post, the economy will be getting even more cutthroat, and no one can stop it. That's just the path that civilization is taking, and it's bigger than you, me, and the United States government. You can either scramble to get in with the "haves" or you can rot with the "have nots." In the end, the choice is up to each of us.

 

[electricfuneral]

I believe it. It steers people towards trades any away from niche programs.