Remember all that money you-and doubtless your parents-paid out to get you a liberal arts college degree? Now comes CNBC with this headline:
Are liberal arts degrees worthless? ‘Employers don’t care what you major in,’ says career expert
The business network’s reporter, a Sarah Lawrence graduate has “the oft-mocked and statistically underpaid bachelor’s degree in liberal studies.” And while she admits her success has lucked her out, she does a serious analysis of whether a liberal arts major really helps your future – or not.
“The question of whether your college major matters (if you even have one) is similar to the question of whether having a degree at all matters in that the answer is yes and no.
…There’s plenty of data to support the idea that more education will help you earn more money. But there is also not quite a shortage of success stories of people who didn’t get a degree. Billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Oprah Winfrey are among many who famously dropped out of college.
…The same goes for majors. Plenty of statistics can show you which degrees tend to correlate with higher earnings. Meanwhile, some hugely successful names in various industries studied something completely different than what would define their careers.
What you major in is a personal decision, but it’s a good idea to seek counsel from your advisors, peers and industry professionals to help make the best decision for yourself.
Here are a few things to consider
- When your major actually matters.
- Are your interests are more important than your major?
- What is the type of job you actually seek and take?
- And, of course, how hard you work makes a huge difference.