Surrounded by well-known professors and notable organizations, amidst a group of devoted students at a reputable university, I'd like to think I have some sense of future security. And while I know my parents will support me in whatsoever I choose to study, they certainly, like most parents, worry about my eventual pursuit of employment.
I remember thinking about how attending a four-year college would put me ahead of so many other students, yet now it seems that attending a university after high school graduation is the norm. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 70 percent of high school graduates in 2011 enrolled in colleges or universities, and this number continues to climb. Indeed, for our nation, this is an incredibly positive change as more students press onward toward higher education. However, now the college process is becoming more cutthroat and competitive, both when choosing a university and more surprisingly, when deciding on a major.
Katie Bardaro, lead economist of PayScale, a compensation research firm, stresses, "Unless you go to a top-20 brand name school, what matters most to employers is your major."
I was relieved that my choices all seemed so limitless when my family and I began to tour colleges, each spouting off their positive statistics and pressing smooth, shiny leaflets with their listed programs into our hands. Rice University discussed its cognitive science major, Boston College praised its blossoming environmental geosciences program and University of Richmond practically burst into song about its leadership studies major.
Yes, now every incoming freshman could find a place within the university and take classes concerning their interests! But how realistic is this concept when said students become graduates on the quest to find employment? Will companies hire the economics major with business-focused courses or the religious studies major who claims that taking theology classes has made them well rounded in several subject areas? Sources seem to be divided on this issue.
William Pannapacker, a columnist for The Chronicle of Higher Education laments the truly useful qualities of a major in the liberal arts to the New York Times: "I keep hearing the same thing from potential employers: 'We love students with liberal-arts degrees. They are curious; they know how to ask good questions. They know how to conduct research. They are effective writers and speakers. And they learn quickly.'"
While this is incredibly encouraging for those within liberal arts programs, several scholars disagree and advocate for the growing market for graduates majoring in STEM (sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics).
"Fields that continue to see growth during these tough economic times are those that require analytical thinking and technological skills," reports Katie Bardaro, "Graduates in these majors are in demand."
In Florida, Governor Rick Scott is even attempting to entice students into choosing STEM majors by offering them lower college tuition, in an effort to fill the projected job needs of the future.
Meanwhile, medical schools are combating this fervent push for STEM majors by reinforcing the concept that any major may enroll in medical school, provided a student has taken the pre-requisite courses and achieves a respectable score on the Medical College Admission Test.
To me, it appears, no major is better than another. Ultimately, it depends upon the student and their college involvement and academic success, whether or not they will be notable in their chosen field.
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Nzinga Young, an Academic Transition Coach, says it best: "I believe students who enter school being honest with themselves, their parents and their universities about not knowing, leave the school with much more confidence and far less regrets than their counterparts. They experienced all there was, decided on what was right and graduated with a degree best suited for themselves."
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