Choice of major influences employability
Enrollment at USU is on the constant rise, skeptics question the legitimacy of a bachelor’s degree and many employers won’t consider applicants without one. A recent Georgetown University study analyzed how degrees fit into the labor market.
According to a recent study, entitled “Hard Times: College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings,” not only does it matter that job seekers have a degree, but the major itself makes a difference in getting a job or not.
While unemployment for recent graduates may look bad, 85 percent of jobs across the board have reported salary increases, said Donna Crow, executive director of Career Services at USU.
Liberal arts majors saw the largest salary increase after college, with a 15 percent increase, going from an average of $35,508 in 2010 to $40,834 in fall of 2011, Crow said.
The highest earning major was computer science-related studies at an average of $63,760 per year, Crow said. Engineering majors made the second highest, with an average of $60,291 per year.
The study also states, “The education, health care, business and professional service industries have been the most stable employers for recent college graduates.”
The exceptions to that stability, according to the study, were those who’ve majored in hospitality management. The travel and tourism industry has been hurt by the economy, according to the study.
The national unemployment rate is 8.9 percent for recent graduates, according to the study. The unemployment rate isn’t equal for every major, however: degrees with the top unemployment rates are closely tied with collapsing industries.
Recent graduates with architecture degrees have the highest unemployment rate at 13.9 percent, the study states, because of the housing crisis and the bad economy. Recently graduated art majors had the second-highest unemployment rate at 11.1 percent, followed by humanities and liberal arts majors at 9.4 percent.
Generally, majors closely tied with a specific career track had the lowest unemployment rates. The graduates with the lowest unemployment rates were those who had majored in education, with 5.4 percent, which tied with recently graduated individuals in health care fields.
Having a certain major won’t stop someone from getting a certain job as long as he or she has the necessary skills, said Chase Brammer, head of development for iFit at Icon Health and Fitness. Icon is a global fitness equipment design company located in Logan.
“Having a degree in those fields helps create a good foundation, but what motivates me to hire someone is finding someone who seeks out skills and knowledge that are relevant in today’s market that are not taught in schools,” Brammer said.
Brammer looks for applicants with skills in Andriod and iOS software development, modern web frameworks and quickly changing technologies, he said. Businesses in the technological fields often hire the most and pay more than others, he said.
“Because I focus on finding people with nimble minds that have relevant skills to today’s modern needs, I do not require (applicants to have) a degree, although often a degree helps create the foundation,” Brammer said.
The graduates with agriculture and natural resources degrees had the next-lowest unemployment rate with 7 percent, according to the study.
The study also looked at smaller categories, such as computer science versus information systems.
“Employers are still hiring technical computer specialists who can write software and invent new applications,” the study states. “But for information specialists who use software to manipulate, mine, and disseminate information, hiring slows down in recessions.”
Though the average unemployment rate for those newly graduated from computer and mathematics programs is 8.2 percent — slightly below the national average — choice of major influences a graduate’s chances of getting a job, the study states. Unemployment rates for degrees in computer science and mathematics are 7.8 percent and 6 percent, respectively.
The unemployment rate for information systems degrees is 11.7 percent, which, according to the study, is much higher.
Regardless of major, students should network with people in their future career field, Crow said. One way of doing this is attending career expos or fairs, she said. For those looking to graduate and seek employment, the USU Career Fair will take place Feb. 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the TSC Ballroom.
– marissa.shields@aggiemail.usu.edu