+- Online Degrees and CLEP and DSST Exam Prep Discussion (https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb)
+-- Forum: Main Category (https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Forum-Main-Category)
+--- Forum: General Education-Related Discussion (https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Forum-General-Education-Related-Discussion)
+--- Thread: 15 Worst Bachelors - Student Loan Dept (/Thread-15-Worst-Bachelors-Student-Loan-Dept)
15 Worst Bachelors - Student Loan Dept - bjcheung77 - 10-10-2023
Hmm, there are a few on this list that I don't really agree with... it's interesting to read through...
I kind of think the Natural and Physical Sciences would not be in the list, there was one other one...
Link: 15 Worst Bachelor’s Degrees for Student Loan Debt (msn.com)
RE: 15 Worst Bachelors - Student Loan Dept - LevelUP - 10-11-2023
(10-10-2023, 08:47 PM)bjcheung77 Wrote: Hmm, there are a few on this list that I don't really agree with... it's interesting to read through...
I kind of think the Natural and Physical Sciences would not be in the list, there was one other one...
Link: 15 Worst Bachelor’s Degrees for Student Loan Debt (msn.com)
In STEM, science typically has a low ROI.
Biology is the most popular science major. People with that degree make the same as those with a non-STEM liberal arts degree, unless they become a doctor or pursue further education.
RE: 15 Worst Bachelors - Student Loan Dept - ss20ts - 10-11-2023
With many of the programs listed in the article, you really need a master's or doctoral degree to find a decent job. Some of the fields also require licensing. A bachelor's degree in architecture won't allow you to become an architect in my state. You're not qualified to take the licensing exam so you're likely stuck working as a CAD designer and doing lame grunt work.
RE: 15 Worst Bachelors - Student Loan Dept - Pats20 - 10-11-2023
Here’s the thing. Money isn’t everything. For example if a person wants to be a wildlife biologist then guess what ? They need a degree in biology. Do wild life biologists make a ton of money ? Probably not , but if nature and wildlife are your passion then go for it. I could make this same example with 50 other degrees. Just do what you want and don’t worry about chasing the dollar. You’ll be happier in the long run. Just be smart on how much money you invest in it. You don’t need to have a $200k biology degree.
RE: 15 Worst Bachelors - Student Loan Dept - bjcheung77 - 10-11-2023
Here's another similar article - Link: 17 Most Useless College Degrees Employers Don't Want Today (msn.com)
RE: 15 Worst Bachelors - Student Loan Dept - LevelUP - 10-11-2023
(10-11-2023, 08:49 PM)bjcheung77 Wrote: Here's another similar article - Link: 17 Most Useless College Degrees Employers Don't Want Today (msn.com)
I don't agree with many items on that list.
Creative Writing: I once posted a thread about how one creative writer was making over $200,000 a year on freelancing sites. There's money to be made, and it's a valuable skill to possess.
Computer Science: Roll my eyes.
Advertising: I've noticed many job opportunities in this field, especially if you're knowledgeable in social media and digital marketing. It can also serve as a good foundation for a Business Administration degree.
Hospitality/Tourism: Essentially, this is a Business Administration degree with a concentration.
Communications: A valuable skill to acquire.
Arts/Creative: Highly sought after by employers, but you should possess some talent before enrolling in these programs. Employers often hire based on your portfolio and your previous work. With the rise of social media, film and video skills are in high demand.
Languages: This is mainly for people who want to teach or pursue research. Translator jobs are relatively scarce.
RE: 15 Worst Bachelors - Student Loan Dept - GameSlinger - 10-12-2023
(10-11-2023, 05:19 PM)Pats20 Wrote: Here’s the thing. Money isn’t everything. For example if a person wants to be a wildlife biologist then guess what ? They need a degree in biology. Do wild life biologists make a ton of money ? Probably not , but if nature and wildlife are your passion then go for it. I could make this same example with 50 other degrees. Just do what you want and don’t worry about chasing the dollar. You’ll be happier in the long run. Just be smart on how much money you invest in it. You don’t need to have a $200k biology degree.
My sister has her Masters in Social Work. Doesn't get paid much more than a kid working at McD's but she loves her job working in schools with disabled children. There are many people who pursue degrees in fields that they love, knowing that they won't be compensated accordingly. This is effectively what is going on with all the k-12 educators right now. They get paid very little but they do it because the love the work.
RE: 15 Worst Bachelors - Student Loan Dept - Pats20 - 10-12-2023
They’re interesting reads but I don’t pay much mind to articles like this. In many fields Degree names don’t make careers. People make careers. I know someone with an art degree that has a very nice job and living as a communications director. I tell young people to major in something they like , it doesn’t matter what, Just major in something. It doesn’t matter if you major in engineering but can’t stand it and end up dropping out.
At the end of the day I’d rather make $50k and have a degree in anything than to make $50k and have no degree or training . You will have more options.
RE: 15 Worst Bachelors - Student Loan Dept - nykorn - 12-31-2023
Culinary Arts is a big deal in Sweden - it was one of the few jobs, along with HR, that had empty positions waiting for qualified applicants for many, many years recently - but that is not a university degree there, it is 1-2 year vocational school. In contrast I have worked at several restaurants / school kitchens / etc in the USA and never met someone with any sort of formal cooking training there.
The usefulness of a Hospitality / Hotel / Tourism degree seems to vary greatly depending on country and specific use case. I have noticed that almost all US job ads want 1-3 years of management experience, no degree required, and if they want a degree they usually just want a generic MBA for a Hospitality management position. However when I was browsing job ads for Japan, I found quite a lot of jobs that accept a Hospitality degree for management positions - that even grant work visas - in lieu of ANY experience in the field whatsoever. I also found that if you are trying to get a business license, entrepreneur visa or loan to start a business, some countries require you to have higher education in the field, so if you were trying to open up a tourism agency or hostel you might specifically need a Hospitality degree in order to get your business license or loan approved.
The translation industry is totally dying out (plus wages are lowering) thanks to AI translation, unless you are a licensed medical or legal practitioner or licensed real-time medical interpreter, etc. There are now a few translation companies that ban the use of AI translation and then use "we have human translators" as a selling point, but you are still not getting paid a livable wage from what I have found. Language majors can attempt to find online customer service jobs from a country of the language they learned, online translation work on their own (like authors, if they're lucky, they can build up a client base and get paid off the royalties earned over many, many translations over many years), or even just write their own language lessons. But yeah, you do not usually learn a language to anywhere near close to native level fluency (which is what all these jobs want) just by getting a Bachelor's or Master's in it. My language degree has not even come close to paying itself off and there are certainly no local companies wanting to hire me because I have it. After 7-8 years of learning the language I am still nowhere near close to native level fluency either, in part because I haven't ever gotten hired for a job I could use the language with.
RE: 15 Worst Bachelors - Student Loan Dept - LevelUP - 12-31-2023
I believe that with college education in general, people can get confused about how to learn different subjects. Additionally, almost all colleges are not set up to teach certain subjects well, and students are often disappointed with how they were taught.
For example, learning a foreign language is a practical skill similar to playing the guitar. You can read all the books and take all the tests you want, but you may never achieve fluency. Fluency, much like playing a guitar, involves putting on a performance for your audience. This skill can only be mastered through physical practice—actually speaking!
The same applies to writing and coding.
Colleges are not always honest about their limitations in teaching certain subjects and should be clear about the responsibilities students must take on to educate themselves.