College and University Blog
Choosing the Wrong Major in a Bad Economy May Lead to Unemployment
The last thing a student would anticipate as he or she graduates college would be that soon after graduation, they would be down the path to the unemployment office.
For a student of a university in Texas, this nightmare became a reality. After spending half of his time at school studying aviation and graduating with a degree specific to that field, he was immediately hired by a major airline to begin as a pilot. Shortly thereafter, the economy experienced its downturn, and, as we all know too well, companies began to effectuate major cutbacks.
To this grad’s dismay, he was laid off as quickly as he was hired. To aggravate matters, the industry that he chose to focus his studies in also began to tank, which prevented him from regaining employment from another company. Within months of his college graduation, he filed for unemployment.
Unfortunately, stories like these are not few and far between. A new generation of college study advice has to be birthed and passed on to prospective college students so that they can protect themselves from making decisions that can change their future for worse, decisions that they could have made without consequence a decade ago.
Choose a General Major
It may be wise to choose more of a generalized major in areas of interest as opposed to a specified degree. In the case above, had this student chosen a major in aviation administration, for example, he would have allowed himself opportunity to gain employment on the administration end of his degree where there might be more career positions available.
Determine the Health of the Industry
Secondly, before making hasty commitments to study a particular metier and become who you always dreamed of becoming, perhaps do some research on the condition of that particular industry. Find out if jobs are available or if companies in the trade are making employment reductions. Also, see if company/industry stocks are down and declining.
You may want to rethink your choice of major if the industry you are anticipating to study is not going to offer you a future career.
Pursue a Degree in A Flourishing Industry
It may behoove you, as you research the economic health of a field, to also find industries that are flourishing. Working toward a degree in a field of study you know will offer you future job security ensures that your college investment is a wise one.
Check out my recent post New Demands, New Jobs: The Latest Evolution of Careers to Consider