Not all programs are the same when it comes to deciding which degree to pursue. While some degrees create an opportunity for a wide range of employment possibilities, others can create one that fails to realize even minimal employment opportunities or a satisfactory income. Let’s take a look at the ten most useless degrees and offer insight on what areas might not be worth a time and money commitment.
Understanding “Useless” Degrees
In education, the term ‘useless degree’ is usually meant to describe those majors that, when you graduate, often lack promising career options in your chosen field of study, end up earning less or even worse, cannot find jobs commensurate with the training of the degree, the education costs, etc. But often the individual passion, talent, and drive is capable of overcoming these problems.
1. Culinary Arts
A degree in culinary arts might sound like a great idea and a dream job for food enthusiasts with the goal of becoming chefs, but unfortunately, it is part of the list of the top 10 most useless degrees. Culinary students realize that professional training is nice, but the costs are prohibitive; an understanding of how food is prepared is invaluable though.
Culinary degrees are among the most expensive forms of education; tuition may be as high as the costs for legal or medical schools.
However, compared to these fields, the financial payoff for a culinary degree is not very high. Many graduates of culinary arts end up being scrubbed working in the kitchen as line cooks making very little pay. Not to mention that dining ability doesn’t correlate with education as much as with experience, inspiration, and persistence in a culinary career.
Most popular cooks started from the bottom and worked their way up, which proves that this qualification is not always helpful in getting a promotion.
2. Creative Writing
For those with zeal towards developing story writing, the profession of joining a creative writing program might appear to be every writer’s dream. Though this degree is ranked among the highest as one of the most useless degrees if one is seeking employment.
On one hand, it teaches you the rules of writing and introduces you to different types of literature; on the other hand, only a small percentage of graduates are able to find constant, well-paid work that relates to the degree.
The writing industry is highly saturated and people choose to become writers as freelancers or possess part-time jobs—there are no set qualifications for either of these. As you probably know, getting into traditional publishing is competitively hard, and jobs related to publishing, such as editor and literary agent, may not necessarily be the same.
The majority of successful writers learn this skill not in universities but independently, by reading, attending workshops, and writing.
3. Fine Arts
Another form of education that is likely not to yield much in the future is fine arts, which one can take in order to pursue a degree in it. Despite the freedom to express creativity through a fine arts degree, it is considered one of the most useless degrees available.
Fine arts graduates are often put in a very bad situation after graduation, especially because there are limited occupational opportunities in this field that enable graduates to professionally engage in the arts. A good number of fine arts graduates seek to survive through short-end jobs or work in completely different sectors such as sales, service industries and employment services.
It is true that people with a degree in fine arts can work in museums or galleries, but such jobs are scarce and the competition very high; most of such jobs demand the holder to possess an- other degree. For many people, art remains a hobby rather than a way to obtain employment; therefore, this degree cannot be considered a very wise investment.
4. Philosophy
As much as a philosophy degree fosters cognitive awareness and contemplation atop the important questions of life, it can barely prepare its holders for a job market, which is why it lands it in the top 10 most useless degrees.
Introducing practical skills to philosophy courses is challenging, and most graduates in philosophy find themselves in irrelevant job areas like sales, retail, or customer service.
Other than being in service as a teacher or continuing one’s education in a masters or doctoral degree program, there are essentially no jobs that are immediately associated with one having studied philosophy. Jobs related to philosophy can be a bit elusive, and therefore, a graduate in this field will require further education in law, business or anything else that will guarantee him/her a job and deepen the cost of getting this degree. Although it opens doors to knowledge, its application in the labor market is highly negligible.
5. Music
A degree in music may be interesting to students with musical ability desiring to break into the music industry, but it covers little ground in terms of employment and income, making it one of the most useless degrees. The music industry is highly saturated, and most of the graduates end up getting paid increments or insecure employment.
Though the music programs provide education and training in performance, composition and theory, that will not qualify them a diploma and talent, connections and experience are key factors towards success in this business.
Some flexible employees who stay in the music industry without advanced education continue to work by concentrating on their talent by getting gigs, contacts, and social networks.
Consequently, a music degree does not offer much job market gain or raise in pay and could take a long time to pay for itself.
6. Theatre Arts
Despite being one of the most interesting fields to study, Theatre Arts is one of the 10 most useless majors if you’re looking for a job. It goes without saying that the field of theatre incorporates high rivalry, as there are not many positions successfully targeting actors, directors, and playwrights.
Many a theatre graduate ends up in two or three part-time jobs, or it takes him years to be cast as an extra or a small role actor on television. Performance and stagecraft are skills that are admirable in degree training, but they don’t prepare a person for the job market.
Most talented actors and performers in society today underwent their training through experiences on the real stage rather than being taken through rigorous academic style. It indeed proves that unemployment is high and theater arts produces graduates who cannot find stable employment or have low-paying jobs.
7. Sociology
Sociology provides understanding of societies and people’s actions and reactions but unfortunately it’s one of the most useless majors if one’s intent on looking for a job straight out of college.
Sociology graduates have a high employment difficulty rate, with the majority of job openings demanding some form of further certification or education. These jobs include social worker, counselor, or community organizer, which frequently demand higher education or licenses, thus a bachelor’s in sociology by default offers little career mobility.
Consequently, sociology graduates are often employed outside this area; they work in call centers, sales departments, or offices. With no identity related to a career track, sociology becomes a part of those worthless degrees.
8. Religious Studies
While Religious studies might well provide an insight into the various religious systems, beliefs, and values, it is arguably among the top 10 most useless college majors when it comes to employment opportunities.
Unless you anticipate employment with an organization connected with some religion or sign up for an academic position, such a degree is indeed almost useless. The current job opportunities available are limited, and many graduates either end up performing administrative duties at their new workplaces or in totally unrelated fields.
In addition, for those not planning on becoming a priest, deacon, teacher and sporadically, university professor, the degree does not appear to immediately provide any sort of employment opportunity. Although religious studies might be beneficial to learn, its poor demand for employment means that it may not be a wise investment.
9. Art History
Fine arts and art history can offer an exciting look on art and culture of different societies but that very reason puts art history among one of the top 10 most useless degrees you can get because of the job market that is practically non-existent. The majority of graduates aspire to secure a job in museums or galleries but there are very limited employment opportunities in this field.
To work as a curator, in a museum or focus on other academic professions, one needs to obtain an MA degree, so the bachelor degree in art history is sometimes not enough.
An art history degree does not equip the holder with skills that can make him or her successful in other careers, especially when such a person has no intent of pursuing the careers that require art history knowledge. The fact is that individuals who do not pursue their studies further, or switch to other related fields such as marketing or communications after receiving their art history degree may find it difficult to secure a job in this field.
10. Anthropology
Even though anthropology may unveil a lot about modern man and societies as well as cultures, it ranks amongst the 10 most useless college majors in terms of employment opportunities. Also for anthropology majors employment opportunities are not very favorable and often they require further education for a dignified employment.
The field itself provides few direct career opportunities related to anthropology and may be restricted to academia, museums or non-profit organizations, positions which often presuppose an attainment of a master’s or doctoral degree at least.
The skills taught in anthropology cannot be applied in other sectors or organizations, hence it is very difficult for the graduates to secure job vacancies in other sectors.
Unfortunately anthropology majors are often eventually employed in fields that are not anthropology related, and there are few career tracks available, thus continuing to this day, anthropology maintains a low value in the labor market.
Things To Consider When Selecting A Degree
When evaluating potential majors, consider the following:
- Job market demand: Conduct an employment outlook and required field analysis.
- Earning potential: See entry level pay and future earnings capacity.
- Personal interests and skills: Think of things that interest you and in which you do not need much effort to perform well.
- Opportunities for advancement: Search for career opportunities and its prospects.
- Potential for continued education: Which brings the question if graduate studies might be needed or useful.
- Transferable skills: This requires the determination of abilities that could be important in many fields.
- Networking opportunities: Get to know about internships, co-op programs and alumni networks.
Possible Career Paths for ‘Useless’ Degrees
If you’re passionate about one of these fields but concerned about job prospects, consider these strategies:
- Double majoring: Splatter your passion with a more, well, practical subject.
- Minor in a high-demand area: Complement your major with business, analytical skills or computer skills.
- Gain practical experience: Ideally find internships, a part-time job, or some volunteer work that relates to the subject area that interests you.
- Develop in-demand skills: Master coding language or digital marketing skills or any other set of skills regardless of the industry they belong to.
- Consider vocational training: Consider technical colleges for the vocational job fields.
- Explore interdisciplinary programs: Many universities come up with quality programs wherein a student can pursue more than one area of specialization.
- Plan for graduate school: If your chosen field demands education up to masters or doctorate level, then include this in your educational equations.
Conclusion
However, while choosing your major it is also important to think about the viability of your careers. While these top 10 most useless degrees present overall career fulfillment, they inevitably result in low employment, income insecurity and low ROI. As was mentioned before, it is wise to find out if the degree you are interested in will help you achieve your career objectives and will prepare you for the necessary job market challenges.
