One Radically Different Thing College Students Must Start Doing

Attention college students or parents of college students.

If you want to major in a liberal arts or even marketing degree, then you should pursue your passions.

But, more importantly, pursue a second major as a backup. Choose a Plan B that is much in demand and promises a healthier return on investment. Pick engineering. Maybe get an MBA. And that does not mean college students must double major at the same institution. They could attend a trade school before, during, or after college. And why not? The industrial arts seem to pay more than most other professions these days.

Contemporary college students, if they are wise, might have to attend school an extra year or two. That will cost more money, but, in the long run, investing in something to fall back on (again, with a much healthier return on investment) is totally worth it.

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Ask anyone 40 and over if they remember all of the public service announcements and all of the school assemblies informing us that a college degree guaranteed good money. Many college students borrowed money. Many of them worked hard. They thought they were investing their time and money wisely. They sacrificed in more ways than one…..and we entered the workforce and realized that our elders neglected to tell us one important thing: pick a major that leads to a line of work that is well-in-demand and pays generous.

Two new studies released this week make the case that college does not guarantee a good income. College more or less rips certain students off. 

The website Unusual Whales reported this week that nearly 60% of students with marketing degrees work high-school level jobs five years after graduation.

“Despite this surge in interest, the job market for marketing graduates has become increasingly competitive, exacerbated by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field,” according to the website.

“A recent study by the Burning Glass Institute and Strada Education Foundation found that nearly 60% of marketing students end up working in jobs that require only high school-level skills five years after graduation.”

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One of the key challenges facing recent marketing graduates is the expectation of prior experience even for entry-level positions.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, meanwhile, revealed that students who major in liberal arts, performing arts, and theology earn the lowest salaries within five years of graduating from college. We’re talking about a median annual income of $38,000 per year.

Other majors with a low return on investment include leisure and hospitality, education, social services, and treatment therapy.

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I have argued before that college loans became too easy to get. Politicians pressured college admissions to take in people who had no business being there, thus devaluing college degrees. Colleges are better off restructuring how they operate and what they require. Politicians, however, will never allow that to happen. Academics who care more about the theoretical than they do the practical will also never allow it. In other words, academics believe it’s more important to have a well-rounded education in literature and philosophy and left-wing political ideology than it is to have marketable workforce skills. 

So, because of obstinate politicians and obstinate academics, we’re at an impasse. 

Right now, the only thing a young person can do is diversify their job training. Have a Plan B to fall back on in case Plan A doesn’t pay. Smart people diversify their stock options. Now it’s time for smart people to diversify their job skills and income streams. In this economy and in this political climate, they now have no other choice.

What a sad state of affairs this is.

Special thanks to Warhammer’s Wife proofreading this story before publication to make certain there were no misspellings, grammatical errors or other embarrassing mistakes and/or typos. Follow Warhammer on Twitter @Real_Warhammer