If you want to wow hiring managers with your CV, you’ll need a strategy. In an employment market that is always changing, picking a major might feel like a gamble. One bad mistake might have a long-term impact on your professional career, especially when you pick one of the most useless college degrees in the world.
Employers’ requirements for candidates have evolved, and having the most useless college degrees in the world may leave you standing in the dust as the world goes on without you.
If you get one of the most useless college degrees in the world, you may struggle to get employed.
But we’re not in the business of delivering bad news without giving a remedy. Alternatively, similar majors that are more likely to impress employers are also listed.
Bankrate recently evaluated 162 degrees for job success after graduation, based on wages and employment data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The ones towards the bottom of the list are the most useless.
Table of contents
- Are There Useful Degrees?
- What Makes A Degree Useless?
- Why do people think a college degree is useless?
- Top 15 Most Useless College Degrees In The World
- 1. Advertising
- 2. Anthropology And Archeology
- 3. Fashion Design
- 4. Tourism And Hospitality
- 5. Communications
- 6. Education
- 7. Criminal Justice
- 8. Creative Writing
- 9. Theater Arts
- 10. Computer Science
- 10. Ethnic And Civilization Studies
- 11. Intercultural and international studies
- 12. Fine Arts
- 13. Video And Photographic Arts
- 14. Communication Technologies
- What Can You Do To Avoid Getting A Useless College Degree?
- What Are The Most Useful Degrees?
- FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
- Conclusion
- References
- Recommendation
Are There Useful Degrees?
The majority of people want to major in a field that interests them as well as one that will allow them to earn a livelihood once they graduate.
Several majors are deemed helpful, with engineering and medicine being two of the most important.
A useful major can help you get a career after graduation. While the major you select should not be determined only by the amount of money you may earn, it should provide some assurance that you will be able to support yourself and your family after graduation.
The most advantageous majors for college graduates are low unemployment rates, good pay, and no need for further study.
What Makes A Degree Useless?
A degree is tagged useless when the employment rate is low. There is large debt, a lack of opportunities, and a waste of time.
Therefore, there are Most Useless College Degrees
Why do people think a college degree is useless?
- People say this because the subjects of study in their field are not immediately related to the careers they pursue or whatever they do later in life.
- Since the college curriculum is no longer relevant, many private agencies have taken over the role.
- Traditional universities have let many people down because they are too sluggish or demanding. Instead, they get information from the internet, the streets, and their pals.
- Employers value qualities such as intelligence, self-drive, skills, and passion. These are attributes that are lacking in many universities.
- Some students believe they are just starting in life, which means they will have to take out loans to pay for these pricey degrees that do not promise increased salary.
With the rising expense of college tuition, student loan debt, job scarcity, and online entrepreneurial prospects, students are more likely to choose a less expensive and ineffective degree.
Read also: 15 Most Useless Jobs in the World that you never knew existed in 2024
Top 15 Most Useless College Degrees In The World
The 15 most useless college degrees in the world are listed below, according to several financial experts and other professionals who conduct comprehensive market analyses for various job choices.
Remember that you should always follow your passions and work in a profession you enjoy.
However, various occupations provide a wide range of employment options, and you should be able to design a degree that allows you to specialize in many sectors.
- Advertising
- Anthropology And Archeology
- Fashion Design
- Tourism And Hospitality
- Communications
- Education
- Criminal Justice
- Creative Writing
- Theater Arts
- Computer Science
- Ethnic and civilization studies
- Intercultural and international studies
- Fine arts
- Film video and photographic arts
- Communication technologies
1. Advertising
You may believe that advertising is still a booming career with a high employment rate. Be kind to read this. While this is true, it is also utilized in other ways, such as social media, websites, and online advertisements.
Billboards and exhibitions were the rages in the twentieth century. Flyers and vouchers were used to distribute advertisements.
Today, everything is done over the internet. More significantly, owing to the web statistics we have access to, customers may influence marketing and advertising trends, ensuring that advertisements are only focused on what people want.
Billboards and displays with long-expired ads are likely to appear from time to time. Businesses rent various channels to broadcast their messages and sell goods.
That isn’t to say that advertising isn’t alive and well, but it may require a fresh perspective.
What To Do: If you already have a bachelor’s degree in advertising, you may only need to take a different strategy, such as focusing on social media, search engine optimization (SEO), and other fields.
Most experts in these fields may be found online for free, and some courses aren’t too expensive or time-consuming to finish. Remember that these fields also need you to stay current with changing trends and technology.
This is the first Most Useless College Degree on this list.
Read: 15 Best Colleges on the Beach in Florida | 2024 Best Rankings
2. Anthropology And Archeology
Another one of the most useless college degrees is an Anthropology degree.
When people hear the terms anthropology or archeology, they think of popular characters from novels and movies like Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, the Tomb Raider. On the other hand, the route of an archeologist is far more restricted and heavily reliant on luck.
Regardless, all these areas are intriguing to pursue, but they are far from simple. Furthermore, obtaining a fantastic employment opportunity necessitates a great deal of luck.
That may be enough to make these two of the most worthless professional choices available now, but it doesn’t have to be that way with a little luck.
What To Do: For archeologists, there may be viable choices such as business, an archeological blog, or a YouTube channel. However, for the most dependable and safe job choice, a Master’s degree and, eventually, a Ph.D. are required.
Research archeologists have a lot better luck than undergraduates. Nonetheless, there are few employment opportunities in this sector.
3. Fashion Design
The rivalry among renowned fashion designers has risen dramatically because they’ve developed so many garments that coming up with fresh ideas has become virtually difficult.
Let’s face it: every ten years, the same patterns and color trends emerge, and there are seldom any job openings for fashion designers. Starting a brand is a different tale, but it’s still difficult because you’ll require a lot of assets and resources.
What to do: If you’re serious about pursuing a career in fashion design, you’ll need to put a lot of effort into your portfolio. Create a fashion blog, learn to sew, and create doll designs. You might also major in Fine Arts or Graphic Design. Finally, make relationships with influential individuals and present your ideas.
4. Tourism And Hospitality
Let’s face it, one of the most popular niches is travel. Even if there is a brief drop in travel, airline firms and travel agents profit handsomely once people begin to travel again. This opens up a plethora of profitable opportunities for tourism and hospitality graduates.
The industry is getting more volatile, and it is no longer a solid source of revenue.
But, it is still one of the Most Useless College Degrees.
What to do: Earn a bachelor’s degree in management, business, or marketing and then specialize in the travel and tourist industry. This helps you to enhance your skills while also allowing you to work on more important projects.
Also, see: Top 15 Best Degrees for Adults Returning to College | 2024 Ranking
5. Communications
Communication is a vast subject, and not all of it, at least not in its totality, is deemed worthless. Nonetheless, most of the abilities needed for a solid communications job may be found in a wide range of more common degree programs and tiny specialized courses.
Therefore, a degree is one of the most useless college degrees ever.
Traditional professional titles such as public relations manager, writer, or reporter no longer require a university diploma, especially in the age of remote workers and ever-growing social media, which many people use to flaunt their skills.
What to do: Consider other interests, but mix them with a range of other talents you’d like to master.
Communication abilities are generally available, yet obtaining a degree is too expensive. Improve your social media profile, create a YouTube vlogging channel, or even begin a podcasting career.
6. Education
Education is a popular choice for many individuals, but it is fast dwindling because anybody can become a teacher nowadays, even if they have a different degree. Worse, many instructors are underappreciated, and their salaries are poor unless they work in private facilities.
You can accomplish many things with an education degree, but the reality is that career prospects are shrinking, and the number of jobless teachers is rising across the country.
If you wish to tutor in an institution, it is fast becoming the most useless college degree.
What to do: There are numerous options available to you. You may establish your own education business and teach only the skills you believe are required. Also, you may charge for workshops and consultations while still giving your students value.
Additionally, concentrate on your social media presence; in such a case, a social media management course would be beneficial.
7. Criminal Justice
Many children are inspired to become superheroes by solving problems like detectives and police officers. However, law enforcement is no longer what it once was.
Furthermore, it is underpaid. Many police and law enforcement agencies no longer require new officers to have a bachelor’s degree.
With that in mind, a criminal justice education is far too costly to be ranked alongside someone with a high school diploma.
It is one of the Most Useless College Degrees.
What to do: Enroll in a more broad-based educational program such as political science or law school. If you want to, you can always become a detective.
8. Creative Writing
When did a creative writing degree become a measure of your creativity? It doesn’t matter if it’s a good asset to help educational institutions generate money or to help creative writing students get a degree.
To work as a screenwriter or nonfiction writer, you don’t need a degree in creative writing. Today, anyone may be inventive or creative, and having a degree will limit the number of employment options available.
Actually, a college degree in creative writing is quickly becoming useless. This is because there are many online resources.
What to do: The internet and social media provide a range of assets for creative people to express themselves. One of them is a blog, where you can express yourself. If you still want to go to college, degrees in business, literature, marketing, and others are available.
Also, see: 10 Best Schools for Creative Writing in the World | 2024
9. Theater Arts
Many great actors will tell you that formal theater arts education is crucial if you want to pave your way to success and get cast in whatever path you choose. However, the theatrical arts are overcrowded and exceedingly tough to get into.
Many performers utilize their positions of power to entice their offspring into the performing arts. Not to mention the bribes and ties pulled to get into a role.
What to do: There are numerous alternatives to the theatrical arts, and one of them is to establish a social media or YouTube presence. Many firms use social media to find hidden talents, allowing people to start their careers from the ground up.
Although there is no academic alternative to theatrical arts, the good news is that you may pursue another hobby while establishing your internet profile.
10. Computer Science
One of the most promising STEM fields, computer science, is becoming oversaturated. More importantly, several sub-fields within computer science appeal to the interests of pupils.
It’s a hard and exhausting degree to pursue, with fewer employment options that fit your interests.
More significantly, many computer science textbooks become obsolete as soon as they are released, necessitating diligent attention on the part of the instructor.
What you should do: Computer science may be used in almost every field. Several free online courses allow students to gain new abilities in the computer science area if they are interested in a STEM discipline other than computer science, such as mechanical engineering, electro-engineering, or mathematics.
10. Ethnic And Civilization Studies
Intercultural and international studies degrees are quite comparable to this major. However, today’s companies may not value your capacity to immerse yourself in a certain population for research purposes.
You may channel your interest in different cultures into an international relations degree, which will provide you with a better chance for long-term work.
Unemployment rate: 10.84%
Alternative major: International relations
11. Intercultural and international studies
Sociologists investigate all aspects of society and assist in resolving social problems.
A sociology degree is similar to an intercultural and international studies degree, with the exception that it has a greater possibility of catching an employer’s attention after graduation.
Unemployment rate: 9.93%
Alternative major: Sociology
Read also: 15 Easiest & Hardest College Majors in 2024
12. Fine Arts
A Fine arts major hears the question, “What are you going to do with that?” more than any other graduate.
We recommend that you pursue a different college degree because it is inconvenient and because many hiring majors perceive little value in this field of study.
By all means, avoid all these useless and worst college degrees and majors.
Combining your passion for art with your knowledge may bring value as a candidate. Majors in art and music education have a lower unemployment rate of 4.71 percent.
Unemployment rate: 10.90%
Alternative major: Art and music education
13. Video And Photographic Arts
Your prospects of obtaining work as a videographer or photographer for a firm are minimal, owing to the limited number of employment openings.
Consider a business degree that can help you break into entrepreneurship if you have a flair for being behind the camera. In this business, working for oneself is considerably more feasible.
Unemployment rate: 11.24%
Alternative major: General Business
Also, see: 17 Best Photography Colleges in the World | 2024 Rankings
14. Communication Technologies
Communication technology degrees are in high demand in Silicon Valley. Those unwilling to put themselves in that situation may have a more difficult time navigating the employment market.
Hiring managers are looking for degrees that may be used in several situations. People that are interested in communication and, well, technology might benefit from a more practical degree such as computer engineering.
This is one of the worthless college degrees.
Unemployment rate: 9.40%
Alternative major: Computer engineering
Read: 10 Best Colleges for C Average Students in the USA | 2024
What Can You Do To Avoid Getting A Useless College Degree?
Pick A Major Based On Abilities: In general, abilities refer to what you can achieve. When picking a university major, knowing what areas you have talents in and which areas might require work is a fantastic approach to start the elimination process.
However, don’t dismiss your weak areas just yet; you’ll be able to improve them more during your studies – after all, this is a place to learn.
Pick A Major Based On Passions: At first sight, your passions appear to be like interest areas, only more intense. This, however, is an understatement. Passions are topics of intense interest, but they also combine your values and abilities into something that becomes a burning, lifelong goal.
Following your interests, whatever they may be, is one of the greatest methods to pick a major, and it usually results in the least amount of second-guessing later on. Passions, like interests, can be defined later in life, even after university.
Pick an Employable Major:- To put it another way, would you be able to find work in a relevant industry once you finish your degree? Consider a larger subject of study rather than something particular to avoid future despair from job rejection.
Will It Pay?:- You could be the most adamant in claiming that money isn’t a factor in your decision-making process while choosing a major. But it matters. Choosing a financially rewarding major should be a top consideration.
What Are The Most Useful Degrees?
Based on post-graduate employment and median yearly salary, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has compiled a list of the most beneficial college majors:
- Medicine and Surgery
- Chemical engineering
- Biochemistry
- Meteorology
- Nursing
- Mechanical engineering
- Software engineering
- Pharmaceutical sciences
- Marine engineering
- Biomedical engineering
Read also: 30 Marketable Courses in USA, 2024| Updated
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Finding it difficult to be employed post-graduation (based on average unemployment rates).
Do your research about a degree before you apply.
The most helpful majors for college graduates are those with low unemployment rates, good pay, and no necessity for further study.
Make sure the degree is based on your abilities and passion and if it is employable.
Conclusion
Although the unemployment rates and graduation wages for these degrees are among the worst, this should not deter you from applying.
Employers will always be more interested in your drive, experience, and ability than a piece of paper, just as they are in any other field.
References
Recommendation
