Why Employers Don’t Care About Your College Major

Posted by • January 30th, 2012 • 904 Comments

A recent report by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce made headlines with the claim that “Not all majors are created equal.” The report, “Hard Times: College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings,” draws on data from the American Community Survey in 2009 and 2010 to argue that some majors fare better in today’s job market than others.

College matters…but is college major a major factor?

College graduates have a dramatic advantage over high school graduates in the job market – 14 percentage points, to be exact. With this significant spread, it’s safe to conclude that your college degree is a sound investment. But how much of a role does your college major play in the job search?

“Hard Times” found a fairly consistent advantage for technical and applied majors on the job market compared with humanities and arts fields. Business, health care and education majors fared pretty well straight out of college, even in the depths of a recession. Humanities and liberal arts majors, by contrast, faced a higher unemployment rate in 2009 and 2010.

Study author Anthony Carnevale draws the conclusion that the course of study you choose is most important:

“Up until 1982, the fact that you went to college and got a degree is what mattered. That’s not true anymore. Getting the degree is part of the game, but statistically, the most important part is what you take,” said Carnevale, quoted in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Why you are more important than your major

But some experts tell a different story. Whether you have a college degree matters; what field the degree is in does not.

“What I hear from employers in greater numbers than ever is that candidates are not their majors. [Employers] are seeking talent first and then majors,” said Steve Langerud, director of professional opportunities at DePauw University.

Carnevale’s own data seems to support Langerud’s point. Over time, the employment advantage for certain majors shrinks. As workers gain experience or go back to school for further training, the edge for technical and applied majors all but vanishes.

Why? According to Langerud, employers are looking for potential in a recent college graduate — strong leadership and teamwork skills, some quantitative skills and project management ability. If an applicant can think, speak and write well, employers may be willing to invest in specific job skills training.

“In this talent economy, a single set of skills developed only within the context of a major is too narrow to be competitive for the number of openings available to new graduates,” Langerud said.

So how can you maximize your potential on the job market? Take steps while in school to build core skills and prepare for the job market. Internships, campus leadership roles, team projects, service learning and networking programs can all make you a more polished and professional job candidate, no matter what your college major is.

Not all majors are created equal, but neither are all college students. Take steps to develop and demonstrate your value to an employer by building transferable skills that transcend specific industries, and you can compete in tomorrow’s job market regardless of your college major. – Originally posted on Aol Jobs by Clare Kaufman

AOL Jobs has brought together some of the industry's top experts on job searching, resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, networking, workplace issues, career management, employment news and trends and so much more. We have come together with one common goal -- to provide you the information you need, when you need it, to help you land (and keep) that job.

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  • Thewhitecomet637

     ”If an applicant can think, speak and write well, employers may be willing to invest in specific job skills training.” (1) By the time you graduate from college you should be able to speak and write well. (2) the thinking part depends. When we are talking about “thinking”, it is usually referred to “problem solving”, and who solves problems the most? Writing a proof in math, setting up the correct equations to a physics problem, designing a complex circuit, are all part of problem solving and it is not just any kind of problem solving, it is comparably the most difficult kind of all kinds. Your major does matter, but in a way what your major is determines who you are. I say this because not every one can be a math major or a physics major even if they tried because in truth there are dumb people and there are smart people. This cannot be denied.  

  • Brent

    That’s true, but some of the best paying jobs don’t require a physics or math degree – sure they’re helpful but there are tons of people on Wall Street and in Big Law that haven’t touched a college level math or science course.

    Investment banking at all levels requires only basic high school math skills and the highest paid bankers, PE, VC and Hedge Fund managers make TONS more than the highest paid physicists, quants, or actuaries who focus primarily on math skills.

    Chris Hughes studied history and Zuckerburg didn’t even graduate but they’re billionaires and have had a greater impact on the world than 99% of any math or physics grad will ever have.

    Just because you can be technical doesn’t mean you can innovate, communicate well, have charisma, negotiate, sell and be persuasive – these are much more valuable skills that you’re not going to learn in Calculus class and traits that will lead to management positions that always pay higher than the techy guys in the trenches. Most of the richest people in the world don’t do math equations everyday or get even remotely technical.  Real life isn’t that complex thanks to many factors.