Recent graduates with degrees in psychology or art are having trouble finding jobs

jujube said:
I majored in Journalism. Boy, now there's a useless field of study.

I did work for a major newspaper for years.....selling ads. It paid a lot better than reporting....
Click to expand...
I would think that the job of reporter would be really interesting -- even if you weren't making a lot of money.
 
Rider77 said:
This isn't a new issue. For some reason students have been attracted to these fields of study with dreams of changing the world. It is a sad commentary about the guidance that students receive when planning education choices.
Click to expand...
... or it's a sad commentary about the world right now that it can't be fixed.
 
Meta on Wednesday laid off around 700 employees, a person with knowledge of the company said, the latest downsizing as the Silicon Valley giant shifts its priorities toward artificial intelligence.

Less than 24 hours earlier, the company unveiled a new stock program for six top executives that could increase compensation for some of them by as much as $921 million each over the next five years. Meta said the move was a way to retain talent in the A.I. era and push it toward ambitious growth.

Last year, Mr. Zuckerberg shelled out billions of dollars to hire a team of A.I. specialists. At the same time, the company planned to cut 10 percent to 15 percent of Reality Labs, its division making virtual reality and metaverse products.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/technology/meta-layoffs-ai-executives.html

How much money do they frickin' need?!! Jeeze!
 
I’ve made more dough than 90 percent of the population in the US in my career, zero debt learning my craft too. (If that means anything) I spent one day in college and decided it was stupid. Some dope yakking up front in a political science class was enough for me to want to die! He was Hitler Youth which wasn’t very becoming either. Maybe no choice but…
 
OldFeller said:
This isn't a new issue. For some reason students have been attracted to these fields of study with dreams of changing the world. It is a sad commentary about the guidance that students receive when planning education choices.
Click to expand...
Yup. Wife and I were both sociology majors because in the 60's and 70's, sociology was a 'relevant' subject and we had to be 'relevant'. Yeah, we thought we were going to accomplish something for the social good. Triedbut didn't work out. So, back to school at night to change careers.
 
I enjoyed the two philosophy courses I took, but I had no clue what they were good for job wise. I even had a talk with the professor in his office, on the order of "Philosophy; What's it good for?" He was very nice about it, and named a couple of jobs where it was used, neither of which registered with me.

Maybe we are looking at this wrong. In today's environment, maybe college doesn't have to be only about jobs. Maybe it's just a luxury. I don't quite buy that idea myself, but maybe it's worth considering. If I was just starting out today, I'm not sure I'd go to college as much as I enjoyed it, but when I did it, it was at least affordable.
 
My younger daughter loved art growing up. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Chicago. One class required drawing the human body from the skeleton out and arranged for the students to see the dissection of bodies at a medical school. She called me afterwards and announced she wanted to become a doctor. That is what she did. In the meantime, she calls that BFA a "Bachelors of F*cking Around".

I didn't attend college until I was 40, graduated at age 45 with a nursing degree. I loved the science classes, especially microbiology! Spoke with the instructor, told him I was considering changing my major to that and he told me that jobs were hard to get in that subject and the pay wasn't enough to live on. I stuck with nursing and am glad I did but I still find that topic fascinating.

If I were young today, I would go into the traditional blue collar arenas. Electrician! It takes over five years to get that license. Electricians charge over $100/hour, plumber charges $125/hour. The young man doing all the work on this house now charges $40.00/hour. None of them have a shortage of work, that's for sure. Get in line for an appointment.
 
I suppose if I was young again, and wanted to go to college, I'd think about a career in something that there is a demand for and not what I would want to do for a living. Then again, I never went to college. Hearing about how people were still paying off college loans decades later, I have never regretted it.
 
College and degree used to mean something many jobs USED to say needed a degree, but truth was it did not need to be in a specific field.

I am at a job that is close to home pays ok and is flexible like if I needed a day off with short notice etc. Yet I get bombarded with offers to apply for jobs or recruiters calling or emailing....so I could find something for more $$ or prestigious. Why a proven track record and only an AA degree.
The recent college grads I have worked with cannot think on their feet... have to have exact directions or screenshots of each step.
Most show up late, want to leave early, or my personal favorite ... they want a business to change or rework their programs to match the ones they used in school .....I worked at temp place and often took fill in jobs after they fired recent grads for being unable to fit and do the job.

So many graduate and ONLY apply for specific type of job then become disillusioned that there are NO jobs out there.
My son with an MBA was one of these took years to find the level of job he has now. He kept telling us so many jobs were "beneath his education" until rent needed to be paid :ROFLMAO: Years of jobs he hated, and thought were less than his schooling and then got the one 6 figure type job....... with a recommendation from an online gaming friend......... not applying at every suitable in his mind choice. he was getting nowhere with that.

Life happens people find their calling or whatever not chasing more degrees but by living life.
Maybe a player online in group game has the key to the job they thought they would walk into after graduation....
 
GoodEnuff said:
My younger daughter loved art growing up. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Chicago. One class required drawing the human body from the skeleton out and arranged for the students to see the dissection of bodies at a medical school. She called me afterwards and announced she wanted to become a doctor. That is what she did. In the meantime, she calls that BFA a "Bachelors of F*cking Around".
Click to expand...
I spent many afternoons walking the halls of the Art Institute in Chicago. I never considered studying art, but I appreciated what others did with it. My father made a living as an artist. He took no formal training, but had that gift and was paid by a company to create. They made stickers and decals. They had an art department of about 5 artists, each specializing in the areas they were good at. My father did not make a lot of money. We "made do" like many other families. Saved little, but got by from week to week.
 
Any school is/ should be preparation to help one make a living/survive in the real world. Learn to live first then start chasing dreams. Alot of these colleges and trades frequently wind up selling dreams not useful degrees. Parents and teachers need to be reminding students and kids of that through out their entire academic career.

For us this won't mean much but for the youth, kids and grandkids maybe. It also should be emphasized that needs to work on the resume through out their working life. Don't have to do it daily but always need to be thinking 'what if' I'm let go. It's not just about a degree sometimes it's an industry certification course or work on a different trade. And if one has a opportunity to pile up some money with overtime, promotions, transfers or free course outside of work hours. etc do it.

That being said job markets and economic conditions frequently changle. Fewer and fewer will probably find work at the company for 30 years let alone stay in the same field/job.
 
Not that I disagree with you, but it’s hard to believe that psychologists can’t find work. With all the mental illness we have in this country, I have come to the conclusion that the people who are suffering from a MI aren’t recognizing that they have a problem.

It’s like the old adage, “It’s not me that’s screwed up, it’s everyone else.”
 
911 said:
Not that I disagree with you, but it’s hard to believe that psychologists can’t find work. With all the mental illness we have in this country, I have come to the conclusion that the people who are suffering from a MI aren’t recognizing that they have a problem.

It’s like the old adage, “It’s not me that’s screwed up, it’s everyone else.”
Click to expand...
A licensed and certified psychologist could probably find work. A kid with a psychology degree only not so much.

The work/need is there but is the supply of those that can actually provide services there.
 
Paladin1950 said:
I suppose if I was young again, and wanted to go to college, I'd think about a career in something that there is a demand for and not what I would want to do for a living. Then again, I never went to college. Hearing about how people were still paying off college loans decades later, I have never regretted it.
Click to expand...
demands change sometimes in the time people are in school.

I went to community college for basics and there was a lady I knew whom the state was putting thru school... about time for her to graduate the state decided the program she was in was now filled with too many chasing that ""demand and they changed her program to the next " in demand" career .... so she started over thankfully some credits counted for next item....

I lost track but for all I know she might have changed again and again professional taxpayer funded student chasing the "in demand" job.....
 
911 said:
Not that I disagree with you, but it’s hard to believe that psychologists can’t find work. With all the mental illness we have in this country, I have come to the conclusion that the people who are suffering from a MI aren’t recognizing that they have a problem.

It’s like the old adage, “It’s not me that’s screwed up, it’s everyone else.”
Click to expand...
Too many kids specializing in psychology think that’s what they’re going to do. Except they don’t have the experience to go with the education. Good grades don’t always work. Kids need to find part time work in something related to their field.
 
Jules said:
Too many kids specializing in psychology think that’s what they’re going to do. Except they don’t have the experience to go with the education. Good grades don’t always work. Kids need to find part time work in something related to their field.
Click to expand...
Part of that is the impatience of youth in any field or trade. A school or license doesn't make one a professional. Even unions have apprenticeships and progression to top pay along with being considered a full fledged tradesman. Need some experience to become a full fledged higher paid professional.
 
I found the most “value” in courses that would not be considered “job training.” Freshman writing, psychology, sociology, logic (of language), art, art history, etc. Princeton University has a freshman orientation that focuses on “building a self”. Years ago the materials were accidentally sent to me instead of my son. Fascinating stuff. They should do something like this at all colleges. I Digress.

I understand that higher education can be seen as the road towards improving one’s financial situation. I am not arguing that point. Just wish it could work towards building better selves as a major goal. Need more self building and perhaps less money chasing.

I graduated with a business degree and went on to work at an investment bank were I had interned the summer before. Only stayed about a year. The work was interesting and not very difficult. Got an outstanding rating at my first review - then I quit. Most of the analysts I worked with were ivy/tier1 graduates and some of the most privileged, shallow, and boring people I ever met (with a couple of exceptions). They must have received an “F” in self building.
 
911 said:
Not that I disagree with you, but it’s hard to believe that psychologists can’t find work. With all the mental illness we have in this country, I have come to the conclusion that the people who are suffering from a MI aren’t recognizing that they have a problem.

It’s like the old adage, “It’s not me that’s screwed up, it’s everyone else.”
Click to expand...
It takes a doctorate to become a psychologist -- not simply a Bachelor's degree in psychology. Psychologists are doctors.

Even to become a mental health therapist or counselor requires a Master's degree, and then they have to develop their practice, get an office, find clients... With the availability of AI therapists, it seems like becoming a therapist would be a dead-end occupation. I'd bet that university Master's programs for that are having trouble filling classes.
 
My wife earned a Bachelor's degree in English (or it might be in English literature, I forget). What good is that you might ask? Well, she went on to get a law degree and became a lawyer, so the English degree acted as a good foundation for her JD. Being a lawyer requires a lot of reading and good reading comprehension, so that's actually a good degree for preparation.

Not that long ago, a degree in English could get you a job as a writer or editor or something like that. Maybe it still can, but more and more, those jobs are being taken over by AI.

I'm not sure what a degree in psychology prepares you for. I think a lot of screwed up people study psychology to try to self-diagnose with a goal of overcoming their problems more so than as a skill that will get them a job.
 
EmptyCup said:
I found the most “value” in courses that would not be considered “job training.” Freshman writing, psychology, sociology, logic (of language), art, art history, etc. Princeton University has a freshman orientation that focuses on “building a self”. Years ago the materials were accidentally sent to me instead of my son. Fascinating stuff. They should do something like this at all colleges. I Digress.

I understand that higher education can be seen as the road towards improving one’s financial situation. I am not arguing that point. Just wish it could work towards building better selves as a major goal. Need more self building and perhaps less money chasing.

I graduated with a business degree and went on to work at an investment bank were I had interned the summer before. Only stayed about a year. The work was interesting and not very difficult. Got an outstanding rating at my first review - then I quit. Most of the analysts I worked with were ivy/tier1 graduates and some of the most privileged, shallow, and boring people I ever met (with a couple of exceptions). They must have received an “F” in self building.
Click to expand...
And who's gonna pay for that education? People who work without having studied maybe don't mind paying taxes for normal schools, but not for all that nonsense. If you want to study interesting stuff then also work and pay for it yourself. That was what the rich ladies in and before 1900 used to do for a hobby, while their men and servants worked.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top