College Graduates: Diversity Among Majors, Unemployment

OLIVIA CHEUNG
News Editor

Fact: Employment rates are higher for recent college graduates compared to those without a college degree.
However, it is also a fact that job prospects vary by major, according to a report by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.
The report, “Hard Times, College Majors, Unemployment, and Earnings: Not All College Degrees Are Created Equal,” is based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, similar to two other reports from Georgetown University that focus on earnings by major and occupational importance.
The report states that unemployment is higher among recent graduates in nontechnical fields, such as the arts (11.1 percent), humanities (9.4 percent) and liberal arts (9.4 percent), while those who studied health or education have lower unemployment rates at 5.4 percent.
It has also been revealed that among recent college graduates, architecture majors have the highest unemployment rate at 13.9 percent, largely due to the collapse of the construction and housing industries.
This adds to the point that not all majors are created with equal opportunities. As the education and health industries continue to grow, their unemployment rates also begin to decrease, becoming the lowest rate among recent graduates at 5.4 percent.
“It’s important to find something that you enjoy studying and a career that’s something along the lines of that,” sophomore Vincent Chan said. “While [studying a major to get a job] may work out short-term, it may not long-term and […] that’s something that nobody should be experiencing.”
However, according to the report, the job security of an industry-oriented major does not guarantee high earnings. Health-care, science and business majors have low unemployment rates and high earnings, but those in education, psychology and social work have low rates in both.
Regardless of major, the report shows that attaining a college degree remains a favorable choice. The overall unemployment rate for recent bachelor-degree holders stands at 8.9 percent, while recent high-school graduates have unemployment rates at 22.9 percent. The lowest, however, are high school dropouts with 31.5 percent of unemployment.
Furthermore, if the economy continues to steadily improve as it has been doing in the past months, so will the unemployment rates for recent college graduates.
The report also suggests that another option for many graduates would be graduate school. In general, graduate-degree holders face lower unemployment rates at 3 percent compared to those with a bachelor’s degree at 5 percent.
“If someone is very passionate and good at what they do […] then they should go to college for the purpose of gaining overall knowledge,” counselor Carlos Jimenez said. “Students should start doing the research now and explore what AHS offers, while exposing themselves to a little of everything.”