Top 10 Worst College Majors for 2014: Low salaries and high unemployment

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Worst College Majors for Your Career

There are many reasons to go to college, and preparing for a career is just one of them. College (or university) also can help you become more well-rounded, improve your critical thinking skills and give you a wonderful base of education and ideas for life overall. That said, the primary motivation for most college students seems to be career preparation – getting a job that they enjoy and that pays the bills.

There are two schools of thought… one is to study what you love or find interesting and then figure out the job situation later. One idea here is that if you pursue a passion you’ll bring extra energy and competence with you, and thus you’ll perform better.  Indeed, there is merit to this idea.  The other school of thought is to be more practical and consider career preparation whose choosing a college major.

Either way you go, we thought it would be insightful to consider the WORST college majors when it comes to landing a job.  Keep in mind these majors maybe be great at making a well-rounded person, and may even prepare you for career success once you land a job.  But they aren’t doing you any favors as it pertains to securing that job right after graduation!  Okay, here’s the list (original from Kiplinger.com):

10. English Major Career Information & Stats

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English Major Unemployment rate:6.7% (average for all graduates with bachelor’s degree: 4.9%)

  • English Major Unemployment rate for recent grads: 9.2% (average for top 100 majors: 7.7%)
  • English Major Median salary: $48,000 (median for all grads with bachelor’s: $54,756)
  • English Major Median salary for recent grads: $32,000 (median for top 100 majors: $37,000)
  • English Major’s Projected job growth for this field, 2010-2020: 6% (average: 14%)
  • English Major’s Likelihood of working retail: 1.4 times average

9. Sociology Major Career Information & Stats

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Sociology Major Unemployment rate: 7.0%

  • Sociology Major Unemployment rate for recent grads: 8.6%
  • Sociology Major Median salary: $45,000
  • Sociology Major Median salary for recent grads: $32,000
  • Sociology Major Projected job growth for this field, 2010-2020: 18%
  • Sociology Major’s Likelihood of working retail: 1.4 times average

8. Drama and Theater Arts Major Career Information & Stats

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Drama Major’s Unemployment rate: 7.1%

  • Drama Major’s Unemployment rate for recent grads: 7.8%
  • Drama Major’s Median salary: $40,000
  • Drama Major’s Median salary for recent grads: $26,000
  • Drama Major’s Projected job growth for this field, 2010-2020: 4%
  • Drama Major’s Likelihood of working retail: 2.1 times average

7. Liberal Arts Major Career Information & Stats

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Liberal Arts Major’s Unemployment rate: 7.6%

  • Liberal Arts Major’s Unemployment rate for recent grads: 9.2%
  • Liberal Arts Major’s Median salary: $48,000
  • Liberal Arts Major’s Median salary for recent grads: $30,000
  • Liberal Arts Major’s Projected job growth for this field, 2010-2020: not available
  • Liberal Arts Major’s Likelihood of working retail: 1.8 times average

6. Studio Arts Major Career Information & Stats

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Studio Art Major’s Unemployment rate: 8.0%

  • Studio Art Major’s Unemployment rate for recent grads: 11.1%
  • Studio Art Major’s Median salary: $37,000
  • Studio Art Major’s Median salary for recent grads: $35,900
  • Studio Art Major’s Projected job growth for this field, 2010-2020: 5%
  • Studio Art Major’s Likelihood of working retail: 2.3 times average

5. Graphic Design Major Career Information & Stats

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Graphic Design Major Unemployment rate: 8.1%

  • Graphic Design Major Unemployment rate for recent grads: 11.8%
  • Graphic Design Major Median salary: $45,000
  • Graphic Design Major Median salary for recent grads: $32,000
  • Graphic Design Major Projected job growth for this field, 2010-2020: 13%
  • Graphic Design Major Likelihood of working retail: 0.6 times average

4. Philosophy Major Career Information & Stats

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Philosophy Major Unemployment rate: 7.2%

  • Philosophy Major Unemployment rate for recent grads: 10.8%
  • Philosophy Major Median salary: $42,000
  • Philosophy Major Median salary for recent grads: $30,000
  • Philosophy Major Projected job growth for this field, 2010-2020: not available
  • Philosophy Major Likelihood of working retail: 2.0 times average

3. Photography Major Career Information & Stats

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Photography Major Unemployment rate: 7.3%

  • Photography Major Unemployment rate for recent grads: 12.9%
  • Photography Major Median salary: $45,000
  • Photography Major Median salary for recent grads: $30,000
  • Photography Major Projected job growth for this field, 2010-2020: 13%
  • Photography Major Likelihood of working retail: 2.6 times average

2. Fine Arts Major Career Information & Stats

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Fine Art Majors Unemployment rate: 7.4%

  • Fine Art Majors Unemployment rate for recent grads: 12.6%
  • Fine Art Majors Median salary: $44,000
  • Fine Art Majors Median salary for recent grads: $30,000
  • Fine Art Majors Projected job growth for this field, 2010-2020: 5%
  • Fine Art Majors Likelihood of working retail: 1.8 times average

1. Anthropology Major Career Information & Stats

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Anthropology Major’s Unemployment rate: 6.9%

  • Anthropology Major’s Recent grad employment rate: 10.5%
  • Anthropology Major’s Median salary: $40,000
  • Anthropology Major’s Median salary for recent grads: $28,000
  • Anthropology Major’s Projected job growth for this field, 2010-2020: 21%
  • Anthropology Major’s Likelihood of working retail: 2.1 times average

for more information: Kiplinger.com

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