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Not Where They Hoped They'd Be

Some are surprising some are not so surprising with degrees with little in the way of job openings like psychology or philosophy.


btw-I didn't know that there were hotels in the slums of Nairobi.
 
Have to wonder what the GPA and thesis were of the guy with the doctorate in industrial chemistry. Or maybe it's just an Italian thing.
 
lulz @ Daria Vitasovic

Hmm, I can't get a job I like with an undergrad degree in Philosophy. What ever should I do? I know! I'll get a PhD in it too!
 
- russian language
- literature and philosophy
- communications
- philosophy and religious sciences
- science (general)
- "police degree" (?)
- painting and business management

And why does a guy with a degree in civil engineering expect a job in art restoration?
 
lol not surprising with those degrees.

psychology? What is that good for on it's own anyway? Some other degrees may require it, so then you have to take it, but taking it on it's own never made sense.

Most of these degrees are too specialized, and that's the big problem. Like chemical engineering. How many chemical companies are in their town and how many engineers do they need? And what is the odds that they hire someone off the street vs someone internal who's been with the company for a while? The demand for the type of work is a big thing to look for when looking for a field of study. It's best to study something as broad as possible as it opens more doors. Computer science for example is very broad. Trades is very broad. More doors get opened when you have degrees in things like that. At the rate houses and commercial buildings are going up these days trades is a guaranteed job, even more so than computer science.

Entry level jobs are the best thing to aim for when coming out of college/university, the higher end ones probably wont hire off the street.
 
Red Squirrel said:
Most of these degrees are too specialized, and that's the big problem. Like chemical engineering. How many chemical companies are in their town and how many engineers do they need? The demand for the type of work is a big thing to look for when looking for a field of study.
Click to expand...

That chemical engineers get paid $$$ tells me that they are in demand. I don't see how location is relevant; people can move. If one lives in a bumfuck small town, you won't find a lot of computer science jobs either unless you're either a self-employed contractor type or something.
 
Red Squirrel said:
lol not surprising with those degrees.

psychology? What is that good for on it's own anyway? Some other degrees may require it, so then you have to take it, but taking it on it's own never made sense.

Most of these degrees are too specialized, and that's the big problem. Like chemical engineering. How many chemical companies are in their town and how many engineers do they need? And what is the odds that they hire someone off the street vs someone internal who's been with the company for a while? The demand for the type of work is a big thing to look for when looking for a field of study. It's best to study something as broad as possible as it opens more doors. Computer science for example is very broad. Trades is very broad. More doors get opened when you have degrees in things like that. At the rate houses and commercial buildings are going up these days trades is a guaranteed job, even more so than computer science.

Entry level jobs are the best thing to aim for when coming out of college/university, the higher end ones probably wont hire off the street.
Click to expand...

LOL. As someone who studied Chemistry and Computer Science, and who works mainly with Chemical Engineers, I am comfortable saying you have no clue what you are talking about. Chemical Engineers are in demand (and if you are not you are doing it wrong). I liked CS but have absolutely no desire to write software considering how easy it is to outsource these days. Fortunately I found a career that combined the best of the two.
 
tfinch2 said:
lulz @ Daria Vitasovic

Hmm, I can't get a job I like with an undergrad degree in Philosophy. What ever should I do? I know! I'll get a PhD in it too!
Click to expand...

There are plenty of career fields that demand a higher degree to be employable (mine, for instance).

PS-I have visions of this thread going down the hole of "I got a degree in XX, what's with all these stupid people who didn't get the same degree I did?!"
 
Red Squirrel said:
lol not surprising with those degrees.

psychology? What is that good for on it's own anyway? Some other degrees may require it, so then you have to take it, but taking it on it's own never made sense.

Most of these degrees are too specialized, and that's the big problem. Like chemical engineering. How many chemical companies are in their town and how many engineers do they need? And what is the odds that they hire someone off the street vs someone internal who's been with the company for a while? The demand for the type of work is a big thing to look for when looking for a field of study. It's best to study something as broad as possible as it opens more doors. Computer science for example is very broad. Trades is very broad. More doors get opened when you have degrees in things like that. At the rate houses and commercial buildings are going up these days trades is a guaranteed job, even more so than computer science.

Entry level jobs are the best thing to aim for when coming out of college/university, the higher end ones probably wont hire off the street.
Click to expand...

You're kidding right. Chemical engineers are in extreme high demand. Oil companies are snatching up chemical engineers like candy.

Its an EXTREMELY lucrative major and it is a very difficult school load.
 
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HamburgerBoy said:
That chemical engineers get paid $$$ tells me that they are in demand. I don't see how location is relevant; people can move. If one lives in a bumfuck small town, you won't find a lot of computer science jobs either unless you're either a self-employed contractor type or something.
Click to expand...

Yeah I was surprised that the chemical engineer couldn't find anything... they're the highest paid engineer. Like the guy above me said, the energy companies are gobbling them up. They'll even hire other types of engineers if you really want to work there.

I always wanted to live in a small town, but when I started engineering in college I quickly learned that you have to move to where the jobs are.
 
HamburgerBoy said:
Have to wonder what the GPA and thesis were of the guy with the doctorate in industrial chemistry. Or maybe it's just an Italian thing.
Click to expand...

Industrial Chemistry sounds like a stupid degree, why not chemE? And he wants to get into research with an applied degree? Good luck there.

Then again, coming from a P-Chemer, everybody with a degree in chemistry without physic in the title tends to get looked down on. My favorite are the Doctorates in Analytical Chemistry.
 
KillerCharlie said:
Yeah I was surprised that the chemical engineer couldn't find anything... they're the highest paid engineer. Like the guy above me said, the energy companies are gobbling them up. They'll even hire other types of engineers if you really want to work there.

I always wanted to live in a small town, but when I started engineering in college I quickly learned that you have to move to where the jobs are.
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i think that's one of the largest problems for people finding jobs out of school - they're not willing to move.

if i had not received the job i had (near home), i would have gone anywhere in the country.
 
I think a lot of it has to do with people not know what they want to do in life. They pursue degrees in areas they find only interesting on the surface.

I have always found it funny when people go for degrees in areas they only find somewhat interesting, but end up in far lesser careers in life with no hope of finding something better. Why bother with your education if you aren't into the field you're pursuing?
 
Fenixgoon said:
[/B]

i think that's one of the largest problems for people finding jobs out of school - they're not willing to move.

if i had not received the job i had (near home), i would have gone anywhere in the country.
Click to expand...

Place matters to some. Work, not so much to many. Every place in the world has jobs...just may not be what you want. For those of us who care more about place we just need to be flexible in our employment. For those who care about jobs, they need to be flexible in degrees and place.

I've been saying it my whole life: jobs are utterly worthless. They're just what you do to collect a paycheck in order to spend the rest of your time doing what matters to you. There is NO appreciable difference between a doctor and a gas station attendant...it's still the part time patent clerks and socially inept students who are going to make all the important changes in the world.
 
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Red Squirrel said:
lol not surprising with those degrees.

psychology? What is that good for on it's own anyway? Some other degrees may require it, so then you have to take it, but taking it on it's own never made sense.
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Understanding human nature, understanding ourselves, unlocking the mysteries of the mind, childhood development, counseling, therapy, criminal profiling...yep, sounds totally worthless. Not like Business where you get to...oh yeah, learn how to exploit loopholes and manipulate people and the system in order to con people out of their money so that you can indulge worthless materialist fantasies that hasten the destruction of the planet and the human race. My bad.
 
It's been said by others but, bears repeating, college is currently a bad investment. BUT, but, but engineering! But, but, but, top ten! Bull shit. Trade schools are a much better investment.
 
MagnusTheBrewer said:
It's been said by others but, bears repeating, college is currently a bad investment. BUT, but, but engineering! But, but, but, top ten! Bull shit. Trade schools are a much better investment.
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Yup. Its almost as bad as gambling. Absolutely no guarantee you'll get your money back. And you gotta pay interest on the loan, too.
 
PrinceofWands said:
Place matters to some. Work, not so much to many. Every place in the world has jobs...just may not be what you want.
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I think that that is an important insight. My perception is that in the US, most of us have an expectation that we will move to where the jobs are ... In other places in the world, that may not be an appropriate expectation....

Another issue may be the relative value of a University degree. It appears, at least in the US, that as the number of people holding degrees has increased, the value of a degree has decreased. That is the value of the degree appears to be inversely proportional to the number of people that hold that degree.

For example, in the '40s when one person out of twenty had a University degree, the relative value was much different than the current situation where nearly one person out of 3 has a degree.

Anyway, its an interesting, though arguably stressful, situation...

When I read through the comments at the end of the article, I was struck by how many people were blaming the Baby Boomers for screwing up the economy. Did anyone else read it that way?

Uno
 
NikolaeVarius said:
You're kidding right. Chemical engineers are in extreme high demand. Oil companies are snatching up chemical engineers like candy.

Its an EXTREMELY lucrative major and it is a very difficult school load.
Click to expand...

rsd said:
LOL. As someone who studied Chemistry and Computer Science, and who works mainly with Chemical Engineers, I am comfortable saying you have no clue what you are talking about. Chemical Engineers are in demand (and if you are not you are doing it wrong). I liked CS but have absolutely no desire to write software considering how easy it is to outsource these days. Fortunately I found a career that combined the best of the two.
Click to expand...

I was using that as an example, but you can make fun of me all you want, this article seems to differ with you saying they are guarantee a job 100%.

Anyone who thinks they will get a high end engineer job straight out of school is gambling. Sure there is that chance that it works out but chances are they'll hire someone within the company first.

The way the hiring process of a company normally works is it goes internal for 1-2 weeks, a high end job, say level 3 server tech, will most likely have lot of applicants from people working entry level or lower level jobs. The chances are decent that someone qualifies. If by chance no one qualifies, THEN it goes outside. The most likely scenario is someone, say a help desk worker, applies and got the job.

Then a help desk job will open internally, given it's entry level chances are there wont be much internal applicants unless someone wants a career change and wants to move laterally. Then it will go outside, and someone fresh out of college with a basic comp sci diploma has a decent chance at it because it's an entry level job.

With the very high end jobs there is a chain so there is even less chance of it going outside. What makes me laugh is people who think they'll come out of university and be a CEO right off the bat. So they have like 20 degrees in management and stuff, but not a single degree in something entry level. Good luck paying that huge debt without a job is all I have to say.

You also have to study whatever gives you the best chance of getting a job in your area unless you want to move away from family/friends. Not ideal to do that just because of a job.
 
How can you get a degree in business management and not get some sort of half-way decent job? I don't get it.

Maybe the girl is a stick short of a bundle.
 
MagnusTheBrewer said:
It's been said by others but, bears repeating, college is currently a bad investment. BUT, but, but engineering! But, but, but, top ten! Bull shit. Trade schools are a much better investment.
Click to expand...

Yes trades is probably the best thing ever right now, I'd rank it even higher than computer science. I don't care how high tech this world gets, we still need buildings, drywall, electrical, plumbing, etc etc... and houses and commercial buildings are going up at a crazy pace it seems. There's tons of work in trades. Not to mention old construction work like adding/fixing stuff.

If ever computer science did not work out for me, trades was always my fallback. There is actually a decent amount of money too, especially if you start your own business. I see tons of trades related trucks all the time. General contracting, electrical, plumbing, hvac, masonry etc... try calling any of em and they're all busy.
 
Red Squirrel said:
Yes trades is probably the best thing ever right now, I'd rank it even higher than computer science. I don't care how high tech this world gets, we still need buildings, drywall, electrical, plumbing, etc etc... and houses and commercial buildings are going up at a crazy pace it seems. There's tons of work in trades. Not to mention old construction work like adding/fixing stuff.

If ever computer science did not work out for me, trades was always my fallback. There is actually a decent amount of money too, especially if you start your own business. I see tons of trades related trucks all the time. General contracting, electrical, plumbing, hvac, masonry etc... try calling any of em and they're all busy.
Click to expand...

If I had it all to do over again, I might have went into HVAC or sheet metal work but, I went into food service knowing I'd never get rich. What I didn't know was that corporations would destroy what I found so attractive about the service industry.
 
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