After 126 college degrees were analyzed on pay potential, hiring demand, and job satisfaction, the following 12 were found the worst. You shouldn't necessarily fret if your major is on the list. We can suggest a career path that might work best for you.
1. Religious Studies
Religious workers earn a starting salary of merely $38,300, and there are only about 9,000 online job postings annually, and nearly 50% of them feel their work to be meaningless. You might consider majoring in philosophy instead, which is in much higher demand and offers a higher reward.
2. Exercise Science
With a merely 1,500 annual online job postings seeking out workers majoring in exercise science, the starting annual salary for this career is as low as $36,600. A smart choice is actually the broader field of fitness with the aging population pushing demand for many related jobs, such as physical therapists, trainers and nutritionists.
3. Music
Musical ability is not a ticket to fame and fortune. The annual online job postings for music majors is merely 2,731, and their median pay is less than $32,000 a year. You might consider working part-time to pull in some income elsewhere, and take advantage of social media to catch more ears.
4. Art History
The annual online job postings for art history major is only 2,710, and 20.2% of these degree holders have dropped out of the workplace. Those who have found jobs earn a lean median salary of $40,792 a year. The rising museum techs and conservators seem better choices, but you need to have a master's degree.
5. Paralegal Studies
The need for legal services is great, but the field remains highly competitive. Reportedly, over 60,000 people complete their legal degrees each year, and paralegals earn a median income of less than $49,200 a year. You might instead study a wide range of majors like finance that won't limit your career opportunities.
6. Graphic Design
You might think graphic design would offer a promising future, but only 64.7% of graphic design majors have gone on to work full time, and their starting salary is only $40,200 a year. Focus instead on creating designs and images for mobile devices, websites and the like which are in higher demand.
7. Anthropology
The number of annual online job postings for anthropology majors is merely 733, the second-lowest among the 126 college majors analyzed, while over 12,000 people completed their anthropology degrees annually, which naturally lends itself to low pay. You're better off heading for the world of academia as anthropology is a pretty popular major for students.
8. Radio & Television
This major is unpopular among its potential employers with only about 7,300 annual online job postings, and it's facing a 10% decline over the next decade. Indeed, employers typically prefer to hire as radio and TV announcers people with degrees in communications, journalism or broadcasting.
9. Photography
The median income for a photographer is merely about $30,690 a year. A whopping 66.7% of photographers are currently self-employed, and just 6.5% are full-time workers. Along with photography, consider taking business and computer-related classes, which can prepare you for being self-employed as a photographer.
10. Liberal Arts
A liberal arts degree is not specialized enough to prepare you for a specific career. Most liberal arts majors end up working in a totally different field, such as business, finance, and sales. Their median income is merely $30,000 a year.
11. History
Majoring in history does not mean you'll end up being a historian. Actually one out of ten history majors are unemployed, and the median earning for them is only $32,000 a year.
12. Fine Arts
The employment situation for fine arts grads is anything but aesthetic with a high unemployment rate of 12.6%. Those who find jobs generally don't pay well as their median salary is only $30,000 a year.
