The importance of education was pointed out to us since childhood. We were slowly “groomed” to understand its impact. From pre-school, primary school, high school, and university education has been our life and our hope for the future. Our entire social life, values, and even our friendships in one way or another have occurred as a result of our involvement in the educational process.
If right now you’re holding your graduation cap in one hand and your college application in the other, you’re at the most important crossroad of your life. Even though by now you’re probably well aware of your options, choosing your future career and picking the right degree is no walk in the park.
Choosing the right degree that’ll help you in your career path can be pretty stressful. There is your talent and desire on one side and the reality and market demands on the other. The truth is that some degrees have more perspective than others. Today, because the demands are constantly changing, some degrees are even considered useless.
If you already have a degree that by today’s standards is considered useless, don’t worry! Consider the opportunities at hand to make the most of your degree. There are many courses, and seminars related to your degree of expertise that can help you specialize in a specific area and take your career to the next level.
Still, if you’re at that educational crossroad, better choose wisely. You probably don’t want to end up with a useless degree that’ll become just another picture on your wall of achievements.
To ease your decision and relieve you from stress we’ve prepared a list of the most useless degrees in 2022. Along with the list, we’ll try to give you a few tips on how to improve your expertise even though your degree of preference is on the list.
Keep in mind, that no degree is completely useless! It’s not always about what’s in demand. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to have a smile on your face, after a job well done, a job you enjoy doing.
Can a Degree be Useless?
In today’s ever-changing labor market some degrees are considered useless for the following reasons:
- The field of study is not immediately related to the career
- Lack of employment opportunities
- Employers value experience over a degree
- Low salaries
- Severe competition
- A decline in demand for degree-holders
- Increase in master’s degree students
- The return on investment, tuition, and other expenses compared to the expected salary
- Pricy degrees that don’t necessarily mean a high salary
10 Most Useless Degrees in 2022?
Before we list the most useless degrees in 2022, it’s sensible to review last year’s most valuable college majors according to Bankrate. That way you’ll know it all!
To be able to rank the most useless college degrees in the world, many factors should be taken into account like the opinions of financial experts and other professionals who conduct comprehensive labor market analyses for various job choices.
All these factors and views helped us create the list of the most useless degrees in 2022:
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Theology & Religion Vocations
- Art History, Criticism, and Conversation
- Film/cinema studies
- Dance studies
- Music
- Communications
- Fashion design
- Humanities
1. Philosophy
Are you the one amongst your friends quoting Plato, Aristotle, Schopenhauer, or Nietzsche? If you are, your major is probably Philosophy. We’re well aware of the fact that these famous philosophers have made quite an impact on the world. Nevertheless, philosophy in general, seems like a paradoxical field that’s hard to comprehend.
As a philosophy student, you’ll have a lot of time to think about thinking and learn about learning. However interesting this may seem most of the “real” jobs on the labor market prefer science over thinking. No wonder philosophy made it to our list of most useless degrees in 2022.
If you want to land a job as a philosophy professor, be prepared for few more years of education and experience in different fields, like law or writing. If your goal is a steady job and pay from a bachelor’s in philosophy, you’d better think twice or try a different field.
Let’s not forget: Philosophy is a captivating subject, but as a career choice, this is not the best decision to make.
Here are some numbers, on what to expect after graduation:
- 35% of the philosophy graduates are unemployed
- Only 25% find jobs that match their skills
Before making any major life decision, it’s good to check out Philosophy major statistics.
How can you turn your philosophy degree in your favor? Try combining it with other courses or doing a double major. Also, try finding a job with another type of employer in the public and private sector, or try your luck with a non-profit organization.
2. Psychology
As a Psychology student, you’ll study the mind and its resulting behavior. Just like a philosophy degree, a psychology degree is hard to use after you graduate.
To practice as clinical psychologist you’ll have to pursue higher education. Why do psychology students take on such an endeavor? Because psychologists with a bachelor’s degree struggle to find employment and a place to fit in society. Those who graduate with a psychology degree sometimes land a type of counseling job. Nevertheless, those with a bachelor’s degree in psychology are mostly unemployable. This rather convincing fact employment-wise placed psychology on our list of most useless degrees in 2022.
Before deciding on a degree in psychology make sure to reflect on how many schools you want to complete and what you want to do with your degree once you’ve finished. For even wider possibilities study more than one specific field. That way you’ll increase your knowledge and expertise and have better employment chances in the labor market. Another positive fact is that the overall employment of psychologists is projected to grow 8 % from the years 2020 to 2030.
Search for more psychology degree data in The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
3. Theology & Religious Vocations
Students who have a degree in Theology & Religious Vocations often try to land a job in religious organizations. They work closely with other religious leaders and members of congregations. Students, who decide to become missionaries, connect with the public on a daily basis trying to share information about their religion.
A theology and religious studies degree may be good for your spirit, but poor for your pocket. Because the average salary is $30,000 for recent graduates, that is if you manage to find a job at all. These numbers secured a place for Theology and Religious Vocations on this year’s list of most useless degrees.
In 2019-2020, Theology and religious vocations were the 25th most popular US major with 26,872 degrees awarded. This means an 8.8% decline in theology and religious vocations degrees over the prior year’s total of 29,245.
There are some career paths related to religious studies that you should take into account. Theology and religious studies degrees are the degrees that make people question what were they thinking before choosing such an inferior course.
If you want a job when you graduate with your theology and religious vocations degree, there are some future promising numbers. There’s an expected grow in Theology & Religious Vocations careers of 7.7% between the years 2016 and 2026. Also, there are the following career options related to theology and religious vocations that you might consider, like clergy, religious activities, education directors, and religious workers.
4. Art History, Criticism, and Conservation
If you’re an Art History, Criticism, and Conservation student you’ll have the chance to study the historical progress of the art as a social and intellectual phenomenon. Also, you’ll be able to analyze the works of art and art conservation.
The study of Art History, Criticism, and Conservation is not just about loving works of art, but also about understanding and valuing art in the context of its time. That means knowing how and why the art was created, how was it meant to be seen by the eye of the observer, and whether it’s meant to last.
Art historians usually end up landing the following jobs: curators, conservators, library directors, archivists, or reference librarians. If you decide to work as an archivist, curator, or museum technician you can expect to earn somewhere between $25,000 and $46,000. These numbers don’t seem appealing. Another downside to working in the field of Art History, Criticism, and Conservation is that there’s no need for licensing, so all those years of studies may be useless if someone without a degree took your job right in front of you. These strong arguments placed Art History, Criticism, and Conservation degree amongst the most useless degrees in 2022.
Despite everything, if you want to be on top of your career in this field stay informed, the Association for Art History offers schedules of conferences, publications, and prospective job opportunities. You never know, maybe you’re the next in line!
5. Film/cinema studies
The cinema study major is a correlation between intellectual study and creative practice. Film/cinema students learn about film/cinema, television, and new media from different angles and standpoints.
Film/cinema studies majors try to have successful careers in the media industries. If they’re in luck they’ll probably have the opportunity to become producers, production workers, editors, graphic designers, audio and video technicians, and film and video editors. The thing is that these occupations can be pursued by individuals who haven’t got a degree in film studies. So, the question is: Is majoring in film studies a bad idea?
The film/cinema industry is yet another one where the degree is meaningless. Many successful film producers and directors haven’t received formal training. So you have to ask yourself what’s the point of having a degree? This reason alone is quite enough to secure a place for a film/cinema degree on our list of most useless degrees in 2022.
Now, let’s look at the bright side! The overall work of film/cinema workers is foreseen to grow 29 % from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all other occupations. About 8,600 openings for film/cinema workers are projected each year (on average), over the next decade. See, there’s still a chance to land a job in movie business!
For more statistics check out the Film, video editors, and camera operators’ occupational handbook
6. Dance Studies
If you love dancing and if you decide to dedicate your life to the art of dance you’re probably a dance major. You should be aware that a dance studies degree is a big investment. With a degree in dance, you’re certainly hoping for a career as a dancer, but a dance degree is not required for professional success.
Even if you use your degree and become a professional dancer, you may end up working a couple of contracts and endure some type of physical strain or injury which is quite common. Dancers should know that injury prevention and self-care are a full-time part of being a professional dancer. This high probability of injuries in the dancer’s career path and the fact that a dance degree is not a necessity are the reasons why we put a dance studies degree on our list of most useless degrees in 2022.
If you’re still determined to follow your dream in the dance industry, you should also consider other career paths and jobs like arts administrator, choreographer, community arts worker, dance movement psychotherapist, personal trainer, or even a theatre director. Good luck!
7. Music
Studying music, music history, terminology, and musical instruments may be interesting, but that’s not a precondition for a successful music career. The music industry is another one on our list that doesn’t necessarily require an official music degree. So what do successful musicians you know have in common? That’s easy, they’re all music lovers, and they all have talents, passion, and thousands of hours of practice.
If you choose to study music you probably don’t want to end up working as a music professor or even worse writing music reviews. So far it may seems that a music degree and the entire study process is a waste of time. That’s why a music degree made it to our list of most useless degrees in 2022.
Don’t forget, that plenty of famous musicians studied music in college, even though their success is mostly due to the factors earlier mentioned than their music degree itself. If you think about it, maybe it’s better to start working right away and start building your music career. If you’re a good musician, you can join a band, or write and perform on stage. Put your talented music out there for everyone to hear, and enjoy. This will help your career more than you think!
If you’re still determined to pursue your music degree you should be aware of this slightly positive fact. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projected occupational growth outlook of music degree holders from 2019 to 2029 is 1% for musicians, 2% for music directors and composers, and 9% for sound technicians.
8. Communications
If you’re studying the science behind communication you’re surely a communications major. You’ll learn how to make communication more available to all while endorsing good communication methods.
Communication is a broad field and there’s no specific focus on the degree. Usually, a broad field doesn’t help in getting a job after college. Those with a communication degree find their place in different fields, like journalism, marketing, and business administration. But, if you want to work in one of these fields you’ll be better off by getting that specific degree. Many of the employment opportunities that communications majors apply for after graduation are connected to specific majors. Once more showing that finding a job with a broad communications degree is way too difficult. This fact placed the communications degree on our list of most useless degrees in 2022.
What can you do to make it in the communication employment field? Use all social media platforms at your disposal, after all, communication nowadays is more about connecting with people online than about giving speeches in front of the masses. Don’t hesitate, be decisive and start working on your social media presence. Who knows, maybe that’ll be the beginning of your successful career.
9. Fashion Design
We all love fashion! But when it comes to a university degree in fashion design we’d probably think twice. Why? Simply because you can easily start a career in fashion design without a degree.
The most famous fashion designers don’t have a formal university degree in fashion design, while some of them are graduates in other fields. Fashion design is all about inborn artistic skills, passion, and creativity similar to the above-mentioned art-based industries. We carry these skills and talents within and they can’t be taught in college. That’s why we found a spot on our list of most useless degrees for yet another art-based degree, like fashion design.
If you’re talented and you’ve got the skills apprenticeship and a hands-on approach are a much better choice in fashion design. Your practice in the fashion industry will help you improve your skills and learn the business’s practical side. So, instead of studying fashion design, better use your time by networking and building a strong portfolio. Also, you can use social media and start your blog or YouTube channel. You never know where the opportunity for a successful business in fashion lies!
10. Humanities
Humanities studies have a bad reputation nowadays. These studies try to observe and comprehend the human experience through subjects like Art, Literature, History, Philosophy, and Music. However, most people are confused about what is taught to a humanities student.
To clear things out we’ll turn back in time and analyze the High School humanities curriculum. It’s comprised of memorization and summary. High school humanities students learn how to memorize everything, from dates and names in history class, music notes to language vocabulary. Luckily, humanities students leave memorization in the high school classroom and instead learn critical thinking, analysis of information, and communication.
The best humanities students are the ones creating well-reasoned and compelling arguments based on facts and evidence and effectively communicating those arguments. With the internet on our side we can search and check for facts anytime we want, with no degree whatsoever. According to this logic, even the top humanities students will have a tough time finding a job, in the labor market. Consequently, many students are abandoning humanities majors, to degrees they think to generate better job prospects. Therefore humanities degree firmly stands on our list of most useless degrees in 2022.
After all, if you still lean towards a humanities degree, you may be in luck! There is some promising information regarding graduate students in the humanities department and tech companies on the following link. Check it out, you’ll be surprised!
Conclusion
With this list of most useless degrees, we’ve tried to give an insight into the types of degrees that are out of demand in 2022. If your dream major is on this list, don’t be discouraged. It’s all about being informed and reassessing choices.
Let’s remind you once more, no degree is 100% useless! So, even if the unemployment rates and salaries for these degrees are not among the best, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should be putting them off. As in every aspect of our life, our motivation, talent, and passion can guide us through and be of more interest to employers than a piece of paper.
It’s always wise to know the trends and demands in careers and avoid wasting time and money with a useless degree. But on the other hand, we should not set aside our dreams, desires, and the things that make us happy. Don’t forget whatever you decide, the smile on your face after working hours is what counts. So, be careful, think things through and then choose your future calling!
Also Read: The 20 Easiest College Majors That Pay Well (Great Career Paths)
