Only 30% of 2025 & 41% of 2024 graduates find jobs in their field

[Anonymous]

https://www.cengagegroup.com/news/press-releases/2025/cengage-group-2025-employability-report/
https://www.anthropic.com/research/labor-market-impacts

For high schoolers, instead of spending so much money, time, and energy trying to impress colleges, shouldn’t they focus more on figuring out the right major or finding a school that’s actually a good fit? The job reports for college graduates, plus all the constant layoff news, feel like pretty strong warning signs. It makes me wonder whether colleges are really preparing students for a tougher job market or a potential economic downturn in the coming years.

I’m also surprised when I hear advice like “just pick an easier major” in order to get into top schools or “you can rely on the school name or network to get a job.” That might sound magical, but how does that actually work for middle-class or lower-income families without any resource to begin with? Networking is probably exclusive to "the Privileged" who does need to work for a day. Why would those with advantages open doors for those who don’t? It just doesn’t seem like realistic.

[Anonymous]

Very true. If you are from a poor or working class background and go to a college with a lot of rich kids, it’s not that easy to break into their social circles. Especially if there is a culture of off campus housing, off campus Greek life and off campus socializing that those without money have difficulty accessing. Otherwise, the benefits of those networks won’t automatically accrue to your kid.

[Anonymous]

IMO the most important thing is choosing a college that builds a lot of real experience into the major you want.

DS graduated with a data science major (not at a highly selective school), multiple job offers and decided to go with the company where he'd interned.

He'd spent a year and a half on campus working in his department's data consulting program, working with several professors on different projects. That experience helped him get a good internship with a return offer.

His program also required a capstone project and put him on a team with a company for that project. That led to one of his job offers.

[Anonymous]

How much does this data differ from other years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very true. If you are from a poor or working class background and go to a college with a lot of rich kids, it’s not that easy to break into their social circles. Especially if there is a culture of off campus housing, off campus Greek life and off campus socializing that those without money have difficulty accessing. Otherwise, the benefits of those networks won’t automatically accrue to your kid.

One of my fraternity brothers came from a family of farmers where they actually used a mule to plow their fields. He worked in the campus library shelving books. The last time I check he was worth half a billion dollars.

[Anonymous]

DD got a great job right out of college with a liberal arts major, non-stem. She has a great personality, and people really like her. She has a wonderful job now with a prestigious firm. She went to a no-name college and had an 3.9 gpa. Good but not fabulous. Yet she makes a lot of money. I think it's because she's smart and a great person. Her education has little to do with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.cengagegroup.com/news/press-releases/2025/cengage-group-2025-employability-report/
https://www.anthropic.com/research/labor-market-impacts

For high schoolers, instead of spending so much money, time, and energy trying to impress colleges, shouldn’t they focus more on figuring out the right major or finding a school that’s actually a good fit? The job reports for college graduates, plus all the constant layoff news, feel like pretty strong warning signs. It makes me wonder whether colleges are really preparing students for a tougher job market or a potential economic downturn in the coming years.

I’m also surprised when I hear advice like “just pick an easier major” in order to get into top schools or “you can rely on the school name or network to get a job.” That might sound magical, but how does that actually work for middle-class or lower-income families without any resource to begin with? Networking is probably exclusive to "the Privileged" who does need to work for a day. Why would those with advantages open doors for those who don’t? It just doesn’t seem like realistic.

I'm worried about my engineer daughter who is going to graduate this year. Engineering jobs used to be so plentiful, but now she's been applying for jobs and getting nothing. She's a good student, has worked in labs, been a TA, has great summer jobs, but has not secured a job yet. I can only think that this economy is shrinking. She's going to work as a barista if she can't find work right away, but it's depressing that an engineer can't find a job right out of college!!

[Anonymous]

Thee are a lot of people who never work in their “field.” One of my direct reports in his 20s has a history degree and my boss majored in communications. I have no idea what my other colleagues got their degrees in but I’m going to guess that most of them weren’t in relevant fields.

[Anonymous]

What job could someone with a liberal arts degree get that is In Their Field? English, Psychology, History, Gender Studies, Romance Languages - name jobs that are attainable with only a Bachelors degree In These Fields?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What job could someone with a liberal arts degree get that is In Their Field? English, Psychology, History, Gender Studies, Romance Languages - name jobs that are attainable with only a Bachelors degree In These Fields?

The statistics are not that meaningful because in many cases these people never expected to be academics or psychologists. They always intended to use the writing, reading and critical thinking skills in whatever it is they do. Their educations inform every decision they make.

[Anonymous]

Unexpected rising noons is having a job by the t8me Trump is done

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.cengagegroup.com/news/press-releases/2025/cengage-group-2025-employability-report/
https://www.anthropic.com/research/labor-market-impacts

For high schoolers, instead of spending so much money, time, and energy trying to impress colleges, shouldn’t they focus more on figuring out the right major or finding a school that’s actually a good fit? The job reports for college graduates, plus all the constant layoff news, feel like pretty strong warning signs. It makes me wonder whether colleges are really preparing students for a tougher job market or a potential economic downturn in the coming years.

I’m also surprised when I hear advice like “just pick an easier major” in order to get into top schools or “you can rely on the school name or network to get a job.” That might sound magical, but how does that actually work for middle-class or lower-income families without any resource to begin with? Networking is probably exclusive to "the Privileged" who does need to work for a day. Why would those with advantages open doors for those who don’t? It just doesn’t seem like realistic.

I'm worried about my engineer daughter who is going to graduate this year. Engineering jobs used to be so plentiful, but now she's been applying for jobs and getting nothing. She's a good student, has worked in labs, been a TA, has great summer jobs, but has not secured a job yet. I can only think that this economy is shrinking. She's going to work as a barista if she can't find work right away, but it's depressing that an engineer can't find a job right out of college!!

I work in the defense industry and we’re hiring engineers like crazy. And before someone says H1B, they all have to be US citizens.

[Anonymous]

I think the main point is "connections over curriculum." With fewer jobs networking with all that implies becomes more important . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the main point is "connections over curriculum." With fewer jobs networking with all that implies becomes more important . . .

I feel bad for low income students from low income places. Their network is much slimmer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD got a great job right out of college with a liberal arts major, non-stem. She has a great personality, and people really like her. She has a wonderful job now with a prestigious firm. She went to a no-name college and had an 3.9 gpa. Good but not fabulous. Yet she makes a lot of money. I think it's because she's smart and a great person. Her education has little to do with it.

outside a few “elite” professions, smart enough but with great EQ will usually do better in the regular working world than super smart people who have a harder time relating to and leading the average workers who are too different from them.