Even if everyone has a bachelor’s or master’s degree at the end, the salaries of academics vary widely. For example, the industrial engineer earns twice as much as a social worker. But whether a degree program is blessed with a future does not just have to do with how much money you can earn. After all, not everybody has an interest in science and technology.
But even if your passion goes in a completely different direction and you do not choose your studies according to the potential salary level: The view of the job prospects is a factor that you should not neglect in any case. The good news is that the unemployment rate among academics is just 2.5 percent. So you’re guaranteed to find a subject that will give you pleasure and with which you’ll surely find a cool job later on. The grossest outliers in the quota are currently graduates in history (5.3%), journalists (5.7%) and specialists in advertising and marketing (6.0%) – so you should be aware that before The job search could be more difficult sometimes.
In short, it does not have to be MINT, there are also enough social study programs with a future and creative study programs with a future. So you do not have to be afraid that you will not be able to find a job later in these areas and will not make any money. However, a look at current developments in the labor market never hurts to find out how much future there is in the desired degree program. In addition to the unemployment rate and job creation in the occupational field, the number of graduates and the demographic development of the labor market also play a role. As new employees enter the market after graduation, others leave to retire. In addition, there are always forecasts, so that you can also depend on which jobs will be in demand in a few years – the so-called pork cycles.
Studying with good job prospects is easy to find
The number of high school graduates, freshman students and graduates has grown steadily over the past two decades. Since 2011, around half a million freshers enroll in universities and colleges each year. Actually, there is reason to think that the situation in the labor market with so many academics is difficult. But that is only partially correct, because the demand for skilled workers is so great in many areas, as never before. For example, in the recent past, social programs have grown significantly. According to data from the Federal Employment Agency, vacancies for academics in the social sector more than doubled in 2015 (from 45 vacancies per 100 unemployed to 114 vacancies). Thus, the social professions have temporarily even overtaken the engineers. But in other areas, the demand for academic professionals is increasing. According to the Federal Agency, 166,000 new jobs for academics were reported to the Federal Agency in 2015 during the year – a whopping 13 percent more than in the previous year. In addition, by far not all vacancies addressed to academics are reported to the Federal Agency.
Find out which course of study suits you best for the future
Before you make the big decision about which subject you will study, you should take a simple online study test from the geva-Institut. With the test, you can easily find out online which strengths you have and which subjects suit your interests. The test also compares your results with the results of others. He is a holistic and psychologically sound analysis.
By taxi-driving political scientists and breadless art: courses with no future?
Another question that you should ask yourself when choosing your degree program is: What is the probability that you will actually get a job related to your field of study? Especially in the field of humanities, political science and social sciences, it is often the case that only a fraction of the graduates find an adequate job with a technical relevance. For example, it is estimated that just two in ten political scientists will find a job that falls within their specialist area. And exactly by such estimates, the jokes that with certain courses in the future then as a taxi driver earns his money.
It’s not that bad in the end, but it’s not far away from reality. The few posts for historians, theater scholars, Germanists, political scientists and Co. are not enough for the many graduates. The logical consequence: most work in other professions that have little to do with their studies. The most popular occupational fields for these career changers are journalism as well as editorial activities, advertising, PR, marketing, office and secretarial tasks or academic participation in higher education. With these study programs in mind, you should know that adequate jobs are few and far between, and that, if in doubt, you have to pursue a different industry and career after graduation. In the worst case, in industries that are already difficult for specialist graduates, such as journalism or marketing.
Interdisciplinary versus classic – Which study programs have a future?
Universities, colleges and above all private institutes are increasingly trying to adapt to the labor market and are creating new courses of study. These interdisciplinary study programs usually combine two or more classical areas with each other and thus want to train you to become a specialist. Instead of classical law, you then study law, for example, paired with technology or economics and the state exam is complemented by a bachelor or even replaced. Interesting degree courses with a future, then? What sounds great at the same time raises the question of how future-proof these study programs actually are. First, it depends on how confident you are about your future plans.
If you have a clear goal in mind and there is a degree program that perfectly combines both your passion and your career vision, it could be the right choice. However, if you are anything but sure, you should aim for a more classical study. After all, you will be trained there as a generalist in the department and have the option to set your priorities again and again in the course of your studies. Be it through additional courses, elective modules or personal further education. You can find your own professional niche via both variants. With the interdisciplinary degree programs, however, you restrict yourself unnecessarily in case of doubt.
It does not work without fun and passion
The choice of study is not easy and we do not envy you that you are facing this choice. But we hope that we could help you a bit, so that you can evaluate for yourself whether a study program has a future or not. Even if it is all about objective observations, numbers and statistics.
Safe jobs and high salaries are tempting, but by no means everything. Therefore, at the very end, there is a phrase behind which, nevertheless, there is a lot of truth: Listen to your heart and your passion. Even if it sounds unbelievably trite, you should have fun with your work later. Because your professional life is the major part of your life and you are busy for decades. So that school and studies end up as a mini-stage. If you only judge by what courses of study promise good job prospects and salaries and completely neglect your interests, you will probably not be happy with your choice in the long run.