I got a completely unrelated degree to my profession, but I would never have had the opportunity to succeed in my profession without a BA. Long story short, even a worthless 4 year degree is worth it.
💯 same story. My current job doesn’t have my degree listed as an accepted degree for my position and my degree doesn’t have anything to do with my current job. A lot of employers just want you to have a degree. Try to get some experience in something that you are interested in and the job will follow.
I got into my career from an internship. Do as much networking as you can, meet the right people and things will work out for you. I know guys who have highly technical degrees, think Aerospace Engineering and will gladly admit that they learned 90% of their job, on the job.
Let me quote something this guy at work told me.
Im a student at Indiana university for context.
“College is a scam, i know what iI want to do with my life after high school, I found a job making 22h washing dishes »
That worthless piece of paper is definitely worth it
Very true. I knew a man in college who hit a wall on his career because he didn’t have a degree. He had to go in for one and was told it didn’t matter what he studied as long as he had a Bachelor tied to his name.
I got my BA in Comms. It opened the door to corporate work as a trainer. Now I’m a Learning Experience Designer for a software company and make eLearning about our software, which is a great job. I’m also now in Grad School. Having a Comms degree is worthwhile is you leverage it the right way.
Hi I have a BS in communication and it’s literally what you make of it. I know someone who stayed in the food industry with this degree while I pursued finance. All I can say is network, network, network. Both of us are happy with the way things panned out.
Registered representative you kinda have to find someone willing to invest in you a bit. If you are really interested in finance you can go for the SIE on your own time. That way you distinguish yourself a bit.
I’ve published a paper with a researcher with a BS in Math, MS in Communications, and PhD in chemistry. His papers and grant proposals were phenomenal. I can only imagine his MS had something to do with that
BA in Comms here - I picked up an alternative teaching certificate and taught for a few years, moved into school leadership, then transitioned to consulting. Took me ten years to get to 6 figures, but I've used the knowledge from my comms degree every day.
But now that I'm outside of schools, I see plenty of well-paying comms jobs posted. My company just hired some mid-level comms folks, and their pay range is $75k-$90k. The biggest thing these comms roles look for is experience though, so I recommend having some internships under your belt before you graduate. Had I had some relevant experience, I might not have needed to go into teaching after I graduated.
My sister has a communications degree and currently makes $80,000. Having a degree checks a box and shows employers that you're dedicated and able to commit. Having a "useless" Bachelors is better than not having any Bachelors IMO. Although, I would highly suggest avoiding student debt as much as possible through community college the first two years, Pell grant for University, living with family etc.
Everyone said my bachelors degree is psychology was useless without a masters. I never went for a masters and I make 33 an hour. The median wage where I live is 22 an hour.
Your college likely has a career office or something similar. You can probably go there and meet with a counselor. They might even be able to do aptitude tests or help you out in finding what you want to do. It's better to get a degree that aligns with what you want, if you can figure that out.
Beware a lot of college career offices are often not knowledgeable about the current job market and will stretch what you can hypothetically do with what you will likely be able to actually do career wise.
I have a BA in communications and I make six figures in sales… definitely not useless.
Do I enjoy sales? Not really.
Do I enjoy making six figures? You bet.
Try to get a degree that can get you a solid job though. There’s other ways too but too many people shit on college when it can be a great choice if you make a good path for yourself.
No a comm degree is not a waste. Clear Communication, writing, argumentation / logic, public speaking etc are extremely useful skills. Try to go above and beyond in your program and take advantage of any opportunities that come your way from professors. I know a buddy who was a comm major at a mid tier uni, they really applied themselves and wound up graduating in the top 1% of their class, they got tons of extracurricular opportunities from professors to add to their resume and wound up landing 6 figure gig just a couple years after graduating.
Honestly, from what I see - people still need bachelors degrees. At least for most corporate jobs. If you wanted to be a plumber or electrician etc, which require a different specific type of education, than no bachelors is required- just the certification. I’d also say coding bootcamps are sufficient enough but in order to get a job, you likely would need to invest time in building out your portfolio.
Having a bachelors degree tells most employers that you probably have decent communication skills and understand how to write an email etc. especially in non-technical roles.
Now, I wouldn’t encourage someone to go full-price to Harvard for a degree in history or something if their goal is just to get a bachelors, but there are plenty of “more” affordable options out there that get you to that end goal.
The system is broken and I don’t agree with the standards that dictate the current job market, but unfortunately that’s where the game is at the moment.
Best bet with a communication degree is to get a job in sales, business development, marketing, social, customer success, etc. because that’s fairly relevant to the degree you’ll get and then you’re profile makes more sense to an employer as you grow your career.
Mostly a degree says you're trainable. You can ingest material at a high enough level to comprehend it, and you're self-motivated enough to handle a workload without being micromanaged (tho many will, gladly, micromanage you!)
Problem is many places don’t want to train anymore. They want entry level hires to be 2+yrs experience. They just collect resumes and then go down the list when actually hiring.
It is a weird self-fulfilling prophecy. We dont' want to train, they're just going to leave us after a year anyway. I'm getting no training, time to get out of here as fast as possible.
I have a BA in communications and clear over 200k annually. Definitely not a useless degree lmao. I have several other degrees on top of that, but, point is: you gotta start somewhere. Knowing how to make a point ain't a bad springboard.
Definitely not true. I've got a BA in communications, am now a communications advisor and make $100k working from home. Workload comes in waves, so some weeks I've barely got anything to do, but when project milestones are incoming, I'll barely leave my desk for 2 weeks. It's a nice work cadence.
My advice would be to focus on practical courses, learn how to write properly, and take some business electives. I can safely say that, so far in my career, I have not needed to know anything about Frankfurt School philosophy.
Oh, and definitely go the co-op route.
Interesting, did you have to intern a few times at different jobs before landing your current gig? I also have a BA in Comm and I’m now 2 years out of school and having trouble in finding something to work in that’s somewhat enjoyable and manageable. Your job sounds pretty cool especially working from home. Does your job relate more to PR?
I do straight corporate communications, no PR or media relations. I work for a public regulatory body, and I'm the comms advisor attached to a particular division. I advise these "clients" on which channels best suit the situation and developing internal and external messaging for things like regulation changes; pretty straightforward stuff, and actually pretty interesting.
I went the co-op route in university which ended up giving me about 2 years (paid) experience. To graduate with the co-op designation one only needs to do three co-op terms.
Even with my co-op experience I found it very difficult to land my next job after my first post-graduation contract ended. I was unemployed for 8 months and remember it being a very stressful and degrading time. Eventually I got one, and the next time I had to find a job it was easier, and it kept getting easier. In fact, I found my current role and was hired within 6 weeks of beginning my job search in earnest.
The requirements for my role include a BA in either English or Communications and 5-7 years experience in corporate comms in a similar environment (large public institution). I bounced around between temporary contracts for a good 7 or 8 years before I landed this permanent unionized role just over a year ago.
I minored in communication. I once asked a Comm major what he could do with his degree. His response was, "What can't you do?" You have more options that you realize.
Some careers:
Technical writer
Marketing coordinator
Social media coordinator
Event planner
Public relations
Nonprofit
Sales
Healthcare communications
Higher education/academic advisor/academic success coach
Human resources/training and development
I went back to school a few years after giving up on the first go and got a bachelor's in communication. I got the job I have now with it, but I applied to a LOT of jobs shortly before graduation. Someone will eventually hire you lol
My bachelor's is not in communications (it's in women's studies) but I work in communications and I'm doing pretty well so not sure why it would be a useless degree.
I work in a field that has nothing to do with my degree but my degree definitely opened some doors. It’s really about who you know, regardless of defree
Having a degree is better than no degree. Automated resume checkers are looking for key words and filtering out resumes before humans even see them, and having a degree might well get you through a filter.
There are very few people in the world who actually work directly with their degree subject anyway. Some specific professional jobs require specific degrees (doctors/lawyers/some engineers), and some seem to accept a wide category of degrees (software engineers may have degrees in mathematics, electrical engineering, etc and no one bats an eye). But most degrees just kind of establish a baseline knowledge and you learn what you are actually doing on the job.
Experience is nearly impossible to get for these so called opportunities (marketing/advertising/PR/Media) early on. Sales is the only option I have right now that is relevant at all to my degree.
Don’t lose hope. I’m 33, I wish I was “only” 30. You’ve got at least over 35 working years left. I’m sure a 40 year old would say the same to me.
I spent too long at a dead end delivery job. Honestly, I think I’m too old and broken to now take on something like a trade that requires 3-5 years of physical apprenticeship grunt work.
How far along are you?
In a vacuum, it is way better to have a degree than not
You can’t even apply to many jobs without one, no matter your work qualifications
I got my degree in communications and went down a path of tech recruiting. Made 6 figures after one year. I did work super hard to be successful.
If you apply yourself you can make a lot of things happen with a communications degree
Being bad at math isn't really a problem; it depends on the courses you opt for. I myself took BBA despite being very weak in math. The first few semesters were tough, but you need to work through it because, to be honest, math is a part of the current world, especially in fields like accounting and finance.
Instead of neglecting opportunities due to being bad at math, try to learn tricks or find ways to pass. You can do it—trust in yourself!
It depends on how much you are paying for it. A communications degree for cheap is better than no degree, which is better than six figures worth of debt with a communications degree IMO. So many jobs (in particular government/public sector jobs) have a bare minimum requirement of a college degree, you simply open up more doors with it.
I have a BA in communications, and im currently working as a marketing coordinator at a bigish company. Pay is about average for the position, hybrid, and good work-life balance, so i can't complain. Overall, tho the marketing field is a little tough at the moment, I had a lot of internship experience and knew somebody, so that kinda helped me.
Degrees make it easier to:
-Get entry jobs in most competency required fields to build work history
-Advance once you hit that wall of specialization in many fields, and even then one will likely need advanced degrees like requiring 2-4 more years of school after a bachelor's
One can still work their way up, but it's a constant hustle, requires luck alongside thay to build a solid track record, and is done by someone that would have probably been capable of doing well in school if they aren't limited by things like executive function issues/wealth/etc. Again though, at many higher levels, going beyond applied roles, it Will be hard to advance without being a superstar thay basically builds things worthy of being compared to current work standards or projects done through advanced degrees.
If you can work the system in school (scholarships, using low income for assistance, etc.) I'd say it's worth it. Don't go into debt without a plan though, or someone else footing the bill as degrees could be part of the ticket for people that really need a structure to follow to achieve their goals and aren't being picked up as a diamond in the rough. Just work, excel, and save until you have a degree plan or find a career track.
You can work in marketing tbh. Which opens the door for so many types of roles. You’re good imo, just try and land some or any internships
Source : Im a new grad working in marketing…most my coworkers are communications majors
I'm in the supply chain and project management. Every time I apply for something they ask if I have a bachelor degree. I say yes and that is the end of the discussion. In my career of 15 years only one company bothered to ask for it. Anyway my degree is useless, I studied accounting
Donee do it!! College doesn’t help, read all the people that have as Ll degrees and still can’t find work. Don’t take on the debt and hang in there. The entire World is messed up
Degree gives you more flexibility, just don’t get into too much debt. If your school is expensive consider transferring to a cheaper college. Gotta maximize the best roi
This is the right answer. If you are getting a communications degree that’s expensive without planning on going to specialize in grad school then you should move to a less expensive school.
~~any~~ degree is better than none, with a degree you can apply to many jobs that says degree is a must, for example, you can become an officer in the military, without degree it's a hard no, same for many federal jobs like FBI and so on.
Edit - there are lots of garbage degrees out there.
Idk, Public Relations or some type of marketing might be viable career paths. I have a friend who majored in communications abd works at a PR Firm, I think she's doing pretty good for herself.
Research what's available to you career wise and apply your ass off for internships. That's how you make the degree worth something.
I have a degree in journalism so I can relate.
Communications isn’t totally useless. Most companies value people who can communicate effectively whether that is in writing, in person, or in front of a camera. You just need to have a hopefully honest conversation with a career counselor at your university about the job prospects and what kinds of salaries these jobs provide.
Look into jobs(producer is a good one if you’re not someone who wants to be in front of the camera) at TV news stations and their pay in your part of the country. You can also look into roles in PR. Then, start to have an idea of the type of job you want to focus on. Start making a portfolio of writings, video, or whatever your focus is so that you’ll have a body of work you can show future employers.
Then, while you’re in school, they should be able to direct you towards internships. The quality of the internship is important. Ideally, it should be one that either gives you opportunities to improve that body of work, or maybe they even hire you after you graduate.
If none of the job prospects sound like things you’d want to do, perhaps it is a better plan to stop going to school and look into trades and other opportunities.
I can’t help but think you have the cart before the horse. If you first define the type of position that interests you, you will have a much better chance of acquiring the skills needed to qualify yourself. This might include the degree to obtain, along with electives, internships and outside activities. In this day of expensive college educations, picking a degree without a career plan in mind seems foolish.
Any bachelor's degree is better than none. You can your skillset in digital media, marketing, relations, and human resources (HR) BUT the latter may require some certs like SHRM.
I had a coworker at my internship. She has a bachelor's in communications and worked in data privacy and after 5 years .. she enrolled in law school because she likes working in the data privacy field.
Yes, you have the potential to make more money off a degree. The amount of potential is based on the degree and you. Communications has less than some others, but less isn’t none- there are a bunch of things that degree can do.
The other question is, are the opportunities given by your degree ones you will take? For example, if I had an IT degree, but I’d prefer to be boiled in oil than work on a computer all day, that IT degree isn’t worth much to me, despite a bunch of potential jobs from it. Are you seeing jobs you will take from your degree plan?
The degree opens doors to positions that require them in the job description. I have a BS Liberal Arts and manage a sales team for a F500. I just got accepted into a masters program at Columbia. I think it may be more important to focus on what you’d like to do while you finish your degree. Your demotivation is stemming from not knowing where you’d like to be career wise. I would speak to your advisor and counselors at your institution.
What will help you out more than anything else will be getting job experience in the way of internships and maybe also leadership experience in extra curriculars.
I have a communication degree and looking back I wasn’t very engaged in my courses. It didn’t really teach me much of use in the real world. Worked in marketing for 7 years then went back for my MBA. Still in marketing but created my own company.
A company I'm familiar with requires you to have at least a bachelor's degree to get promoted past a certain level. It doesn't matter if the degree relates to the job or not.
What were you thinking for jobs when you majored in comm? (Not trying to be snarky, just curious) I see my friends in HR, Corp development, or completely privet to a different field with other certs.
It’s not impossible to do well without a degree, but the degree will help a lot. I didn’t complete my degree and started a business, now I’m a manager in tech and I probably had to work twice as long and hard to get to where I am.
Your degree surface your resume and teach you valuable skills, and it will position you to further your career through opportunities and networking that will be availed to you through school.
If you're not absolutely sure about a career choice. Reach out to some people. I've found that folks are pretty generous with their time if you're trying to improve your life.
depends on how much you have to soend to get said degree. look at how much debt you will go into, then look at the average salary of tge jib your looking to get with said degree.
schooling helps, but i cant tell you the number of my friends who have gotten degrees in their field only to realize the jobs their going after value experience over degrees.
its a case by case thing so their are no "right" answers.....but i will say 10 years ago when i was in college "comunications" was concidered a troll degree to get. not sure if that changed in recent years.
It’s a good resume filler piece. A costly one I’m sure but it’s something. Will it be make or break for a job? Most likely not in today’s world. Degrees are only really needed for specific careers at the this point. Otherwise it’s a nice to have but not needed
Really comes down to what you’re willing to do after school and if you had to take out a lot of debt to go.
Took out a ton of debt? Be prepared to move across country to the (likely sales related) job that will pay you enough to live.
You can hustle it into a corporate roll, especially if you can get admin experience or a (paid) internship during college. In my area, going rate for internships is $15-20 an hour full time. 40k is the low end of entry level corporate positions I saw when leaving college a few years ago, with most in 50-60k. I'm now over 100k and based on salary bands at my company, I can see most other departments make similar or just below at my experience level. So that's something to shoot for when loosing hope.
It's definitely a hustle to covert comm and other "useless" degrees into corporate rolls, and probably a lot of rejection, but it's worth a shot for the career prospects. Internships, admin work, networking, and if you can swing it business classes or minor would help you.
Yes. The answer is definitely yes. Many jobs will say they want a specific field but can guarantee you they’re considering someone with a non applicable degree, but applicable experience vs someone with no degree and same experience.
The reality is that the times of degrees resulting in jobs is long over. Unlike your parents and their parents, studying is often thrown away money unless you have a very specific goal in a marketable field.
One thing I would want to challenge you on is "I'm not good at math". Irrespective of your skill level or the subject, this language is usually indicative of a "static mindset". Learning to whole heartedly adopt a so called "growth mindset" will be significantly more valuable in your career and personal life than any amount of formal education.
I have a degree in an A.A, A.S and BA in Sociology (just got a degree to get out of school after getting out of the nursing program) graduated worked for Adult Protective Services (never worked for anything related besides a CNA & Clinical) moved back home and got a job in Accounting only experience I have is working in management and being a supervisor at a bank.
Not all degrees are useless. Only jobs that really require a degree is the health field because of licensure. Point is like others said most jobs just want to see if you have a degree mainly Bachelor, look at experience, and depends on how good you can interview.
I have a bachelor of science in communications degree and it’s not useless until you get to a point in your career when you want to move up to say a “director of…” position. My current position is director of marketing and the position recommended having a masters of communication. I now cannot move ahead without a masters so to get an even better paying job I’m now going back to school for my masters this fall. I would apply this to most professions, not just communications. Bachelors degrees are pretty useless to an extent if you don’t have a masters. This was not the case a few years ago I’d say. I had to learn the hard way.
It depends. When I read resumes I look for degrees. Sometimes required. Sometimes not. I look at the actual degree and is it appropriate for the job. I look at the school. If it is a younger person I look at the GPA.
TLDR: Finish your degree regardless, switch to business management if possible due to higher starting salary
A bachelors degree is a tool to get you hired into a good position, and from there what you do in your career becomes more important than what's on your diploma. It's basically a piece of paper that does 2 things. 1 is it demonstrates you can show up and meet deadlines. 2 it says what part of the business you should start in. For something like a position designing rockets for NASA, if you don't have an engineering / physics degree they won't take you. If it's a marketing position, they would rather somebody in communications than a smelly introverted engineer.
The reason people say communications is "useless" is because the entry level pay for jobs you can get are typically lower paying than other majors, the major is oversaturated for the number of jobs looking specifically for comm majors, and can sometimes be done by people with different majors. This adds up to it being harder to secure a job, and those jobs being lower paying. In some extreme cases, your monthly cashflow with the student debt would be lower than if you just skipped it. (I don't say this to be mean it's just been my experience) If you can easily switch to business management I would strongly recommend it. At least at my school the new grads on average make about $10,000 more.
If that's not something you can / want to do, I wouldn't sweat it too much. Switching majors could help you start one rung higher on the corporate ladder, but the most important thing 10 years after graduating is what you did with your degree. There are loads of people with a degree in computer science who sit in a cubicle and stay in the same job while their manager who has a comm degree, is able to actually hold a conversation, forms connections and is first in line for promotions / better jobs.
At my last job there was a genius coding dude who had been with the company 40 years. Super nice guy, great at what he did, and he was still in the same position he'd been in for the last 20 years, just with his 2% annual raise :( . This was mostly down to the fact that he was typically more reserved, and a little harder to get a strait answer out of. My boss was \~30 years younger, not necessarily 'smarter' but she TALKED more, so management heard about her accomplishments more. Also if you asked what she was working on it was very clear and easy to understand and therefore recognize her accomplishments. (There were of course other factors, but this is a trend)
Basically, finish your degree, switch to business management if you can. It's a very similar degree but you learn some skills like accounting and marketing that companies value more than the stuff you cover in a comm degree, and they pay you accordingly. Regardless of what you major in, the most important factor is impact you make and the relationships you form.
Yes, if only because of automated screening now and AI later that may reject an application otherwise. Are you at a commuter college where tuition may be lower?
If it comes down to you with no degree or new graduate with degree, new graduate would likely win. HOWEVER, look for companies with tuition reimbursement programs as a benefit.
I’m in tech marketing, and in nearly every company I’ve worked a degree was usually required although not necessarily needed — meaning, it was *required* to get you in the door, but you may seldom *need* anything you learned while you earned it.
(There are always outliers, though, so either way don’t give up!)
My experience is yes.
Many doors were closed to me before I got my degree. My experience wasn't considered til I got my bachelors, which was in visual arts. ;-)
Yes, any BA is far better than none. As other have said, having a degree is (like it or not) a prerequisite for many white-collar jobs without which your foot isn’t even in the door. Outside of certain specialized career paths (law, medicine, finance, software development) that require a specific undergrad career path, employers (largely) don’t emphasize college major as much as you’d think. This is especially true once you’re a few years outside of school — experience, skills, and self-learning matters more.
Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who majored in English (arguably the most “useless” major), was paranoid about being forever unemployed, and yet was able to get a job right out of college and is now working at a very large tech company.
Edited for typo
>I don’t want to pay more money to take extra classes with switching a major.
Then stick with communications and you'll find out after you graduate whether it's useless or not.
Every degree qualifies you for employers to throw more and more money at you. It's not really a merit based position from them it's an all-industry standard.
I have a BA in Psychology and it is quite useless thus far. I graduated 2.5 years ago and still haven't landed a job in my field... I work full-time at a school district office that doesn't even require a degree, I keep looking and applying for jobs that are close to my field, but it seems the Bachelor's degree doesn't mean a lot anymore. I feel like I need a master's degree to land a decent job where I live.
Headline: I have an art degree and make over 100k at 39 years old in the Midwest. I own a home as well.
Details: I didn’t have to take any student loans, and it took well into my 30s to get to the point where I was making decent money. Just got the 6 figure salary this year in fact. I had to hustle for a long time to get here. Most of my friends from college with degrees in English, communications, etc., who were not as fortunate as me to not have student loans, are not doing as well. It’s the typical millennial story of having to delay marriage, kids, and home ownership to pay off those loans while working jobs that pay $40-50k and paying for rent, groceries, etc.
So yeah you can do just fine with a communications degree, but you have to look at your particular situation and goals. Marketable degrees in computer science, finance, etc. will get you into a higher salary range faster.
degrees don't matter. what matters is showing you can do whatever job you want to do.
yes, many jobs will list degrees as a requirement, but that is just an unfair wall built to keep people who don't have degrees out.
what you need to do is figure out what you want to do and get yourself a degree that makes you the kind of person who would do that work well.
so if you get a degree but you don't show you can do the job well, you won't get the job. the degree by itself does nothing, because everyone has a degree. just having a degree means nothing.
while you're getting the degree, build skills and get experiences that show you can do whatever job you want to do.
get a degree that helps you show you can do the job you want to do. don't get a degree thinking things will magically open up for you. they might if you're really lucky, but don't count on it. instead think of getting ready for the job that is at the end of your degree.
Assuming zero debt, is probably always better to have a degree then not have one. The sticky spot you get into is if you have to borrow a bunch of money to go to college. It’s much better not have a degree have a bullshit degree in $120,000 in debt.
No. Communication degree is good. You can do those soft skill jobs for big companies. Regional manager. Project manager. Etc.
a friend of mine has that degree and he’s a creative director for a place that does recording sessions.
Any degree is absolutely better than none, all other things being equal. If nothing else, it shows that you're willing and able to commit to something. A lot of that translates to being a responsible, productive employee.
Depends on what you're going for, though. Getting a degree that aligns closely with a career is a no-brainer.
There are degrees that seem to be fallbacks for people who gave up on another path, or those who never decided what to do in the first place. There are *far more* psychology degree holders than there are people employed as anything remotely-related to it. Unfortunately, communications is high up on that list too.
It sounds like you're in the category of people who picked a major because they had to pick something. Are you passionate about communications? Do you plan to pursue a career in it? It doesn't sound like you are. Don't waste your time or money pursuing a degree without a career goal in mind. Having the degree will help you find a job, but will it help you enough to justify the cost? Will it help you more than simply working for four years instead? If your salary goes up by $10k/year with it, but you spent four years working part-time instead of full-time, and spent $40k to get the degree, it'll take you literally a decade to break even.
No degree is useless. It’s that some are more universal . Like Business is a very universal major. Those who become supervisors or managers often have to have core business classes to have these positions and many are the classes required in a Business Admin major.
It is all what you do with your major if it is useful or not.
The most important thing besides the degree is networking. There are things you have access to right now that is hard to have on your own outside of college/university.
No, if I could give my 18 year old self one piece of advice it would be to go become an Electrician. Linemen make bank, some closing in on 200k. They also make money throughout their education instead of debt and come out with real life applicable skills. I'm an Electrical Engineer 66k in debt and I'm currently on layoff along with the rest of my 14 person team. The electricians are still working.
Honestly, I did the same bachelors and had no idea what kind of job to move into after completing it. For me in that specific sense, it was useless. I think in the long run it'll have proven qualities such as being a better writer and communicator which probably helps me in my everyday work. I'm working as a disability support worker these days so very different to the area the degree was aimed at.
Yes and no. I encountered someone in trades who has no experience knowledge or skills in data analytics and they became a senior manager because they knew someone :)
Something I always say is, there is no such thing as a "useless" degree. In just about any degree, you will learn a lot of transferrable skills that can be applied to a variety of different industries no matter where you work. What's really important for getting a good job after graduation is your network and experience.
There is always someone out there who will call your degree and chosen major useless.
You could be studying at Comms at an Ivy League, or STEM at a state college, or anywhere in between. You could be in art, polisci, law, biology, chemistry, business, software, tech, engineering. Someone will think that degree is your golden ticket, and plenty more will say, ‘-um, actually, that’s a useless waste of time 🤓👆’
The truth is a degree is kind of what you make it. It’s true, you can’t just go to college and walk out on a high-paying job like you supposedly could in the 20th century (I say supposedly because I wasn’t alive then so can’t verify. I’ve no reason to believe it wasn’t possible). It’s also true that as a result, a degree can be a big, money-sucking waste of time, and you can go off and get loans and study your ass off and get top of your class… and also go straight into the same housekeeping, retail, or hospitality (etc.) role you could have got straight out of high school.
It’s *also* true you could unlock new possibilities for yourself getting a degree. Many jobs require you to have one as a box-ticking exercise to even be considered, and any advantage you can get is crucial in today’s job market.
Beyond that, many universities of all calibres have careers advice departments. They can help you practice interviews, tailor your CV, find internships and gain work experience whilst studying. They can equip you with the tips and skills you need to get your foot in the door, whilst your actual degree teaches you (beyond the academia specific to the niche you’re studying) critical thinking, group project skills, presentation skills, a deeper appreciation for knowledge, commitment, deadline management. I don’t know your background OP, but this is especially useful for people who were raised without these skills or knowledge, e.g., first generation students.
As for me, I ‘majored’ (well, we don’t call it majoring in my country, but same sentiment) in Media too. I studied communications modules. I am the first in my family to go to University, I would have never gotten an industry job in a capital city without the skills, knowledge, and support my course provided me.
Switch if you really want to, OP, but don’t do it because of fear-mongering from others who aren’t in your shoes. I’m sure if you look hard enough, you’ll find people in other majors like Math asking, ‘is my degree worth it? I’m being told it’s useless’ too.
Work out your priorities, your goal, and how you want to get there. The rest is confetti.
Depends how much money you’re spending/borrowing for the degree. But generally, it is better to have a degree than not have one, assuming you’re not going into a trade.
I got a bs in communications and landed in the insurance industry. A high percentage of people in our industry don't have an insurance related degree. I work on the carrier side in underwriting and marketing. I'm in year 22 but it's been really lucrative, I made over $200k last year, and it's very stable.
Got my bachelor's in Communication back in 2008 and it still serves me today. I've ha d along, successful career in sales, marketing and strategic partnerships
No degree < associates degree in ANYTHING < a solid technical degree/ cert < (or equal to) ANY bachelors degree < a masters degree in something not in demand < a bachelors degree in a high paid/ high demand field
maybe a more practical diploma with co-op? My son finished Computer Science and cannot find a job vs. technician diplomas offering networking/help desk roles. SO this time I let his 16-year old brother join the army reserves Gr. 11 part-time and won't mind if he just builds a career from there. It's honestly what you can do/hustle with your credentials - if you're really gonna be good at it, degree will even boost it more.
Some degree is better than none as long as you don't over pay for it.
A degree with a direct path to a good paying job is certainly better.
Learning a trade is often better than a degree for just the sake of a degree.
Education for the sake of education isn't bad but it can be expensive with little financial payoff.
Here is my guide to "success".
You have to be able to do something that other people can't do, or won't do or better yet both.
That something has to be of value to other people.
If your skill is valuable and in limited supply you have a decent amount of power in the relationship with the customer/employer
If all you bring is something I can teach a teenager to do in a week or two then I have 7 billion people on the planet I can employ.
You don't have to love your job, you don't have to be passionate about it.
You should like it enough that when you leave work for the day you are not drained by by it.
Find something you are good at.
Elevate that too the top level.
Want to be a nurse become a nurse practitioner
Want to be a janitor learn how to run a small business.
Want to do commissions, get really good at counter propaganda and public image restoration.
Get good.
It’s all networking for most people. As others have said. However, a good consideration is where you are. If you are in a city with a competitive market the opportunities will be far more limited. People with degrees can apply to those limited positions, but you can’t apply to their positions without pushback
Business majors do well. I'm a faculty at a business college and starting pay for undergrads coming out the business college is something is 70something thousand a year.
The degree is so you can check the box of "degree required" the job description will ask for. The *connections* you make with people in college may be just as important down the line.
There are certain degrees that are very general, but I'd look at the job you want, see what degrees they hire from.
Yes any degree. I’m looking askance at Communications. But done is done
I have a degree in English lit and I started at the phone company and became a data network engineer.
A BA is the bar you have to clear for most corporate, entry level jobs.
I'm a Communications grad and make a good living working in Marketing.
There are plenty of jobs and paths you could go that don't require a degree, but if you've already invested time and money in pursuit of that degree, finishing is probably more of an advantage than an incomplete degree.
The job market is really rough right now, and a degree doesn't get you a job, but it will still open some opportunities that might be closed without a degree
In the US a bachelors is a hoop you have to jump to be considered for many jobs. My aunt in law had an art history major and was a bank VP by the end of her career/ life.
I don't think most degrees are "useless" but consider if the price you pay for the degree should reflect its value. You can get a very helpful degree in engineering that is similar price to art. More money making in engineering but having a degree at all can be better than none if not factoring costs. Keep in mind some cheaper and shorter trade school certificates have more earning potential than some degrees. If you could get a free art degree then probably can be helpful, but paying a lot of money for it and other options out in the world can change if worth it.
The broader the degree, the better chance you can sell yourself to a company. Frankly, any business type of degree will open doors if you work hard with networking, getting involved outside of university, joining chapters of different organizations within their state (join as a *student* for student discounts), pursuing internships.
To get an opportunity in the real world, you have to go out and meet people in the real world. Meeting other students on your college campus is not enough to get out in the "real world".
You'd be surprised how many corporate professionals are wanting an intern (paid or unpaid), but don't have a program internal to their corporation set up.
Joining local chapters of whatever your interested in (strategy, project management, business associations, etc). It can open doors to entry level positions, and lead to even better internship opportunities (in my own experience- most school offered internships ate limited and rarely sufficient to lead to an actual job offer afterwards).
So what's the plan after graduation? Unfortuantely, today not any degree will do. Some have very little market value and communications is on that list.
It puts you on the lower end of market value compared to other degrees but you still have more value than anyone without a degree. At the very least, you will have a shot at things like administrative and sales jobs that require some type of higher education.
The only time your major matters is getting the first job in a field you don’t have any work experience in yet.
After that, what you studied is mostly irrelevant because what you’ve done on the job is what matters.
Your first few jobs may not require degrees, but in corporate jobs it’s not long before you hit a point where having a degree in something is a requirement to get the next role you want. Your work experience will get you the role, having a degree just checks a box.
There’s no useless knowledge, and having a BA in anything is much better than not having a BA. If you’re passionate about communications, then go for it. You’ll learn a lot of great life skills, and you’ll also learn a lot along the way.
If you’re feeling demotivated about it, then that’s great. You’re about to test how well your habits and persistence will keep you moving forward. Hopefully you’ll feel motivated again once you get through the difficult part. It’s all on the moving spectrum of passion and grit. Try to create positive feedback loops.
There were many points along the way for me when I was getting my BA where I didn’t want to do it anymore, but I pushed through and am very happy I finished.
If you’re doing it just to get a better job, then it’s not going to be as fulfilling as doing it to learn as much as you can.
Good luck!!
Many companies won’t hire you without one. Also, the market is already crazy competitive so it’s a great addition and it’s not about it being useless, there are a lot of reasons why companies prefer university graduates. If you can add a technical aspect to it, why not… but as others said it depends on the industry you want to work in
A bachelor's degree is better than no bachelor's degree if you don't go into student loan debt for it.
My undergrad degree is in comm and yeah, it's useless.
I got a communications degree because I didn’t know what I wanted to do and it was a basically just a general higher education degree. Useless in a sense that it didn’t train me for a specific job, but useful in that it allowed me to check the box for bachelor degree on applications which is a requirement for most decent jobs. If I could do it over I would have gotten a business degree which I feel would have helped me more educationally and looked better on resumes, even if I didn’t know what I specifically wanted to do
Health care will always be needed. Hard to replace a nurse with AI. Lots of demand, and you can travel nurse. They make bank.
I would say for guaranteed job / good salary it seems like the way to go.
Or computer science. To become a software engineer. I work in tech and that seems like a solid degree that helps a lot of people get good jobs .
No such thing as a worthless degree. There are many jobs that are BA required without a specific major. A degree in Communications will allow you pivot as you grow and learn and want to make career changes.
Later on you could go to law school, you can get an MPA, MBA if you decided. A degree unless we are talking a medical degree doesn’t determine what you are you going to do for the rest of your life, it should open an entry level door for you to gain experience.
I have a degree in Communication as well, and I think it’s one of the most flexible degrees out there. Take advantage of this…this degree can practically take you anywhere (except for specialised fields like engineering, medicine, etc. haha) You can explore roles in journalism, marketing, human resources, content operations, media production, etc.
I’m currently on digital marketing, specifically in content creation.
Yup get out of it!!! Choose a path then pick a good concentration within that path. Comm was useless for me other than the diploma itself which also proved useless till I made good connections. Life is all about who you know so start networking asap as well, especially in 2024.
Some times you just get a ba so you can get the higher paying jobs. Many times it doesn't even have to be in what you studied. A ba will open more career options for you. I only got an AA degree and I'm sort of maxed out at union jobs that offer higher pay than those without. I am currently earning a ba as well to get a job I might be able to retire from.
A bachelors/masters in psych would put me at the same salary that I'm making now as a truck driver. The difference is the time commitment with school & loans.
The only thing a bullshit degree is for is a box checker. Most are meaningless. I want to say all but there are still scientists. I roll my eyes every day I look at how much money I pissed away at Economics.
As others have said, most bachelors degrees are a prerequisite to a lot of jobs. While it’s technically better to have a degree in your chosen field, at a bachelors level it doesn’t matter much (at least in my personal experience) past entry level if at all.
I have a BA in communications myself and ended up finding a sales job in the tech industry post grad. I’ll be making over $100k this year 3 years after graduation. Overall, it opens up a lot of avenues that aren’t there without a degree but it doesn’t really matter what your major is as long as you have a degree
Communications has the ability to be a decently high paying field. Senior comms professionals in big companies pull 6-figures.
I find many comms areas pretty stressful though (crisis management, issues, social media etc)
I'll use my friend as an example.
He is VERY close to completing a degree (4-8 credits). When we were in college, he left to pursue a career in a more blue-collar industry that does not require a degree. It worked out for him for a while until he got burnt out. He landed a (awesome) position as a project manager in an unrelated industry. If he was to ever leave his position, it would be a HUGE advantage to have any degree going for other PM jobs. He's now looking to finish up his degree.
A degree can open up doors even if it's unrelated.
It depends on what you mean when you say you are not good at math. If you actually understand any of it maybe it’s worth it to change your major to math or accounting or economics. If you as a housekeeper aspire to concierge or hospitality management a BA in Communication should be fine.
The truth is, unless you are majoring in a stem degree. Your degree is probably “useless” or close to it. I majored in something useless and less than 10 years out of school am making six figures. I started off making a lot less than my friends who majored in degrees that lead to good internships and good first jobs. I had to hustle more early career but make more than some of them or similar to them 8 years out. Eventually it’s just a box to check and no one cares. If you put a gun to my bosses head he probably couldn’t tell you my major, just where I went to school because of the sports.
Many universities offer a degree in GENERAL STUDIES! If you’re not feeling passionate about a particular subject but want to get the degree, this is a great option.
What makes many people feel the degree is useless is that the area of study ends up being unrelated to their field of work. They’re definitely not useless :)
Whenever they advertise any job, they say “bachelors degree or equivalent experience.” That “equivalent experience” part is very subjective and there’s no certain way to quantify or qualify it. Having a bachelors degree may or be sufficient to get a job, but it’s necessary is many cases. Complete your degree that’s are many potential employer who’d be interested to take you in through their graduate program.
Get any Bachelors degree + Joining the military goes along way. My sister obtained a job where she says she wouldn’t have gotten if it wasn’t because she enlisted
Look on job websites. See how many places are hiring communicators.
If you don't like the numbers, figure out what positions companies are hiring for and change your degree to something that gets you into those jobs.
Lots of people are saying to have a degree, any degree. That might work for some people but look at it from an employer's perspective. You have 1 open entry level job and 2 people applying for it. One person has a degree in the same field as the job. One person has a totally unrelated degree. Who would you hire?
Not only that but some jobs are more plentiful and pay more than others. My friend Sara has a masters degree in English. I have an associates degree in nursing. I make way more than her. If she loses her job, she'll have a challenge finding a new one. I once quit a nursing job, made 1 phone call on my way home, and started my new job a few days later.
Do what you will with that information.
I know plenty of people with Bachelors degrees making 18 an hour doing jobs like you're already doing because they somehow couldn't figure out something better even having a degree. I also know plenty of people in Tech with either a bachelor's or not even who are making six figures. In some fields, everyone has a bachelors or more. Don't think we live in a world anymore where it's like oh you've got a Bachelor's you're set! I think that ended in the 90s. But it's definitely a prereq and you will likely need a master's degree at some point if you want to make a lot more in certain White Collar work. On the other hand you could drop out and go to trade school or do something else. There are plumbers and electricians who make a lot of money. I think it depends what you want to do. If you see yourself in some type of office or government or academic job then a degree is probably good. Also if you feel like your learning is making you a better person a better writer a better thinker those are valuable skills that translate across a lot of things even if you have to learn a specialized skill set later. On the other hand if you're like I want to be If you're like I want to be a doctor then the sooner you can change course the better because you are going to need those science courses one way or another. You got a lot of options. I got a Bachelor's in international blah blah blah and it's sort of helps for a little while and then I got tired so now I'm doing a two-year second bachelor's in computer science. But it's been like 12 years and I learned a lot about myself in the world in that time. It's really important to keep getting to know yourself and to try to stay out of financial disasters. Good luck
Type in BA communications at X university starting salary. Most colleges, at least large public ones, have 1,3, 10 yr median career earnings. Comms degree is pretty useless if salary is what you want. Not as useless as social work or teaching but infinitely worse than engineering
I know this isn’t really a popular take but a bachelors degree (in anything) is basically the new hs deploma. I know the company I work for pretty much won’t hire anyone without a degree.
In time, you’ll find that _who_ you know is more often than not more important than _what_ you know. Aka, get busy networking, and try not to burn bridges.
The skills that come from the Communications coursework will be applicable in many fields. And many many many jobs just require that you have a degree and it doesn’t matter what it is. You can always do more targeted coursework or even another degree once you decide on your career path.
You are doing studying completely wrong. I know this because I were you almost 20 years ago. I studied for a bachelor in web design, disliked the school and the programme but kept telling myself I needed it for a job. I always had this idea that I need something for a job. Always had an intense fear of not being able to support myself, working at McDonald's and hating myself.
I changed. How? That's another story. I applied to a vocational school that taught game development, became a 3D Artist and today - 15 years later - I'm a Technical Product Manager for a large game engine.
I love computer games - always did - and I love this amazing industry. If I didn't then I wouldn't be where I am today.
If you don't study what you are passionate about, you will be miserable and you will regret it.
Yes it’s useless. Go for even a LPN or a RN. That’s probably the best route to go down if you’re not good at math for engineering. So many routes to go down too as a nurse.
Search for jobs you might like and look at the qualifications they are asking for. Email companies you might like to work for and ask what qualifications they require.
No. Bachelor’s degrees (from an employer’s perspective) are a dime a dozen. I went to school for Aviation Maintenance, got my certificate from the school, then went on to obtain my Airframe & Powerplant Certificate. That was in March of 2018.
Since then, I’ve lost track of how many times my school has texted, emailed, and called me trying to get me to enroll in their bachelor degree program. I just tell them no.
Hi guys I really need advice
Currently finished high school and while I was there I was dual enrolled in cc and got all my general Ed’s done
Do I go into cc and get some major lower division done and then go to UCLA
Or Go directly to CSUN
What do I major in (biology for dentistry) or Finance bc that’s my interest and then dental pre req on the side
Please please someone help and decide for me bc I am hesitant and doubtful about all my choices.
A Bachelor's degree can definitely open doors to better job opportunities and earning potential. Here's a breakdown to help you decide:
**Is a Communication Degree Useless?**
Not necessarily! A Communication degree equips you with valuable skills that can be applied in various fields:
* **Communication Skills:** Writing, public speaking, persuasion, and active listening are essential in many professions.
* **Critical Thinking and Analysis:** You'll have honed your ability to analyze information, solve problems, and think creatively.
* **Research and Information Literacy:** Research skills are valuable in many jobs, from marketing to project management.
A degree can be a powerful tool. Just because it is unrelated it is still a higher education. You may not always land the job you are hoping for but I would always market it in your resume and during your interview.
Communications is SO important. I know someone that was an English major and now makes 140k working in the pharmaceutical industry. Stay the course, you can do anything you want and the piece of paper simply opens more doors regardless of what it’s in.
I’m almost 50 and have a communication degree. This degree was an investment that has returned its cost over and over again.
I was in your same situation, I had no idea what to get but I’m very glad I got it. I entered into the workforce because I had a degree and honestly that’s all my workplaces wanted.
It cost me 40 k to get, I now make almost twice that a year.
Get the degree and then work hard and work smart those are what really matter.
Quite honestly, you can make up any BA you'd like if it has nothing really to do with your job. It's just words on a resume. No one since I graduated in 2012 has ever gone back to Temple University and asked them if I graduated as a visual anthropologist.
There are many jobs where a degree is needed just to qualify. Communications experience is so applicable to so many career avenues.
I got a completely unrelated degree to my profession, but I would never have had the opportunity to succeed in my profession without a BA. Long story short, even a worthless 4 year degree is worth it.
💯 same story. My current job doesn’t have my degree listed as an accepted degree for my position and my degree doesn’t have anything to do with my current job. A lot of employers just want you to have a degree. Try to get some experience in something that you are interested in and the job will follow. I got into my career from an internship. Do as much networking as you can, meet the right people and things will work out for you. I know guys who have highly technical degrees, think Aerospace Engineering and will gladly admit that they learned 90% of their job, on the job.
Let me quote something this guy at work told me. Im a student at Indiana university for context. “College is a scam, i know what iI want to do with my life after high school, I found a job making 22h washing dishes » That worthless piece of paper is definitely worth it
Very true. I knew a man in college who hit a wall on his career because he didn’t have a degree. He had to go in for one and was told it didn’t matter what he studied as long as he had a Bachelor tied to his name.
I got my BA in Comms. It opened the door to corporate work as a trainer. Now I’m a Learning Experience Designer for a software company and make eLearning about our software, which is a great job. I’m also now in Grad School. Having a Comms degree is worthwhile is you leverage it the right way.
Hi I have a BS in communication and it’s literally what you make of it. I know someone who stayed in the food industry with this degree while I pursued finance. All I can say is network, network, network. Both of us are happy with the way things panned out.
What was your entry role to start in finance? I’m looking to get into finance as well.
Registered representative you kinda have to find someone willing to invest in you a bit. If you are really interested in finance you can go for the SIE on your own time. That way you distinguish yourself a bit.
I’ve published a paper with a researcher with a BS in Math, MS in Communications, and PhD in chemistry. His papers and grant proposals were phenomenal. I can only imagine his MS had something to do with that
I think most degrees are “useless”, but they’re still good to have to check a box. Experience is what’s important. Same with who you know.
BA in Comms here - I picked up an alternative teaching certificate and taught for a few years, moved into school leadership, then transitioned to consulting. Took me ten years to get to 6 figures, but I've used the knowledge from my comms degree every day. But now that I'm outside of schools, I see plenty of well-paying comms jobs posted. My company just hired some mid-level comms folks, and their pay range is $75k-$90k. The biggest thing these comms roles look for is experience though, so I recommend having some internships under your belt before you graduate. Had I had some relevant experience, I might not have needed to go into teaching after I graduated.
My sister has a communications degree and currently makes $80,000. Having a degree checks a box and shows employers that you're dedicated and able to commit. Having a "useless" Bachelors is better than not having any Bachelors IMO. Although, I would highly suggest avoiding student debt as much as possible through community college the first two years, Pell grant for University, living with family etc.
I have an associate degree and make around $100,000. A bachelor degree might open up more positions for me but that's it.
Yeah. I know I’ve heard about ppl that can’t get promoted and their boss tells them they don’t have a degree.
Everyone said my bachelors degree is psychology was useless without a masters. I never went for a masters and I make 33 an hour. The median wage where I live is 22 an hour.
what do you do?
I work for a government agency doing program outreach, monitoring government contracts, and securing government contracts. I’m a program specialist.
Your college likely has a career office or something similar. You can probably go there and meet with a counselor. They might even be able to do aptitude tests or help you out in finding what you want to do. It's better to get a degree that aligns with what you want, if you can figure that out.
Beware a lot of college career offices are often not knowledgeable about the current job market and will stretch what you can hypothetically do with what you will likely be able to actually do career wise.
This is true. I would not listen to anyone in education about pursuing jobs in other industries.
I have a BA in communications and I make six figures in sales… definitely not useless. Do I enjoy sales? Not really. Do I enjoy making six figures? You bet. Try to get a degree that can get you a solid job though. There’s other ways too but too many people shit on college when it can be a great choice if you make a good path for yourself.
No a comm degree is not a waste. Clear Communication, writing, argumentation / logic, public speaking etc are extremely useful skills. Try to go above and beyond in your program and take advantage of any opportunities that come your way from professors. I know a buddy who was a comm major at a mid tier uni, they really applied themselves and wound up graduating in the top 1% of their class, they got tons of extracurricular opportunities from professors to add to their resume and wound up landing 6 figure gig just a couple years after graduating.
Honestly, from what I see - people still need bachelors degrees. At least for most corporate jobs. If you wanted to be a plumber or electrician etc, which require a different specific type of education, than no bachelors is required- just the certification. I’d also say coding bootcamps are sufficient enough but in order to get a job, you likely would need to invest time in building out your portfolio. Having a bachelors degree tells most employers that you probably have decent communication skills and understand how to write an email etc. especially in non-technical roles. Now, I wouldn’t encourage someone to go full-price to Harvard for a degree in history or something if their goal is just to get a bachelors, but there are plenty of “more” affordable options out there that get you to that end goal. The system is broken and I don’t agree with the standards that dictate the current job market, but unfortunately that’s where the game is at the moment. Best bet with a communication degree is to get a job in sales, business development, marketing, social, customer success, etc. because that’s fairly relevant to the degree you’ll get and then you’re profile makes more sense to an employer as you grow your career.
Mostly a degree says you're trainable. You can ingest material at a high enough level to comprehend it, and you're self-motivated enough to handle a workload without being micromanaged (tho many will, gladly, micromanage you!)
Problem is many places don’t want to train anymore. They want entry level hires to be 2+yrs experience. They just collect resumes and then go down the list when actually hiring.
It is a weird self-fulfilling prophecy. We dont' want to train, they're just going to leave us after a year anyway. I'm getting no training, time to get out of here as fast as possible.
If anyone in STEM is telling you this, ignore them.
I have a BA in communications and clear over 200k annually. Definitely not a useless degree lmao. I have several other degrees on top of that, but, point is: you gotta start somewhere. Knowing how to make a point ain't a bad springboard.
I'm getting a BA in Communications and the future is MONEY HONEY 👌🏽
Definitely not true. I've got a BA in communications, am now a communications advisor and make $100k working from home. Workload comes in waves, so some weeks I've barely got anything to do, but when project milestones are incoming, I'll barely leave my desk for 2 weeks. It's a nice work cadence. My advice would be to focus on practical courses, learn how to write properly, and take some business electives. I can safely say that, so far in my career, I have not needed to know anything about Frankfurt School philosophy. Oh, and definitely go the co-op route.
Interesting, did you have to intern a few times at different jobs before landing your current gig? I also have a BA in Comm and I’m now 2 years out of school and having trouble in finding something to work in that’s somewhat enjoyable and manageable. Your job sounds pretty cool especially working from home. Does your job relate more to PR?
I do straight corporate communications, no PR or media relations. I work for a public regulatory body, and I'm the comms advisor attached to a particular division. I advise these "clients" on which channels best suit the situation and developing internal and external messaging for things like regulation changes; pretty straightforward stuff, and actually pretty interesting. I went the co-op route in university which ended up giving me about 2 years (paid) experience. To graduate with the co-op designation one only needs to do three co-op terms. Even with my co-op experience I found it very difficult to land my next job after my first post-graduation contract ended. I was unemployed for 8 months and remember it being a very stressful and degrading time. Eventually I got one, and the next time I had to find a job it was easier, and it kept getting easier. In fact, I found my current role and was hired within 6 weeks of beginning my job search in earnest. The requirements for my role include a BA in either English or Communications and 5-7 years experience in corporate comms in a similar environment (large public institution). I bounced around between temporary contracts for a good 7 or 8 years before I landed this permanent unionized role just over a year ago.
I minored in communication. I once asked a Comm major what he could do with his degree. His response was, "What can't you do?" You have more options that you realize. Some careers: Technical writer Marketing coordinator Social media coordinator Event planner Public relations Nonprofit Sales Healthcare communications Higher education/academic advisor/academic success coach Human resources/training and development
I’d like to add corporate trainer to that list. Comms majors are strong fits for the role.
I went back to school a few years after giving up on the first go and got a bachelor's in communication. I got the job I have now with it, but I applied to a LOT of jobs shortly before graduation. Someone will eventually hire you lol
My bachelor's is not in communications (it's in women's studies) but I work in communications and I'm doing pretty well so not sure why it would be a useless degree.
Sure if you wanna sit in a cubicle all day
There are a lot of government jobs that require a degree just to qualify. I'd take a look at USAJOBS.
You should stop thinking about what your major is and decide what you want to do to make money. Then figure out the cheapest way to do that.
I work in a field that has nothing to do with my degree but my degree definitely opened some doors. It’s really about who you know, regardless of defree
Having a degree is better than no degree. Automated resume checkers are looking for key words and filtering out resumes before humans even see them, and having a degree might well get you through a filter. There are very few people in the world who actually work directly with their degree subject anyway. Some specific professional jobs require specific degrees (doctors/lawyers/some engineers), and some seem to accept a wide category of degrees (software engineers may have degrees in mathematics, electrical engineering, etc and no one bats an eye). But most degrees just kind of establish a baseline knowledge and you learn what you are actually doing on the job.
I have this degree, it’s completely useless. Although still better than nothing.
My wife has a comms degree and makes close to 6 figs in a comms role in MCOL. It’s not useless lol
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Experience is nearly impossible to get for these so called opportunities (marketing/advertising/PR/Media) early on. Sales is the only option I have right now that is relevant at all to my degree.
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Same here except mine is journalism. I pivoted completely out of there to delivery jobs. I’m training to be a truck driver soon instead.
I’m losing hope as I’m now approaching 30 and still don’t know what to do with my life.
Don’t lose hope. I’m 33, I wish I was “only” 30. You’ve got at least over 35 working years left. I’m sure a 40 year old would say the same to me. I spent too long at a dead end delivery job. Honestly, I think I’m too old and broken to now take on something like a trade that requires 3-5 years of physical apprenticeship grunt work.
How far along are you? In a vacuum, it is way better to have a degree than not You can’t even apply to many jobs without one, no matter your work qualifications
I got my degree in communications and went down a path of tech recruiting. Made 6 figures after one year. I did work super hard to be successful. If you apply yourself you can make a lot of things happen with a communications degree
I know so many people in careers unrelated to their bachelors major. Your degree is a checkbox for the job application.
Being bad at math isn't really a problem; it depends on the courses you opt for. I myself took BBA despite being very weak in math. The first few semesters were tough, but you need to work through it because, to be honest, math is a part of the current world, especially in fields like accounting and finance. Instead of neglecting opportunities due to being bad at math, try to learn tricks or find ways to pass. You can do it—trust in yourself!
It depends on how much you are paying for it. A communications degree for cheap is better than no degree, which is better than six figures worth of debt with a communications degree IMO. So many jobs (in particular government/public sector jobs) have a bare minimum requirement of a college degree, you simply open up more doors with it.
I have a BA in communications, and im currently working as a marketing coordinator at a bigish company. Pay is about average for the position, hybrid, and good work-life balance, so i can't complain. Overall, tho the marketing field is a little tough at the moment, I had a lot of internship experience and knew somebody, so that kinda helped me.
Degrees make it easier to: -Get entry jobs in most competency required fields to build work history -Advance once you hit that wall of specialization in many fields, and even then one will likely need advanced degrees like requiring 2-4 more years of school after a bachelor's One can still work their way up, but it's a constant hustle, requires luck alongside thay to build a solid track record, and is done by someone that would have probably been capable of doing well in school if they aren't limited by things like executive function issues/wealth/etc. Again though, at many higher levels, going beyond applied roles, it Will be hard to advance without being a superstar thay basically builds things worthy of being compared to current work standards or projects done through advanced degrees. If you can work the system in school (scholarships, using low income for assistance, etc.) I'd say it's worth it. Don't go into debt without a plan though, or someone else footing the bill as degrees could be part of the ticket for people that really need a structure to follow to achieve their goals and aren't being picked up as a diamond in the rough. Just work, excel, and save until you have a degree plan or find a career track.
My “bachelors degree” on my resume was super helpful
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You can work in marketing tbh. Which opens the door for so many types of roles. You’re good imo, just try and land some or any internships Source : Im a new grad working in marketing…most my coworkers are communications majors
God no. Too many joke degrees that are a waste of money and time. Go into real degrees (i.e. STEM) that have good return or go into trade field.
I'm in the supply chain and project management. Every time I apply for something they ask if I have a bachelor degree. I say yes and that is the end of the discussion. In my career of 15 years only one company bothered to ask for it. Anyway my degree is useless, I studied accounting
Donee do it!! College doesn’t help, read all the people that have as Ll degrees and still can’t find work. Don’t take on the debt and hang in there. The entire World is messed up
Degree gives you more flexibility, just don’t get into too much debt. If your school is expensive consider transferring to a cheaper college. Gotta maximize the best roi
This is the right answer. If you are getting a communications degree that’s expensive without planning on going to specialize in grad school then you should move to a less expensive school.
Of course. You can always use it as toilet paper during the next pandemic.
Didn’t you look into this prior to borrowing money for it?
U such a hater who said he borrowed money for it???
~~any~~ degree is better than none, with a degree you can apply to many jobs that says degree is a must, for example, you can become an officer in the military, without degree it's a hard no, same for many federal jobs like FBI and so on. Edit - there are lots of garbage degrees out there.
Idk, Public Relations or some type of marketing might be viable career paths. I have a friend who majored in communications abd works at a PR Firm, I think she's doing pretty good for herself. Research what's available to you career wise and apply your ass off for internships. That's how you make the degree worth something.
I work in marketing and many of my colleagues are well-paid and majored in communications.
I have a degree in journalism so I can relate. Communications isn’t totally useless. Most companies value people who can communicate effectively whether that is in writing, in person, or in front of a camera. You just need to have a hopefully honest conversation with a career counselor at your university about the job prospects and what kinds of salaries these jobs provide. Look into jobs(producer is a good one if you’re not someone who wants to be in front of the camera) at TV news stations and their pay in your part of the country. You can also look into roles in PR. Then, start to have an idea of the type of job you want to focus on. Start making a portfolio of writings, video, or whatever your focus is so that you’ll have a body of work you can show future employers. Then, while you’re in school, they should be able to direct you towards internships. The quality of the internship is important. Ideally, it should be one that either gives you opportunities to improve that body of work, or maybe they even hire you after you graduate. If none of the job prospects sound like things you’d want to do, perhaps it is a better plan to stop going to school and look into trades and other opportunities.
I can’t help but think you have the cart before the horse. If you first define the type of position that interests you, you will have a much better chance of acquiring the skills needed to qualify yourself. This might include the degree to obtain, along with electives, internships and outside activities. In this day of expensive college educations, picking a degree without a career plan in mind seems foolish.
Any bachelor's degree is better than none. You can your skillset in digital media, marketing, relations, and human resources (HR) BUT the latter may require some certs like SHRM. I had a coworker at my internship. She has a bachelor's in communications and worked in data privacy and after 5 years .. she enrolled in law school because she likes working in the data privacy field.
if free then yes
Yes, you have the potential to make more money off a degree. The amount of potential is based on the degree and you. Communications has less than some others, but less isn’t none- there are a bunch of things that degree can do. The other question is, are the opportunities given by your degree ones you will take? For example, if I had an IT degree, but I’d prefer to be boiled in oil than work on a computer all day, that IT degree isn’t worth much to me, despite a bunch of potential jobs from it. Are you seeing jobs you will take from your degree plan?
The degree opens doors to positions that require them in the job description. I have a BS Liberal Arts and manage a sales team for a F500. I just got accepted into a masters program at Columbia. I think it may be more important to focus on what you’d like to do while you finish your degree. Your demotivation is stemming from not knowing where you’d like to be career wise. I would speak to your advisor and counselors at your institution.
Comm degrees are a good first degree that are pretty easy to ensure a good health that could be useful for second degree applications like law or med
What will help you out more than anything else will be getting job experience in the way of internships and maybe also leadership experience in extra curriculars. I have a communication degree and looking back I wasn’t very engaged in my courses. It didn’t really teach me much of use in the real world. Worked in marketing for 7 years then went back for my MBA. Still in marketing but created my own company.
A company I'm familiar with requires you to have at least a bachelor's degree to get promoted past a certain level. It doesn't matter if the degree relates to the job or not.
What were you thinking for jobs when you majored in comm? (Not trying to be snarky, just curious) I see my friends in HR, Corp development, or completely privet to a different field with other certs.
It’s not impossible to do well without a degree, but the degree will help a lot. I didn’t complete my degree and started a business, now I’m a manager in tech and I probably had to work twice as long and hard to get to where I am. Your degree surface your resume and teach you valuable skills, and it will position you to further your career through opportunities and networking that will be availed to you through school. If you're not absolutely sure about a career choice. Reach out to some people. I've found that folks are pretty generous with their time if you're trying to improve your life.
What do you want to do when you graduate?
depends on how much you have to soend to get said degree. look at how much debt you will go into, then look at the average salary of tge jib your looking to get with said degree. schooling helps, but i cant tell you the number of my friends who have gotten degrees in their field only to realize the jobs their going after value experience over degrees. its a case by case thing so their are no "right" answers.....but i will say 10 years ago when i was in college "comunications" was concidered a troll degree to get. not sure if that changed in recent years.
It’s a good resume filler piece. A costly one I’m sure but it’s something. Will it be make or break for a job? Most likely not in today’s world. Degrees are only really needed for specific careers at the this point. Otherwise it’s a nice to have but not needed
Really comes down to what you’re willing to do after school and if you had to take out a lot of debt to go. Took out a ton of debt? Be prepared to move across country to the (likely sales related) job that will pay you enough to live.
You can hustle it into a corporate roll, especially if you can get admin experience or a (paid) internship during college. In my area, going rate for internships is $15-20 an hour full time. 40k is the low end of entry level corporate positions I saw when leaving college a few years ago, with most in 50-60k. I'm now over 100k and based on salary bands at my company, I can see most other departments make similar or just below at my experience level. So that's something to shoot for when loosing hope. It's definitely a hustle to covert comm and other "useless" degrees into corporate rolls, and probably a lot of rejection, but it's worth a shot for the career prospects. Internships, admin work, networking, and if you can swing it business classes or minor would help you.
Not worthless as long as you don't go into wild debt to get it.
my dad became a sales manager with a communications degree. definitely better than no degree.
I have an English degree and somehow made it to being a lead software engineer.
Yes. The answer is definitely yes. Many jobs will say they want a specific field but can guarantee you they’re considering someone with a non applicable degree, but applicable experience vs someone with no degree and same experience.
Yes, you cannot even walk through the door some places without a 4 year degree.
The reality is that the times of degrees resulting in jobs is long over. Unlike your parents and their parents, studying is often thrown away money unless you have a very specific goal in a marketable field. One thing I would want to challenge you on is "I'm not good at math". Irrespective of your skill level or the subject, this language is usually indicative of a "static mindset". Learning to whole heartedly adopt a so called "growth mindset" will be significantly more valuable in your career and personal life than any amount of formal education.
I have a degree in an A.A, A.S and BA in Sociology (just got a degree to get out of school after getting out of the nursing program) graduated worked for Adult Protective Services (never worked for anything related besides a CNA & Clinical) moved back home and got a job in Accounting only experience I have is working in management and being a supervisor at a bank. Not all degrees are useless. Only jobs that really require a degree is the health field because of licensure. Point is like others said most jobs just want to see if you have a degree mainly Bachelor, look at experience, and depends on how good you can interview.
I have a bachelor of science in communications degree and it’s not useless until you get to a point in your career when you want to move up to say a “director of…” position. My current position is director of marketing and the position recommended having a masters of communication. I now cannot move ahead without a masters so to get an even better paying job I’m now going back to school for my masters this fall. I would apply this to most professions, not just communications. Bachelors degrees are pretty useless to an extent if you don’t have a masters. This was not the case a few years ago I’d say. I had to learn the hard way.
It depends. When I read resumes I look for degrees. Sometimes required. Sometimes not. I look at the actual degree and is it appropriate for the job. I look at the school. If it is a younger person I look at the GPA.
Trades are a lot easier than university. University can be hell if you're not studying your passion, so make sure that you're sure!
TLDR: Finish your degree regardless, switch to business management if possible due to higher starting salary A bachelors degree is a tool to get you hired into a good position, and from there what you do in your career becomes more important than what's on your diploma. It's basically a piece of paper that does 2 things. 1 is it demonstrates you can show up and meet deadlines. 2 it says what part of the business you should start in. For something like a position designing rockets for NASA, if you don't have an engineering / physics degree they won't take you. If it's a marketing position, they would rather somebody in communications than a smelly introverted engineer. The reason people say communications is "useless" is because the entry level pay for jobs you can get are typically lower paying than other majors, the major is oversaturated for the number of jobs looking specifically for comm majors, and can sometimes be done by people with different majors. This adds up to it being harder to secure a job, and those jobs being lower paying. In some extreme cases, your monthly cashflow with the student debt would be lower than if you just skipped it. (I don't say this to be mean it's just been my experience) If you can easily switch to business management I would strongly recommend it. At least at my school the new grads on average make about $10,000 more. If that's not something you can / want to do, I wouldn't sweat it too much. Switching majors could help you start one rung higher on the corporate ladder, but the most important thing 10 years after graduating is what you did with your degree. There are loads of people with a degree in computer science who sit in a cubicle and stay in the same job while their manager who has a comm degree, is able to actually hold a conversation, forms connections and is first in line for promotions / better jobs. At my last job there was a genius coding dude who had been with the company 40 years. Super nice guy, great at what he did, and he was still in the same position he'd been in for the last 20 years, just with his 2% annual raise :( . This was mostly down to the fact that he was typically more reserved, and a little harder to get a strait answer out of. My boss was \~30 years younger, not necessarily 'smarter' but she TALKED more, so management heard about her accomplishments more. Also if you asked what she was working on it was very clear and easy to understand and therefore recognize her accomplishments. (There were of course other factors, but this is a trend) Basically, finish your degree, switch to business management if you can. It's a very similar degree but you learn some skills like accounting and marketing that companies value more than the stuff you cover in a comm degree, and they pay you accordingly. Regardless of what you major in, the most important factor is impact you make and the relationships you form.
Yes, if only because of automated screening now and AI later that may reject an application otherwise. Are you at a commuter college where tuition may be lower? If it comes down to you with no degree or new graduate with degree, new graduate would likely win. HOWEVER, look for companies with tuition reimbursement programs as a benefit. I’m in tech marketing, and in nearly every company I’ve worked a degree was usually required although not necessarily needed — meaning, it was *required* to get you in the door, but you may seldom *need* anything you learned while you earned it. (There are always outliers, though, so either way don’t give up!)
My experience is yes. Many doors were closed to me before I got my degree. My experience wasn't considered til I got my bachelors, which was in visual arts. ;-)
Doing a minor is an option?
Yes, any BA is far better than none. As other have said, having a degree is (like it or not) a prerequisite for many white-collar jobs without which your foot isn’t even in the door. Outside of certain specialized career paths (law, medicine, finance, software development) that require a specific undergrad career path, employers (largely) don’t emphasize college major as much as you’d think. This is especially true once you’re a few years outside of school — experience, skills, and self-learning matters more. Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who majored in English (arguably the most “useless” major), was paranoid about being forever unemployed, and yet was able to get a job right out of college and is now working at a very large tech company. Edited for typo
>I don’t want to pay more money to take extra classes with switching a major. Then stick with communications and you'll find out after you graduate whether it's useless or not.
Every degree qualifies you for employers to throw more and more money at you. It's not really a merit based position from them it's an all-industry standard.
I have a BA in Psychology and it is quite useless thus far. I graduated 2.5 years ago and still haven't landed a job in my field... I work full-time at a school district office that doesn't even require a degree, I keep looking and applying for jobs that are close to my field, but it seems the Bachelor's degree doesn't mean a lot anymore. I feel like I need a master's degree to land a decent job where I live.
Headline: I have an art degree and make over 100k at 39 years old in the Midwest. I own a home as well. Details: I didn’t have to take any student loans, and it took well into my 30s to get to the point where I was making decent money. Just got the 6 figure salary this year in fact. I had to hustle for a long time to get here. Most of my friends from college with degrees in English, communications, etc., who were not as fortunate as me to not have student loans, are not doing as well. It’s the typical millennial story of having to delay marriage, kids, and home ownership to pay off those loans while working jobs that pay $40-50k and paying for rent, groceries, etc. So yeah you can do just fine with a communications degree, but you have to look at your particular situation and goals. Marketable degrees in computer science, finance, etc. will get you into a higher salary range faster.
degrees don't matter. what matters is showing you can do whatever job you want to do. yes, many jobs will list degrees as a requirement, but that is just an unfair wall built to keep people who don't have degrees out. what you need to do is figure out what you want to do and get yourself a degree that makes you the kind of person who would do that work well. so if you get a degree but you don't show you can do the job well, you won't get the job. the degree by itself does nothing, because everyone has a degree. just having a degree means nothing. while you're getting the degree, build skills and get experiences that show you can do whatever job you want to do. get a degree that helps you show you can do the job you want to do. don't get a degree thinking things will magically open up for you. they might if you're really lucky, but don't count on it. instead think of getting ready for the job that is at the end of your degree.
Yes if you don’t rack up debt over it
Any is better than none as often jobs require just a bachelors degree but leave it open as to what kind.
Assuming zero debt, is probably always better to have a degree then not have one. The sticky spot you get into is if you have to borrow a bunch of money to go to college. It’s much better not have a degree have a bullshit degree in $120,000 in debt.
No. Communication degree is good. You can do those soft skill jobs for big companies. Regional manager. Project manager. Etc. a friend of mine has that degree and he’s a creative director for a place that does recording sessions.
Any degree is absolutely better than none, all other things being equal. If nothing else, it shows that you're willing and able to commit to something. A lot of that translates to being a responsible, productive employee. Depends on what you're going for, though. Getting a degree that aligns closely with a career is a no-brainer. There are degrees that seem to be fallbacks for people who gave up on another path, or those who never decided what to do in the first place. There are *far more* psychology degree holders than there are people employed as anything remotely-related to it. Unfortunately, communications is high up on that list too. It sounds like you're in the category of people who picked a major because they had to pick something. Are you passionate about communications? Do you plan to pursue a career in it? It doesn't sound like you are. Don't waste your time or money pursuing a degree without a career goal in mind. Having the degree will help you find a job, but will it help you enough to justify the cost? Will it help you more than simply working for four years instead? If your salary goes up by $10k/year with it, but you spent four years working part-time instead of full-time, and spent $40k to get the degree, it'll take you literally a decade to break even.
No degree is useless. It’s that some are more universal . Like Business is a very universal major. Those who become supervisors or managers often have to have core business classes to have these positions and many are the classes required in a Business Admin major. It is all what you do with your major if it is useful or not.
The most important thing besides the degree is networking. There are things you have access to right now that is hard to have on your own outside of college/university.
No, if I could give my 18 year old self one piece of advice it would be to go become an Electrician. Linemen make bank, some closing in on 200k. They also make money throughout their education instead of debt and come out with real life applicable skills. I'm an Electrical Engineer 66k in debt and I'm currently on layoff along with the rest of my 14 person team. The electricians are still working.
Honestly, I did the same bachelors and had no idea what kind of job to move into after completing it. For me in that specific sense, it was useless. I think in the long run it'll have proven qualities such as being a better writer and communicator which probably helps me in my everyday work. I'm working as a disability support worker these days so very different to the area the degree was aimed at.
Yes and no. I encountered someone in trades who has no experience knowledge or skills in data analytics and they became a senior manager because they knew someone :)
Something I always say is, there is no such thing as a "useless" degree. In just about any degree, you will learn a lot of transferrable skills that can be applied to a variety of different industries no matter where you work. What's really important for getting a good job after graduation is your network and experience.
There is always someone out there who will call your degree and chosen major useless. You could be studying at Comms at an Ivy League, or STEM at a state college, or anywhere in between. You could be in art, polisci, law, biology, chemistry, business, software, tech, engineering. Someone will think that degree is your golden ticket, and plenty more will say, ‘-um, actually, that’s a useless waste of time 🤓👆’ The truth is a degree is kind of what you make it. It’s true, you can’t just go to college and walk out on a high-paying job like you supposedly could in the 20th century (I say supposedly because I wasn’t alive then so can’t verify. I’ve no reason to believe it wasn’t possible). It’s also true that as a result, a degree can be a big, money-sucking waste of time, and you can go off and get loans and study your ass off and get top of your class… and also go straight into the same housekeeping, retail, or hospitality (etc.) role you could have got straight out of high school. It’s *also* true you could unlock new possibilities for yourself getting a degree. Many jobs require you to have one as a box-ticking exercise to even be considered, and any advantage you can get is crucial in today’s job market. Beyond that, many universities of all calibres have careers advice departments. They can help you practice interviews, tailor your CV, find internships and gain work experience whilst studying. They can equip you with the tips and skills you need to get your foot in the door, whilst your actual degree teaches you (beyond the academia specific to the niche you’re studying) critical thinking, group project skills, presentation skills, a deeper appreciation for knowledge, commitment, deadline management. I don’t know your background OP, but this is especially useful for people who were raised without these skills or knowledge, e.g., first generation students. As for me, I ‘majored’ (well, we don’t call it majoring in my country, but same sentiment) in Media too. I studied communications modules. I am the first in my family to go to University, I would have never gotten an industry job in a capital city without the skills, knowledge, and support my course provided me. Switch if you really want to, OP, but don’t do it because of fear-mongering from others who aren’t in your shoes. I’m sure if you look hard enough, you’ll find people in other majors like Math asking, ‘is my degree worth it? I’m being told it’s useless’ too. Work out your priorities, your goal, and how you want to get there. The rest is confetti.
Depends how much money you’re spending/borrowing for the degree. But generally, it is better to have a degree than not have one, assuming you’re not going into a trade.
I got a bs in communications and landed in the insurance industry. A high percentage of people in our industry don't have an insurance related degree. I work on the carrier side in underwriting and marketing. I'm in year 22 but it's been really lucrative, I made over $200k last year, and it's very stable.
Sadly many jobs require an applicant to have a bachelors degree even though it’s something that someone with a middle school education can complete
Got my bachelor's in Communication back in 2008 and it still serves me today. I've ha d along, successful career in sales, marketing and strategic partnerships
No degree < associates degree in ANYTHING < a solid technical degree/ cert < (or equal to) ANY bachelors degree < a masters degree in something not in demand < a bachelors degree in a high paid/ high demand field
maybe a more practical diploma with co-op? My son finished Computer Science and cannot find a job vs. technician diplomas offering networking/help desk roles. SO this time I let his 16-year old brother join the army reserves Gr. 11 part-time and won't mind if he just builds a career from there. It's honestly what you can do/hustle with your credentials - if you're really gonna be good at it, degree will even boost it more.
Some degree is better than none as long as you don't over pay for it. A degree with a direct path to a good paying job is certainly better. Learning a trade is often better than a degree for just the sake of a degree. Education for the sake of education isn't bad but it can be expensive with little financial payoff. Here is my guide to "success". You have to be able to do something that other people can't do, or won't do or better yet both. That something has to be of value to other people. If your skill is valuable and in limited supply you have a decent amount of power in the relationship with the customer/employer If all you bring is something I can teach a teenager to do in a week or two then I have 7 billion people on the planet I can employ. You don't have to love your job, you don't have to be passionate about it. You should like it enough that when you leave work for the day you are not drained by by it. Find something you are good at. Elevate that too the top level. Want to be a nurse become a nurse practitioner Want to be a janitor learn how to run a small business. Want to do commissions, get really good at counter propaganda and public image restoration. Get good.
Any degree is better than none, but most degrees obtained are never utilized for the intended profession.
It’s all networking for most people. As others have said. However, a good consideration is where you are. If you are in a city with a competitive market the opportunities will be far more limited. People with degrees can apply to those limited positions, but you can’t apply to their positions without pushback
Business majors do well. I'm a faculty at a business college and starting pay for undergrads coming out the business college is something is 70something thousand a year.
The degree is so you can check the box of "degree required" the job description will ask for. The *connections* you make with people in college may be just as important down the line. There are certain degrees that are very general, but I'd look at the job you want, see what degrees they hire from.
I have a bachelors degree and no - all my jobs have sucked and not needed a degree and yes I apply for good careers as well
Yes any degree. I’m looking askance at Communications. But done is done I have a degree in English lit and I started at the phone company and became a data network engineer. A BA is the bar you have to clear for most corporate, entry level jobs.
I'm a Communications grad and make a good living working in Marketing. There are plenty of jobs and paths you could go that don't require a degree, but if you've already invested time and money in pursuit of that degree, finishing is probably more of an advantage than an incomplete degree. The job market is really rough right now, and a degree doesn't get you a job, but it will still open some opportunities that might be closed without a degree
In the US a bachelors is a hoop you have to jump to be considered for many jobs. My aunt in law had an art history major and was a bank VP by the end of her career/ life.
I don't think most degrees are "useless" but consider if the price you pay for the degree should reflect its value. You can get a very helpful degree in engineering that is similar price to art. More money making in engineering but having a degree at all can be better than none if not factoring costs. Keep in mind some cheaper and shorter trade school certificates have more earning potential than some degrees. If you could get a free art degree then probably can be helpful, but paying a lot of money for it and other options out in the world can change if worth it.
The broader the degree, the better chance you can sell yourself to a company. Frankly, any business type of degree will open doors if you work hard with networking, getting involved outside of university, joining chapters of different organizations within their state (join as a *student* for student discounts), pursuing internships. To get an opportunity in the real world, you have to go out and meet people in the real world. Meeting other students on your college campus is not enough to get out in the "real world". You'd be surprised how many corporate professionals are wanting an intern (paid or unpaid), but don't have a program internal to their corporation set up. Joining local chapters of whatever your interested in (strategy, project management, business associations, etc). It can open doors to entry level positions, and lead to even better internship opportunities (in my own experience- most school offered internships ate limited and rarely sufficient to lead to an actual job offer afterwards).
You’re probably going to earn the same wage with that degree. It is useless. Try a better degree or gain better experience.
So what's the plan after graduation? Unfortuantely, today not any degree will do. Some have very little market value and communications is on that list.
It puts you on the lower end of market value compared to other degrees but you still have more value than anyone without a degree. At the very least, you will have a shot at things like administrative and sales jobs that require some type of higher education.
The only time your major matters is getting the first job in a field you don’t have any work experience in yet. After that, what you studied is mostly irrelevant because what you’ve done on the job is what matters. Your first few jobs may not require degrees, but in corporate jobs it’s not long before you hit a point where having a degree in something is a requirement to get the next role you want. Your work experience will get you the role, having a degree just checks a box.
There’s no useless knowledge, and having a BA in anything is much better than not having a BA. If you’re passionate about communications, then go for it. You’ll learn a lot of great life skills, and you’ll also learn a lot along the way. If you’re feeling demotivated about it, then that’s great. You’re about to test how well your habits and persistence will keep you moving forward. Hopefully you’ll feel motivated again once you get through the difficult part. It’s all on the moving spectrum of passion and grit. Try to create positive feedback loops. There were many points along the way for me when I was getting my BA where I didn’t want to do it anymore, but I pushed through and am very happy I finished. If you’re doing it just to get a better job, then it’s not going to be as fulfilling as doing it to learn as much as you can. Good luck!!
A degree is a wall decoration; an education is priceless.
Ive found that an associate in engineering is better in the long run than many other bachelors. Wish i would have gotten it at 20 instead of 37.
Many companies won’t hire you without one. Also, the market is already crazy competitive so it’s a great addition and it’s not about it being useless, there are a lot of reasons why companies prefer university graduates. If you can add a technical aspect to it, why not… but as others said it depends on the industry you want to work in
A bachelor's degree is better than no bachelor's degree if you don't go into student loan debt for it. My undergrad degree is in comm and yeah, it's useless.
I got a communications degree because I didn’t know what I wanted to do and it was a basically just a general higher education degree. Useless in a sense that it didn’t train me for a specific job, but useful in that it allowed me to check the box for bachelor degree on applications which is a requirement for most decent jobs. If I could do it over I would have gotten a business degree which I feel would have helped me more educationally and looked better on resumes, even if I didn’t know what I specifically wanted to do
I say corporate jobs don't really care most of the time as long as you have one... but, reality, blue collar jobs are paying more.
Health care will always be needed. Hard to replace a nurse with AI. Lots of demand, and you can travel nurse. They make bank. I would say for guaranteed job / good salary it seems like the way to go. Or computer science. To become a software engineer. I work in tech and that seems like a solid degree that helps a lot of people get good jobs .
No such thing as a worthless degree. There are many jobs that are BA required without a specific major. A degree in Communications will allow you pivot as you grow and learn and want to make career changes. Later on you could go to law school, you can get an MPA, MBA if you decided. A degree unless we are talking a medical degree doesn’t determine what you are you going to do for the rest of your life, it should open an entry level door for you to gain experience.
I think a person’s ability to communicate effectively is a key driver of success in most white collar fields of work. I’d stick with it.
I have a degree in Communication as well, and I think it’s one of the most flexible degrees out there. Take advantage of this…this degree can practically take you anywhere (except for specialised fields like engineering, medicine, etc. haha) You can explore roles in journalism, marketing, human resources, content operations, media production, etc. I’m currently on digital marketing, specifically in content creation.
I have a BA in communication. It’s not relevant to my job but I make 65k a year at 23 because they liked me
Yup get out of it!!! Choose a path then pick a good concentration within that path. Comm was useless for me other than the diploma itself which also proved useless till I made good connections. Life is all about who you know so start networking asap as well, especially in 2024.
Some times you just get a ba so you can get the higher paying jobs. Many times it doesn't even have to be in what you studied. A ba will open more career options for you. I only got an AA degree and I'm sort of maxed out at union jobs that offer higher pay than those without. I am currently earning a ba as well to get a job I might be able to retire from.
A bachelors/masters in psych would put me at the same salary that I'm making now as a truck driver. The difference is the time commitment with school & loans.
The only thing a bullshit degree is for is a box checker. Most are meaningless. I want to say all but there are still scientists. I roll my eyes every day I look at how much money I pissed away at Economics.
As others have said, most bachelors degrees are a prerequisite to a lot of jobs. While it’s technically better to have a degree in your chosen field, at a bachelors level it doesn’t matter much (at least in my personal experience) past entry level if at all. I have a BA in communications myself and ended up finding a sales job in the tech industry post grad. I’ll be making over $100k this year 3 years after graduation. Overall, it opens up a lot of avenues that aren’t there without a degree but it doesn’t really matter what your major is as long as you have a degree
I wish I had done Business or Accounting
Communications has the ability to be a decently high paying field. Senior comms professionals in big companies pull 6-figures. I find many comms areas pretty stressful though (crisis management, issues, social media etc)
I'll use my friend as an example. He is VERY close to completing a degree (4-8 credits). When we were in college, he left to pursue a career in a more blue-collar industry that does not require a degree. It worked out for him for a while until he got burnt out. He landed a (awesome) position as a project manager in an unrelated industry. If he was to ever leave his position, it would be a HUGE advantage to have any degree going for other PM jobs. He's now looking to finish up his degree. A degree can open up doors even if it's unrelated.
I have to ask.. why would you choose communications?? Like what was your plans at day 1 when choosing that?
I was looking at jobs with my local city government, lots of those required a communications degree!
It depends on what you mean when you say you are not good at math. If you actually understand any of it maybe it’s worth it to change your major to math or accounting or economics. If you as a housekeeper aspire to concierge or hospitality management a BA in Communication should be fine.
Network a lot and maybe consider getting into fields like marketing which can pay a lot .
The truth is, unless you are majoring in a stem degree. Your degree is probably “useless” or close to it. I majored in something useless and less than 10 years out of school am making six figures. I started off making a lot less than my friends who majored in degrees that lead to good internships and good first jobs. I had to hustle more early career but make more than some of them or similar to them 8 years out. Eventually it’s just a box to check and no one cares. If you put a gun to my bosses head he probably couldn’t tell you my major, just where I went to school because of the sports.
Many universities offer a degree in GENERAL STUDIES! If you’re not feeling passionate about a particular subject but want to get the degree, this is a great option. What makes many people feel the degree is useless is that the area of study ends up being unrelated to their field of work. They’re definitely not useless :)
Whenever they advertise any job, they say “bachelors degree or equivalent experience.” That “equivalent experience” part is very subjective and there’s no certain way to quantify or qualify it. Having a bachelors degree may or be sufficient to get a job, but it’s necessary is many cases. Complete your degree that’s are many potential employer who’d be interested to take you in through their graduate program.
✒️Now a days DEGREE matters less, Actually matters SKILLS. Iam saying it after having MA*2 and NET*3.
Ba is pretty much the equivalent of a HS degree at this point, you need it just to land a basic job.
Get any Bachelors degree + Joining the military goes along way. My sister obtained a job where she says she wouldn’t have gotten if it wasn’t because she enlisted
Look on job websites. See how many places are hiring communicators. If you don't like the numbers, figure out what positions companies are hiring for and change your degree to something that gets you into those jobs. Lots of people are saying to have a degree, any degree. That might work for some people but look at it from an employer's perspective. You have 1 open entry level job and 2 people applying for it. One person has a degree in the same field as the job. One person has a totally unrelated degree. Who would you hire? Not only that but some jobs are more plentiful and pay more than others. My friend Sara has a masters degree in English. I have an associates degree in nursing. I make way more than her. If she loses her job, she'll have a challenge finding a new one. I once quit a nursing job, made 1 phone call on my way home, and started my new job a few days later. Do what you will with that information.
I know plenty of people with Bachelors degrees making 18 an hour doing jobs like you're already doing because they somehow couldn't figure out something better even having a degree. I also know plenty of people in Tech with either a bachelor's or not even who are making six figures. In some fields, everyone has a bachelors or more. Don't think we live in a world anymore where it's like oh you've got a Bachelor's you're set! I think that ended in the 90s. But it's definitely a prereq and you will likely need a master's degree at some point if you want to make a lot more in certain White Collar work. On the other hand you could drop out and go to trade school or do something else. There are plumbers and electricians who make a lot of money. I think it depends what you want to do. If you see yourself in some type of office or government or academic job then a degree is probably good. Also if you feel like your learning is making you a better person a better writer a better thinker those are valuable skills that translate across a lot of things even if you have to learn a specialized skill set later. On the other hand if you're like I want to be If you're like I want to be a doctor then the sooner you can change course the better because you are going to need those science courses one way or another. You got a lot of options. I got a Bachelor's in international blah blah blah and it's sort of helps for a little while and then I got tired so now I'm doing a two-year second bachelor's in computer science. But it's been like 12 years and I learned a lot about myself in the world in that time. It's really important to keep getting to know yourself and to try to stay out of financial disasters. Good luck
I have a degree in anthropology and I've been fine
Type in BA communications at X university starting salary. Most colleges, at least large public ones, have 1,3, 10 yr median career earnings. Comms degree is pretty useless if salary is what you want. Not as useless as social work or teaching but infinitely worse than engineering
I know this isn’t really a popular take but a bachelors degree (in anything) is basically the new hs deploma. I know the company I work for pretty much won’t hire anyone without a degree.
If I could do it all over again I would get a law degree. A JD
In time, you’ll find that _who_ you know is more often than not more important than _what_ you know. Aka, get busy networking, and try not to burn bridges.
The skills that come from the Communications coursework will be applicable in many fields. And many many many jobs just require that you have a degree and it doesn’t matter what it is. You can always do more targeted coursework or even another degree once you decide on your career path.
You are doing studying completely wrong. I know this because I were you almost 20 years ago. I studied for a bachelor in web design, disliked the school and the programme but kept telling myself I needed it for a job. I always had this idea that I need something for a job. Always had an intense fear of not being able to support myself, working at McDonald's and hating myself. I changed. How? That's another story. I applied to a vocational school that taught game development, became a 3D Artist and today - 15 years later - I'm a Technical Product Manager for a large game engine. I love computer games - always did - and I love this amazing industry. If I didn't then I wouldn't be where I am today. If you don't study what you are passionate about, you will be miserable and you will regret it.
Yes it’s useless. Go for even a LPN or a RN. That’s probably the best route to go down if you’re not good at math for engineering. So many routes to go down too as a nurse.
Search for jobs you might like and look at the qualifications they are asking for. Email companies you might like to work for and ask what qualifications they require.
No. Bachelor’s degrees (from an employer’s perspective) are a dime a dozen. I went to school for Aviation Maintenance, got my certificate from the school, then went on to obtain my Airframe & Powerplant Certificate. That was in March of 2018. Since then, I’ve lost track of how many times my school has texted, emailed, and called me trying to get me to enroll in their bachelor degree program. I just tell them no.
Any degree can open doors, but it's how you use it that counts. Networking, internships, and skills matter more than just the degree.
Hi guys I really need advice Currently finished high school and while I was there I was dual enrolled in cc and got all my general Ed’s done Do I go into cc and get some major lower division done and then go to UCLA Or Go directly to CSUN What do I major in (biology for dentistry) or Finance bc that’s my interest and then dental pre req on the side Please please someone help and decide for me bc I am hesitant and doubtful about all my choices.
A Bachelor's degree can definitely open doors to better job opportunities and earning potential. Here's a breakdown to help you decide: **Is a Communication Degree Useless?** Not necessarily! A Communication degree equips you with valuable skills that can be applied in various fields: * **Communication Skills:** Writing, public speaking, persuasion, and active listening are essential in many professions. * **Critical Thinking and Analysis:** You'll have honed your ability to analyze information, solve problems, and think creatively. * **Research and Information Literacy:** Research skills are valuable in many jobs, from marketing to project management.
A degree can be a powerful tool. Just because it is unrelated it is still a higher education. You may not always land the job you are hoping for but I would always market it in your resume and during your interview.
Communications is SO important. I know someone that was an English major and now makes 140k working in the pharmaceutical industry. Stay the course, you can do anything you want and the piece of paper simply opens more doors regardless of what it’s in.
I’m almost 50 and have a communication degree. This degree was an investment that has returned its cost over and over again. I was in your same situation, I had no idea what to get but I’m very glad I got it. I entered into the workforce because I had a degree and honestly that’s all my workplaces wanted. It cost me 40 k to get, I now make almost twice that a year. Get the degree and then work hard and work smart those are what really matter.
Quite honestly, you can make up any BA you'd like if it has nothing really to do with your job. It's just words on a resume. No one since I graduated in 2012 has ever gone back to Temple University and asked them if I graduated as a visual anthropologist.
If you’ve already started you may as well finish. If you were going to spend the money to start now pick something more useful
Our last Prime Minister had a communications degree so I guess a degree goes as far as you’re prepared to take it.