Some 43% of College Grads Are Underemployed in First Job

Melissa Korn:

Students weighing their college options are increasingly focused on the return from that hefty investment, pursuing disciplines they think could lead to a steady and lucrative career.

But in terms of landing graduates jobs that actually require college degrees, some of those more vocationally geared majors—like fitness studies, criminal justice and business—can be worse choices than English or gender studies, according to a new report by labor analytics firm Burning Glass Technologies.

College graduates who studied homeland security and law enforcement had a 65% probability of being underemployed in their first job out of school, the report found. Those with degrees in psychology and biology stood chances of 54% and 51%, respectively, of working jobs that don’t require college degrees.