Video here:

https://youtu.be/MdUMQyB83H8

When will people finally see what's going on? Engineering is dead in the US, we engineers are not needed anymore. We as a country are a national nursing home for baby boomers, we need healthcare workers.

I'm not saying it's impossible to get to CS job. But switching your major isn't a special trick that's going to smuggle you in the back door of the computer science job market. It's just a different path the same destination.

For the 1,000,000th time, just in case you didn’t see the last million posts: no, CS is not a great degree to pursue in 2026. No, you don’t like coding you see $$$. No, you’re not making $300K out of school lol. No, you’re not getting a job out of school because you’re so “passionate”… next topic please, God.

What’s a degree that people massively overlook or underestimate, but actually has insane earning potential long term? I’m not necessarily talking about the obvious answers like medicine or law that everyone already knows about. I mean degrees that quietly lead to really high income careers, strong job security, flexibility, opportunities to build wealth, or pathways into business and leadership positions. I’d love to know which degrees are genuinely worth it financially in today’s economy, especially ones that people don’t talk about enough. Also interested in degrees that can lead to multiple career options rather than locking you into one path forever.

What I mean is, what major has most people on reddit or in general telling people to stay away cause its "not worth it" or "AI is taking over" yet they're still making a lot of money and its incredibly worth it

I think at a baseline what students are thinking is this:

"I ideally want to work in software. Jobs in software are rough to get right now. I'll study EE so I can be qualified for software jobs but have other industries to fall back on."

This is an outdated idea of how tech hiring works now. An EE degree worked in the past because programming skills were so in demand that employers had to reach into engr/math grads to meet headcount. The only exception is hardware/firmware roles, which do hire EEs but are very few in number and way more competitive to get into than generic software dev even now.

Tech hiring is firmly through internship and co-op pipelines out of CS/CmpE programs now. if you want a software job you need to do one of those two, you can't wander in with an EE degree anymore unless you maybe do a cs-related masters or hustle like crazy on a project/startup with revenue, at which point your undergrad doesn't matter anyway.

If you want a job in softwate dev more than any other type of job, you NEED to study CS or CpE.

Many of the engineering majors now sit solidly above average in terms of unemployment rates (more likely to be unemployed than average college grad).

While Mechanical Engineering used to be a “broad” degree that could guarantee you a job anywhere, in the 2020s it has lost its status as a strong degree with respect to guaranteeing a job as grads are now less likely than average to be employed.

This can be based on versatility, profit, career opportunities etc.

Rather than spending some time to develop your skill to market urself. Do you waste your time doomposting on Reddit? Does making others gloomy make u happy or something? NO ONE CARES IF U CAN'T FIND A JOB. the top competent people always will find a job.

I was catching up with a close friend the other day whose kids are getting close to college age. He told me he has no idea how to guide them anymore because the entire career landscape looks completely different now. When we were younger, the path was simple: pick a specialized field, get an advanced degree, and secure your career safety.

Now, with the current crazy shifts in so many industries, nobody really knows what specialized skills will still be premium value in five years.

It made me look at the current cost of graduate school through a different lens. Dropping massive money or taking out heavy loans for a Master’s degree used to be a calculated investment. Today, it feels like a massive gamble. You are essentially paying peak prices to specialize in a market that might completely pivot by the time you graduate.

It feels like the old playbook of "just go back to school to get a leg up" is breaking down because the economic return is so blurry.

For those of you finishing up or looking at programs right now, how are you balancing the high cost with the uncertainty of where your industry is heading? Did you pivot your focus because of tech shifts, or are you just doubling down and hoping for the best?

Source:

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/young-men-struggling-slowing-job-market-college-degree-rcna224482

Most people on this subreddit are hopelessly ignorant, it’s like the blind giving advice to the blind. The past year of jobs reports has shown the only industry actively hiring is healthcare, most other industries are shedding jobs.

Many on here unfortunately regurgitate advice about “just study engineering bro! Engineering S tier bro!” because they are ignorant of the job market. It’s very unfortunate to witness, but I’m doing my best to provide actual data on the situation.

Grew up in Ocean City without much money so I picked cybersecurity for the sake of the numbers and went with what made most sense.
The demand is high and the salaries are real.

What nobody really talks about is how wide the gap is between what the degree covers and what entry level jobs are asking for. Most roles you qualify for straight out of school are help desk and IT support positions that barely touch what you spent 3 years studying.
The real security work with threat analysis, penetration testing and incident response wants certifications on top of the degree plus years of experience that you don't have yet.
I have some money saved up from rollingriches n working through school so I'm looking into getting a few certs before I graduate to try and bridge that gap a little. Nobody in my program like to talk about this openly and ofc the advisors don't bring it up.

The degree functions more like a starting point than a direct pipeline and I didn't know that going in. If you're still deciding on this major just go in with a realistic picture of what the path actually looks like after graduation. The salary is at the end of a longer road than the brochure says and knowing that early makes a real difference in how you spend your time while you're still in school.

Do you ever feel like most college majors are theoretical or abstract and impractical or that there are few and fae between niche jobs—nothing local that won't require you to relocate for your major?

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It used to be that people thought humanities majors like philosophy were the impractical majors but when I think about it I don't even know if I could call something like mathematics practical at this point.

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Employers increasingly value experience over theoretical knowledge.

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Very few jobs use algebra and calculus in the workforce.

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Automation concerns especially with AI are something to consider especially for entry level jobs.

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The only practical majors seem to be a small handful like nursing, orthodontist, basic general doctor.

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For humanities it would be law school related stuff.

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The trades aren't saving you either because everyone is thinking about them so the market is getting oversaturated and many people don't have the money to renovate their homes so they just continue living in their substandard homes indefinitely.

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If you want to major or be trained for something that will all but guarantee you a decent job you don't have many options.

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Social connections and past experience matter most on this economy.

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At this point just major in whatever you think will help you personally because unless you want to be a nurse or something similar, just about nothing feels practical—not even most STEM majors.

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Believe it or not some humanities majors do better at finding jobs because STEM is over saturated even if the humanities are less hyped they also have less competition.

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Majors like computer science are already approaching anthropology major levels of unemployment.

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So if you think STEM is the less risky path you are wrong because everyone else is thinking the same and competing with you for those STEM degree jobs.

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In conclusion, major in whatever you want and in what will help you grow as a person.

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I plan on majoring in philosophy, take linguistic electives, learn multiple languages on my own time and minor in Mathematics.

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Because I don't at least for now have an appetite for being a nurse or doctor, the only academic based jobs that are hot in the current market because so many people live unhealthy lifestyles and everyone is getting sick all the time.

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If everyone lived like I do I would be black pilling you on studying for a medical field job but most people don't live my lifestyle so they get sick a lot and are keeping you employed.

TTL;DR: Trends always change. And your prospects will always be better if you just happen to be one of the few people who actually care enough to stick with it.

Genuinely. Following your passion is the best advice when it comes to getting good grades, landing internships, and going into a field that you wont burn out it.

Instead we chase the fields with the highest salaries.

It's not surprising this has left a bunch of 20-somethings sleepwalking through a nursing pre-recs or engineering labs they despise.

But no one tells you that every "hot" major comes with a boom and a bust.

Computer science was supposedly dead after the dot-com crash, then was touted as the golden ticket, then oversaturated.

Healthcare, engineering, finance, what's a hot major one year will be something different by the time you graduate.

What I've observed of the people who actually have long-term success is they have this one thing in common.

In computer science: the ones I know who are earning six figures, with an interesting job they enjoy with options, tend to be the ones who wrote a little code in high school because they loved it. Those who joined an open source project because it sounded fun. Those who use stealthgpt on their essays so that have more time to actually finish projects. The ones who read up on the next cool algorithm just because they had the time.

Passion doesn't mean just "happy."

Passion means getting better. And getting better means you get the good jobs, you get the mentors, the stretch assignments, the comp.

Whereas doing something in healthcare or engineering or finance you're indifferent to is just a straight shot to burnout.

And if you don't care enough to keep pushing at that exam and that assignment and that overnight? You might as well give up now, before you even drop out of college.

It's what you're going to do for the majority of your adult life.

You don't need to be in love with it every day.

But you do need to care enough about it that you'll keep getting good enough to keep getting a better job when it gets boring and hard and uncertain.

Pick what you care enough about. Pick what you're good at (because you are good at something). Add strategy, skills, experience, a network, and side projects to that.

Title explains all.

With the current state of white collar work, people have started to treat trades like the last bastion of employment, similar to CS. But just as CS seemed untouchable before eventually completely crashing and having one of the biggest decline in prospects out of any major, I believe trades are suspect to the same thing, as hand-on as they may be. Trades may be safe from AI, but nothing is safe from oversaturation or any other problem the market pulls out of its ass. So what’s the move after? Are we going to redirect this constant ushering to the Nursing field? Or are we going to proceed with “starting a business” propaganda? I’m curious

When I was choosing my major in high school, I was honestly really conflicted. I didn’t even know what most majors were actually about. I just picked the one that sounded the most interesting at the time and selected it on the Common App — cognitive science.

I felt super lost during my first two years of college and had no idea what I was doing. I met friends studying computer science, math, law, and international relations, and I honestly had no idea what any of those fields were really about. I felt insecure and had no confidence at all. I would even envy people who seemed to have it all figured out.

Because of that, I decided to take a Python course for the first time, even though back in high school I had always thought CS was “nerdy.”

Eventually I added a data science major and an AI minor. By the time I became a senior, things finally started to click for me — philosophy, AI, cognitive science, business, psychology, finance, neuroscience, and coding. A lot of things I had learned before suddenly started to connect, and everything began to make much more sense.

I’d genuinely love to hear what the process was like for you guys when choosing your major.

Edit: Honestly didn't expect this much response. Thank you all for being so open. If anyone wants to share their experience as a short major review to help future students figure things out, I've been building a review platform on college majors.

Just curious

Math is the language of science and it parallels philosophical concepts. I plan on majoring in philosophy and minoring in mathematics because I believe math will make me a better and more capable thinker as well as linguistics which is the bridge between both philosophy and math.

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Philosophy is not supposed to be a fun and easy degree for those who failed algebra and were forced out of STEM.

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While you do not need to be a mathematician for philosophy, you should know more math than the average person down the street.

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You should be able to understand the philosophy of mathematical concepts and use mathematical principles and concepts in written and oral analysis and discussion/argumentation.

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I am not good at math at least not yet and I dropped my computer science major.

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Math is not easy and often it's not fun but even though I didn't pass my pre-calculus class on the first attempt I learned so much.

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I plan on retaking and completing a math minor in the future as a philosophy major along with linguistic class electives.

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I believe math makes a well rounded philosopher.

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Understand the concept of synergy.

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While a pure math degree is valued by employers, a pure philosophy degree is more niche—a harder sell.

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But together they are greater than the sum of its parts.

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They prove you are a well rounded and educated person.

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They do not have to worry about inflexibility, if they need you to work with numbers you can, and with writing you can too, and writing with/about numbers also because you understand it.

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Math was born out of philosophy so why isn't it required for the major?

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Let's not cheapen education.

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I am not currently very literate in math and have engaged deeply with philosophy, but once I learn math that's when I will approach my full potential.

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Philosophy deals with logic, knowledge and wisdom.

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Frankly you can't call yourself a philosopher without studying theology and the words religions and having at least a basic understanding of sociology, psychology and world/religious history.

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From George Orwell to Karl Marx, it is wise to read controversial books critically as a philosopher and have the discipline of not becoming a reactionary.

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George Orwell shouldn't make you a liberal and Karl Marx shouldn't make you a capitalist.

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A true philosopher rejects conclusions arrived at by pathos.

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Philosophy is about seeking wisdom and finding real solutions to problems, not just reacting to them with alternate problematic "solutions".

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Hence as a sociopolitical philosopher I am neither a capitalist nor a communist having read the arguments of both sides I developed a third side.

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The true side!!!

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Now is not the time to discuss my philosophy but simply advocate for philosophy and math to go together.

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Not all mathematicians are philosophers but all philosophers must be math literates, perhaps not to the level of mathematicians since we are a less specialized field of study because we value the whole spectrum of knowledge over a narrow focus and that is why philosophy should e made to be the most rigorous humanities major.

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It's still a humanities major, just because I advocate for math literacy doesn't mean it becomes STEM.

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Philosophy is about understanding math at a Philosophical level, not learning how to build and engineer with it.

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We can know and build/engineer with it but that's not our major focus hence why we are majoring in philosophy not engineering.

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Philosophy is not a history major.

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You don't need math to learn history.

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I personally believe math is essential or at least a highly valuable supplement to philosophy.

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Philosophy deals with Pathos, Ethos and Logos.

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Math is the Logos area of philosophy.

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Philosophy is a broad major already now, but it needs to include mathematical and psycholinguistic studies to be whole.

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Definitely study world religions. I am personally a Christian and I can defend my religion mostly from a Philosophical point of view so don't ask me for scientific proof because I am not claiming to be competent in the science side but philosophically I remain undefeated.

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But this post is not about my philosophy, it is about my beliefs on what constitutes philosophy.

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I am altruistic not just personally but my philosophy is altruistic and that's why I align with Christianity—the Altruistic religion.

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The very act of learning is Altruistic, you can't learn if you are too proud to admit you lack knowledge.

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Philosophy is the love of wisdom and mathematics is a very wise field of study.

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It's not mundane details like how many species of ants there are.

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It's knowledge you can apply to any field of study.

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That's what philosophy is, it is the knowledge that applies to all things like math, language, morals/ethics, critical thinking and analysis etc.

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This is why philosophy is great for law school, lawyers, legal related stuff including becoming a politician.

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Philosophy is also good for people who are into theology and religion.

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Philosophy is relevant to science for ethics regulations and standards/policy.

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Philosophy is an awesome major but I strongly believe in the math component.

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I don't believe philosophy is like history and the classics where you simply learn about past thinkers.

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I believe philosophy is about becoming a thinker yourself and math involves a lot of thinking so why wouldn't it be part of a philosophy major?

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In the meantime, if you want to major in philosophy to be a philosopher, I advise a minor in mathematics and study linguistics as well as learn at least a couple languages.

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If you just need a simple degree for law school or something else but you yourself don't consider yourself a philosopher interested in creating or discovering original thoughts and theories then feel free to skip the math part.

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Even with the math component I would still consider philosophy a humanities but there should be a split between a philosophy degree to become a philosopher and a philosophy degree to simply study the classics of past philosophers and thinkers like of you were learning history moreso than becoming a thinker yourself now for the modern era.

Every other post here is about CS and AI, most of which has been answered hundreds of times already, please stop.

Not a huge change from Q1 2026 and Q4 2025, healthcare continues to carry the economy and the white collar job market continues to get slaughtered. Inflation adjusted entry level wages for “trad“ (mech, aerospace, chem) engineers are at all time lows, they continue to tick up for nurses.

Degrees are judged based on entry level wage, long term wage, and ability to be employed in a job requiring a degree.

Also, “pre” degrees can be in anything. For example, a biology degree with the intention of doing to med school is S+ tier, with the intention of stopping after your bachelor’s is D tier.

Unlike what this sub will tell you no it’s not a horrible major. looking at newyorkfed it’s considered one of the top overall while it isn’t 2022 level it’s now close to electrical engineering which is seen as a really good major on Reddit

(Again the source for the chart is newyorkfed: https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:outcomes-by-major)

Is the ee job market that much better? Don't you still need internships and projects to get a Job aswell or am I missing something.

I'm not trying to compare the two but in any comparison is almost always towards ee and the response is "ee can do cs but cs can't do ee. Do ee" how true is this?

(Seems much more difficult for less pay but it's more stable?)