Recent college grads may feel like there are no jobs out there for them, but according to a new study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, there is actually a trend of far too few Americans completing college to fill the available jobs.
By 2018, the report says, there will be jobs for 22 million new workers with college degrees, but American will be short some 3 million workers with an associates degree or higher and another 4.7 million workers with a certificate.
Also by 2018, 63% of U.S. jobs will require some type of post-secondary education. In 1973, that number was just 28%.
The industries with the most project growth are:
- Health care
- Government
- Education
- Financial Services
So, if you are debating what to study, you might want to pick one of these career-oriented majors and give yourself a leg-up on the competition. (Not that there’s anything wrong with majoring in Chinese history or Roman mythology, just that your career quotient may not be as high!)
What if you don’t think a four-year college is right for you? Are you doomed to a dead-end job? Not according to the Georgetown study. For a growing number of job, a few years of college, two year AA degree or even a certificate in a trade may be just as valuable to long-term income potential as a four-year degree or higher.
