There was a recent AP article discussing the investments that colleges and universities are making into programs designed to help college students choose their majors and stick with them. One of the primary reasons for the increased focus on major commitments is that students with undeclared or undecided majors are more likely to drop out of school before earning a degree. Additionally, those that do remain to obtain a degree will inevitably take longer to do so, thereby limiting the number of spaces for incoming students and placing an undue strain on educational resources. And while these are valid concerns that must be addressed, I can’t help but wonder if the problem lies more with the majors themselves rather than the students forced to choose among them. The Princeton Review listed the top 10 college majors of 2006. As you’ll see from the list, little has changed over the last decade or so:

1. Business Administration and Management
2. Psychology
3. Elementary Education
4. Biology
5. Nursing
6. Education
7. English
8. Communications
9. Computer Science
10. Political Science

Clearly, this list assumes that most of the myriad majors that exist today have been pre-sorted into one of the primary categories on the list. But the fact that the primary categories have remained unchanged is somewhat alarming. I would think that within the first two majors on the list, Business Administration and Management and Psychology, we are probably looking at two groups of students that, for the most part, have no real idea what type of career they would like to pursue upon earning their degree. Otherwise, the world would be full of business executives and psychologists, and that just doesn’t seem to be the case. Granted, that’s a gross over-simplification of the situation, but my point is that there seems to be a glaring need for innovation within the major curricula of colleges and universities.

Traditional majors are nearly obsolete in today’s employment world and both the students and the employers for whom they work upon graduation are suffering as a result. It seems that the development of a major course of study should be a collaborative process involving at least the student and an academic advisor to act as consultant and mentor. The advisor would also have the responsibility and the authority to ensure that the customized major is consistent with the integrity of the institution and merits the awarding of a degree. And while this type of major customization is almost certainly available at many colleges and universities (it is, I checked), there are at least as many that do not allow that level of flexibility. I know it was not available at my alma mater when I graduated in 1996 and I highly doubt that it’s available now.

Perhaps more important than allowing students and advisors the flexibility to build custom majors is inviting employer input into the process of curriculum development on the college level. What better way to ensure that colleges are producing assets to the workforce than to have their courses designed with the input of the people and companies that will eventually be hiring their graduates? Again, I’m sure that this is happening at many colleges, but it is not nearly as common as it should be. This type of collaboration should not be viewed as forward thinking, but as standard thinking.

This is not to say that colleges should become labor pipelines for companies, nor should they have any official relationship whatsoever outside of the educational collaboration. But the benefits available to all parties involved are indisputable and it would seem to be a relatively easy process to implement. And while the greatest obstacles may lie in the chasm that still exists between academia and the capitalist work environment, these could be overcome with increased communication and an understanding that tomorrow’s labor force is going to be presented with challenges and opportunities that simply did not exist even ten years ago.

Graduates entering today’s workforce are far less likely to maintain a single career path for the duration of their working lives. Rather, they are apt to explore many career opportunities and may re-visit several along the way. College students today seem to be more cognizant of the value of freedom and flexibility in their lives and they will be seeking it in their careers. The ultimate goal may no longer be a six-figure salary, a 60-hour workweek, a house in the suburbs, and a couple SUVs. Those that are seeking something different should be able to determine how they prepare themselves to find it.

Tags: college majors, employment training, jobs for college graduates

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