Want A Job? Don't Bother With These Degrees

It's been a rocky economic road lately - we know. And while furthering your education is a good way to make yourself more employable, you need to choose your major wisely.
Why? While college is certainly a way to gain knowledge and experience about topics that interest us, there's an ugly truth about what we leave with that is often overlooked. According to a 2012 report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce called "Hard Times: Not All College Degrees are Created Equal," the risk of unemployment after college depends largely on your major.
"I can't emphasize to young people enough that picking the right degree that prepares them to do something is critical," says Susan Heathfield, management consultant and writer of the human resources site at About.com. "You don't have to leave what you love, you just have to think practically now - how can you work that degree into a job?"
And that might be a difficult question to answer if you're considering one of the following majors with high unemployment rates reported by recent college graduates in the Georgetown study.* Keep reading to learn which degrees to avoid as well as options you might want to consider.

Degrees With High Unemployment

Degree #1 - Fine Arts

Do you have a gift for artistic expression? By all means, follow your muse. Just seriously think about if you want to follow it into a fine arts degree program. According to the Georgetown study, employment rates for recent fine arts graduates are at a staggering 12.6 percent.

Part of the reason for this rate, Heathfield suggests, is cyclical: "When times are tough economically, people don't spend a lot of money or time on fine arts," she says. "Also, government funding has tanked in recent years, so fine arts are becoming more and more dependent on individual donations." And if donations to the arts are no longer tax deductible, she notes, it will be a huge blow to fine artists.

Degrees With Low Unemployment:

Degree #1 - Nursing

We've told you about the degrees that have the highest rates of unemployment. But here's the bright side at the other end of the spectrum: degrees with the lowest rates of unemployment. And if your calling is to help people, you might want to consider earning your degree in nursing. According to the Georgetown report, the unemployment rate among recent nursing grads is only 4 percent.

As Heathfield notes, you can't outsource face-to-face health care. "It's very difficult to substitute a machine for bedside care," Heathfield says. "I really see hands-on jobs in health care booming - people who work with patients will be highly employable.