These days, because students have options of new fields of study, the choices they make on their careers today are very different from the career choices their parents had made 30-35 years ago. Although we speak from our experience in India, we believe the situation was – and is – similar across the world… as you’ll find from this blog post on LinkedIn which talks about similar experiences and principles.
The LinkedIn post (dated June 3, 2014) by Sohan Murthy titled The 10 College Majors Millennials are More Likely to Have Compared to Boomers showcases an interesting infographic that clearly demonstrates how things have changed in the last 40 years when we compare fields of study, education paths and career choices between Boomers and Millennials.
In its introduction, the LinkedIn post says: “As part of our Economic Graph research, we mined the information in over 300 million LinkedIn member profiles, and identified where millennials and boomers have the most divergent educational paths.”
Image courtesy http://talent.linkedin.com/blog/
The post goes on to showcase “the top 10 bachelor’s degree fields that are most specific to either generation” and points out major differences in education between then and now. To quote from the post:“1. Undergraduate degrees have transitioned from broad fields of study to very specialized ones.
- Studying Education has lost some of its luster. While it was a hot major in the 60s, it doesn’t make the top 10 for millennials.
- Liberal arts have given way to Technology and Business majors.”
The LinkedIn post also offers suggestions on a few areas of concern:
“Aside from the tensions mentioned in the introduction, the trends highlighted here signal a disconnect between youth, their prospective hiring managers, and their representatives in government (who are – lets face it – much more likely to be boomers).
If you’re a boomer and you’re looking to hire a recent graduate, it might be a good idea to check out the latest curricula offered at your target universities for your field of interest. The classes you took in college probably aren’t being offered anymore! Adapt to the latest trends and don’t judge millennials based on how different you are from them.
If you’re a millennial that has (or is in the process of getting) a degree in a newer, more specialized field, think about how your educational background reflects on your personal/professional brand and be willing to explain that to your hiring manager.”
Do read the entire LinkedIn post here.
[Citation: The 10 College Majors Millennials are More Likely to Have Compared to Boomers by Sohan Murthy, LinkedIn Talent, 3 June 2014.]
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