Humanities majors are often admonished about how they will end up living with their parents after earning a degree. Chris Wilson, writing for Time, decided to check this out, using census data.
It is true that English or history majors are more likely than engineering grads to live at home after graduation (many are probably in grad school). But, interestingly, the gap narrows significantly in just a few years. Have a look at the chart and also the list of majors to see a definite trend line.
Obviously there are many potential flaws in trying to measure this kind of phenomenon. The most recent economic recession caused a lot of individuals to change their plans and hunker down. Here in Texas, the boom-bust of the energy industry can interfere with "normal" behavior.
Also, if you think about it, it may be likely that humanities majors come from homes in which the parents have college educations, giving them uncountable advantages in their young lives.
But the findings confirm what we already know intuitively. Those who major in philosophy may not become professional philosophers (who actually earn more than welders, contrary to presidential candidate Marco Rubio's comments the other night in a debate). They find other jobs, for which their degrees were useful in a variety of ways. And they do move out of their parents' basements.
In today's economy the average college grad will go through many careers, not just one. Some students major in something they really don't like due to adult voices telling them it's the Next Big Thing. Then they discover they don't like it. It's sad and counterproductive.
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