1. 20-50 percent of students enter college undecided.
2. Up to 75% change their major before leaving college.
3. On average it is taking students 6 years to complete a 4-year degree.
4. 7 out of the top 10 most popular majors in college have an average starting salary of under $40,000.
These are just some statistics that show how unprepared this generation is for the real world and terrible we are at planning ahead. The popular majors are majors like English, History, Psychology, Political Science, and Biology. These majors are by no means bad, however I would say that most people who enter a four year college plan on making a more substantial income when they leave. Many have dreams of making it big, living a comfortable life, and having nice things, not to mention paying off their student debts.
Why then, does it seem that so few achieve this dream today? I believe part of the problem is the lack of foresight within the millennial generation. Most of us have been told all our lives that we are special, that we can succeed at whatever we put our minds to, and I know a lot of people who have had things handed to them, they get their clothes, their outings, and all the little extras paid for. They haven’t really had to work for anything. It enforces the idea of entitlement in this country, people think they deserve the best, and they don’t realize the work that it takes to be successful.
Now I am by no means saying that this is everyone, but a lot of millennials have this inability to plan ahead, set goals, and do the work it takes to achieve those goals. We choose impractical majors, the ones that sound interesting, but in reality if you just major in psychology or political science the chances of you getting a job in those fields are slim without going on to graduate school. And for those who do have the lofty, seeming successful, dream of being a doctor, for example, they don’t know the requirements to get into medical school and don’t set themselves up for success in that path. And for people with the big dreams there is no back up plan when the dream fails.
I hate to burst some people’s bubbles but not everyone gets to be wildly successful, not everyone is cut out to be the next doctor, author, or lawyer. Not everyone gets their dream job, and not everyone will make it in their chosen field. Most don’t figure it out until it’s too late, however, and then they are stuck in a the real world, with no job, or a low paying job that they hate. We get trapped living in the moment of college and enjoying their youth and the fun times that can be had. Maybe if we stopped focusing on enjoying the moment and looked a little further ahead we could be more successful and wouldn’t be stuck as a failed generation.
