Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – College is often a stepping stone in life because afterward someone will work in the field they studied while studying in higher education. Of course, when projecting a job, someone also takes into account the income that will be received. On this basis, many people think long and hard when choosing a college major.

Recently, the latest research from the National Bureau of Economic Research was entitled “College Majors and Skills: Evidence from the Universe of Online Job Ads” (2021) seeks to provide answers explain the correlation between college major and income when working.

This research analyzes data from various job vacancies in the United States during the 2010-2018 period to see which majors are most needed by companies and the projected salaries that will be received.

The results show that there are two majors that have the opportunity to achieve this, namely the business major for the social-humanities domain and the engineering major for the science-technology domain. This can happen because studying in these two majors makes students learn a lot about skills in the world of work, such as logical thinking and critical thinking.

From the start of college, students majoring in business and engineering of any kind have been trained to think critically, so that when they graduate they are used to facing various challenges. As a result, when faced with various kinds of work problems, graduates of these two majors can overcome them.

In this research, it was discovered that business and engineering majors had succeeded in developing skills, such as cognitive, managerial, organizational, project management and social. Interestingly, if business and engineering graduates work outside their major, they can earn a higher salary. Of course, this can happen because they have acquired the skills needed in the world of work.

While business and engineering benefited the most, the research also revealed the opposite. Nursing, library, religious arts and philosophy majors are the majors that are least needed by the business world.

“Other majors, such as nursing, are more specifically about studying a skill that is not much sought after in the job market for college graduates,” said the research.

On this basis, the research team from the National Bureau of Economic Research recommends that policy makers and higher education leaders should adopt a broader view of how to fulfill a person's competencies with qualifications for the world of work.

[Gambas:Video CNBC]

(mfa/mfa)