Most underemployed majors according to the U.S. Census American Community Survey

If 95% of people did this there'd be two surpluses:

(1) People educated for nothing except STEM careers. All those jobs have a finite number of vacancies.
(2) A surplus of unhappy people - qualified only for jobs of a type they really didn't want and won't be happy with. They wanted to be librarians, Psychologists, writers, Spanish teachers etc. STEM only suits so many people. This sounds like one-dimensional, "flat-file" thinking. We need Quantum, here.

People DO succeed in other jobs - thank goodness. I won't deny there's a problem. but THIS is not the answer. Besides, it would be inconvenient for someone VERY important - ME. Where would I go to learn Spanish, get my head straightened out or borrow books?

 

Hm. My humanities BA has served me very well throughout my personal life as well as my career. I'm not sure how you would measure this utility though.

 

I had a young lawyer working with me years ago. His undergraduate degree was a BM in Jazz Performance. Now how useful or necessary is that to anyone? Yet he was an excellent lawyer and his experience in music and his general education contributed a great deal to who he was.

 

This young lawyer dressed for court in a black three piece suit with yellow pinstripes and an yellow carnation. Looked good on him. I wouldn't have tried it for myself.

 

I have one of those degrees on my bucket list too, not music though (something quantitative like statistics, math, or engineering.) It will be purely for personal enjoyment. I will probably complete it one course at a time over 10 years. And I will love it!