According to the World Economic Forum, a 2021 Collegiate Employment Research Institute annual Recruiting Trends survey revealed that the top five growing job markets are in health services, education services, agriculture, transportation, and construction. But how has Covid affected this growth? Why are some college students leaving specific fields to join others? And how has the pandemic shifted first-year students’ decisions on their majors?
Below, we examine how the pandemic is shifting students’ majors and career choices and what college professors say are some of the best skills, courses, and experiences students will need to enter the post-pandemic job market.
Impact of COVID on College Majors
surveyed 1250 high school graduates who attended college in the fall of 2021 to find how Covid impacted students’ motivation to pursue specific areas of study. The results suggested a shift in attitude toward different career paths, including:
- Fewer students intend on studying homeland security, law enforcement, and journalism, while a greater number will pursue legal and area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies.
- Forty-two percent of incoming first-year college students say the pandemic influenced their anticipated major choice or lack thereof.
- Areas of study that freshmen college students plan to pursue differ from degrees received by 2018-19 graduates.
The survey also concluded that these shifts are partly due to events such as the death of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Black Lives Matter protests, and the January 6th attack on the capitol. In the article, a college freshman pursuing a political science major states, “The pandemic solidified my decision to want to be involved in politics and advocate for the issues that I’m passionate about. I had more time to think about and look into the ‘why’ behind some of the microaggressions and systemic issues that plague our country. For me, the pandemic was a call to action, and that starts with majoring in political science and seeing where I can best set myself up to make the most change.”
GenZ & A Brave New World
The Intelligent.com survey also asked what other factors came into play when deciding on a major during the pandemic. The top four results included:
- Interest in the field
- Future job opportunities
- Earning potential
The fourth and most notable finding showed that one-third of incoming freshmen want to impact society positively. According to Pew Research Center, GenZ is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation and is on track to be the most educated and solutions-oriented. The report also found that GenZ tends to be progressive and is the most likely to want an activist government. In light of this research, it is no surprise that 1 in 3 students think about how their major will impact society when choosing a major.
Covid & College’s ROI
According to a national poll conducted by Thirdway.org, two-thirds of college students say that their institution still delivers a good return on investment (even during Covid). However, the poll also showed that students’ most pressing concerns since the pandemic are centered on the practical needs of online education, the cost, and how a degree will prepare them for the new economy. With these concerns, students expect institutions and policymakers to help make higher education more affordable and set better accountability standards.
Furthermore, the poll revealed that nearly 80 percent of students are still concerned about their job prospects once they graduate. So how can college students and those ready to enter college prepare for today’s job markets and economic shifts? Below we reveal actionable insights from professors on what they feel will best serve students and graduates as they prepare to enter the post-pandemic workplace.
The Pandemic & Preparing for the Future of Work
When asked how Covid changed the landscape of business and careers, Debra Salvucci, a professor at Stonehill College and former Dean of the Meehan School of Business, tells Stonehill College, “Business education has become even more relevant as we look to the issues brought to the forefront during the pandemic, such as using data in problem-solving and communication, supply chain management, effectively managing and motivating employees in a remote environment, health and safety regulations, and the business of pharma, biotech, and healthcare organizations.”
When asked what type of experiences will best serve graduates as they enter the workforce, Salvucci reveals that students should explore “experiential learning activities where they are required to think critically and work with diverse groups of individuals.” She also adds students should engage in the “continuous pursuit of knowledge to enhance social inclusion, active citizenship, professional development, and employability.” Salvucci also discusses the importance of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). She believes they will continue to be used in all facets of business organization, from identifying and developing new products to customer relationship management. Salvucci recommends “taking advantage of the many educational opportunities available that focus on the future of business, social responsibility, and technological advancements.”
In the article, Professor Mitch Glavin, Stonehill College’s Healthcare Administration Department Chair, discusses how the pandemic has drastically changed healthcare. He states, “Covid has highlighted underlying inadequacies and inequities in access to clinical care resources and also to public health services and other social services that support and promote health.” When asked what types of skills will best serve graduates entering the healthcare field, Glavin reveals, “Learning to be effective management leaders is critical to the future of healthcare.” In addition, he feels one of the biggest developments for healthcare during the pandemic was the major shift to more telehealth and online care services. He suggests that students understand “data analytics and infrastructure as they will be essential tools for appropriate, secure, and effective coordination and knowledge execution” within the telehealth landscape.
