Young people around the world invest in their education in the belief that it will lead to better job opportunities, and this may often be true.
But in the Middle East and North Africa, education is widely believed to be a source of frustration because it does not provide the skills young people need in today’s world.
Instead of university education in the Arab region leading to rich job opportunities that provide a decent life, it has become more likely to lead to a dead end of unemployment.
Young people with university degrees in many Arab countries, from Morocco and Tunisia to Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and others, suffer from higher unemployment rates than their less educated peers because most of the available opportunities are low-skilled jobs, or because the university specializations they study are not suitable for the labor market.
In a country like Jordan – for example – the unemployment rate reached 25.1% among university graduates in 2023, according to data from the Jordanian Department of Statistics.
The World Bank estimates that the Middle East and North Africa need to create more than 300 million new jobs by 2050 to provide employment for young people, a number that is almost double the number of jobs currently in the United States.
Unless Arab governments act now and invest in quality education that is consistent with the market and the major developments taking place in the world today, many young people will face a life of disappointment, with consequences not only for the region, but for the entire world, according to a number of specialists.
With the rapid technological developments, the change in the global labor market, the disappearance of a large number of jobs and professions that were popular years ago, and the entry of new professions and jobs that did not exist before, universities and academic and vocational institutes in the world have begun to cancel many university specializations due to the lack of need for them in the labor market, and the widespread unemployment among graduates. Universities and institutes around the world have also begun to open new departments and specializations that are consistent with the major changes taking place in the market.
In this report, we will present to you 10 majors that universities should stop teaching because there is no need for them in the labor market, according to what was stated by a number of specialized platforms such as CNBC, Universities, Business Insider, MoneyWise, College Cliffs, and others.
1- Computer Science
A computer science degree may seem like a step in the right direction, especially with the increasing demand for technology-related jobs, but this is not true for a simple reason: the jobs that are in demand now and in the future are more specialized professions and jobs such as generative artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and other specialized specializations, while computer science is a general curriculum that gives you an in-depth and insufficiently specialized overview, which means that students learn only a little about each topic, which threatens the usefulness of this university degree in the job market.
2- Biology
A bachelor’s degree in biology is geared toward theory rather than practice, research and application. As a result, the knowledge and skills you gain as a biology student will leave you with few employment opportunities. Not many companies are interested in such a major, and you will face fierce competition for the few jobs available if you only have a bachelor’s degree in biology.
So if you are interested in this specialization, there is a better alternative such as Clinical Laboratory Sciences, which leads to more successful career opportunities where you can work as a laboratory technician, medical equipment salesman, or in the laboratory unit in public and private hospitals. This certificate also qualifies you to open your own laboratory in the future.
3- Anthropology and Archaeology
It may seem tempting to study the origins, evolution, behavior, and impacts of humans, but unless you are willing to study for a doctorate, a bachelor’s degree in this field is not suitable for a rewarding career.
Although there are jobs for graduates with degrees in anthropology and archaeology, these jobs are very few and infrequent.
4- Tourism and travel
In the world of social media and specialized tourism and travel platforms such as Booking, Agoda and many others, the need for specializations such as tourism, travel, entertainment and hospitality no longer makes sense, as anyone can easily book any country or place they want to travel to, and can get the cheapest tickets and the best hotel reservations through these platforms without having to pay money to tourism and travel offices. Also, the tourist or traveler can get the information they want about the tourist and archaeological sites they want to visit, and travel agency employees often complain about their low wages, irregular work schedules, and few customers.
5- Foreign languages
Learning a foreign language opens doors to new cultures and new perspectives, and increases awareness of social and cultural issues related to a particular country or people. However, there are countless second language speakers who have learned outside of any classroom, or university.
With the revolution of distance learning and online language learning programs, websites and applications, anyone can easily learn the language they want or hone their proficiency in a language without having to spend large sums of money in institutes and universities.
In addition, through remote employment sites such as Upwork, Freelancer, and others, it has become very easy and affordable to hire and work with a language teacher from the country you want.
6- Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of how the human mind works and how it influences human behavior. It involves exploring how the mind works and how it thinks. Students can study different aspects of psychology, such as “social, cognitive, abnormal, personality, and developmental” theories.
The reason it is included on the list is that a bachelor’s degree in psychology alone will not qualify you to become a psychologist, and in fact, even a master’s degree in psychology is not enough either. You must obtain a doctorate in this field, which means you have a very long educational path beyond a bachelor’s degree.
There are other job fields for her, such as educational or psychological counselor in schools and some institutions, but the demand for such jobs is low and the competition is fierce due to the large number of graduates.
7- Library science
In an age of digital libraries that contain millions of books, and can be downloaded and read in minutes, the specialty of library science no longer has any meaning. Most library science graduates continue their studies to become librarians or librarians after graduation. Unfortunately, libraries around the world receive less and less funding, and cannot pay their workers decent salaries.
8- Fine Arts and Music
With a high unemployment rate among fine arts graduates, according to MoneyWise, career prospects are very bleak. Fine arts graduates are often employed as art teachers and caterers, but jobs are scarce, opportunities are slim, and it is difficult to get a high-paying job with this major.
The same goes for music majors, as most celebrities in the music industry don’t have a music degree at all! They got where they are today thanks to their love, passion and talent for music – or in some cases, thanks to their parents, relatives or inherited wealth.
9- Philosophy and History
Philosophy is an interesting but theoretical field of study that has no place in today’s job market. You may be able to get a job as a philosophy professor, but it takes more years of study and experience.
The same is true for history. What to expect from a Bachelor’s degree in History is very clear. You will study historical events, including their causes and effects, and the main people involved in these events. Students can specialize further in the history of a particular region or time period, such as the history of the Abbasid state, the history of Andalusia, or Latin America.
The hard thing is getting a job after graduation, there are not many career fields that directly apply to this major except for teaching history in schools which is a very narrow and limited field.
10- Entrepreneurship
Having a degree in entrepreneurship as a separate major is pointless, as most entrepreneurs did not study this major but rather relied on their work and life experiences rather than studying in university classes.
If you want to become a successful entrepreneur, you need a comprehensive knowledge of business, and you don’t need a degree to get this knowledge. However, you can take different courses in entrepreneurship to prepare you to start your own business.
