More Than One-Third of Workers Wish They Had Majored in Something Different in College, Finds New CareerBuilder Survey

--Career Expert Offers Advice for Supplementing Your Skill Set in a Challenging Job Market--

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Oct 13, 2010, 11:40 ET

CHICAGO, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- A tight job market may have some workers pondering their educational paths and heading back to the classroom. According to a new CareerBuilder survey, 36 percent of workers with college degrees said they wish they had chosen a different major in college. More than one-in-four (26 percent) said the market for jobs in their chosen field worsened from the time they entered college and when they graduated. This survey was conducted among more than 2,000 workers with college degrees between August 17 and September 2, 2010.

While more than half (56 percent) of all workers with college degrees reported they found a job in their desired career path within one year of graduation, others' pursuits still haven't come to fruition. Nearly one-in-five (19 percent) of all workers with a college degree still have not found a job in their desired field.

More than one-in-four workers (27 percent) who graduated from college ten years ago or longer reported they still haven't found a job related to their college major. Twenty-one percent said it took them three years or longer to find an opportunity in their desired career path while one-in-ten (12 percent) said it took five years or longer.

"The job market has been challenging for all workers, regardless of degree level, and has prompted many to think about learning skills for high demand and emerging jobs," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. "Many employers, particular in areas such as healthcare, engineering, IT and communications have open positions and can't find skilled candidates to fill them. College students and workers considering going back to school should take note of areas with growth opportunities and more abundant hiring."

Building new skill sets is a priority for more than one-in-ten (13 percent) workers who said they have plans to go back to school this year to make themselves more marketable.

Haefner offers the following tips for workers who want to pursue more education:

Talk to HR – If you're currently employed, many organizations offer some type of learning program. Whether it's classes taught on-site at your company, courses and seminars across the country or reimbursement for graduate school programs, your HR department can help you decide what is the best fit for your goals.
Leverage the Web – Sometimes, you don't even have to leave your home to hone your skills. Many sites offer a wide variety of learning opportunities, such as CBInstitute.com, or consider applying to an online university.
Take advantage of local resources – Many local libraries and community centers offer classes in everything from basic Internet skills to foreign languages. Ask around your community to see what opportunities exist.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 2,042 U.S. workers with college degrees (employed full-time; not self-employed; both government and non-government); ages 18 and over between August 17 and September 2, 2010 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset of U.S. employees, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 2,042 one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-2.17 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

About CareerBuilder®

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset - their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 23 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 32 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world's top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis to recruitment support. More than 9,000 websites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder's proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.