Employees with 'useless' degrees reveal how they landed jobs earning over $200k a year: 'A good network matters more than a major'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Feb 16, 2026 9:00 PM EST

Just because some people get snobby about your major doesn't mean that you can't turn it into something successful.

It seems like forever that prospective college goers have been told to make 'sensible' choices when they decide on what they want to study in college. The reality is that getting a degree is more expensive than ever, and it feels like it gives job seekers less and less of an advantage in the job market. Many students are worried about picking wisely enough that they can justify the expense of extending their education for another four years, and that often means picking the subjects 

This isn't a line of thinking that I followed when I went to college, and so far, I don't think that I regret it. Not once, but twice, I got degrees that do not exactly scream 'guaranteed job security,' but following what I was passionate about seemed to be more rewarding than making myself do something safer, but a lot more soul-destroying. Often, it is much more than the formal education that matters.

 

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  • The reality is that not every person has the desire or commitment to go to med school or learn to code. They are genuinely interested in the kind of thing that naysayers are going to tell them has little professional value. 

    Still, most of these so-called useless degree holders need to find a job after college, and many of them are successful at that. Some even turn out to be more successful than their supposedly more practically-minded counterparts. A less obviously employable degree may be seen as the difficult route to professional achievement, but that doesn't mean that failure is inevitable. In fact, there are times when it is the perfect accompaniment to a résumé. 

  • Those who graduated with conventionally "useless" degrees but make $200K, what was your path and how long did it take?

    My intention isn't to undermine anyone's accomplishments when I say "useless" because having any degree is still a major life achievement and there's plenty of value from just going through university.
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  • I'm just talking about degrees that don't automatically guarantee a promising salary, degrees such as communications, history, political science, psychology, liberal arts, etc.
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  • Those of you who studied similar majors but now make $200K+/year, what was your secret? How long did it take and what was your journey like?
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  • Top_Turnip_4737 Sociology, Product Marketing Manager. 3 years. Based on my experience, a top school + good network matters more than the major. Lots of anthropology majors from ivies end up in lucrative tech jobs.
    via Top_Turnip_4737
  • _MambaForever Original Poster's Reply How did you break into product marketing in tech with your background?
    via _MambaForever
  • Omnivek I graduated with a Poli Sci degree and went into personal finance, back in 2007. Made just under $40k the first three years, working a lot of hours, trying to learn everything and build relationships. Then I made $70k. Then $90k. At 30 years old I hit $240k. I retired last year at 40 years old and made $770k that year. The advice I would give people who want to make a lot of money: pick a career that pays you for your value, not your time. Few employers will value your time as much as yo
    via Omnivek
  • Improvcommodore Double-majored in English Lit and Art History at a top 15 U.S. university. Went to law school at a top 30 law school. Worked abroad in Australia on a legal fellowship. Stayed a year on a working-holiday visa and got an entry level tech sales job through a staffing agency. The company was a tech unicorn. Acquired for $1.6 billion within the year. My visa ended. I moved home. Joined another tech startup with under 50 employees. Also acquired within a year of my joining (this time f
    via Improvcommodore
  • Top_Turnip_4737 Companies hire from good colleges regardless of major. They come to my schools career fair and invite us to apply. Also I know alumni who work at almost every company for referrals. I'm willing to bet it's easier to get a big tech job than if you majored in marketing from a lesser known college.
    via Top_Turnip_4737
  • Listen ToltMag Political science. Worked my way up over 10 years from a front desk admin at city hall to a division manager to now being an assistant city manager that oversees 4 departments. $210k. I got extremely, extremely lucky.
    via ListenToltMag
  • _MambaForever Original Poster's Reply That's wonderful, well done.
    via _MambaForever
  • Specific-Calendar-96 I'm gonna wager a guess that probably applies to a lot of them: They graduated in a time where having any degree was still respected, and the degree/career qualification lines were a lot more blurry than they are today. Or, they graduated in a time where tech was booming and it was easy for anyone with programming skills to break in. Now they will forever tell people that degree choice doesn't matter because things worked out for them. I don't think those of us in Gen Z or b
    via Specific-Calendar-96
  • _MambaForever Original Poster's Reply Timing is so important. There was a time when having a degree in math was almost useless. Now with the Al boom, it's gold.
    via _MambaForever
  • popthropologist Visual anthropology, graduated 2003. I remember my intro to anthropology class giving us all a leaflet entitled "Careers in Anthropology" with things like "stay in academia" and "join Peace Corps" on it. Got a job in product design. research and have been working in brand strategy research ever since. I'm incredibly lucky to be working in my field of study, doing applied anthropology and ethnography, because when I chose the major, I had no idea how it could turn into a career. I
    via popthropologist
  • _MambaForever Original Poster's Reply This is awesome, happy for you man! I completely agree with the sentiment you shared in the last few lines.
    via _MambaForever
  • accountantdooku Masters in History-went to law school and am now a tax lawyer.
    via accountantdooku
  • Jonfers9 I have no degree and make 300k a year. Been in insurance for about 6 years now.
    via Jonfers9

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