In December 2023, an article titled “Why Many People Work Outside Their Specialty in 2024: Statistics and Main Reasons” was published on the «УчисьОнлайн.ру» website by editor-in-chief Yulia Soboleva.

Our team was interested in this issue because who is better than students who wants to find their place in a profession and do not regret their choice?

The author referred to a survey conducted on the HeadHunter website to determine the percentage of people who are working in their field after completing their education. conducted to determine the percentage of people working in their field after obtaining higher education (the link to the original survey is missing; the project team could not find the data in open access).

In the article Y. Soboleva paid special attention to quantitative characteristics. According to the survey, approximately 40% of respondents do not work in the field they studied at university, most of them being representatives of sales, tourism, and services, as well as administrative staff. Over a third of these individuals did not attempt to find employment in their chosen profession.

If we consider why graduates choose not to pursue their field of study, the author identifies several reasons in the article:

1. The chosen profession has become outdated and is no longer in demand.
2. Income in the selected industry is low.
3. Limited career prospects exist.
4. Fewer suitable job openings are available.
5. Parents made the educational choice.
6. Admission to a public institution was the only option.
7. The quality of education is poor, and most acquired knowledge is not applied in practice.
8. A desire to switch to a more promising area of activity.9. I had to change jobs after the decree.
9. It was necessary to switch to freelancing.
10. My hobbies have become my new profession.

According to a survey conducted by RPORC (Russian Public Opinion Research Center) in Russia on
July 5, 2023, information technology currently occupies the top position in the list of future professions. Experts say that the demand for IT professionals is due to the government’s high level of support and attention. The increasing prestige of IT-related jobs has led to more people choosing them. We decided to compare three professions in our research: lawyer, economist, and IT specialist. There is a common belief among students that these two professions are the most popular on the labor market. However, times are changing, and in 2020, IT specialties will become increasingly popular. These professions allow people to work remotely and maintain their wages, making them the most sought-after during the pandemic. Before self-isolation, many people were not familiar with these professions. Now, almost every YouTube blogger advertises online IT schools.

Our team decided to investigate whether lawyers, economists, and IT specialists are still the most in demand on the job market. The main factor in the difference in earnings in the job market is the field of study. The choice of major during admission determines the specific skills developed during training. According to statistics from 2018, technical fields occupy the leading positions (27.2% of all bachelor’s, master’s, and specialist graduates). Economics-related fields follow (27.1%), and the legal field rounds out the top three (12%). Based on the data on the employment of graduates in 2018, we can conclude that there is a high demand for specialists in technical fields, particularly in the IT sector. This is evident from the fact that the highest proportion of graduates who find employment after completing their studies is in the field of computer science, with 78% of bachelor’s and specialist degrees and 83% of master’s degrees.

It is also important to note that engineering and technical business areas are among the highest-paid sectors today, as confirmed by almost all recent research in this area and numerous expert opinions. This trend is likely to continue in the near future as well.

Graduates in the fields of social sciences and humanities are not as highly sought after in the job market, but there are some exceptions, such as in economic areas. Economists occupy an intermediate position when it comes to employment rates: 70% of bachelors and 80% of masters are employed. According to statistical data, a master’s degree in economics is essential for successful employment and a decent salary, especially for managerial positions in governmental structures. Regarding jurisprudence, it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions. According to the data from MTV (Monitoring the Employment of Graduates; paragraph 1.2: Features of the Employment of Graduates of Various Fields of Training—a Reflection of the Demand for Skills from the Labor Market, p. 24), the proportion of employed bachelor’s and specialist’s degree holders in the legal field is 51%, while the proportion of master’s degree holders is 63%. Both figures fall significantly below the average performance of graduates from other fields. Presumably, these results are due to significant differences in the quality of legal education.

We turned to an IT expert, as this field has a much broader range of opportunities than it may seem at first glance. She has recently become one of the most popular choices for students. Our expert, Ilya Valeryevich Pomerantsev, the head of the AI department at GLOBUS-IT, has helped us sort out some issues.

“The IT field had already been well established before the pandemic. In fact, I would say that about one in ten people is an IT professional, and everyone had at least one IT friend before the pandemic started. Of course, interest in the field increased a bit later, peaking during the pandemic, as expected. Before that, people weren’t as interested in IT, but it was always a highly respected field with intense competition and long waiting lists at admissions offices,” said the expert.

Additionally, the expert was asked about the difference between someone with a degree in IT and those who have taken IT courses, which have become increasingly popular thanks to online schools and bloggers.We do not have any prejudices regarding higher education, as it is not the key factor in selecting a specialist. However, we would like to note that people with degrees usually have a solid foundation of knowledge, a broad perspective, and are able to complete assigned tasks more quickly and with higher quality. The percentage of self-taught individuals who possess these qualities is very low. These individuals usually do not remain unemployed for long and find a job quickly.

Overall, we consider other factors such as experience in the field, knowledge of general subjects, and soft skills. Soft skills are almost the most important aspect. If a person can demonstrate that they can learn, manage their time well, listen, and complete tasks in a short period of time, their chances of being hired are equal.

Of course, there are some exceptions where a strong mathematical background, which is often provided by universities, may be necessary to complete certain tasks. In such cases, a person with higher education may have an advantage. This raises the question of whether IT will continue to be as stable over time as law and economics were in the past. Could there be other professions that experience a surge in popularity as rapidly as IT did at the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020? In my opinion, the market for IT specialists is already becoming saturated. This is because companies are willing to “overpay” for good talent, but there are so many applications that more than half of them are eliminated at the interview stage.

The IT field will continue to be at the top for the next 5–7 years, thanks to continuous investment and development. However, companies are trying to minimize costs by using neural networks to automate tasks and hiring people to code for these networks. Professions that can compete with IT for top spots are unlikely, as the field is likely to remain in the lead for the foreseeable future.

I should also mention the development of e-sports, which could also receive more attention and resources in the coming years.We also consulted with another expert, Svetlana Valentinovna Romanenko, the head of the Career Center at NNSU, to learn more about the employment situation for students after graduation. During our conversation, we asked the following questions:

Is it true that 40% of graduates don’t work in their field? What causes this phenomenon?

If we define “working in your field” as a job title on the employment record matching exactly with the degree, then yes, many graduates don’t work in that specific field. However, we need to consider that working in a related field can also be considered as working in one’s field. For example, an economics graduate might work as a credit analyst in a bank, or a political science graduate might work as an education policy specialist in a city government. Previously, we always asked students on feedback forms if they worked in their field of study and based our statistics on their subjective assessments. However, the Ministry of Education has now recommended abandoning the concept of “working in your field” because it is difficult to provide a definitive answer for students with higher education.

With manual trades, it is easier to determine if someone is working in their field—if you were trained to be a turner, for example, you will likely work as a turner or not. With higher education, however, it is more complex. Many employers require a completed higher education for employment, so students have fewer opportunities to work in their field. As a result, students often seek flexible schedules that allow them to combine work and study, often in positions that do not require advanced qualifications.

Our expert shared that employers’ requirements for skills and knowledge can change over time. This can lead people to switch specialties in order to find work. According to our employer partners, university education provides a solid foundation of knowledge, but it needs to be supplemented with additional skills and experience. Just like adding flesh to bones, universities provide the basic knowledge and teach how to learn and find information. However, if you think that employers will welcome you just because you have a degree from a prestigious university, you may be disappointed.

The reality is that the job market is constantly changing, and no university can update its curriculum in real time. Therefore, it is the student’s responsibility to stay up-to-date and acquire additional skills during their studies. The demand for graduates in the job market depends on their experience and skills acquired during their education. If a graduate realizes they are not in demand for their specialization, they may feel the need to find any job available. When entering the job market, some graduates may find that the salary for their chosen field is not satisfactory. In contrast, another field may pay well and be easier to enter. In such a situation, money becomes the main motivation for the graduate. The choice seems clear. However, it is unfortunate that they only realized this after graduation. It would have been better to think about this earlier, perhaps even before entering university.

Do technological innovations influence the job market and the demand for certain skills? How should students approach this issue, and should they worry about it?

There is no need to fear the future. Keep up with technology and become more valuable by mastering it. A specialist in artificial intelligence is not a thing of the past; it’s a current job opportunity. IT is permeating all fields, and it’s inevitable. That’s why it’s important to understand what innovations in your field could be your advantage, what new skills you need to learn, and how to apply them to your work.

Conclusion

Thus, the claim that over 40% of graduates don’t work in their field may be partially true, but it’s mostly accurate. Based on expert opinions and statistical data used in the study, we can reasonably conclude that approximately 40% of graduates do not pursue a career in their chosen field. Currently, there is a significant divergence in career choices. While employment in a field related to one’s professional training can be considered work in one’s specialty, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation has recommended abandoning the concept of “working in your field” as it is challenging to provide a definitive answer for professionals with higher education. For instance, if a journalist works as a social media specialist, they are still operating within their profession.

Authors: Eva Miheeva, Alina Kalashnikova, Anna Kuneva, Alyona Manina