#UniversityMajors

More college students than ever before are choosing to major in psychology, drawn by the field’s versatility and its promise to help understand both themselves and others. Yet, as the latest research and economic data reveal, this boom comes with a significant financial catch for graduates. While the degree opens doors to a host of industries, the starting and mid-career salaries for psychology majors often lag behind those of peers in more specialized or technical disciplines—a tension now under scrutiny for both Thai and global students making career decisions in today’s changing economy (Newsweek/MSN).

Recent research has upended long-standing assumptions about the career prospects of different university majors in the United States: recent statistics show that computer engineering graduates now face an unemployment rate of 7.5%, more than double the 3% rate reported among art history majors. This surprising trend, which challenges conventional wisdom that STEM fields offer greater job security, emerged from data cited in several news reports published in May and June 2025, including those by the Times of India, VN Express, and technically-oriented education outlets (The College Fix; Times of India; VN Express).

A new wave of social science research suggests that demographic inertia among older consumers, the pitfalls of chasing trendy college majors, and even political gerrymandering are subtly but powerfully influencing business and education landscapes worldwide, with clear implications for Thailand. Recent studies highlighted in a Boston Globe summary raise concerns about Thailand’s entrepreneurial future, university graduates’ career paths, and the role of psychological traits in shaping academic debates.

Thailand, like many developed economies, is fast becoming a “super-aged” society. By 2024, over 20% of Thais were aged 60 or older, a proportion forecast to climb further in the coming decades World Bank. According to a May 2025 National Bureau of Economic Research report by University of Pennsylvania economists, this shift has much more than just social policy implications—it may also chill the prospects for new businesses. Their findings: older consumers are less willing to try new brands and products, leading to fewer startups and less competition in markets with aging customer bases (Bornstein, G., “Entry and Profits in an Aging Economy: The Role of Consumer Inertia,” NBER, May 2025).