FREDERICK: [taken aback] Well, there are plenty of useless college classes, but isn’t the system reforming itself as we speak? Liberals arts are in steep decline. Modern college students seek out majors that teach job skills. STEM is the future. BRYAN: STEM majors earn moderately more than non-STEM majors, but it’s not because they’re acquiring great job skills. Most STEM majors end up in non-STEM jobs. Signaling is the obvious explanation: earning a STEM degree impresses employers regardless of what concrete skills the job requires.
