New research from hiring platform Indeed has found more than half of workers said their college degree directly relates to their current career, while one in three said they now work in an area that does not directly relate to what they studied.
The survey of 1,000 workers and jobseekers in Ireland shows that the relationship between education and careers varies significantly by profession.
Workers in arts and culture, and education were the most likely to say their education directly relates to their current career, followed by those in finance, healthcare and IT.
By contrast, almost half of those working in retail, catering and leisure said their education does not relate to their current career, alongside 47% of those working in manufacturing and utilities.
The research also found that 59% of respondents said their school or university education prepared them for building a career.
The findings come as new data from Indeed data shows graduate job postings are down 9% since 2024.
“There can be a huge amount of pressure on students to feel that choosing a college course or first job means choosing their entire career,” said Derek Diviney, Vice President at Indeed.
“But these findings show that the reality is often much more flexible.”
“For many people, their education does provide a direct route into the career they want, but for others, the skills and knowledge they gain take them somewhere they may not originally have expected,” Mr Diviney said.
