Some majors are clearly aligned with jobs, such as Nursing and other health-related programs. However, other disciplines like Social Sciences are less clearly aligned with work. For example, in California, people who earn a bachelor’s degree in Psychology are just as likely to become a manager as a counselor.
WestEd has developed a set of tools that look at the connections between education and work, using core skillsets to clarify why there may be many pathways to the same job.
Opportunity Maps
For common academic groupings like Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, and STEM, Opportunity Maps show the relationship between community college educational pathways, skills, and jobs, using region-specific labor market data. These resources use California-specific examples and data but are relevant in multiple reform contexts.
Bay Area | Central Valley/Motherlode | Inland Empire | Los Angeles/Orange County | North/Far North | San Diego/Imperial | South Central Coast
Opportunity Map Builder
Create your own Opportunity Maps, based on the way your community college has grouped its programs and watch a video on how to use the Opportunity Map Builder.
Examine Job Outcomes for Bachelor’s Degree Earners
See job types and earnings over time for Californians earning specific bachelor’s degrees, as well as the most common bachelor’s degree pathways to specific jobs.
