What makes a degree ‘useless’ in Singapore
In today’s competitive job market, a university degree serves as a standard prerequisite in most professional fields.
However, as education standards have increased over time, so have the cost of living and the tuition fees. For many, the most practical way to optimise a degree is to study something “useful” for the future.
Source: Ron Lach on Pexels
Netizen wonders if science degree is worth studying in 2026
On 16 July, a netizen took to the r/askSingapore subreddit wondering whether pursuing a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Artificial Intelligence (AI) is worth it in today’s AI-driven era.
Surprisingly, many netizens disapproved of the Original Poster’s (OP) choice, claiming the degree lacks any specialisation for prospects.
Some claimed the Bachelor’s is a “glorified stat degree” and one would be better off studying other IT degrees.
Source: Reddit
A few theorised that AI might “lose its hype”, making it hard to “strategically pivot away”.
Source: Reddit
One netizen said that the OP will become “another unemployed graduate”.
Source: Reddit
A familiar story with many students in Singapore
This is likely to be a common dilemma for students in Singapore.
In one instance, Shannon, a fresh graduate who studied Linguistics and Multilingual Studies, told MS News that she has received questions like “What can you do with a degree like that?” or “What do you even study?”
She added: “Because people genuinely don’t know what a degree in Linguistics can do for you, if you don’t want to be an English teacher.”
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With AI slowly becoming more integrated into Singapore’s workforce, it has sparked a growing anxiety among professionals regarding potential job displacement.
“Humanities [is] not a very helpful course in this current industry, especially with AI taking over. With me wanting to do writing, people often ask me what’s the point when there’s AI to do it now.” Shannon said.
She added that the usefulness of a degree can also lie in its impact on the developing society. “I would say my skills help with more human wants than needs.”
Source: Mingyang LIU
Small pool of options in a competitive job market
From a STEM perspective, a Bioscience major with specialisation in laboratory medicine, identified as Amanda, said that the value of the degree could be due to a lack of job diversity in Singapore.
She shared with MS News: “Especially when it comes to [humanities] and arts, the job market is super limited in Singapore, and the pay isn’t great.”
“They end up streaming into general careers like Human Resources (HR) or copywriting.”
Souce: Ketut Subiyanto
As the cost of living continues to rise and tuition fees on the climb, more people may feel compelled to view their higher education through the lens of practicality rather than passion.
Coupled with an increasingly competitive job market, this could further reinforce a hierarchy of perceived degree value, where certain fields of study are seen as more worthwhile than others.
Also read: ‘Is S’pore the nerd of Southeast Asia?’: Citizens from neighbouring countries discuss stereotypes
‘Is S’pore the nerd of Southeast Asia?’: Citizens from neighbouring countries discuss stereotypes
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Featured images courtesy of George Pak and Ron Lach on Pexels.
