A Chaotic Economy Is Giving Rise To Highly Customizable College Programs

A growing number of college students are starting to treat higher education as a buffet, picking and choosing the options that best suit their own personal desires and needs. And it could help them navigate a very uncertain future.

The rise of “chaos studies”

While it’s not entirely unheard of for enterprising college students to develop their own path through the four (give or take) years after graduating high school, most previous generations have generally gravitated toward established majors like computer engineering or business.

But with so much about the future up in the air, there’s an unmistakable trend of students who are pursuing relatively uncharted courses in hopes of staking out a niche that will allow them to earn a living and pursue a rewarding career of their own making.

Some notable examples include “chaos studies” and “food theory,” but the options are really only limited by the imagination of the students themselves.

Facing unparalleled obstacles

The threat of artificial intelligence on the job market is a big factor in this foundational shift toward so-called interdisciplinary degrees.

• AI could replace 300 million jobs or more in the relatively near future
• Students have responded by prioritizing creativity as a path toward success
• Interdisciplinary degrees spiked by nearly 20% between 2010 and 2020

Regardless of the economic forecast, there’s always been a segment of the population with a desire to build a customized path to success. Take renowned crossword puzzle creator Will Shortz, for example.

“I remember joking about majoring in puzzles as a kid, never imagining that such a thing was possible until my mom discovered the individualized major program,” he said.

But while it was a novelty for Shortz decades ago, many current college students see these self-made majors as a necessity.

Chris Agee November 20th, 2023

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