These Are the College Degrees People End Up Regretting

Criminal justice attracts students who want to work in law enforcement, corrections, courts, homeland security, victim advocacy, or crime prevention. It sounds practical because the subject is tied to real institutions and visible jobs. Many students imagine the degree giving them a strong advantage in a serious, stable public-safety career.

Regret often appears when graduates learn that many criminal justice roles do not require a bachelor’s degree, or they require separate academy training instead. In New York Fed-based underemployment data, criminal justice ranked especially poorly, showing that many graduates work in jobs that do not fully use their degree. That can make the investment feel disappointing.