Gen Z graduates cross the stage with dreams of six-figure salaries. Yet many won’t earn $50,000—even if they pursued college degrees labeled as AI-proof.
While majors like liberal arts and performing arts lead to rock-bottom earnings, other supposedly stable career tracks are delivering the same disappointing pay.
Post-graduation pharmacy majors aged 22 to 27 earned just $40,000—the lowest median income across all college concentrations, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of New York report analyzing 2024 U.S. census data.
And that “AI-proof” healthcare degree may not justify its cost; pharmacy’s early-career earnings are thousands less than the U.S. median income of $45,140, per Census Bureau data.
Other Gen Z college graduates are struggling too, earning less than the average American: theology and religion majors made $41,600, social services graduates took home $43,000, performing arts majors earned just $44,000, and liberal arts graduates received $45,000 in the years after college.
Plus, more careers touted to withstand AI layoffs and recession effects are on the list. Job security has grown—especially as AI replaces office roles and companies make widespread cuts—yet general education ($45,000) and elementary education ($45,000) were among the lowest-paid majors post-graduation.
Gen Zers who spent four years on a biology degree—a STEM field considered safe amid the tech revolution—earn only $45,000 annually.
Professions like education and healthcare have been dubbed ‘AI proof’
Despite potential low pay, healthcare has been praised as a fast-growing career path shielded from both AI disruption and recessions—sparking a surge in interest and job openings in the field, even as other sectors shrink.
Healthcare is actually one of the key industries expected to expand amid the U.S.’s AI-driven business landscape shifts, per a 2024 report.
Home health, doctor, and nursing job postings have grown by a combined 162% since pre-pandemic times, according to a 2025 Indeed report. Priya Rathod, career expert at Indeed, told last year that “Healthcare is a classic recession-resistant industry because medical care is always in demand.”
Even [pharmaceutical company] CEO David Ricks notes AI is nowhere near curing cancer—despite optimism from other business leaders that the tech will eliminate all diseases. There’s no timeline to remove human workers from these essential STEM professions.
“If you just ask AI to solve biology or chemistry questions, it’s not particularly good at it,” Ricks explained on the Plain English podcast this year. “It’s trained on human language, not the language of chemistry, physics, and biology.”
Additionally, teaching is gaining popularity among young graduates seeking better job security; the education sector is the fastest-growing industry in the U.K., per a 2024 report. Some roles—like teachers, lecturers, and learning support assistants—are particularly in demand, with Charlotte Davies, LinkedIn’s career expert, noting last year they’re “some of the most sought-after roles.”
Over the past three years, Teach for America (TFA), an education non-profit, also saw a rise in corps members (full-time teachers). The influx was fueled by young workers who view teaching as a career path better protected from future employment challenges.
Whitney Petersmeyer, the organization’s chief growth and program officer, told The Guardian that “[young workers are] responding to the opportunity for purpose and responsibility at a time when many entry-level jobs feel uncertain or disconnected from impact.”
The top 10 worst-paying college majors for recent Gen Z grads
Here are the 10 college majors leading to the lowest median incomes for recent Gen Z workers (aged 22 to 27), per the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
- Pharmacy ($40,000)
- Theology and religion ($41,600)
- Social services ($43,000)
- Performing arts ($44,000)
- General education ($45,000)
- Early childhood education ($45,000)
- Elementary education ($45,000)
- Liberal arts ($45,000)
- Biology ($45,000)
- Leisure and hospitality ($45,000)