Broke? Blame your major. Despite our firm belief that no one who goes to college should end up living in poverty (it stems from our zany belief that no one period should end up living in poverty), many college grads have a tough time getting by. Sometimes it’s crippling student loans, sometimes a tough job market, sometimes both.
CNN just published a list of the nine lowest-paying college majors. For your sake, I hope yours is not on it. Here’s the rundown:
9.) Culinary Arts — Median starting pay: $35,900
8.) Education — Median starting pay: $35,100
7.) Horticulture — Median starting pay: $35,000
6.) Religious Studies — Median starting pay: $34,700
5.) Interior Design — Median starting pay: $34,400
4.) Art — Median starting pay: $33,500
3.) Recreation and Leisure — Median starting pay: $33,300
2.) Athletic Training — Median starting pay: $32,800
1.) Social Work — Median starting pay: $31,800
It raises the question, if the profession pays jack, should colleges even be teaching it? After all, don’t they want wealthy alumni who can “give back”? (This excludes, of course, greedy for-profit colleges, which are never a sound investment and would be more than happy to grant you a degree in underwater basket weaving for the bargain basement price of $100,000.)
Statistics have long shown that people with college degrees earn more than those without. But the employment landscape is changing. For someone who’s going to earn around $30,000 for most of her working life (when she can even find steady work), is college even worth it financially? Be sure to also check out the eight lowest-paying jobs that don’t require a college degree.
While it’s obvious that some professions pay more, and as a result people who majored in certain areas generally earn more than people who majored in others, it’s crazy to blame or punish people for following their passion and choosing a major at 18, 19, 20 years old.
The sad part is that a lot of these professions are critical to a well-functioning society. (Well, maybe not interior design, but don’t hate.) It’s particularly troubling to see thankless jobs like social work and teaching on the low-pay list, since that will discourage great candidates from going into much-needed fields.
Photo credit: gadgetdude
