March 29, 2024

The top ten worst-paying jobs; check your majors now

What matters when you are thinking about picking your major? Are you concerned about how much money you will be making later on in your career, are you more interested in finding a job that allows you to be happy at the workplace or working with a subject you’re interested in?

This archived article was written by: Kristen Zarucchi-Mize

What matters when you are thinking about picking your major? Are you concerned about how much money you will be making later on in your career, are you more interested in finding a job that allows you to be happy at the workplace or working with a subject you’re interested in?
Many students are giving up their dream jobs in order to follow career paths which will, in the long run, have them earning more money. It is a struggle for some individuals to make the decision whether it be having the comfort of financial support or finding a job they will love. Some will have the pleasure of having both. You would be shocked which careers are the worst to enter into when considering salary.
Anything to do with child and family studies, college degrees such as elementary education, special education, social work and child care are currently the least paying college majors. According to Yahoo! Finance, the average graduate earns a beginning salary of about $29,500.
Other areas which rank high on the list of lowest paying college degrees are those that deal with food. Students who are pursuing degrees in horticulture, dietetics and the culinary areas are more likely to struggle with their financial situation later on life with an average starting salary of $30,000 a year.
Henry Rudolph, a sophomore at Utah State University-College of Easter Utah expressed that he will continue pursuing his dream job despite the low wages it might involve. “My career choice is to be a high school theatre teacher, because it is stable, though not highly paying. I want to help those who are having hard times realize that they can be better during a critical time of their life.”
Other students attending USU-CEU this year expressed some of their career goals. Some were more sure of what they planned on majoring in than others. Amanda Mayne said, “I thought I wanted to become a film editor. I love working with computers and it would be so cool to someday see my work on the big screen. But then I found out to get a degree in filmmaking would cost over $90,000. The average yearly salary for a starting editor is $19,000 a year. With $90,000 in school loans, $19,000 isn’t going to go very far at all.”
The chart displayed shows the Top 10 Worst Paying College Degrees in 2010 provided by Yahoo! Finances.
On the other side of the spectrum we have the best paying college degrees in 2010. Most of these degrees are focused toward jobs that require high-levels in mathematics. For undergraduates, seven of the top 10 college degrees, according to PayScale, Inc., belong to engineering majors. These career choices have an average of a $65,000 starting salary.
A list of the top 20 best paying college degrees in 2010 can be found on CBS’s money watch website under the saving and spending link.
As noted before, some CEU students are able to follow their passion while able to earn a considerable salary when they graduate. Nursing student, Brittany McKibben said, “Ideally I would love to work in a pediatric office and work with kids. With most things in the medical field, it is a job that should be secure at any economical state.”
Any college student must determine if they are going to continue to follow their dream careers or aim for another major in order to earn higher wages. It’s just a matter of the individual’s priorities of having a job they have wanted rather than having a job required to survive in economy.