Worst paying college degreees... | INFJ Forum

Worst paying college degreees...

Satya

Satya

C'est la vie
Retired Staff
May 11, 2008
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Guess which is the worst?

http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-m...best-and-worst-college-degrees-by-salary/577/

College Degrees - Starting Salary (Mid-career median salary)

  1. Social Work - $33,400 ($41,600)
  2. Elementary Education - $33,000 ($42,400)
  3. Theology - $34,800 ($51,500)
  4. Music - $34,000 ($52,000)
  5. Spanish - $35,600 ($52,600)
  6. Horticulture - $37,200 ($53,400)
  7. Education - $36,200 ($54,100)
  8. Hospitality/Tourism - $37,000 ($54,300)
  9. Fine Arts - $35,800 ($56,300)
  10. Drama - $35,600 ($56,600)
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My family absolutely abhors my choice of career.
 
Thats sad considering how much social workers can help so many people that need it. Hats off to you bud.
 
And education is #7. Now that salary wouldn't be too bad if this was the 90s, and we weren't in an economic recession and you're a single person sharing an apartment with someone, and saving up to buy a home, but otherwise, that figure sucks.
 
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The two most crucial and important jobs rankthe lowest. Tells you why our society the way it is...as well as announces a scary future.
 
Its sad to see that one now has to look at those payments before considering a career, regardless if you enjoy the profession. This professions are very important to humanity, truly disappointing.
 
Nobleheart said:
I made the top ten at something - twice!
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Top ten worst paid or best paid jobs?

I'm in the top five best paid according to that list which means that I'm off packing my bags and coming to US or anywhere else where the list is the same or similar. :D
 
The low pay rate for Social Work, Elementary Education, and Education is just abhorrent to me. Those fields are important in society.
 
Social work requires that you have an education equivalent to that of an attorney (a masters degree with an additional 2 years of supervision) and be willing to work in one of the highest stress fields in the country with incredibly unrealistic demands placed upon you due to your social and ethical responsibilities. And they pay you less than a teacher! That despite the fact that the demand for the job is high and growing!

Furthermore, there just aren't the loan forgiveness opportunities and other such things available for social workers that exist for teachers.

I can't figure out through any degree of introspection or self analysis why I am destroying myself by continuing down the path of this career and it is driving me nuts! Why am I so determined to spend the rest of my life, destitute, under appreciated, and fighting burnout? Just so I can help people? Hell, I could volunteer at a soup kitchen or become a foster parent and still work a better career! Why am I throwing my life away like this? Why am I so passionate about being a social worker?
 
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Satya said:
Social work requires that you have an education equivalent to that of an attorney (a masters degree with an additional 2 years of supervision) and be willing to work in one of the highest stress fields in the country with incredibly unrealistic demands placed upon you due to your social and ethical responsibilities. And they pay you less than a teacher! That despite the fact that the demand for the job is high and growing!

Furthermore, there just aren't the loan forgiveness opportunities and other such things available for social workers that exist for teachers.

I can't figure out through any degree of introspection or self analysis why I am destroying myself by continuing down the path of this career and it is driving me nuts! Why am I so determined to spend the rest of my life, destitute, under appreciated, and fighting burnout? Just so I can help people? Hell, I could volunteer at a soup kitchen or become a foster parent and still work a better career! Why am I throwing my life away like this? Why am I so passionate about being a social worker?
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This is why I may consider teaching. Still high burn out and high demand but at least a little less.

But still I know how you feel. I wish I could just go into a feild that made more money. But I just can't get passionate about those fields.

And ya I would like to know the same thing. I think we are crazy. And our Society has its prospective is backward.
 
You can still make quite a bit of money when you find your own niche Satya. The thing is, if you spend your life working for a company as a typical social worker, no you wont make a heck of a lot but if you take a creative approach and do your own thing, maybe even start your own company then you can gain a lot of income and notoriety and even more challenging endeavors which I am sure you would readily accept. This is the way of any profession.

It is a difficult route yes, but no greatness has ever come from apathy or laziness.

Every field has people who make a lot of money, while the average remain average. It's just a matter of tapping into creativity and the drive to make it happen... which you clearly have. Just don't let it slip away with age.

It really isn't all doom and gloom. Difficult as hell though, for sure.
 
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Yeah I personally can't think of why a job that took so much education and heaped up so much stress on you would pay so little. They should at least pay off all your student loans in exchange for you signing a contract to work in the system for however long it took you to get your degree. That would be a fair tradeoff, then you could seek a higher paying job where you would feel more appreciated and the system still gets the workers it needs even if only short term. This is with the same pay, only they also pay for your school.
 
Part of the problem is, social work is usually funded by the government, and we all know that social programs funded by the government are least on the list. (Thinks about what this will mean for doctors in the future...).

Anything that requires government funding will be low-man on the totem pole. And whose fault is that...?

Ours.

We don't think of those things until we need them, so we don't pay for them unless we "have" to. 'Course we will all need them at one time in our lives...which is equally sad.

Any smart society would realize that your society needs to stay healthy. Which means the highest paying jobs SHOULD be education, social programs, clinic care, police, firefighters, and prison systems...etc.

We're willing to pay $50 per person (or more) for an amusement park, but we grumble when our taxes go up $10/month to pay for libraries, education, social care, health care, and everything else.

Hmm.

What's wrong with this picture...?:m080:

ETA: I work in a field of education as well, for college students. My field requires a college degree, but I'm still making in the mid-$30s. Heck, some of us have masters degrees but it doesn't matter. :p
 
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arbygil said:
Part of the problem is, social work is usually funded by the government, and we all know that social programs funded by the government are least on the list. (Thinks about what this will mean for doctors in the future...).

Anything that requires government funding will be low-man on the totem pole. And whose fault is that...?

Ours.

We don't think of those things until we need them, so we don't pay for them unless we "have" to. 'Course we will all need them at one time in our lives...which is equally sad.

Any smart society would realize that your society needs to stay healthy. Which means the highest paying jobs SHOULD be education, social programs, clinic care, police, firefighters, and prison systems...etc.

We're willing to pay $50 per person (or more) for an amusement park, but we grumble when our taxes go up $10/month to pay for libraries, education, social care, health care, and everything else.

Hmm.

What's wrong with this picture...?:m080:

ETA: I work in a field of education as well, for college students. My field requires a college degree, but I'm still making in the mid-$30s. Heck, some of us have masters degrees but it doesn't matter. :P
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Yep, it's hard to work for 6-8 years to get two degrees and yet when you graduate you're told that it's still not enough for you get a good starting salary or even hourly. And it feels even worse when you see someone with one or no degree getting paid twice or three times as much simply because they are in a business/science/math/economics field. As an educator, your job involves management, technical knowledge or specialty in a field, organization, planning, directing, instructional (of course), leadership, executive responsibilities, advising, supervision, some administrative duties (i.e. grading paperwork) social and emotional intelligence, etc. And still you're considered just a teacher or instructor.

So, yeah, the humanities or human sciences ironically getting paid quite a bit less than the physical sciences is disconcerting.
 
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Res said:
So, yeah, the humanities or human sciences ironically getting paid quite a bit less than the physical sciences is disconcerting.
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I have a masters in semiconductor chemistry and if I had a job (the recession cut semiconductor employment by about 10%) I would be making good money. The problem lies in the fact that I find it terribly unfulfilling and I chalk up my decision to the confusion I felt about what to commit my life to and the appeal of making a sizable paycheck, despite my minimalistic tendencies. Well, and my sizable student loans.

I can't help but think if the pay for jobs was more uniform more people would find their work satisfying.
 
Satya:


Those numbers are averages.
My sense is that you are not average in the least.

Apply your passion to that which you love in a way that addresses a need that has a market.
Easier said than done, to be sure! But regardless of the fact I am not a betting man, I think my money would be safe on you showing, placing, or winning.


Namaste,
Ian
 
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