College Majors With Good Job Outlook and Starting Salaries?

[rgf207]

Computers and Cyber Security

 

[Pigeon]

An excellent basic reference for this sort of thing is the Occupational Outlook Handbook, http://www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm

The OOH gives basic educational requirements, median salary information, projected job growth and a great deal of additional information.

The type of articles cited earlier from yahoo are notoriously poorly researched and poorly presented. They can make for interesting reading, but I'd take them with a grain of salt.

 

[DVCLiz]

Honestly, neither of my daughters are strong math and science students. They both majored/will major in liberal arts. The oldest double majored in English and Spanish, the youngest is majoring in Psychology.

What helps students like these find jobs (in my opinion only, of course!!)

1. Personality and Charm

I don't mean phony Eddie Haskell charm. I mean being able to shake someone's hand, make full eye contact, have a pleasant conversation and maintain decorum in a business setting. Knowing what is appropriate to wear, to say and to be able to act professionally. Having a great sense of humor and being able to bake specialty cupcakes for her coworkers has been a bonus for my daughter

2. Extra Skills

Being able to speak a foreign language, knowing sign language, having experience in computer or social media when most of the people in your office don't know what Twitter is or how to use it. If you are competing for jobs outside the high wage math and science careers, much of what you will be doing anyone could do. Learn what you can along the way so when someone in your office needs to find a person with specific skills, you'll be that person.

3. Networking

Here's where those small private liberal arts schools come in handy. Both schools my daughters attend/ed have great placement departments but even better they have alumni networks and it's not uncommon for new grads to go to work for alums in various areas of the country. Keep that network going!! Contribute to Annual Funds, keep your name in front of the school after you graduate, call on alums in fields you'd like to work for and see what they recommend.

4. Writing

Being able to express yourself well in written form is a skill everyone should have, in my opinion. Not tweets, not text messaging or email writing, but the real deal. Being able to write a report, an article for the staff newsletter, etc. is something every student should have in his/her back pocket.

Neither of my girls will work in careers based solely on their major, I don't think. My older daughter worked in the Admissions Department of her college for three years, then found a job with a company that focuses on providing specialty services to colleges.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My husband is a nurse and feels secure that he will always have a job. Yes, there are always layoffs and the field isn't booming like in the glory days of 10- 15 years ago when there were recruitment bonuses and huge sign up bonuses, etc. But he feels that he can always find a job somewhere. It doesn't pay great, but it pays decent.

He just got his Masters in Nursing Informatics which is a very specialized field that is bound to become more necessary in the coming years.

I was going to address the nursing issue, but since you started it, I'll just add to it. I went into nursing feeling the same way your husband does: that I'd always have a job. It helped that I liked caring for patients.

Much has been discussed about the nursing shortage and whether or not it still exists, since many newly licensed and other nurses cannot find jobs. IMO, it does, simply because of the facts that a) the current population of nurses is aging (averaging around age 50 now) and going to be retiring in the next 10-15 years and b) people are living longer and requiring more professional services as they age.

The difficult job situation has occurred in the past decade due to, like everything else, the economic downturn and belt-tightening due to changes in our health care laws and hospital reimbursement. (Hospitals are getting less money from Medicare and are being fined now for things like infections and readmissions, for those who don't know.) ETA forgot to say that additionally, many nurses who left the workforce returned, and others have put off retirement

This isn't completely new to nurses: job availability has been "cycling" as long as I've been a nurse. I think in years to come we will be seeing things stabilize a bit. Nurses will always be leaving and retiring so there will be jobs to fill, etc. Also new jobs are being created, and others are going away, so it's a wash.

Nurses of the future would be smart to prepare themselves as best they can and make themselves as marketable as they can, given that some of the changes we're seeing now are likely to be around for at least the foreseeable future. There has been a lot of controversy for decades about the BSN as the entry level degree, and some attitudes still exist that one does not "need" a BSN. However, like it or not, agree with it or not, the reality is that many hospitals will not hire nurses without one now (due to on evidence-based research that showed that hospitals with more BSN prepared nurses had better outcomes).

My advice to those wanting to go into nursing is to obtain a BSN and to get a job working where you would like to be hired when you graduate, being an exemplary employee while you're there. It may take a while, but you will eventually get a job and once you have experience, you're golden.

http://www.theamericannurse.org/index.php/2012/08/06/have-bsn-will-hire/

 

[Planogirl]

I would avoid INDUSTRIAL Engineering. Believe me, I know what a fail that particular major is. The other engineering degrees are good though.

 

[NotUrsula]

I have a lot of nurses in my family, and they tell me that while the demand does cycle, it cycles differently in different parts of the US. Look at the help-wanted ads in any major city, and you will see hospitals recruiting for nurses -- to work somewhere else.

One of the keys in today's economy, even for STEM workers, is that you cannot insist on staying where you are; in the overall industry you have to be willing to relocate to take advantage of the best opportunities.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Honestly, neither of my daughters are strong math and science students. They both majored/will major in liberal arts. The oldest double majored in English and Spanish, the youngest is majoring in Psychology.

What helps students like these find jobs (in my opinion only, of course!!)

1. Personality and Charm

I don't mean phony Eddie Haskell charm. I mean being able to shake someone's hand, make full eye contact, have a pleasant conversation and maintain decorum in a business setting. Knowing what is appropriate to wear, to say and to be able to act professionally. Having a great sense of humor and being able to bake specialty cupcakes for her coworkers has been a bonus for my daughter

2. Extra Skills

Being able to speak a foreign language, knowing sign language, having experience in computer or social media when most of the people in your office don't know what Twitter is or how to use it. If you are competing for jobs outside the high wage math and science careers, much of what you will be doing anyone could do. Learn what you can along the way so when someone in your office needs to find a person with specific skills, you'll be that person.

3. Networking

Here's where those small private liberal arts schools come in handy. Both schools my daughters attend/ed have great placement departments but even better they have alumni networks and it's not uncommon for new grads to go to work for alums in various areas of the country. Keep that network going!! Contribute to Annual Funds, keep your name in front of the school after you graduate, call on alums in fields you'd like to work for and see what they recommend.

4. Writing

Being able to express yourself well in written form is a skill everyone should have, in my opinion. Not tweets, not text messaging or email writing, but the real deal. Being able to write a report, an article for the staff newsletter, etc. is something every student should have in his/her back pocket.

All very good points. College students who major in liberal arts aren't doomed for crappy jobs...it all depends on the person. There are lots of companies that look for smart, personable college grads with good GPAs of any major.

I was a Creative Writing and History major and I have no regrets...I loved my coursework. Right out of school I applies to be a corporate writer for a tech company and got offered my choice of a writing or project management role. I picked project management. I am doing VERY well in my field and I am happy to have spent 4 years in college studying what interested me.

 

[goofy4tink]

Honestly, neither of my daughters are strong math and science students. They both majored/will major in liberal arts. The oldest double majored in English and Spanish, the youngest is majoring in Psychology.

What helps students like these find jobs (in my opinion only, of course!!)

1. Personality and Charm

I don't mean phony Eddie Haskell charm. I mean being able to shake someone's hand, make full eye contact, have a pleasant conversation and maintain decorum in a business setting. Knowing what is appropriate to wear, to say and to be able to act professionally. Having a great sense of humor and being able to bake specialty cupcakes for her coworkers has been a bonus for my daughter

2. Extra Skills

Being able to speak a foreign language, knowing sign language, having experience in computer or social media when most of the people in your office don't know what Twitter is or how to use it. If you are competing for jobs outside the high wage math and science careers, much of what you will be doing anyone could do. Learn what you can along the way so when someone in your office needs to find a person with specific skills, you'll be that person.

3. Networking

Here's where those small private liberal arts schools come in handy. Both schools my daughters attend/ed have great placement departments but even better they have alumni networks and it's not uncommon for new grads to go to work for alums in various areas of the country. Keep that network going!! Contribute to Annual Funds, keep your name in front of the school after you graduate, call on alums in fields you'd like to work for and see what they recommend.

4. Writing

Being able to express yourself well in written form is a skill everyone should have, in my opinion. Not tweets, not text messaging or email writing, but the real deal. Being able to write a report, an article for the staff newsletter, etc. is something every student should have in his/her back pocket.

Neither of my girls will work in careers based solely on their major, I don't think. My older daughter worked in the Admissions Department of her college for three years, then found a job with a company that focuses on providing specialty services to colleges.

That's how I look at it for my dd and her Theatre Major. She is never going to go to Broadway (she wouldn't be happy with my saying that since you never can tell!!). But she will be well rounded due to the Core requirements at her school. She will be fairly well traveled. She will be poised and able to converse intelligently.
Her plan at this point? Apply to the Disney College Program in her senior year. Hopefully she will be accepted. She would work there for that program, then try to extend it into some type of internship. Then work at WDW for a bit and see how things go. If nothing happens there, then off to a new area. It's a doable plan, especially with her major.

I just can't see having kids major in things they really don't like...just because they may get a job more easily. There are plenty of people working in jobs that have nothing to do with their majors!! In fact, almost everyone I talk to! And they are pretty successful at what they are doing!

 

[TinkerBelled]

Law school isn't the golden ticket people assume (assumed?) it is. But it's not a terrible decision if you go into it with your eyes open.

First, if you go to a top-tier school (not just Yale, Harvard, Stanford, but also UVA, Michigan, etc.), you are almost certainly going to find good-paying work if you want it. Many law grads don't want work that pays well, they want work that does good; in those cases, the best schools offer some form of tuition remission, reducing and even forgiving your student loans.

Second, if you go to a regionally respected school, you will be probably be able to get decent job in the area. University of Oregon's School of Law is ranked 94 in the country, but it's number two for employability in the Pacific Northwest. If you get a degree there and do well, you'll be nicely set for a job at a law firm in the area. But it will be far more difficult to get a job there and place in New York City or even in regional firms in Kentucky or New Mexico.

Finally, you have to be smart about it. Dropping $200,000 on a third-rung law school and then being surprised you can't get a job and are drowning in debt is like taking out a giant variable rate loan on a McMansion and being surprised you're in foreclosure.

 

[ILUVALASKA]

Engineering, computer science, Bio tech

 

[hlg22]

This is a toughy. What I mean by that is, you want to encourage your kids to do something they will love but also be able to earn a good living from. My oldest son doesn't even have his bachelors degree yet (he is working on it online) but already makes over 6 figures in the tech field. He is so talented at what he does no one cares about the degree, he works for a MAJOR company. My daughter was so strong in HS across the board. It was hard for her to decide on a major. Our dr actually talked her out of being a biology major unless she wants to go to med school and be a dr. Now she has her sights set on law school and is double majoring in political science and international affairs. She really loves these majors and is carrying a 4.0. I'm hoping between both majors and law school she will be offered some interesting opportunities that also pay well. She got to skip almost 2 years of college due to IB credits, so that is a help financially.

Just a word of caution from a lawyer...law school is very expensive and the legal market is extremely tight these days. I'm not sure that I would advise anyone to take on substantial loans to go to law school today, unless maybe if they were to get into Harvard or Yale. I went to a top law school and when I graduated 10+ years ago, firms were basically throwing money at us - even the worst students in my class had multiple job offers. Now, I mentor some law students who have excellent grades at good schools, and most of them are having an extremely hard time finding jobs. When they do, government jobs, jobs at small firms, etc. are not exactly high paying...particularly if you have $100k+ in law school debt. Some of them have moved back home to try and save money. Just something to think about.

Does she know what type of law she wants to practice? I was also a poli sci/IR major in college, and at the time I had some romantic idea of going to law school and practicing "international law." I later realized that I had no idea what exactly that would entail, other than me living in some interesting, exotic location. Turns out, there's international human rights law (which pays nothing), there's international trade/anti-dumping work, which held zero appeal for me, and there's international corporate deal type work, which I also found uninteresting (though I have some friends who enjoy it, and do travel to interesting, exotic locations...and then spend 24 hours straight in a conference room before flying home). Luckily I found another area of practice that I enjoy quite a bit that doesn't use my college majors at all, but it's important to have a realistic idea of what to expect and the types of opportunities that are out there.

 

[DVCLiz]

I would add:

5. Do The Extra Things

When you get that first job as a liberal arts major, look around. What can you add? I use the Twitter example because my daughter started the Twitter account for her department (after someone else had dropped the ball on it) and I couldn't believe how thrilled everyone was. She rewrote a procedures manual for her office that helped streamline some job functions because she was frustrated with how the workload was handled. Again, people were impressed - and she took it to her boss, got it approved, and it went into effect.

Volunteer to work the extra shift, take on the extra project, back up the coworker who has too heavy a seasonal workload. Doing these things tells everyone you mean business and gets the attention of the boss who is looking to promote someone into the Assistant Director position. Let that someone be you.

 

[pryncess527]

If everyone picked a major based on rate of return for the degree, no one would ever be a teacher or librarian

CNN had an article rating degrees that give you the most bang for your buck -- Advertising, Economics, Civil Engineer, Political Science, and Pharmacist were the top 5. -- http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/12/pf/college/college-degrees/index.html

Which cracked me up -- I have a Political Science degree and had no idea the job prospects were so strong, lol

I think there are a lot of factors to be considered. Many degrees can be obtained without huge loans by going to affordable state schools, and there is a lot to be said about doing something you love. But then, I spend half my week talking to students who were great students in HS but are failing out of engineering. Loving math doesn't mean you can hack it in Calculus III and Organic Chemistry.

 

[elgerber]

Certainly not a Theatre major, English Lit minor!!!! Oh well.

Or a double major in Creative Writing/Film Studies

 

[ironpig70]

Skip college and go into the trades.

I am an apprentice electrician and after 4 years and going to school 2 nights a week I am looking at about $30 an hour.

Pretty good as there is no student loans to repay.

 

[NotUrsula]

My daughter was so strong in HS across the board. It was hard for her to decide on a major. Our dr actually talked her out of being a biology major unless she wants to go to med school and be a dr.

Your doctor is wrong. Research biology is actually a very solid career field; I work somewhere that employs nearly 300 of them, and we are always looking for good people. We hire techs who have Bachelor's and Master's, and lots of postdocs as well. Pharma and big agriculture hire even more of them, and pay quite well.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Or a double major in Creative Writing/Film Studies

I was a creative writing major and I was offered a job paying 55,000 a year right out of school, and that salary doubled over a 4 year time period at the same company in the same position.

 

[Zerosinthecloset]

After college, with a liberal arts degree, I went to work with Xerox, followed by 10 or so years with Digital Equipment Corporation. I left there to go work construction and for the last 10 or so years I've been working as a handyman. I charge $50-$60 an hour, and the only way I can get a break is to not answer the phone.

I look at a liberal arts degree as something that will make one adaptable to different situations.

 

[Dsnyfireman]

I'm looking at going back to school and the top paying and most available right now are engineering jobs. Higher pay out of school than medical. Starting pay for a chemical engineer out of school with a bs was $93,000 average! Difficult degree to get, better be great in math and science!!! These figures I got off a government web site for job outlook, can't remember the name but found it on google and it listed several jobs that are in need of new grads and the pay scale. Most the engineering jobs needed a BS or masters which will be expensive but pay is good. I have looked into it and taken some pre tests for placement, 37 years old not sure i want that much in loans or school time!!

 

[Pigeon]

Your doctor is wrong. Research biology is actually a very solid career field; I work somewhere that employs nearly 300 of them, and we are always looking for good people. We hire techs who have Bachelor's and Master's, and lots of postdocs as well. Pharma and big agriculture hire even more of them, and pay quite well.

There are also a lot of great allied health careers that require grad school where a BS in bio will cover the pre-reqs. PA, PT, audiology, etc.