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Friend #1 graduated with a degree in Materials Science. He was earning more than his female friend (friend #2) who had a masters degree in social work. Friend #2 couldn't understand why Friend #1 earned more money. She was shocked and appalled. It takes a lot of schooling to get that stupid.

I think it starts in high school. I've met few counselors that actually have an idea of what the different majors are worth and what the job opportunities would be. They just encourage kids to take what they like.

I have a Powerpoint presentation that I showed my students showing about 20 college majors and the average annual salary of the graduates that year. Most kids had no ideas that some of the majors paid so little. Most were surprised that the top-paying degrees were based on math - this was my reason for showing the slides since I was teaching math and trying to encourage them to consider careers in physics, engineering, or math ;)

I'm not concerned with children learning which jobs pay the most. I think children should learn to follow their vocation in life. What I'm concerned about is their lack of understanding of basic economics.