2012's Worst Paying College Degrees

Townhall.com ^ | November 29, 2012 | Political Calculations

[Kaslin]

Payscale.com analyzed the data in its online salary database and has revealed the college degrees that go along with the jobs that have the lowest median pay for their respective career professionals in its 2012-13 College Salary Report. Note - these figures represent the typical annual combination of pay, bonuses, commissions and profit sharing earned by people who have been successful in working in these fields for at least 10 years and were willing to participate in Payscale.com's survey, which means the reported median incomes will likely be inflated above each field's actual median incomes....

College Degree		Median Annual Salary
	Child and Family Studies	$37,700
	Social Work	$45,300
	Elementary Education	$46,000
	Human Development	$47,800
	Special Education	$48,900
	Culinary Arts	$49,700
	Athletic Training	$49,800

So what possesses people to take out big student loans to go into professions like these that offer such little compensation? Payscale.com offers the following insight:

"According to our research, people in these majors typically believe their work makes the world a better place," says PayScale’s lead analyst Katie Bardaro.

To translate, the people in these majors are perhaps so disconnected from reality that they do not recognize that the reason their trades provide so little return on their educational investment is because they really do not require unique ability, which is why society does not reward them with greater compensation.

These people are then exploited by the higher education establishment, which really does know better, but can't help noticing that these same people are willing to pay nearly the same amount of money for their college degrees as do people in careers that society values a lot more.

And let's not forget the role of the U.S. federal government in guaranteeing and issuing student loans, which has its own ulterior motives for pushing higher education that offers little real benefit to society.

Elsewhere on the Web

Say what you will about the careers that go with the degrees above, but at least many of the people who pursue these degrees might actually get jobs in their fields of study, if only low paying ones. Kiplinger's Caitlin Dewey takes things several steps further and identifies the college degrees in Payscale.com's database that combine low pay with high rates of unemployment for their graduates!

Also, this isn't just an American phenomenon. Don't miss this perspective by a recent PhD graduate in Britain who complains that the "real world" doesn't understand or appreciate their skills.

Image Source: Global Elites.

[JCBreckenridge]

Boomers wonder why their kids are getting pissed off -> look at overcertification as to why. I’m still being tied up in certification here.

Want to shock a boomer’s kid - tell him what your pay was and the qualifications you required. ;)

[struggle]

I’ve been teaching English in public schools for 8 years now and I love it. My kids are now laboriously working away on a 5 paragraph argumentative essay while I leisurely post on FreeRepublic. As Montissori said, “The best teacher is one where the students work as if the teacher didn’t even need to be there.”

Since I’m a non-union state teacher, I also make less than most of those “lowest paying jobs”.

[Catholic Canadian]

I wonder what a degree in transgendered studies pays?

[pgkdan]

I’m not saying that all were dumb. I’m sure there were lots of kids who went to college intending all the while to be teachers. Some who had a true burning desire to teach (students with this kind of teacher are really, really lucky).

[JCBreckenridge]

That’s not a bad gig.

I’m a non-union Catholic school teacher. Part-time for now - they want me to get my certs for Texas, so I’ve been applying and hoping to get in. Oh well, I guess what will be going on 3 years of experience makes me ‘inadequately qualified.’ *sigh*.

[fso301]

So what possesses people to take out big student loans to go into professions like these that offer such little compensation?

In the case of teachers, they are well compensated on a basis of hours worked per year plus benefits. By the time they've put in 30 years, they are well compensated... even highly compensated.

[rellimpank]

-—in ‘58 -’62 when I was an engineering student, it was already the watchword that if you flunked out of engineering -or any science oriented field—you could go into “Education” and graduate-—

[Eska]

We live in a rural community, small school, two teachers, 20-25 students, nx nearest school two hundred miles away. A few years back, there was some talk about closing the school as occurs from time to time. Wifey said it wasn’t in the cards due to the numbers of intensive spec ed. She said that she would retire and continue teaching the same kids half days rather than leaving the area. No joke, that’s how satisfied she is with her career. How many other freepers honestly feel the same about their careers?

[struggle]

>>I’m a non-union Catholic school teacher. Part-time for now - they want me to get my certs for Texas, so I’ve been applying and hoping to get in. Oh well, I guess what will be going on 3 years of experience makes me ‘inadequately qualified.’ *sigh*.

If you’ve been teaching for 3 years, you’ve done the hardest part. I agree that NCLB doesn’t help teachers that are qualified but have to jump through hoops to get certification but it does definitely stop the unqualified ones!

[whd23]

I wonder why every astronomy major gets a job?

One theory is that they may not be employed in their field, but that their degree has provided them with good math and science skills. Also, a lot of hard science degree programs use computers extensively so the graduates will leave college with 'X' degree but actually be quite proficient in computer programming as well.

[whd23]

I wonder why every astronomy major gets a job?

One theory is that they may not be employed in their field, but that their degree has provided them with good math and science skills. Also, a lot of hard science degree programs use computers extensively so the graduates will leave college with 'X' degree but actually be quite proficient in computer programming as well.

[Beagle8U]

I ask a College Prof one simple question before I laid out all that money to get a degree.

Mr Prof, rabbits eat grass and hay and stuff and their crap comes out in little round balls.

Goats, sheep, and deer eat the same kind of stuff and their crap comes out in little balls.

Even horses eat the same stuff and their crap comes out in balls.

Cows eat hay and grass the same as the rest, but their crap comes out in one big plop.

Why is that? College Prof said he had no idea.

All that time and money wasted on college and he didn't know shit!

[Boxsford]

LOVE that quote....and it is the truth!!!

[Boxsford]

That is awesome! It really is a blessing to do this work.

[Boxsford]

And its probably true. Where the rubber meets the road is in the classroom. I still recall my first day in my classroom. I said to myself-—no way did college prepare me for THIS.
Thankfully student teaching did. Somewhat.
I just think some people can teach and others can’t. Big deal about the degrees or certifications. Meaningless.
Look at home school movement. That proves a lot!!

[elkfersupper]

Finance should be on the list. Someone in the finance industry is now in the regulatory interpretation industry because the finance industry has been hijacked by politicians and regulators.

[ApplegateRanch]

Hope you make him “pay” board & room by keeping the chicken condo spiffy, the compost turned, and the garden weed-free. ;-’)

[Raebie]

I majored in Social Work and I’m making 6 figures in IT.

[DH]

Workers (on all levels) have to understand that their employer expects them to pay for their own cost plus make a profit for the company.

As a comparison, you are a rented tool bought by the hour, month or year. If the tool doesn’t produce the expected levels anticipated, they simply get a new tool with better capability and discard the old.

Production is measured by one of two means: Direct output and indirect cost savings. For example: a bookkeeper for the business is cheaper than paying another accounting agency to keep the books. A production employee makes more parts and a service employee does a good and fast job. All produce income through direct income or savings.

I know that this is very elementary but many people don’t understand that their degrees are totally worthless to many companies and they can’t understand it. After all, they have a piece of paper clearly showing themselves as very, very, sensitive and heavy thinking (but little doing) potential employees. They will simply be a load on the employer and potentially trouble as they are booted from the business to save money or improve production or services.

The worst thing in many cases is that they expect to join the potential employer in the mid-level management area. After all, they are taught in college by professors who have never actually worked a day in the private sector, but profess great knowledge of the fields of business in which they never have actually experienced.

Technical degrees are the highest level in my opinion. Next, general business and below that, everything else.

[memyselfandi59]

I would call those rates of pay “not a bad living,”

That's not the starting pay, but median pay after 10 years into the profession. As to a living wage, all depends on where you live, and, as you pointed out, if you're in a two earner household.

But I will say that teachers are usually off around 3 months a year, so the education salary is worth considerably more than the others as far as pay per hours.

I was a stay at home mom. But now we're a two earner family...makes a lot of difference in your finances once the kids are grown and mom can go back to work.