# Jobs in Demand vs Popular College Majors



## Samson (Oct 1, 2010)

Note the HUGE GULF between the popular degrees, which are traditionally filled with FEMALE students (Social Studies, Communications, Nursing, Education, Psychology) and the best paying carreers, which are traditionally MALE occupations (Engineering, Computer Science, Chemistry/Biology, Pilots).

Also note the descrpencies between popular majors, and better paying carreers: See how Computer Science and Engineering have WARNING LABLES: "sharp drops" and "aggressive math." In comparison, majoring in English is a "good gateway degree to graduate school, or law school."



Lets now take a look at the next top 10 paying careers in brief:

1. Pilots, co pilots and flight engineers
$99,400pa

2. Marketing managers
$78,410pa

3. Computer software and applications engineer
$76,310pa

4. Biomedical engineer
$70,520;
They are trained in biology as well as engineering and work to develop solutions to health problems.

5. Environmental engineer
$67,620
They work to fight damages to environment

6. Computer systems analyst
$67,520
Systems analysts ensure that organizations make the best of their technological resources

7. Database administrator
$61,950
Database administrators create and manage large quantities of financial, inventory and customer data.

8. Physical therapist
$61,560

9. Network systems and data communication analyst
$61,250

10. Chemist
$60,880

Compare this list to the 10 Top College Majors:

Top 10 Majors:


> *Business* - Business Administration and Management is the most popular selected major. Business also includes finance, marketing, and accounting, which has a high demand right out of college. _This can get you good paying job right from the start_, *especially with a business degree from a top business school*.
> 
> 
> *Social Sciences and History* - This includes anthropology, economics, geography, sociology and political science.
> ...




Is it really any wonder that graduates cannot find jobs???


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## JWBooth (Oct 1, 2010)

My struggle is trying to convince my high school senior daughter that theater arts is a one way ticket to living out of my wallet the rest of her life.

Her back up plan is to double major in fashion and journalism so she can be an editor at a fashion magazine.


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## Samson (Oct 1, 2010)

JWBooth said:


> My struggle is trying to convince my high school senior daughter that theater arts is a one way ticket to living out of my wallet the rest of her life.
> 
> Her back up plan is to double major in fashion and journalism so she can be an editor at a fashion magazine.





I have an 8 year old, so we have about 10 years before struggling with a similar dilemna; However, we've had friends whose daughter went down the "fashion and journalism" road.

If it makes you feel any better, she graduated and now works as a bartender in Austin making Magaritas for State Senators.......

They seem to pay well.


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## California Girl (Oct 1, 2010)

JWBooth said:


> My struggle is trying to convince my high school senior daughter that theater arts is a one way ticket to living out of my wallet the rest of her life.
> 
> Her back up plan is to double major in fashion and journalism so she can be an editor at a fashion magazine.



If she hasn't seen 'The Devil Wears Prada', make her watch it.


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## editec (Oct 1, 2010)

Yeah all we need are propellor heads in this society.

What a lovely world that would be, eh?


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## Samson (Oct 1, 2010)

editec said:


> Yeah all we need are propellor heads in this society.
> 
> What a lovely world that would be, eh?



Are they employable?


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## JWBooth (Oct 1, 2010)

Samson said:


> JWBooth said:
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> 
> > My struggle is trying to convince my high school senior daughter that theater arts is a one way ticket to living out of my wallet the rest of her life.
> ...



This would be so much easier to deal with if she was a dullard - disappointing but easy - three kids by 21, working in a convenience store, 2nd divorce on the way, etc.

But, she is bright, inquisitive, book smart...


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## Samson (Oct 1, 2010)

JWBooth said:


> Samson said:
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Yep, and you'd think the last people to pick a major in underwater-basketweaving would be the "bright, inquisitive, book smart." What a freakin waste....but, you never know, many 18 yo haven't a fuckin' clue, but after a couple of years may decide that earning a degree that will actually be valuable is worth it. 

Of course, meantime, they've burned through a couple of years, and $$$.

This is why I'm going to STRONGLY suggest you get an Air Force recruiter to talk to her. JUST TALK, no commitment.


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## Old Rocks (Oct 1, 2010)

I would suggest that anyone that really wants to make a reasonable wage, and does not have the patience or money to do college look at the oppertunities in maintenance. Electricians and Millwrights may not be the most romantic of jobs, but the pay is high, and many jobs offer all the overtime that you are willing to work. Often such technician make more thoughout their lives than do college graduates. There are many community colleges that offer courses in these fields, and even a few, such as the Oregon Institute of Technology that offer 4 year courses, whose graduates often have very good paying jobs the day they graduate.

Maintenance people are the last fired and first hired. And it is very seldom that a person with multi-industry experiance will be out of work. And if you are competant, as long as you are physically capable of doing the job, age doesn't matter.


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## Charles_Main (Oct 1, 2010)

My 3 year old girl looked me the other day and said. Daddy I want to fly planes.

I about shit myself


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## syrenn (Oct 1, 2010)

JWBooth said:


> My struggle is trying to convince my high school senior daughter that theater arts is a one way ticket to living out of my wallet the rest of her life.
> 
> Her back up plan is to double major in fashion and journalism so she can be an editor at a fashion magazine.




 Sister did just that. 10 years into it she decided she wanted to go back to school, Columbia law. 

Life is good when your parents will pay for TWO fully funded college educations.


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## Samson (Oct 1, 2010)

syrenn said:


> JWBooth said:
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> > My struggle is trying to convince my high school senior daughter that theater arts is a one way ticket to living out of my wallet the rest of her life.
> ...



Did she finally get married?


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## R.C. Christian (Oct 1, 2010)

Computer science major here, and I can tell you that the industry has been inundated by Indian immigrants, contractors, and outsourcing to Coasta Rica, or India. The government visa program annihilated American fortune in this particular industry by saturating the market with highly qualified but drastically underpaid immigrants.


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## Trajan (Oct 1, 2010)

Samson said:


> JWBooth said:
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> > My struggle is trying to convince my high school senior daughter that theater arts is a one way ticket to living out of my wallet the rest of her life.
> ...



 But do they _tip_ well?


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## Trajan (Oct 1, 2010)

Samson said:


> Note the HUGE GULF between the popular degrees, which are traditionally filled with FEMALE students (Social Studies, Communications, Nursing, Education, Psychology) and the best paying carreers, which are traditionally MALE occupations (Engineering, Computer Science, Chemistry/Biology, Pilots).
> 
> Also note the descrpencies between popular majors, and better paying carreers: See how Computer Science and Engineering have WARNING LABLES: "sharp drops" and "aggressive math." In comparison, majoring in English is a "good gateway degree to graduate school, or law school."
> 
> ...



I have one of those in that top ten...you have just justified my existence samson..U Da man.... ...


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## syrenn (Oct 1, 2010)

Samson said:


> syrenn said:
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yep..to an actor!


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## rdean (Oct 1, 2010)

JWBooth said:


> My struggle is trying to convince my high school senior daughter that theater arts is a one way ticket to living out of my wallet the rest of her life.
> 
> Her back up plan is to double major in fashion and journalism so she can be an editor at a fashion magazine.



I auditioned for and accepted to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 1975 and worked with Jean Smart (Designing Women), William Hurt (Academy Award Best Actor) and Bruce Abbot (Re-Animator) among others.  

While it was one of the most fun summers of my life, I ended up eating nearly every meal at the rooming house where I lived.  People actually walked up to me and interrupted my dinner while I was eating.  Walking down the street with people pointing and bothering me.  It was awful and scary.  That was the end of that.

I ended up going into the military.  At 30, I started going to Roosevelt University on the GI Bill at night and worked as an assembler during the day and now work as an engineer.  I managed to squeeze a family into all that activity.

I say, let your daughter do what she wants.  She will anyway.  It might just make her a stronger person.  Besides, what happens if she becomes successful?  How will you look her in the eye.  If you raised her right, the rest us up to her.


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## Cecilie1200 (Oct 2, 2010)

JWBooth said:


> My struggle is trying to convince my high school senior daughter that theater arts is a one way ticket to living out of my wallet the rest of her life.
> 
> Her back up plan is to double major in fashion and journalism so she can be an editor at a fashion magazine.



Journalism has a 33% hire rate, and competition in that narrow a field would be insane.

Now, a major in fashion marketing and retailing would at least qualify her for any middle/upper management position in . . . well, virtually any fashion retailing business.  Being a cashier at WalMart sucks; being the manager of a division for WalMart is a whole 'nother story.  And it's even nicer if you can wind up with someplace like Macy's or better.


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## Cecilie1200 (Oct 2, 2010)

Charles_Main said:


> My 3 year old girl looked me the other day and said. Daddy I want to fly planes.
> 
> I about shit myself



When he was three, my son told me he wanted to build spaceships.  And I mean that in a completely serious sense.  My brother-in-law is an aerospace engineer, designing airplanes for the Air Force, and my son has talked about doing the same for space exploration for years.


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## Luissa (Oct 2, 2010)

I do have to say, Nurses can make pretty good money these days. My friend's mom makes around 120,000 a year as an OR nurse. If you are willing to travel, you can start at 50 to 80,000 a year.


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## Cecilie1200 (Oct 2, 2010)

Luissa said:


> I do have to say, Nurses can make pretty good money these days. My friend's mom makes around 120,000 a year as an OR nurse. If you are willing to travel, you can start at 50 to 80,000 a year.



Healthcare in general is a booming industry right now, at least in my area.  If you don't want to go all the way through nursing school, you can go to tech school and be a medical assistant, phlebotomist, lab assistant, pharmacy assistant . . . all decent-paying and with lots of available jobs.


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## Samson (Oct 3, 2010)

rdean said:


> JWBooth said:
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> > My struggle is trying to convince my high school senior daughter that theater arts is a one way ticket to living out of my wallet the rest of her life.
> ...



Every once in a while you post something truely amazing.

However, unlike your scenario, which sounds quite reasonable, because you used the GI bill, I don't think JW's daughter is considering paying her own way through school to get a degree in underwater basketweaving.


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## rightwinger (Oct 3, 2010)

The worst are the kids who pay $100,000 for a degree in a field that will pay you $38,000 a year. Obviously math skills are not a requirement for these majors


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## antagon (Oct 3, 2010)

neither a good living nor a 'serious' degree is for everyone.  engineering is devoid of women for example.  i mean a 150 kid lecture with 8-10 chicks.


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## Samson (Oct 3, 2010)

antagon said:


> neither a good living nor a 'serious' degree is for everyone.  engineering is devoid of women for example.  i mean a 150 kid lecture with 8-10 chicks.



Are you saying that women neither need a good living nor a serious degree?

If so, then why not?

Do they live off Male Engineers?


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## antagon (Oct 3, 2010)

Samson said:


> antagon said:
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> > neither a good living nor a 'serious' degree is for everyone.  engineering is devoid of women for example.  i mean a 150 kid lecture with 8-10 chicks.
> ...



the whole thread is about needs vs. pursuits.  i just think that the top-paying pursuits are not everyone's cake, particularly the math and science laden fields.  women certainly don't pursue engineering like men do.  a bit better in the sciences in general, but dismal still.  i was there; they weren't.  

in the end, what you study is not wholly what determines your lot, and individual interests have a greater impact on what people study.  i do think that there's a stronger association between good jobs and a field of study for people who are concerned about their finances.  for reasons to include being dependent on other people, women do seem more likely to pursue aimless, or less lucrative studies, but then again, so do the majority of college students.


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## JWBooth (Oct 3, 2010)

Samson said:


> Every once in a while you post something truely amazing.
> 
> However, unlike your scenario, which sounds quite reasonable, because you used the GI bill, I don't think JW's daughter is considering paying her own way through school to get a degree in underwater basketweaving.



She is actually my step dau. though I have raised her, taken responsibility for her, and love her as if she were my own since she was 7.  For the longest she said she wanted to be a vet.  Did extra well in science classes.  Then her sperm donor...er father... told her that vets have to stick their hands up cows asses.    I think she was 11.  Stopped that idea right then and there.  I wanted to choke the shit out of the asshole daily ever since.

"Through early morning fog I see
visions of the things to be
the pains that are withheld for me *...*"


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## Samson (Oct 3, 2010)

JWBooth said:


> Samson said:
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> > Every once in a while you post something truely amazing.
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So, how'd the Airforce Recruiter sound?


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## Samson (Oct 3, 2010)

antagon said:


> Samson said:
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Thanks for being real.

High Five


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## JWBooth (Oct 4, 2010)

Samson said:


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The more I think on it, the better it sounds.


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