Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET by MARGARET DICKSON ‘Tis the season of graduations, and the Dicksons have already been to one and have received several announcements of other impending happy occasions. College and grad school grads may be a little nervous as they apply to our still- ailing workplaces, but many high school grads are excited about what comes next in college — who their roommates may be, where they will live, what life will be like outside the family circle, and, if they are focused, what they should study not just for pleasure but to get ahead. On that last issue, there is news. A popular major when I was in college was “American Studies,” in which students studied all things American — culture, politics, history and such. Several of my friends enjoyed this major thoroughly, but it turned out to be a challenge to translate it into well-paid employment. That is apparently true for some of today’s popular and very necessary majors. Some of the jobs that keep our society running pay their practitioners the least. Payscale.com’s annual report rates these majors in order of average starting salary and mid-career average pay. Remember that these are national averages which include relatively affordable places like Cumberland County as well as stunningly expensive places like New York City. 1. Social work. How could we do without these selfl ess people who give of themselves to help others in all kinds of need? Starting salary: $33,400. Mid-career Average: $41,600. 2. Elementary education. Every single person reading this column has benefi ted from the work of elementary school teachers or you could not be reading it. Starting salary: $33,000. Mid-career average: $42,400. 3. Theology. We may hold our religious leaders in high esteem but their earnings do not refl ect that, although there may other perks in many cases. Starting salary: $34,800. Mid-career average: $51,500. 4. Music. What would life be without music? We need it, but we must not want to pay for it. Starting salary: $34,000. Mid-career average: $52,000. 5. Spanish. I actually disagree with this assessment. Knowing a second language —and Spanish is the offi cial language of at least 21 countries — is a great advantage in business and professional life. Teaching Spanish may not pay well, but knowing Spanish can be an income booster in other fi elds. Starting salary: $35,600. Mid-career average: $52,600. 6. Horticulture. Our lives are enriched by the beautiful outdoors, but our pockets may not be, especially if you are the landscape worker, not the landscape company owner. Starting salary: $37,200. Mid-career average: $53,400. 7. Education. The fi eld of secondary education pays a bit more than elementary education, and some high school and exceptional curriculum teachers are, in fact, paid well. So are others with special certifi cations. Starting salary: $36,200. Mid-career average: $54,100. 8. Hospitality and tourism. I think this one could be more interesting than the money indicates, particularly if it includes travel discounts and hefty tips. Starting salary: $37,000. Mid-career average: $54,300. 9. Fine Arts. As a lover of the fi ne arts, I am torn between artists being able to make an adequate living and art being affordable, but it is clear that it helps in this profession to have the support of another income stream. Starting salary: $35,800. Mid-career average: $56,300. 10. And, fi nally, Drama. Ask your wait person in any New York City or Los Angeles eatery and chances are good that he or she is an actor. This is a major that is good for the soul, but you will likely need a fallback. In other words, Brad and Angelina are exceptions to the rule, just like Michael Jordan in sports. Starting salary: APRIL 7-13, 2010 PROUDLY SPONSORED BY VOLUME 15 ISSUE 14 HEY! THIS PAPER BELONGS TO: $35,600. Mid-career average: $56,600. I have also seen similar lists which include journalism and fashion design as poor choices if an attractive income is the important. If making money is your goal, what majors should command your interest? Here are the Top 10 with starting median pay and mid-career median pay, again from Payscale.com I cannot help but noticing that at least one of them did not exist when I decided to major in English Literature. 1. Petroleum Engineering: $93,000 and $157,000. 2. Aerospace Engineering: $59,400 and $108,000. 3. Chemical Engineering: $54,800 and $108,000. 4. Electrical Engineering: $60,800 and $104,000. 5. Nuclear Engineering: $63,900 and $104,000. 6. Applied Mathematics: $56,400 and $101,000. 7. Biomedical Engineering: $54,800 and $101,000. 8. Physics: $50,700 and $99,600. 9. Computer Engineering: $61,200 and $99,500. 10. Economics: $48,800 and $97,800. Have you ever seen a better argument or simpler one for studying math and science? The U.S. Census Bureau tells us that the average college graduate makes $20,000 more a year than a non-college graduate. In addition, the unemployment rate for non- college grads is twice that for college grads. Both are excellent reasons for graduating from college. Wise college students also plan ahead for life in the “real world.” My friends enjoyed American Studies and learned a tremendous amount, and I continue to love English Literature. Neither major, though, made us particularly employable and certainly not at an impressive salary. No, money is not everything, but in a tight and increasingly technological job market, excited high-school grads will do well to consider some of these numbers carefully as they make important choices with consequences. Roommates and dorm curtains come and go, but majors can and do shape lives. 3 Fayetteville Bea Fa Cumberland County Libra Presents The Big Read arry d ou re A C arlie You’re Good Ch G an Brown at FSU Cumberl Focus o U p UPD d WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM FREE HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! CAMP GUIDE INSIDE! Pocket Guide MAY 18-24, 2011 UCW 5 MARGARET DICKSON, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly.com THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET Majoring in Economic Reality P Up & Coming Weekly's Up & Comin www.upandcomingweekly.com 2010 2 10 201 com m et GuidetG ideGui deGuide et Guide ng Weeklys VOL. 10 Online! Now FUN FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE OF CUMBERLAND & HOKE COAY 2010