It’s no accident that there are a lot more alarmist articles in the
press now than there were five years ago about the supposed best/worst paying
college majors. We’ve just been through
a major recession, and families are thinking about the return on their college
investment. Headlines like that grab
attention.
But hoping to make a lot of money just because you picked a major that
you read pays well is like hoping to get more good dates because you bought an
outfit that you read about in a fashion magazine.
Some engineering majors end up with very successful, high-paying
jobs. Some don’t. The same can be said of business, English,
accounting, music, philosophy and physics majors. What you studied in college is an important
measure of how you spent your time there.
But it’s far from the only measure and it’s a lousy predictor of what
you’re going to be able to contribute to an employer.
If you want to be successful after college (whether or not your
definition of success involves making a lot of money), use your four years of
college as a chance to learn as much as possible and to show future employers
what you have to offer. A college degree
alone isn’t a reason for someone to hire you. But if you have a college degree combined with four years of experience leading, solving
interesting problems, managing conflict, coordinating events, balancing
budgets, designing websites, counseling students, or recruiting club members, you will have made an impact on your college campus and you will have plenty of evidence that you have something to offer.
A good college major is one that interests you enough that you want to
get out of bed and go to that 8 a.m. class.
The best college major is one that makes you want to extend that
learning outside of class and actually do something that will get you
noticed.