I had a graduate assistantship and paid close to nothing. I belong to a group and read about a grad student who is going to school on a graduate assistantship (it’s a group of people who are in my field).
Last summer I supervised a graduate student who received a large scholarship for grad school. She told me her entire degree was costing under $20,000.
Earlier in this thread, people were discussing going into the arts and that most don’t “make it,” etc. I mentioned that it can take a certain level of drive, etc. on top of talent. It so happens that I just watched a public interview my daughter had tonight. The interviewer was asking about the 4 major projects my D is currently involved in (truth be told, she is involved in more, but only 4 are publicized), and the interviewer asked: “Do you ever rest?” I had to laugh as D is working all the time (so this is not for all people). So, my D explains that she is grateful to have projects she is passionate about and loves and that it energizes her, even though it is a tough field. She explains that she is grounded by her being very disciplined (she truly is) and by community, because she collaborates and supports and is supported by others in her field. She doesn’t wait for work to come to her, but creates opportunities and networks with others and one thing has led to another. I don’t think talent alone gets one too far without this drive and persistence. Not everyone is up for that. It is not just a job to earn money but a deep seated passion to do this work even if she were never paid to do it, though obviously needs and wants to be paid. I believe even if she didn’t need to earn money, she’d be doing all this work anyway, out of the sheer love of it. Not everyone can say that about their work.
Extraordinary.
My H has always felt very fortunate to be passionate about and love his work. He had an accounting degree but wanted to work with computers and have a job with the fed govt. He was able to do both.
I have mostly loved my work along the years as well and both of our kids have found their different passions. We have no regrets and as far as I know they don’t either. We let them choose their fields and careers.
I thought he was headed to a strong OOS for CS?
He is headed to Rutgers. Other serious choice considered was Madison for CS (too far, too cold, as crowded as Rutgers despite its ranking, unappealing town/surroundings on the day we visited, and unnecessarily 2x as expensive as Rutgers – so dropped). He likes CS. Loves Bio. Hates Chemistry. Doesn’t like grad school unless it is Medicine. Doesn’t want to be in school for 11 years or more. Wants to get paid 150k+ to start, and significantly more mid-career. So that’s where we are :-). Wants to keep the medicine option open even if he starts with CS. And can’t justify OOS tuition if we need to pay another 300k for med school.
I would like to go back to college myself and make $150,000 to start.
Those are available. Kids also make these choices. Not just a case of parents pushing kids.
Yes, there are kids out there who state that they want to make a lot of money. They choose majors where that could happen. I don’t really know what those salaries could potentially be (other than what is said here) because my kids didn’t choose those majors.
There are definitely money motivated kids. I’ve known some too. Nothing wrong with that if that’s their thing.
I get sad when I see kids forced into particular paths that they’re clearly not suited for. I remember one kid from my early undergrad years who was being forced to study engineering by his parents. He hated it, and was getting C’s and D’s in lower division math and physics, so I rather doubt he ended up with an engineering degree.
I’m sure he’s the (hopefully rare) exception, but it does happen. I have known others, forced into different fields.
Relax. It’s a movie. Not the real world.
We all can quote lines from movies to prove a point. 
Yes, there are ways to minimize the costs of some graduate education, but the majority of student debt in this country is for graduate, not undergrad, education. Not always a sound investment, particularly if it could have been avoided by pursuing a subject earlier during undergrad years instead.
Although I agree that money on education is not wasted, few have the luxury to spend vast sums merely for the intellectual pleasure it brings. Many decades ago, my husband attended law school with no interest in ever practicing law, nor did he, but he liked the lectures. That would be a very expensive hobby to pursue now.
The UCB career survey results include all graduates with a given major (including those who also have some other major), regardless of what area of work or industry they work in.
Looking at the job titles for music major graduates, it does look like many of them do have some other major (e.g. a title of “Software Engineer” hints at a second major in computer science).
Perhaps it would be helpful for this case if there were a checkbox to include or exclude those who has additional majors besides the selected one.
I realize many graduate students go into debt to pay for grad school. My kid got scholarships, and I paid the loans. I know that doesn’t happen for all kids. She is still in the same field as she was in undergrad, but got a more advanced degree in it and specialized. She actually attended two graduate schools.
When I said I paid for my kids to become educated, that was truly the intent, but suffice it to say, they were expected to support themselves after they graduated. So, unlike your husband, they didn’t attend grad school for an interest area they never intended to practice for the sheer interest alone. They did hope to work eventually in their chosen fields of interest. But on my end of it, I only cared that they got a degree, and not at all what the focus of it was in. Their focus was up to them. I just wanted them to be educated which I value, plus in order to work in many fields, a degree (in anything) is needed.
Perhaps he should get more realistic with his expectations. Even CS graduates are not assured of $150k+ starting pay levels. And hating chemistry for five semesters (2 semesters general, 2 semesters organic, 1 semester biochemistry) is not exactly a formula for getting into medical school.
At least he probably does not think his family is “broke” on $840,000 annual income.
I was making 40k 1st year out of college in the 90s in a high tax jurisdiction. My take home was 27kish.
I felt not rich at all despite putting away $500+/month on top of retirement savings. Houses/apts 150k+
I remembered thinking that it would take me so long to save up for a house unless I was in a double income relationship!
Interesting that a college student is expecting to make $150,000 right out of the undergraduate gate. I may be naive, but that seems atypical? My kids surely did not. I’m 65 and I still do not! 
Wish I had known enough to do this right out of college! Good for you!
A biology major teaching in our local school district can start at $70-75K per year and tutor evenings and weekends for an additional $100-$150/hour.
:-). My job is not to kill a kid’s spirit. It is to tell him what he needs to do achieve his goals. And I don’t know where the 840k of family income idea came from.