@SincererLove So many articles written about how liberal arts majors do just fine in the job market. It’s all about the person, not always about the degree. If you look at many company’s CEOs, they majored in things like Philosophy and History.
But take that a step further than History or Philosophy. Do you pay 60k for a dance major or musical theater or orchestra? Should FA be allocated to those majors?
I’m not sure how I feel about it. But throwing it out there!
From the brookings institute, http://www.hamiltonproject.org/assets/legacy/files/downloads_and_links/MajorDecisions-Figure_2a.pdf , there is a large variation in projected lifetime earnings by college major, with the lowest paid majors earning only slightly more than those with an associates degree. What that chart doesn’t show is the standard deviation for each major. What I would guess is liberal arts majors have larger standard deviations than engineering and vocational majors.
@Midwest67 What are NPCs?
^net price calculators
@HRSMom - my kid is full pay at NYU - majoring in drama. It is often ranked as “one of the top” schools for her major in the country… and she is getting a world class education to boot. We have no worries about her ability to get a job and support herself if/when she decides she wants a “Normal” job. And why on earth shouldn’t financial aide be allocated to those majors?
This let’s you compare majors, http://www.hamiltonproject.org/charts/career_earnings_by_college_major/ . While the bottom 90% of CS majors out earn the bottom 90% of philosophy and religious studies majors, somewhere between the top 10%-5% of earners, the distributions cross and philosophy majors out earn CS majors. The ACS asks about wages, salaries, and self-employment business income, so it may underestimate the top end of the distribution due to stock options, carried interest, etc.
@toowonderful it was a simple extension of the prior question about liberal arts majors and employment. Don’t get upset.
Great link @roethlisburger ,
Take a look at Economics. No surprise why so many kids major in it.
@HRSMom - not upset- just answering your question “do you pay…” The answer is - yes they do.
Still don’t get why FA would be available to only certain majors. I know that there are dept scholarships- but you make it sound more like need/merit
No I’m just saying if certain parents would not do full pay in those majors, do they believe those majors should get FA.
I went to Northwestern and all of my theater friends from undergrad are very successful. Some as actors…but many more in other fields of their choice. Part of going to a school like NU is making connections. I’m sure @toowonderful feels the name way about NYU.
Does this apply to schools as well as majors?
@toowonderful As a parent of someone who might major in something that isn’t historically known for bringing in big money, what makes you sure your D will be able to find decent paying work? I’m not judging. It’s just something I wonder about for my own child who thinks she will want to major in philosophy or psych. I am doing my best to have her start thinking about doubling majoring when the time comes and having one of the majors in something that can lead to a decent job right away. She’s still in HS so who knows what direction she’ll take.
Do you ever wonder how many humanities oriented kids who hate math have been “forced” to major in engineering, economics and computer science, because their parents want them to make a good living? I find that kind of depressing. People should be able to major in comparative literature and still find well-paying work.
@citymama9 I totally sympathize with your sentiment but the reality is that Goldman Sachs and McKinsey are more likely to hire an astrophysics or economics major than a student that specializes in 18th Century Russian poetry. Do we want our kid to be a starving artist or young person with a solid upswinging career path? There is no easy answer.
@85bears46 I hear you! The trick is to find something that you really enjoy that pays well enough so that you can have what you want in life such as vacations and a nice place to live, etc. I’m a big fan of double majoring with one major being in something you absolutely love and one major that can open doors to a decent paying job that will be satisfying. A person can have one major in a business area and then find an area of business that they enjoy. A humanities or people oriented person can go into the creative end of business or in something like human resources. I’m just going off track here. We all want our kids to find meaningful work that makes them happy, but we also want them to have a comfortable life without financial worries. Thanks for listening, lol.
One more thing: I think if one doesn’t plan to go to grad school then the undergraduate major is even a more important choice. You have to really make it count, so to speak.
@citymama9 - my kid’s school- as well as her major, has given her any number of marketable qualities: research/writing, analysis of material, and presentation skills being among those that leap to mind. For my family, an arts major is very much the same as a humanities major (and I was one of those many moons ago). H and I are totally supportive of D following her passion- it will work or it won’t, but we also made sure that she chose colleges that would give her a solid foundation no matter WHAT her major. She’ll be fine
@85bear46 - I suppose it’s a good thing my kid doesn’t want to work for Goldman-Sachs (though I know a couple of people in that type of place who were philosophy/poetry type majors). I want my kid to have a career she finds fulfilling, not worry about what is on the “upswing”. Life works itself out- and having D get the best possible education was OUR family’s primary goal- not what happens next. Everyone makes their own choices- that was ours.
@gratefulmama I do not think you are missing anything at all. I too think the stats hide the fact that many parents are going deep into debt without really understanding the ramifications. One only has to look at the credit markets to see that many Americans cannot properly manage debt and take on too much debt.
It sure was an eye opener for us to discover that there are very few options out there for people who cannot full pay. I thought I would be fine with having $30-$35k/year to spend on my son. Not really. the only plausible option is public school. The privates are just too expensive, even after scholarships. If one does not want the huge school scene of a typical state flagship, then there really is nothing left other than the city schools or community college. The lack of college options was a bit shocking to be honest.
I applaud the full pay parents who have worked hard. The reality is that I think most parents sacrifice for their kids and it still does not amount to enough to afford college. The ones that can afford it are a select few. I feel many parents just go into debt when they cannot afford it by using the plus loans or tapping home equity. Or worse raiding the retirement funds.
@MassDaD68, Your son may want to investigate the SUNY system. The COA for OOS students is $30k. There are several campuses to choose from and each has its own special opportunities. For example: Potsdam students can cross register at St. Lawrence & Clarkson. New Paltz students can cross register at Marist and Vassar, etc. If he researches them, he may find one he likes.