What's a good major...

College Search & Selection
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<p>What's a good major for me if I want to be rich and actually want to have a job i like. And when I say rich I mean $100,000+/year. </p>

<p>Some elaboration on my situation:</p>

<p>Alright I don't want to go to college to study something that I'd hate (math and science) and the one thing I actually want to study is history. But I've come to the conclusion that history majors don't make a lot of money unless they go to law school... and I don't want to be a lawyer. Are there any other fields, that make a lot of money, that are a history major would be well prepared/competitive for?</p>

<p>I really can't think of any jobs that would make me rich and I would like, most of the jobs that get high salaries are not jobs that I'd think I'd be able to be happy as. Doctors, lawyers, engineers don't want to be any of that stuff. I've heard that people in International Banking and business majors make a lucrative amount of money but it is often very difficult to get into one of these fields unless you get into the right schools. I've also heard you have to put in A LOT of hours if you decide to go that route... exactly how many hours and does this job have a high satisfaction rate?</p>

<p>A few jobs that I think I would actually like are a web designer and a teacher... but neither of these two fields pay well...</p>

<p>Someone recommend me a major/career!!! thanks</p>

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<p>You want a job that pays very well, but you don't want to work particularly hard, and you don't want anything to do with math, science, or engineering.</p>

<p>Gosh, I don't know what that would be, but if you find out, let me know, OK?</p>

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<p>alright let me edit out the hours things, because i don't mind working long hours if i actually like my job... but i can't think of any jobs that a history major can do and get rich off of... unless of course they go to law school...</p>

4

<p>Consider being a professor...a tenured professor could make well over 100k a year, and you could end up making a lot more if you wrote books...you could pursue teaching and history and still be paid well.</p>

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<p>you have pretty much eliminated all jobs that would guerentee you that salary. sorry.
Although you could be a college professor. after you get tenure, you might be making 100 grand. Besides, its more important to do what you like, and if you happen to succeed, even better. Maybe: become a history professor, and then try and become a college dean?</p>

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<p>being a professor sounds pretty nice and i didn't know they made that much money... is getting a job as a professor extremely competitive? also how long does it take to get tenure?</p>

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<p>Only a few college professors make $100k +. You have to be really good to earn that salary. Most make much less than that, and those in those areas that bring in little or no research money have a harder time attaining that level of money. And guess what? The professors that bring in large research bucks tend to be in science and engineering.</p>

<p>Look, I'm going to treat your request seriously, OK? There aren't many ways to make that kind of money without starting your own business, and being an entrepreneur is about the hardest work you can find. But here are a few suggestions.</p>

<p>Business</p>

<p>Management consultant -- There are many kinds of these, and most require an MBA. And you will work your ever livin' butt off.</p>

<p>Investment banking/financial services -- Lots of money, but you will work your butt and off and break your back, too.</p>

<p>Sales -- Many sales jobs pay very good money, but the highest paying sales jobs tend to be on the technical side. Once again, you'll work very hard to earn that money.</p>

<p>Soft skills consultant -- Communication, training, organizational research, etc. Work hard and be able to sell.</p>

<p>Actuary -- An actuary in an insurance firm makes really good money and doesn't have to work all that hard. But it requires heavy, heavy math.</p>

<p>Engineer -- You already knew this one.</p>

<p>Management -- obvious</p>

<p>Government</p>

<p>Basically, you have to move into management. A major in public policy/planning or the like would be useful.</p>

<p>The arts</p>

<p>Good luck. This tends to be a winner take all category. Some artists get fabulously wealthy. Others starve.</p>

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<p>Few history professors make $100,000 unless they are at the top of their field. Money is to be made at Universities in engineering, medicine, and business. And don't think that because it's only for nine months it is actually a lot more. Summer teaching gigs don't pay that much and how often will you be able to get enough students together to teach a summer course in the History of Tibet or Medieval France?</p>

<p>I was a history major and retired two years ago from the Federal government where I was making over six figures. With my position at UW and my Federal retirement, which is over 60% of what I was making, I now make more than I did when I was in the government. My wife, a sociology major from a no-name LAC, is a branch chief in the Federal government and makes over $130,000 per year.</p>

<p>BTW, if you want to avoid hard work, but want to make lots of money, avoid the Feds. My wife generally works 7 days a week or over 60 hours per week, and that doesn't include commuting time of 1-2 hours per day through some of the worst traffic in the US.</p>

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<p>You will make a lot as long as you are good in what you do.</p>

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<p>I guess it depends what you consider hard work; working 60 hours a week for the government for a nice salary is much better than 100+ hours a week as an investment banker.</p>

<p>More to the point, if you want to make money, and don't like science/engineering or lawyers/doctors, the last option is business. Many of the jobs in business also require math, however if you avoid accounting/finance you can get by with little math.</p>

<p>It's interesting because I love history as well, and could easily see myself majoring it in, just for fun. However, I'm content to pursue history by reading, or possibly by taking a few elective classes in it once I get to college.</p>

<p>I have most of the same dislikes as you do, except I'm comfortable with math, and being a lawyer wouldn't be something I'd hate. I came to the conclusion that business would be perfect for me, and currently I'm considering a double major in finance and management. Maybe you'd be happy along the same lines, but possibly marketing instead of finance. Good luck, and if you find that business doesn't interest you, I'd just abandon your hopes for a high salary and go with what you love.</p>

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<p>thanks for all the advice so far... and also tsdad i live in Nor. VA too, i know how bad the traffic is around here. i like to take public transportation whenever i can...</p>

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<p>Sha:</p>

<p>After my son graduated from school, he went to WIS downtown, I took the subway in everyday. Boy did it make my life easier. My wife has to go from Annandale to Gaithersburg. It's not too bad in the morning if you're on the road by 6:15 or so, but those evening rush hours will exhaust you.</p>

<p>Here in Madison the University gives free bus passes to faculty and staff. I only use a tank of gas on my SUV every two to three weeks.</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
Alright I don't want to go to college to study something that I'd hate (math and science) and the one thing I actually want to study is history. But I've come to the conclusion that history majors don't make a lot of money unless they go to law school...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I suppose we might be considered to be in the same boat. I would be really interested in studying History in college. Yet, I also know you can't "do much" with a degree in History.</p>

<p>But you know what I've decided? ***** it. I can figure out how I'll make money later on. In college I'll study what I want to study.</p>

14

<p>Ohhh, also just a note on the salaries of teachers. If you end up getting a Masters degree and decide to be a career teacher (as in 20+ years), you can actually make a significant sum of money over the years. Obviously not 100k+, but that is rather extravagant anyway.</p>

<p>Its true though that teachers who are just starting out and/or don't have a Masters degree, really don't make that much at all.</p>

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<p>ahh just browsing i've tried taking your approach and just not caring about the job opportunities involved with a certain major and just studying what i want to study but i just can't seem to do it... i really want to make a large sum of money... maybe i'll just go into business school after i get a history degree... idk</p>

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<p>Being a teacher is very lucrative. Be a high school teacher (preferably junior/senior) and teach something like AP Math. Then, bribe your most desperate students for A's while taking in checks of a few thousand from each student. Make sure to plant bombs inside their bodies so if they tell they will explode. Finally, try to work in a rich area like Fairfax County where the median salary is at least 100k per family.</p>

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<p>The other important thing to consider is that often times your major has nothing to do with your career.</p>

<p>My father for instance majored in Education... and became a lawyer, then a businessman and now a Rabbi.</p>

<p>See?</p>

18

<p>
[quote]
Its true though that teachers who are just starting out and/or don't have a Masters degree, really don't make that much at all.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I think this depends on the district you are talking about. I know that in California, new teachers start at about 37k according to the latest teacher's union contract negotiated with the state. That's an absolutely fantastic sum when you realize that plenty of liberal arts from even the best schools like Berkeley don't make anywhere near 37k. </p>

<p>Not only are you making 37k to start as a California teacher, but you also get the whole summer off. Plus, after 2 years, you get tenure, which basically makes you unfireable, as the state has to go through a lengthy administrative process to fire a bad tenured teacher, with the result that most districts don't bother (which is part of the reason why you have bad teachers that continue to hang around). California teachers also get a quite generous health-care and pension package and other perks such as subsidized housing and subsidized continuing education. </p>

<p>Contrast that with what a lot of liberal arts grads from even a strong school like Berkeley get. Not only do many of them make less than 37k, almost none of them will ever have the opportunity to get tenure, meaning they can be fired for any reason or no reason. Few of them get subsidized housing or continuing education. Their health-care and pension benefits packages are usually far less generous than what teachers get, and often times, they don't get any benefits at all. Furthermore, they don't get the summer off.</p>

<p>For example, I strongly suspect that the Berkeley Ethnic Studies graduate who is making a median of $21.6k a year probably would like to switch places with a teacher. </p>

<p><a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/CarDest/2005Majors.stm#salary%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://career.berkeley.edu/CarDest/2005Majors.stm#salary&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Now, obviously most teaching districts are not as lucrative as California's is. Hence, I agree it matters where you want to teach. But my point is, while teachers are obviously not ever going to become Bill Gates, they're not bad off. There are a lot of people who are doing far worse.</p>

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<p>sakky, I'm not sure if by quoting me you meant to make your post showing a counter-opinion to mine or not... but if you'll notice, the rest of my post agreed almost entirely with what you are saying.</p>

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<p>Nah, I was just expanding on what you have said by offering some details that some readers might be interested in.</p>