<p>Dont be fooled by average starting salaries of majors</p>
<p>engineers start out at like 40k, but there are hardly any engineers making >100k in America</p>
<p>finance + economics majors probably start out arround high twenties, but they can make it to the top of the business world if they work hard enough</p>
<p>"engineers start out at like 40k, but there are hardly any engineers making >100k in America</p>
<p>finance + economics majors probably start out arround high twenties, but they can make it to the top of the business world if they work hard enough"</p>
<p>While I can agree with the poster's intention (that you need to also look at your long-term prospects), the information given is rather incorrect. High twenties??? That's a ridiculously low amount. Engineers should also start out at more than 40k.</p>
<p>avg econ is low 40s, avg engineering is low 50s... where did you get your info??</p>
<p>You people (I love saying that) have totally skewed the OP original question, which was what undergrauate major will make money right after graduation. Nursing and Accounting.</p>
<p>i just ballparked it</p>
<p>economics majors do NOT make 40k average</p>
<p>low-mid thirties id guess</p>
<p>I'll concur with nursing and accounting.</p>
<p>Accounting starts in the $45,000-$50,000 range (although it could be a little lower depending on your area) and will give 5-10% annual raises. Long-term job potential is also excellent.</p>
<p>Both finance and econ will allow you to go into a large variety of jobs. I seriously doubt that the average is low thirties. That is probably closer to the lower end of the range. Consulting will net you about $50,000-$60,000.</p>
<p>
[quote]
**"engineers start out at like 40k, but there are hardly any engineers making >100k in America
[/quote]
**</p>
<p>I don't know too many chemEs that start this low and plenty of them make $100,000. so I disagree w/ you.</p>
<p>My take on the enigineering thing is that it is one of those "right place at the right time" kind of things. My one buddy has a lot of job offers while other people have struggled in the field after graduation.</p>
<p>Why worry about wages when you are just entering college? Wages over time tend to change anyway. So might as well major in something you actually enjoy. Otherwise, you will be unmotivated to get up and go to work every morning of your life whether it pays big bucks or not.</p>
<p>econ average is low thirties, according to princeton review</p>
<p>econ is really nothing more than liberal arts, like history or asian american studies. Unless your coming from a top 10 school, 50% of economics majors end up teaching economics</p>
<p>finance is very career oriented. financemajors have no experience coming out of college. My dad earned <20k his first 3 years out of Delaware as a finance major, he now earns ~75k(for obvious reasons I cant tell you exactly, but thats my educated guess) A person with 10 years experience with a finance degree will probably earn more than an engineer with 10 years experience</p>
<p>adconard is right...You will get used to the money fast...it's more important that you enjoy the work. If you are making 100K a year, but you dread every moment of every day while at work, but you could enjoy every moment of every day at work with a job that pays 45K a year...you're much better off doing the 45K a year job.</p>
<p>"finance is very career oriented. financemajors have no experience coming out of college. My dad earned <20k his first 3 years out of Delaware as a finance major, he now earns ~75k(for obvious reasons I cant tell you exactly, but thats my educated guess) A person with 10 years experience with a finance degree will probably earn more than an engineer with 10 years experience"</p>
<p>LOL...and what year did your dad graduate? Do you not realize that starting salaries change with inflation?</p>
<p>Econ and finance majors tend to puruse the same jobs...why would their starting salaries differ? I am very aware of the differences between the two degrees, but so are job employers. Some companies actually prefer hiring those with liberal arts degrees (and that was generally the dominant school of thought until recently), while some prefer those with general business training.</p>
<p>And why do you assume that all finance majors come out of school with no experience?</p>
<p>Want to make money (especially in the long term)? I agree that finance/economics is your best bet (working in business and working with money...you make money). </p>
<p>However, you can also be wildly successful and make money no matter what your major. College is really an ideal time to just experiment and explore, to discover your own passions and possibilities. For now, don't worry too much about making money...instead, major in something that you enjoy. As you learn more about it, then you might start formulating a plan to get a job/earn money with it. But if it's Anthropology or Communication Disorders or Greek Culture or Art History or Chemistry that really lights a fire under you and gets you excited...persue that. You might be surprised to find that it could lead to success (in more way than one).</p>
<p>in general, engineering and business or econ-related majors are higher paid than others. nursing is also gives good returns for the amount of time you put in. if you're looking for a good paying job, most technical degrees will serve you well. </p>
<p>notice the OP wanted majors that = $$ at the undergrad level only. </p>
<p>of course, the better question would be, which jobs are high paying and only require an undergraduate degree. for example, investment banking has really high pay and is virtually open to people of all majors. </p>
<p>actually, i want to know what you can do with bio if you don't get any graduate or professional degrees afterward. what can u do with just an undergrad bio degree (besides becoming a h/s bio teacher)?</p>
<p>kfc4u,</p>
<p>A buddy of mine is a lab tech at AmGen. That's one thing.</p>
<p>You can search the internet for lists and lists of "what can you do with an xyz major."</p>
<p>If you want the greatest $$$, then do pharmacy. Some schools offer a 6 year pharmacy program for a PharmD straight out of HS. The advantage of retail pharmacy is that pharmacists are high in demand and therefore you can negotiate for flexible hours. Use that to your advantage by attaining a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering. You could probably do this in one year if you are a full time student and worked at a local pharmacy on weekends.</p>
<p>What do you think the income is for something with a just a PharmD and MS Chemical Engineering?</p>
<p>Chemical engineering is a lot harder than you think. It would be hard to do that in a year.</p>
<p>Where do science majors like biology, chemistry, biochemistry, etc. fit in with the $$$?</p>
<p>I don't know if any place can tell you what you're asking. However, the best places to start would be the website of school's which you're interested in. For instance, here's Berkeley's career center.</p>
<p><a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/major.stm%5B/url%5D">http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/major.stm</a></p>
<p>Here's most of the various types of biology </p>
<p><a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/IntBio.stm%5B/url%5D">http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/IntBio.stm</a></p>
<p>Here's chem</p>
<p><a href="http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Chem.stm%5B/url%5D">http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Chem.stm</a></p>
<p>If you compare the various majors, you can begin to have some idea of where they stand with regard to money earned. Don't worry about this so much- if you go to a decent enough school and get a decent enough job, do smart things with your money and have a tiny bit of luck, you'll probably end up in the American middle class.</p>