Most six figure jobs require an advanced degree, according to CareerCast, which created a report with data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
I first learned of this in a piece by Michael Fischer, writing for ThinkAdvisor, an industry trade publication. I noticed `financial advisor’ didn’t appear on the list – someone must have seen the cars we drive.
The Top Ten are:
- Surgeon
- Physician
- Psychiatrist
- Orthodontist
- Dentist
- Petroleum Engineer
- Air Traffic Controller
- Pharmacist
- Podiatrist
- Attorney
But, what if you don’t want to get an advanced degree? In a piece by Dan Berman, which appeared last May in ThinkAdvisor, it became clear that the best undergraduate majors seem to be in engineering and science. He also noted that Child and Family Studies came in dead last. Based on a study of data collected from 1,000 universities, including graduates with bachelor’s degrees only (88% of schools had enrollment of more than 5,000), these are the top 30. Here’s Dan Berman’s list:
30 Best Paying College Majors (2014)
- Petroleum Engineer
- Chemical Engineer
- Nuclear Engineer
- Computer Engineer
- Electrical Engineer
- Aerospace Engineer
- Materials Science & Engineering
- Industrial Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Software Engineer
- Computer Science
- Biomedical Engineer
- Actuarial Mathematics
- Electrical Engineering Technology
- Nursing
- Civil Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering Techonolgy
- Management Information Systems
- Physics
- (tie) Supply Chain Management
- (tie) Applied Mathematics
- Statistics
- Information Systems
- Construction Management
- (tie) Industrial Technology
- (tie) Computer Information Systems
- Occupational Health & Safety
- Economics
- Information Technology
- Mathematics
What were the worst majors, according to ThinkAdvisor? According to an article published in June, 2014, they were, beginning with the worst:
- Child & Family Studies
- Elementary Education
- Exercise Science
- Broadcast Journalism
- Social Work
- Animal Science
- Special Education\
- Theology
- (tie) Culinary Arts
- (tie) Athletic Training
- Religious Studies
- Physical Education
- (tie) Paralegal Studies
- (tie) Recreational & Leisure Studies
- Horticulture
- Criminal Justice
- Biblical Studies
- (tie) Kinesiology
- (tie) Drama
- (tie) Hospitality & Tourism
- (tie) Music
- (tie) Public Health
- (tie) Human Development
- Interior Design
- Art
- (tie) Anthropology
- (tie) Theatre
- (tie) Photography
- Psychology
- Liberal Arts
Want your kids to do well financially? With the cost of college as high as it is these days, they might want to reevaluate majoring in Peruvian Art.
Jim
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Jim Lorenzen is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional and An Accredited Investment Fiduciary® in his 21st year of private practice as Founding Principal of The Independent Financial Group, a fee-only registered investment advisor with clients located across the U.S.. He is also licensed for insurance as an independent agent under California license 0C00742. IFG helps specializes in crafting wealth design strategies around life goals by using a proven planning process coupled with a cost-conscious objective and non-conflicted risk management philosophy.
The Independent Financial Group does not provide legal or tax advice and nothing contained herein should be construed as securities or investment advice, nor an opinion regarding the appropriateness of any investment to the individual reader. The general information provided should not be acted upon without obtaining specific legal, tax, and investment advice from an appropriate licensed professional.
