When deciding on a college major, students are encouraged to think about a few things: what they love to do; what they want to do; what jobs they imagine themselves in; and what the earning and growth potential is like for those careers.
For instance, they’d probably want to know ahead of time that Human Services majors only see their annual pay increase by about $7,500, or 22%, over the first 10 years of their careers, compared to the average American worker, whose salary grows by about $25,000, or 60%, in that time.
That’s according to Payscale, the creator of the world’s largest compensation database with more than 40 million salary profiles. It recently looked at the difference between starting (less than five years of experience) and mid-career (10 or more years of experience) pay by college major, and determined the 13 majors with the smallest salary growth.
“We’re not trying to discourage students from pursuing these majors — we’re simply offering information so that students can make informed choices and get the most out of their degree, whatever major they choose,” says Kayla Hill, a research analyst at Payscale.
Among the majors, Child Development has the lowest starting salary ($32,200) and mid-career pay ($36,400) — and shows the least amount of growth in the first 10 years ($4,200, or 13%).
“Human support service majors tend to be paid less across the board,” Hill explains. “Child Development workers in particular may see less growth over time because it is a field that tends to be undervalued by society. Additionally, childcare workers may not have the same opportunities for advancement as more technical jobs, where learning new skills can lead to a pay bump or promotion.”
Human Services majors had the second lowest salary growth between starting and mid-career, while Early Childhood and Elementary Education had the third smallest.
“People in support service jobs tend to find a high level of meaning from their jobs despite the lower pay,” Hill says. “For many of these workers, the satisfaction and fulfillment they receive from helping others outweighs the lack of pay growth.”
13. Theology
Common job: Chaplain
Starting median pay: $36,800
Mid-career median pay: $51,600
Difference: $14,800 / 40%
12. Social Work
Common jobs: Mental health therapist; social worker; non-profit program manager
Starting median pay: $32,800
Mid-career median pay: $46,600
Difference: $13,800 / 42%
11. Nutrition
Common jobs: Nutritionist; dietitian
Starting median pay: $41,700
Mid-career median pay: $56,400
Difference: $14,700 / 35%
10. Horticulture
Common jobs: Horticulturist; landscape manager
Starting median pay: $35,200
Mid-career median pay: $47,700
Difference: $12,500 / 36%
9. Special Education
Common jobs: Intervention specialist; secondary school teacher; behavior analyst
Starting median pay: $34,500
Mid-career median pay: $46,800
Difference: $12,300 / 36%
8. Recreation & Leisure Studies
Common jobs: Activities director; recreation therapist
Starting median pay: $35,800
Mid-career median pay: $47,100
Difference: $11,300 / 32%
7. Medical Technology
Common jobs: Laboratory manager; clinical laboratory technologist
Starting median pay: $47,800
Mid-career median pay: $60,200
Difference: $12,400 / 25%
6. Athletic Training
Common job: Athletic trainer
Starting median pay: $35,000
Mid-career median pay: $45,900
Difference: $10,900 / 31%
5. Pastoral Ministry
Common job: Pastor
Starting median pay: $36,300
Mid-career median pay: $46,000
Difference: $9,700 / 27%
4. Clinical Laboratory Science
Common jobs: Clinical laboratory technician; clinical laboratory scientist
Starting median pay: $48,000
Mid-career median pay: $59,900
Difference: $11,900 / 25%
3. Early Childhood & Elementary Education
Common job: Elementary school teacher
Starting median pay: $32,300
Mid-career median pay: $40,400
Difference: $8,100 / 25%
2. Human Services
Common jobs: Administrative assistant; medical case manager; non-profit program coordinator
Starting median pay: $33,800
Mid-career median pay: $41,300
Difference: $7,500 / 22%
1. Child Development
Common jobs: Daycare teacher; preschool teacher; nanny
Starting median pay: $32,200
Mid-career median pay: $36,400
Difference: $4,200 / 13%
Now check out the best-paying jobs for people without a 4-year degree:
The 10 Highest-Paying Jobs That Don’t Require A Bachelor’s Degree
The post 13 College Majors Where The Pay Goes Nowhere appeared first on Business Insider.
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