Top Paying 4-Year Degrees

[mjs1217]

My teacher told us that every year, CNN puts out a report on the Top 10 or Highest Paying 4-Year Degrees. However, I can't find anything about that at CNN.com. So, can someone please help me look for it? If you can find it, then please post it here. Thanks!

-mjs

[SeeK]

I thought I read about that but can't find it now. I find this:

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Custom/MSN/CareerAdvice/330.htm?siteid=cbmsn4314&sc_extcmp=JS_js02_aug04_advice

[grw4w34]

I dont know what other jobs are, but the head of the engineering department just sent out this...
http://money.cnn.com/2004/02/05/pf/college/lucrative_degrees/
I think thats what you were looking for. Given thats just for a BA in those subjects. I am studying to be a Industrial Engineer and was way more motivated to work hard after seeing that.

[taylor492]

Hmm i wonder if it would be a good idea to get a degree in the Engineering field?

[PyRo]

Hmm i wonder if it would be a good idea to get a degree in the Engineering field?
Good luck with that, there are tons of engineers now and only so many jobs to go around.

[AcemanPB]

Well I'm a senior in highschool right now and it seems like everyone and their Jewish counsin is planning on getting an engineering degree after highshool, me inculded. I hope there are plenty of jobs left by the time I graduate college. Although I suspect many of the people won't make it through the first year of college. I mean some of this kids suck at math and science and think Physics is the hardest class ever created.

[paintballrulzs]

actuarial mathematics.....That would be above them all. That is my current major and the pay in it is amazing.

[JimmyBeam]

4 years are good and all but dont underestimate the value of tech degrees nowadays.

[MantisMag]

of course if you haven't started yet by the time you graduate that list may not be any good by the time you're done. :(

[SeeK]

What most of the articles don't mention is to just rely on a single skill. It's easy to outsource a one trick pony. The people that understand multiple topics and are able to integrate and explain to others are the ones that are always needed.

Actuarial Science is one of the little known fields. Even if you don't pass all ten tests you have skills that are in demand.

I work with a bunch of them. They are an odd group.

[gc82000]

Golf Course Management. I can expect no less then 60k-100k a year. And I have to play golf everyday. Too bad I hate golf.

[paintballrulzs]

I work with a bunch of them. They are an odd group.
Thanks....

A few of the kids in my major are a little weird, but for the most part we are normal..

[Miscue]

I have a CS degree - and started about where it says. After 6 months, I'm exceeding the Computer Engineering degree. Tee hee!

Must suck to have a psychology degree... my ex-GF has a psych degree and I was eating with all her psych buddies. They were discussing GPAs and stuff. They all were complaining about their mere 3.7 GPAs. "What do you have?" I told them I had a 2.2. "I thought you were smart?!" Snotty dumb beeyatches... trying to make me feel stupid - I get even when people do that. So, I read a Freud and Jung book and their abnormal psychology book that they were taking a class on. I demonstrated my understanding of their own course work, and discovered they could not discuss Freud and Jung because they never read their work except for excerpts - they never had to in their classes. This is YOUR field! What the hell?!

They didn't factor in that their 4.0 in psych is no where near as marketable as a 2.0 in engineering. Hell, one year in engineering is harder than all of their classes combined - but for some reason they treat degrees as equal - that's how little they know. There is a reason why the graduating class of psych people is 10+ times bigger than ALL of the engineering fields combined. Their classes consist of monkey business - and nothing of substantial difficulty. They should have done basket weaving, at least they come out able to make something that they can sell. What an incredible waste of 4 years and all that money. They have to get a PhD in psych if they want the good psych jobs - and getting their initial BA is a great idea since they will be doing their PhD. But most of them stop after their BA - which I don't understand. It's a degree where you can't just stop at a BA if you want to make a living in that field.

I suppose if they start a career in another field, this is all moot.

[Miscue]

Well I'm a senior in highschool right now and it seems like everyone and their Jewish counsin is planning on getting an engineering degree after highshool, me inculded. I hope there are plenty of jobs left by the time I graduate college. Although I suspect many of the people won't make it through the first year of college. I mean some of this kids suck at math and science and think Physics is the hardest class ever created.

Ha...

I thought calculus 1 and 2, and engineering physics 1 were the easier classes - because they are. You often can't even sign up for anything beyond introductory engineering courses without getting those out of the way. Some say they are filter courses - and this is true. If you can't make it through those, you'll have no chance with the harder classes. It's like struggling on mile 2 of a 26.2 mile marathon - you're gonna die.

If you look at introductory engineering classes, you'll notice that an entire hall is filled with a ton of people - because they've read about how much money can be made. Half-way into the class, half of the class is gone. Towards the end, maybe 1/3 is left and only a portion of them are going to pass with a high enough grade to be eligible for the next class. And this is class is 100 level.

[vf-xx]

Thanks for bringing this up. I just graduated with my Mechanical Egr Degree. I was expecting much less money that that article listed as average for my field.

Now, must find job!!!!

Yeah our intro class had almost 100 people in it. The senior level classes never had more than 25 at any given time.

But I made it and with a 3.26 to boot! Yay!!!


Somebody gimme a job dagnabitt!!!

TIP: DON'T GRADUATE IN THE SUMMER!!! Job opportunities suck.

[logamus]

I have a CS degree
i didnt know valve gave out degrees. ;)

[Miscue]

I never understood how starting salaries worked out like that. So, on average people bust out right from college and make that much? Because if say it's 50k, that means there's dudes making 60-70+ to even out the average with people inevitably making 25k or so - or they can't find a job, regardless of their degree. Who pays out that much to entry level workers?

I have to wonder if "starting" salary means within 3 years after graduating. Because obviously we don't all have jobs the moment we graduate.

[Miscue]

Ah! I think I see now.

"Based on the 2,300 offers covered in the current survey"

So these statistics are based on "offers." From the graduates who received an offer... who made the cut, that's what the average salary came out at. It does not mean that if you take random recent graduates, that on average their salary will be some amount. What it means is if you take at random someone who was given a job offer, then that's the average to expect. Numbers from people who actually found jobs in their field...

I think the average salary that the random student actually gets, is much much lower - since many do not get job offers. These numbers are deceptive.

[vf-xx]

Some industries have much cash, and some have to make up for the fact that they put you in the middle of nowhere.

When I was in a co-op I was making the equivelant of just over $40k / year working 4 - 10's.

And that was without a degree.

[Miscue]

Some industries have much cash, and some have to make up for the fact that they put you in the middle of nowhere.

When I was in a co-op I was making the equivelant of just over $40k / year working 4 - 10's.

And that was without a degree.

I've been discovering that there are well paying jobs that do not need degrees. If I had dropped out of college and became say a police officer - I would be making way more than I am now. I had no idea how much they can make. I think they normally start at like 42k or something. But they get 4% raise in 6 months, another 4% in 6 months, approximately 3% cost of living raise - and this is the first year. This works out to about 50k in two years. Once they are there 10 years, they get longevity pay, and I think it works out to up to 15% yearly salary increases. They can retire in 20 years and get paid 75% of their salary. With this in mind, I'm beginning to think it was a financially bad thing for me to go to school - or at least I could have postponed it, and they would have paid for it too!

One of the guys I'm working with is going from an IT supervisor to a police officer because of this - he will eventually be making more money that he ever could doing his current job and can retire sooner. I've been contemplating doing the same, but I really don't have much interest in it - so I probably won't.

[evildead420]

i got a degree @ Ex'pression Center for New Media in the Berkley area. majored in Comprehensive Science of Sound Arts, basically a recording engineer/Sound Design major. Cost like 50k to go there now, i went in when it was 32k. :eek: WAY better then Full Sail in Tampa/ FL area.

I grad in Late March but i still have to do my internship, looking like Live sound in the bay area. Maybe in the city @ a club or something. then i get my BA, after i do my GED.lol. i got 93 units out of 128 for cali. requirements for a BA. and i got it in less then 2 years. 20 months or something. pretty fast though, a semester a month!!!

paintball is my self employeed job so thats my first job, then live sound @ night will be my 2nd. :clap:

[logamus]

I've been discovering that there are well paying jobs that do not need degrees. If I had dropped out of college and became say a police officer - I would be making way more than I am now. I had no idea how much they can make. I think they normally start at like 42k or something. But they get 4% raise in 6 months, another 4% in 6 months, approximately 3% cost of living raise - and this is the first year. This works out to about 50k in two years. Once they are there 10 years, they get longevity pay, and I think it works out to up to 15% yearly salary increases. They can retire in 20 years and get paid 75% of their salary. With this in mind, I'm beginning to think it was a financially bad thing for me to go to school - or at least I could have postponed it, and they would have paid for it too!

One of the guys I'm working with is going from an IT supervisor to a police officer because of this - he will eventually be making more money that he ever could doing his current job and can retire sooner. I've been contemplating doing the same, but I really don't have much interest in it - so I probably won't.
it sups dont normally carry a gun and wear body armor on the job. keep that in mind.

[gimp]

I'd say those figures are accurate, for the starting salaries. The people who I know that graduated last year are making good money. They're either comp sci, comp sys, or EE. All but one person is making over 60 grand, right out of school. Most of them with no prior work experience at all. It's all about looking for a job. You have to start early. I'll graduate in May and I had an interview yesterday. I go to RPI, and I'll graduate with 2 degrees, one in Electrical Engineering, and one in Computer Engineering. It'd be nice if it just added the average 2 starting salaries up. That's like 100 grand to start.

[mjs1217]

I've been discovering that there are well paying jobs that do not need degrees. If I had dropped out of college and became say a police officer - I would be making way more than I am now. I had no idea how much they can make. I think they normally start at like 42k or something. But they get 4% raise in 6 months, another 4% in 6 months, approximately 3% cost of living raise - and this is the first year. This works out to about 50k in two years. Once they are there 10 years, they get longevity pay, and I think it works out to up to 15% yearly salary increases. They can retire in 20 years and get paid 75% of their salary. With this in mind, I'm beginning to think it was a financially bad thing for me to go to school - or at least I could have postponed it, and they would have paid for it too!

One of the guys I'm working with is going from an IT supervisor to a police officer because of this - he will eventually be making more money that he ever could doing his current job and can retire sooner. I've been contemplating doing the same, but I really don't have much interest in it - so I probably won't.


Here the police officers start off with a $35,000 salary. That, plus longevity pay after 5, 10, 15, and 20 years...Also, after 20 years, you get a retirement plan of half your last year's salary + 1.5% multiplier. So, retire when your 40, and do whatever you want with the rest of your life, even if it includes getting two paychecks.

I'm strongly considering becoming a police officer as soon as I get out of college, then after a while of that, open a Restaurant. It's been my plan to open up a night club or restaurant for quite a while, but I know how demanding the business can be, and I know how high the risk is, as well as the huge starting capital that is required. (Expect a thread about this soon, :D)

[paintballrulzs]

http://www.beanactuary.com/news/hotjobs.cfm


that website has the top for salaries, not starting but average. I think this is more important that out of college.

[gibby]

HAHA!! Miscue!! I was just like you really!! For me, while I was in school, I didn't really focus too much on what my GPA was. I don't consider myself an idiot for averaging a 2.8. I've seen plenty of 4.0 people who do great in school but are complete tools once they're out in the real world. I think a lot of times, the motivation wasn't there because what I was learning in class didn't apply to what I really wanted to do when I graduated.

My focus was to get into the game industry and they didn't have any courses that would focus on game development. The closest thing was a "Multi-Media" class and everyone got excited when I showed them an animated gif!!! I kid you not!!! I think a lot of times, if what I'm learning doesn't hold my interest or I feel like it's just pointless...I won't put much effort into it and I'll just get a grade that's passing and just move on.

I'm not saying that should be the overall attitude for everyone but for me, it worked out. ;) At least my Quake skills at the time was top-notch! :D

[PyRo]

I've been discovering that there are well paying jobs that do not need degrees. If I had dropped out of college and became say a police officer.

Most if not all police departments require atleast some school, and you probably have a better chance of getting the job if you have been. I've been thinking about that as a possibilty, it seems like somthing I might enjoy doing. I've actually been meaning to call the recruiter for the state police and ask about it but just havnt' gotten around to it.
Plus the money isn't too bad and after 20 years you can retire on 50% salery I think it is, and the retirement isn't forced you can stay on longer if you choose.

Your right about making money without school. I could drop out and make 26k a year right now which would go up to about 55k in a few years, and if I started my own buisness there isn't a cap on what is to be made but probably 60-80.

[Miscue]

HAHA!! Miscue!! I was just like you really!! For me, while I was in school, I didn't really focus too much on what my GPA was. I don't consider myself an idiot for averaging a 2.8. I've seen plenty of 4.0 people who do great in school but are complete tools once they're out in the real world. I think a lot of times, the motivation wasn't there because what I was learning in class didn't apply to what I really wanted to do when I graduated.

My focus was to get into the game industry and they didn't have any courses that would focus on game development. The closest thing was a "Multi-Media" class and everyone got excited when I showed them an animated gif!!! I kid you not!!! I think a lot of times, if what I'm learning doesn't hold my interest or I feel like it's just pointless...I won't put much effort into it and I'll just get a grade that's passing and just move on.

I'm not saying that should be the overall attitude for everyone but for me, it worked out. ;) At least my Quake skills at the time was top-notch! :D

I figure it this way: What is the point of education? One goal is to give you the knowledge you need for a career. (There's also the fruity idea of becoming "enlightened" and crap) What happens when it is not providing that? The school is failing the student. Universities and schools ARE fallible.

I can better determine what is good for my education than any university can. There is no curriculum more appropriate for me than one I carve out myself. I do not let school get in the way of my education.

Things I've thought to myself: How does writing this 10 page paper help me, and why must it be 10 pages for this 2-page topic? Why do I need to create a poster board? What is the point of memorizing all this stuff when someone went through the trouble of inventing the "reference manual?" How come my professor has no instruction in teaching - and how did I know that before I looked at his biography?

Why is my professor giving me a really dirty look in the middle of class after asking me where my book is (I paid for the class - he's an employee - I am a customer - I can do whatever the hell I want within the rules - and he can kiss my arse), and why is he angry with my explanation that I read the whole thing in the bookstore, and found it to be a waste money when I could write a better one? (Normally I would just tell them what they want to hear, but he was trying to embarrass me and I made him eat it.)

Why did I get an F on my presentation of DreamWeaver's Uninstall feature? I met all project requirements, and made a better looking webpage than my peers - who picked boring DreamWeaver features. What? I am not allowed to use objective Perl to make webpages you say? I HAVE to use DreamWeaver? You're going to MAKE me use it? FU.

My GPA would have been a lot better if I didn't get an F in MIS 101 (Learning MS Office), a D in intro to web design, and a D in Communications 101 - my transcripts are kind of humorous. Although I got an A in Electrical Engineering, A's in Calculus, etc.

In several classes, I calculated when I could stop showing up and pass with a C or D. What's the point in going when my graduation requirement has been satisfied? I HATED classes with attendance requirements and pop-quizzes. "Group discussion is part of the education process." Well, what am I learning when most of my classmates are tools? None of the tough classes ever had such a requirement - but the thing is, the material is demanding enough where I had to show up to keep up. An attendance requirement tells me that the material does not have sufficient substance such that you NEED to show up, regardless of the rules.

I think the professors that elect to have that requirement, are doing so out of ego - they want more people to listen to them so they can feel important... and I noticed that ones with that requirement often try to force their opinions on you, and they talk about their kids and stuff for a half hour every day. This is in stark contrast to 2 semesters of logic, where there was no book, and I filled up notebooks of material that came from the instructor's brain onto the whiteboard. She didn't chit-chat, she would watch the clock and start writing on the marker board when the second hand literally hit 12. She had EVERYTHING memorized - she was a bonafide genius, and it was a privilege to be in her class. I showed up everyday - I did not have to.

[gibby]

LOL!!! Wow...such the rebel! :p I liked the little bit about telling your instructor why you didn't buy the book. HAHA! :cheers:

[Miscue]

LOL!!! Wow...such the rebel! :p I liked the little bit about telling your instructor why you didn't buy the book. HAHA! :cheers:

I think that most people have the wrong idea about school, moreso than me being a rebel. There's a certain mythology and mysticism attached to "higher education," that society brainwashes people into thinking. It is so indoctrinated into people's minds that my point of view is blasphemous. I am pursuing a masters and possibly a PhD for this reason - it is potentially advantageous for me to do so because of the perception of their worth... and that is the real value... it has little to do with education.

[x86assembly]

Check out UPS
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2003-10-14-ups_x.htm

[magman007]

funny, they forgot Avaition. It usually much more profitable in the long run compared to those other jobs

[BlackVCG]

Aviation as in flying planes or engineering planes? If you meant flying... there's only a very small fraction of pilots in the world compared to the number of employees in any of those listed fields. It's not exactly something thousands of people each year get trained in and use it as a career path. If you meant engineering, that would fall under mechanical engineering.

I'm suprised to see my degree as high up there as it is (ME).

I read that UPS article and I thought, wow those guys make a lot of money... but then I think, how much job satisfaction can you get out of driving a truck around all day and walking to people's doors to give them a box? I guess if that's your kinda thing, then go for it. I know I wouldn't last a year doing that job out of sheer boredom. The pay is one thing, but thinking about what you accomplished at the end of the day is another. I like being involved in the end-user product industry. Meaning, what I engineer is something a person uses, or in the case of my current job, driving down the road.

[legion_02]

Gotta love computer networking. Been going to college for a year and a half. Got a couple of certifications, and got my foot in the door making ~30 grand a year at 19 y/o. Plus its a cush job where i sit around all day and surf AO and study for more tests. Gotta study for about 6 months to get my CCIE though. Starting pay for that is 80-100 grand not to mention all the side consulting you can do.

Hardcore Cisco techs make buco money.

[ProX9]

I see a lot of people looking at the rest of their lives from the wrong point of view, money first before their own interest. Everyone likes money, I won't argue against that. I just don't think that money should be the deciding factor when you're deciding what major to pursue or what job to stick with. So a UPS driver makes 60k-70k a year, do you want to drive around all day carrying heavy packages to someone's doorstep? Actuaries make a lot as well, but they sit behind a desk all day analyzing risk, sounds enjoyable. After many years of thinking and going through about 9000 ideas of what I wanted to be, I decided that chemical engineering was for me. It gives such a huge spectrum of job choices and it's everything I want to do. It's also very high paying, especially for those with doctorals. On a side note, I like blowing things up and a chemical engineering degree will definitely get me into that field should I decide to pursue that.

[trains are bad]

I'm taking a straight physics degree, minor in math. I'm really only taking physics because it's the only thing that can keep my attention, and it's objective. I would have taken engineering, but this school doesn't really have an engineering program, and they kind of rolled the red carpet out for me as far as financial aid. Gotta love buying subwoofers with the $1800 a semester I get paid to go to school. Ahh, the benefits of getting a 34 on the ACT. I'm currently pulling a 3.46 but next semester is going to be hell.

[Jakedubbleya]

actuarial mathematics.....That would be above them all. That is my current major and the pay in it is amazing.

I know a methemetician who could only find a job as a professor (w/ doctorate of course)

he got bored, got a degree in physics, and now has under his belt such projects as the super-collider, and is currently working with IBM as a lead on the worlds most powerfull computer.

math itself sucks.
-----------

of course im majoring in alchohol, so maby my views are a bit skewed

[Jakedubbleya]

also, on another note, just to be a jackass:

i could drop out of school right now and make 60k my first year. no experience or schooling of any sort.

oh, and thats working maby 4, 5 days a week, sometimes 4 hour days, sometimes 34 hour days (but usually around 6:) ).

GUESS THAT JOB!

(but im still going to school, the 20k i make in the summer is fine...)

[Rooster]

Engineers ge more cash up front, but they top out quicker. A good process/project manager will be making twice what an engineer does in just a few years. They catch is, you have to be good.

[Miscue]

also, on another note, just to be a jackass:

i could drop out of school right now and make 60k my first year. no experience or schooling of any sort.

oh, and thats working maby 4, 5 days a week, sometimes 4 hour days, sometimes 34 hour days (but usually around 6:) ).

GUESS THAT JOB!

(but im still going to school, the 20k i make in the summer is fine...)

Dope Dealer.

[Big'n slo]

Engineers ge more cash up front, but they top out quicker. A good process/project manager will be making twice what an engineer does in just a few years. They catch is, you have to be good.

QTF

I gotta go check my job description :mad:

[Jakedubbleya]

Dope Dealer.

allow me to add lega/legitimate to the job description:)

and that after about 5 yrs of experience in it you can get 40 hr a week jobs that pay 100k.

[Miscue]

allow me to add lega/legitimate to the job description:)

and that after about 5 yrs of experience in it you can get 40 hr a week jobs that pay 100k.

Aha! Sperm donor!

[gimp]

I see a lot of people looking at the rest of their lives from the wrong point of view, money first before their own interest. ....

That is definetly right. I've got an electrical and a computer engineering degree from a decent school. I could have made quite a bit more money working at some company where I sit behind a desk all day crunching numbers. I went with the lesser paying job because I'm excited about it. I get to do something I want to do.


Engineers ge more cash up front, but they top out quicker. A good process/project manager will be making twice what an engineer does in just a few years. They catch is, you have to be good.

That is true. Engineers generally get a good starting salary, a few raises, but it really doesn't increase much and it tops out pretty fast. I'm just out of school, but what I've noticed with all the companies that I've interviewed is that the managers started out as engineers. also, at my school, they started spending a lot of time teaching management tactics just for this reason.

[BlackVCG]

Yes, you can only go so far as an engineer. Where I work, the highest level engineer is a Senior Development Engineer. The guy that sits right next to me at work is one and he more or less does the same stuff as myself, but has some long term projects of greater responsibility.

You definitely need to continue your education. I plan on in a year or two going for an MBA and then using that later on in my career. There's no way I'm going to sit in the same desk for 20 years and just move up the engineering ladder. For some people though, that's perfectly fine. It's all up to you. Just don't let money be a deciding factor on the education path you choose. Do what you're interested in and the money will follow.