Which college degree is most valuable in the new economy?

[Liberal_in_LA]

What degree would you advise a new or returning student to get given the crappy economy?

[jody]

1. Not everyone is qualified for each of those degrees. n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. This is theoretical question. What would you advise the average person...

[jody]

8. The average person is not qualified for medical or law school. n/t

[deaniac21]

19. Law school? Not that hard.

[jody]

21. Depends on the quality of the law school you attend. n/t

[depakid]

23. Not as much as folks think- and definitely not according to prestige

[fujiyama]

44. Getting into a very good law school is very hard

and getting out with good grades is even tougher.

Getting into a fourth tier law school and graduating with mediocre grades, on the other hand, isn't too difficult.

[SoCalDem]

26. What I would advise (and DID advise my sons)

Do what YOU LOVE TO DO...do not waste money and time "trying to become something".. Make a career doing something useful ..

Our 3 became:

a 6-figure exec ...west coast manager for his company (he did not even graduate high school :grr:..)

a crane operator (steel mill crane) sadly, unemployed right now:( Luckily he's in a "protected group", so his unemployemnt is more than enough..

a management guy with an large apartment complex corporation...about 25 complexes in LA County/Riverside county, who does high-end tile jobs as a side-job..

"Oldsters" advice to the young ones.


3. Find something you LOVE to do..even if it sounds silly. Careers and wealth often come from the things you love to do. There are careers in all kind of things. Kids get hung up on the "glamour" jobs...professional sports, fashion..dance..acting..music..

Everything you come into contact in your daily life was invented by SOMEONE.. Give yourself the time to open your mind to all possibilities.. Cultivate your interests, and learn all you can about them.


snip...


11. When you are building your career, be flexible, and ready to move to better jobs, in different places. Stay as unburdened by "stuff & entanglements" as possible. If you get a chance for a promotion, that involves a move, you don't want to have to sell a house, or convince a "homebody" girlfriend. Opportunities do not often repeat themselves. the things you DON'T take advantage of, will eat away at you forever. You have to be ready to DO the "what if"s.


snip...

[RKP5637]

30. Excellent Advice IMO!!! n/t

[rainbow4321]

34. Ditto for my daughter

At one point she was thinking about going to school to be a medical examiner but she was sooo involved in the high school theater program...it so turned her around in high school and she LOVED doing it...backstage work/stage manager stuff. So it was between being an ME and theater major.
I told her she needed to do a theater degree since that is what her passion seemed to be.
She picked theater degree and also got a business certificate. I doubt MY opinion made her decide but I was so happy about her decision.
She graduated in May and has had some amazing opportunites since then..she's travelled to 30 cities, got paid good $$ (with room/travel paid), had the time of her life, and now lives on the East coast getting the experience she needs to move up in the field..the theater community members have been wonderful to her and she has had many mentors that she really respects.
There is life beyond the traditional degrees/professions.

[Leftist Agitator]

62. that is hands down the WORST advice that I've ever seen proffered...

Are you fucking serious?

"Do what YOU LOVE TO DO..."

I love History so much that I capitalize it. I have a Masters in History, and a B.A. Guess how much good those have done me?

Oh, and my friends and acquaintances who followed their dreams and "did what they LOVE to do"... Jobless, every one. Graphic Design, Philosophy, History, English Literature, Creative Writing, Political Science, Sociology, the list goes on and on... Jobless, every one. Unless you count the "fortunate" few who are telemarketing or working fast food, of course. They certainly feel that ~40k spent on an "education" was worth it... Oh, wait, they don't.

"Hey kids! You can grow up to be whatever you WANT to be! Settle for nothin' less! DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO!!!"

You know, SoCalDem, I would not have figured that you were afflicted with a damn near terminal case of naivete, but there you have it.

So what if one of your children had a keen interest in a truly niche field, say, the comparative analysis of totalitarian societies, would you still advise them to go for the gusto?

Be honest!

[Liberal_in_LA]

71. It doesn't do anyone good to major in a field the absolutely hate. Some enjoyment of

the major is needed to be successful

[Dora]

2. You forgot teh MFA!

LOL!

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. ooops. Put that under 'other'

[Political Heretic]

4. Other: MSW

:)

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. Univ of Calif is mulling including MSW in same category as MBA, charging big fees to enroll

[Political Heretic]

10. That's pretty sick. MBA does not equal MSW (or vice versa)

[Liberal_in_LA]

11. that's why everone is shocked. Social workers don't have the same payscale as MBA

[Political Heretic]

13. Or the same objectives (not that this matters for pricing)

[fujiyama]

48. .

[rucky]

7. Engineering

the only "good" jobs left are with Defense contractors.

[girl gone mad]

46. I would advise young people against it.

China is graduating tens of millions of engineers who will gladly work for around $10K per year.

This will be true of many of the hard science over the next decade. Unless you really love the field, avoid it. If you love it, be prepared to work very hard for very low pay and few opportunities for advancement.

[stray cat]

9. The MD better be valuable since you pay about 240,000 minimum for tuition after college

[depakid]

12. A Masters of Nursing pretty much writes your ticket- and allows you to go most anywhere in the world

That said, quite a number of people I know will debate whether the additional time and expense are worth the additional pay (or the additional opportunities which may or may not come with higher pay).

[Political Heretic]

14. An MSW is cheaper and gives you some pretty good relocation options

[depakid]

15. Worked with several MSW's in Oregon

Very congenial non-profit environment and excellent health benefits, which more than makes up for the pay disparity in the private sector or with other degrees.

[Political Heretic]

74. And you have the added joy of advocating social justice and/or working directly with people in need.

Me, my emphasis is on social justice advocacy and public policy analysis through the lens of social work.

Though I have to admit, that's less immediately employable overseas as a clinical focus would be. I've got clinical training through my masters and years of internship, but I'm not currently licensed because I have been doing (prior to unemployment) and want to keep doing community advocacy work...

[KittyWampus]

16. If you have a knack for foreign language- study Chinese and Arabic and Spanish.

Translating Business, Medical and Science documents will probably be a good bet.

[jdp349]

50. That's easily outsourced as well

[alfredo]

17. I had two nieces go into nursing. They've never had

to search for job prospects. Both went geriatric in their specialty. They will not have to worry about employment. One works at the ICU at our VA hospital. The other is at the University hospital. Both have had bad experiences at for profit hospitals.

[Dappleganger]

22. My mother worked for years as a geriatric RN

in a very posh assisted living center in VA Beach. She loved her job and was often recruited by other facilities in that area. As long as there are elderly around there will always be a need for geriatric nurses of all kinds.

[alfredo]

59. My geriatric years are approaching.

[B Calm]

18. I would advise them to go to truck driving school.

[Liberal_in_LA]

39. Are you being sarcastic?

[B Calm]

77. uh. . . NO

[jody]

20. On reflection, you need to include a degree in Pharmacy. n/t

[HeresyLives]

24. What's an EDD or an MFA?

I'm guessing at most of these, being from outta town. LOL

[Liberal_in_LA]

38. EDD = Education doctorate, MFA = Masters of fine Arts

[HeresyLives]

43. Ahhh thank you!

[L0oniX]

25. Sanitary engineer.

[Mike 03]

27. Nursing. NT

[LLStarks]

28. Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Science (MS). WHERE?!? nt

[Oregone]

29. MBA for insurance industry management position

[Berry Cool]

31. I don't know what I'd recommend as much as I know what I'd recommend against.

JD. At least for right now.

[jtuck004]

32. New Economy? Given the things that are coming down the pike, perhaps

Nuclear Engineering
Agricultural Economics
Water Engineering
Petroleum Engineering
International Finance

in addition to some of the others you mentioned?

[a la izquierda]

33. PhD in Mexican history

someone's got to explain what the hell's going on down there. Oh, and I've got a boatload of bills...

[undeterred]

35. This post presumes the PhD is not the most valuable.

Good presumption.

[Liberal_in_LA]

37. another oops. Left PHD off the list. But I am aware that professor jobs are very competitive

these days.

[undeterred]

41. Its been that way for a long time.

And having a PhD in a field unrelated to the job you're looking for puts off a lot of HR people and hiring managers.

[hack89]

36. Anything that involves math

engineering, science, pharmacy, veterinarian science,

[Swamp Rat]

40. PhD in Science

Geology, geography, urban planning, aerospace and related fields in applied science (i.e. remote sensing, robotics, and technologies used for military, security and surveillance applications), as well as chemistry/pharmacology/genetics.

[fujiyama]

42. You can't get an MD, JD, MBA, or DDS without a BA/BS in the first place

If you want to talk about value though, an associate's in nursing from a community college will more or less likely get a decent paying, fairly stable job for a two year degree. Granted, not everyone's cut out for nursing and it's definitely not an easy job!

Otherwise vocational degree (from community colleges not ITT or overpriced for profit schools) can lead to decent careers.

Note, I'm only mentioning the AA/AS level degrees. A BS is recommended though, simply because it's being required more and more.

[HeresyLives]

47. A bachelors is entry level these days.

Like high school used to be.

70% of all new jobs require post-secondary education

[depakid]

57. In the US, that is

[Juche]

45. Anything to do with health care

[cynatnite]

49. Medical Coding and Billing...

That's going to be one of the fastest growing jobs for the next five years if HCR passes this weekend.

[EFerrari]

53. No kidding. You should be a jobs counselor!

[FarCenter]

56. Maybe -- but it will be automated with hand-helds or outsourced to a low wage country

So there will be a brief period of opportunity.

Actually, that is sort of a general principle -- look for change in the economy. There is usually work to be done in the transition.

[FarCenter]

51. Salaries by college degree

Undergrad College Degree       Starting Median  Mid-Career Median
Aerospace Engineering                $59,600     $109,000
Chemical Engineering                 $65,700     $107,000
Computer Engineering                 $61,700     $105,000
Electrical Engineering               $60,200     $102,000
Economics                            $50,200     $101,000
Physics                              $51,100      $98,800
Mechanical Engineering               $58,900      $98,300
Computer Science                     $56,400      $97,400
Industrial Engineering               $57,100      $95,000
Environmental Engineering            $53,400      $94,500
Statistics                           $48,600      $94,500
Biochemistry                         $41,700      $94,200
Mathematics                          $47,000      $93,600
Civil Engineering                    $55,100      $93,000
Construction Management              $53,400      $89,600
Finance                              $48,500      $89,400
Management Information Syste         $51,900      $87,200
Computing and Information Sy         $50,900      $86,700
Geology                              $45,100      $84,200
Chemistry                            $42,900      $82,300
Marketing                            $41,500      $81,500
International Relations              $41,400      $80,500
Industrial Technology                $49,500      $79,600
Environmental Science                $43,300      $78,700
Architecture                         $42,900      $78,300
International Business               $41,900      $77,800
Accounting                           $46,500      $77,600
Political Science                    $41,300      $77,300
Urban Planning                       $43,300      $77,000
Philosophy                           $40,000      $76,700
Information Technology               $49,400      $75,200
Zoology                              $37,000      $74,400
Occupational Therapy                 $61,300      $73,400
Microbiology                         $39,800      $73,200
Business Administration              $42,900      $73,000
Business Management                  $43,300      $72,100
Advertising                          $36,900      $71,800
Biology                              $39,500      $71,800
Film Production                      $38,200      $71,800
Landscape Architecture               $43,100      $70,800
History                              $38,800      $70,000
Health Sciences                      $37,800      $69,600
Geography                            $40,400      $69,300
Nursing                              $54,900      $69,000
Communications                       $38,700      $68,400
Radio and Television                 $34,000      $67,000
English                              $37,800      $66,900
Agriculture                          $40,900      $66,700
Hotel Business Management            $37,400      $66,400
Journalism                           $36,300      $65,300
Forestry                             $39,700      $64,200
Anthropology                         $37,600      $63,200
Fashion Design                       $36,700      $62,800
Public Relations                     $36,700      $62,600
Art History                          $36,300      $62,400
Health Care Administration           $37,900      $61,000
Psychology                           $36,000      $61,000
Interior Design                      $35,700      $59,900
Human Resources                      $37,800      $59,600
Graphic Design                       $36,000      $59,400
Criminal Justice                     $35,900      $59,300
Medical Technology                   $46,600      $58,400
Foods and Nutrition                  $41,700      $58,200
Sociology                            $36,500      $57,900
Religious Studies                    $35,300      $57,500
Drama                                $35,600      $56,600
Fine Arts                            $35,800      $56,300
Hospitality and Tourism              $37,000      $54,300
Education                            $36,200      $54,100
Horticulture                         $37,200      $53,400
Spanish                              $35,600      $52,600
Music                                $34,000      $52,000
Theology                             $34,800      $51,500
Elementary Education                 $33,000      $42,400
Social Work                          $33,400      $41,600

http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/degrees.asp

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

52. Obscure acronyms are obscure. Where is "Law" in there? -nt

[FarCenter]

54. JD = Juris Doctor

[New Dawn]

55. JD.

But there is a lawyer glut, so I wouldn't vote for that option.

[hunter]

58. Doesn't matter.

The default rate on student loans is going to be just as bad or worse than the real estate crash.

The bigger the loan the harder the fall. It's really going to suck for the high ticket educations. Many of those jobs are getting "outsourced" one way or another -- including doctors, engineers, and even lawyers.

Unless you've got the iron will to be a physician, no matter what, you'll probably be more secure as a PA or Nurse Practitioner.

Unless you've got the iron will to be an engineer, no matter what, you'll probably be more secure as a Mechanic or Plumber or Technology Manager or something like that.

A lot of jobs are pretty rough. Nurses and teachers are spread too thin, too many patients with too many problems, too many students with too many problems.

I don't know. In my perfect world we'd have free education at all levels, single payer health care, a renaissance in clean electric transportation, and we'd be replacing every last coal and gas fired power plant with zero-carbon alternatives (including nuclear) just as fast as we were able. There would be plenty of good high paying jobs for everyone at every level of education, from high school graduate to advanced doctorate.

[quakerboy]

75. Except that you cant just leave the student loans behind

They stick with you, or so I understand.

[hunter]

78. There will be a job opening for you in the military if you are delinquent.

Recruiting doctors and other highly trained individuals will be easy.

[Greyhound]

60. The future looks great for lawyers.

And I'd also advise some international slant to her field of interest.

[flying_wahini]

61. no plumbers or HVAC trades?

Trade school is a great back up in an economy like ours.

Welding, auto repair, plumbing, electricians....

Jobs that endure thru good times and bad.....


IMHO

[upi402]

64. huge unemployment in those areas

first and worst hit by the housing bubble burst this time too.

and people used to get under the table work in bad times for cash. but no more.
HomeDepot and Lowes are surrounded by people that USCIS chooses to ignore because their corporate bosses want exploitable illegal labor to use and abuse, and to compete against indigenous labor who demand that laws be followed, codes adhered to, and have taxes etc to pay.

[Kaleva]

67. Not exactly true. Qualified service & repair people are hard to find.

Installers have a different set of skills then service people do. I didn't have to know how to fabricate ductwork and such while they didn't have to know how to troubleshoot and repair a heating and/or air conditioning unit.

[upi402]

76. Cool, where? 20%+ construction unemployment even in SF shocked me.

You can get thousands of any trades people you want, anywhere you want, any time you want. Trades people are working outside the country now and climbing over each other for those jobs. Where is a good construction market, cuz even Vegas is flat I hear. Service truck hands are out of work everywhere I hear. Be good to know of a decent market in existence!

DDC techs for HVAC is a needed specialized skill but even those workers are getting dumped now. Road crews are getting some work and Ray Lahood says they'll get more soon, along with laborers when they start letting out the money for insulation and energy conservation.

If workers get bailed out half as much as banks and propped up like insurance companies,then there may be job growth. But I think NAFTA and GATT need to be repealed to get manufacturing jobs back.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

63. I think there is NO degree that guarantees a job.

I earned a BA in Biology in 1980. It never helped me get a job.
I earned a J.D. in 1985. It never helped me get a job.

I am completely baffled as to the reason to get a degree in order to get a job. Nobody is hiring, all of us baby boomers seem to be unemployed although we are highly skilled and educated.

Therefore, I only see going to college to get an education and to do something you love to do. I know that is very unpopular.

I could have been unemployed just as long and just as sadly if I did NOT have those two degrees. I already burned myself out on the vocational career I had with the two-year degree.

[juajen]

65. I voted other. My answer is the degree that you got without

having to get any student loans. They are a trap.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

70. I got all my degrees without student loans.

I paid for my expensive private law school degree myself. That was a lot of money.

I am no better off economically than I was when I spent 9 years and several thousands of dollars earning those two degrees. Intellectually, I am better off. But I have not earned one cent of pay based on those two qualifications. I've been seriously underemployed.

I should have just said "To hell with sucking up" and gotten a BFA in painting after all.

[aikoaiko]

66. Med techs -- radiological technicians are paid well and needed all the time.

needed everywhere.

[jmowreader]

68. Try for one of these things...

Nursing, funeral director, institutional food service, truck driver, warehouse management.

[Kaleva]

69. military science would be a possibility.

[readmoreoften]

72. Be an airline pilot! I've heard they make millions... (of pennies, every few years).

Per Capitalism a Love Story. Commercial airline pilots on food stamps with 2nd and 3rd jobs.

[johnaries]

73. It doesn't matter. What they teach in college has nothing to do

with the "real world". Even in IT. The one exception is medical degrees, which many people can't afford.

When prospective employers look at your college degree, all it tells them is that you are "teachable" and you can finish what you started. Once you start your job, forget everything you learned in college.