PIC Current

By Mike Lazear: PICurrent Assistant Producer

During difficult economic times, people of all ages are coming to grips with the fact that earning a living is not going to be easy. People who have been in secure lines of work for years are suddenly finding themselves without a job. Or worse, having to start over and re-evaluate their entire careers.

But what about college-age students who are making decisions about what line of work to pursue? Should they take the current recession into account when selecting a major?

There are many questions a concerned college student can ask when making these decisions:

1. How long will the recession last, and by the time I graduate, will it be a factor anymore?
2. Should I delay even going to school until I can be sure that I’ll be able to afford it?
3. Should I pick a major that I’m really interested in, even if job outlook is scarce right now?
4. If I do pick a major in a field that looks like it will be less affected by a recession, can I switch to a field I am more interested in when things improve?

These are all valid questions. The most difficult thing some college kids are facing is the realization that if they are going to want to earn a living and pay off student loans, they may have to select a different major than they originally intended.

This is a difficult thing to come to grips with. There are many assessments available online that help students who are deciding what to do with their lives what they should major in. But these articles often fail to realize some difficult realities:

1. Student loans are prohibitive these days, and difficult to pay off
2. Some majors do not really prepare a student for finding a job
3. Real learning in college is a choice. Simply going to college is not enough to prepare a student for the “real world.”

If you are a college student and are trying to find the right major, check out this list. It shows what the average student earns by major. These earnings estimates seem high to me. Subtract about $15,000 from each figure and you will have your entry-level salary. Given the current state of the economy, salary is important to consider, no matter what you want to pursue.

A few months ago, we posted an article on the top U.S. careers for college grads. It’s still worth a look.

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