These college degrees will land you worst pay

Going to college can be an expensive affair; so, you really need to keep in mind the return on investment (ROI) before you opt for a course.

Some degrees are considered as a sure ticket to settling well in life, but there are certain streams that land students jobs that do not necessarily pay well. If money is your only focus and you don’t care much about job satisfaction and fulfilment, then these degrees are not for you.

A study by www.salary.com reveals eight college degrees with the worst return on investment.

A word of caution here - while these degrees many not, on average, pay much, top performers in these streams do naturally earn more than what the average folk in some of the 'high-paying' fields earn.

That said, here's the list, with the least worst in the list to begin with.

#8 Sociology

Sociology is an exciting and illuminating field of study that analyses and explains important matters in our personal lives, our communities, and the world. People who enter the field of sociology generally are interested in helping their fellow man but it doesn’t really pay well. The three jobs commonly held by sociology majors are social worker, corrections officer and chemical dependency counsellor.

#7 Fine Arts

Fine art is art developed primarily for aesthetics, distinguishing it from applied art that also has to serve some practical function. Such artists are respected, revered and celebrated but haven’t we heard the term “starving artist”? They could be very famous but do not fare well when it comes to their financial status. Here are three jobs commonly held by workers with a fine arts degree – museum research worker, graphic designer and painter/illustrator.

#6 Education

This is perhaps one of the noblest professions and we pay huge sums in tuition to be educated by the best brains. Unfortunately, those who teach and train us are not compensated well. Here are three commonly held jobs in education - daycare centre teacher, elementary school teacher and high school teacher.

#5 Theology

While dedicating your life to the service of others is laudable, it isn’t going to lead to a healthy bank balance after you earn your degree and go main stream. Here are three commonly held jobs theological jobs – educators, chaplain healthcare and associate pastor.

#4 Hospitality/Tourism

Jobs after majoring in hospitality are like those working behind the scenes in a movie. They toil to make everything perfect as everyone else enjoys the fruits of their labour. Sadly, there isn’t always a lot of financial benefit after earning this degree. Here are three commonly held hospitality jobs meeting/event planner, hotel resident manager and catering manager.

#3 Nutrition

You could spend all your time telling others what to eat, how to eat right and ensuring that your clients live a good life. But all that hard work and education necessary to land this job might not turn a huge profit. The most common job roles after majors in this subject are dietician, food services manager and food scientist.

#2 Psychology

This is a difficult choice – getting into other people’s brain and understanding their mental functions and behaviours. But why it isn’t a well-paid job is a tricky question. Maybe you can get inside the head of someone influential and find out why workers in this field don't get paid more for these jobs. Three most common job roles for psychology students are human services worker, career counsellor and bereavement coordinator.

#1 Communications

The job of those in media looks fun. They are everywhere and for those who are not in the industry seem to think this is perhaps the most gratifying of jobs. Job satisfaction is another thing but those who study communications are not busy counting their money. Although these skills require lots of education and training, they buried the lead regarding the lack of payoff. Most common job titles are copywriter, news reporter and marketing coordinator.

[Image via Shutterstock]

 

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