College Majors That Do and Don’t Make Money 💰

Hey y'all,

"What do you wanna be when you grow up?"

You're probably sick of hearing this question from everyone you know... and I don't blame you. You might be in high school and not know the answer. You might be in college and still not know the answer.

Choosing a major is tough. You have to think about career paths, difficulty, parent approval, and probably the most important factor for most people... pay.

Well don't worry. I'm going to cover the majors that do and don't make money.

High ROI Majors 💰

Engineering

Were you actually surprised to see this on the list? Of course not. I'm sure you have that one cousin who became a successful engineer, and now they're the only person your parents talk about.

But here's the thing... it's for good reason. Engineers make money. Like a TON of money. The median starting salary is $73,922.

What's the catch? Engineering is brutal. If math and science is your strong suit and you're willing to brace through many all-nighters to work at the forefront of innovation, then engineering may be for you.

Computer Science

Is the current job market for CS cooked? Absolutely. Will AI one day replace all software engineers? Not anytime soon, but it's not hard to envision a day they might.

However, the numbers still speak for themselves—computer science graduates are still some of the highest earners, with an average starting salary of $76,746.

My advice for anyone interested: prepare yourself for lots of math, work on side projects, and please, for the sake of everyone, shower regularly. (Us CS majors need to bond together to break the stereotypes.)

Finance

All you need is a Patagonia vest, some loafers, and an obnoxious demeanor, and you should be good to go!

I kid. The vast majority of finance majors don't fit the rich bro stereotype, though plenty do end up becoming rich. The average starting salary is around $85K.

But—and there's always a but—finance majors typically deal with brutal hours. JPMorgan implemented an 80-hour weekly cap for junior investment bankers. A cap. Of 80 hours. Do you know how wild that is?

Low ROI Majors 📉

Fine Arts

This major encompasses subjects like music, visual arts, and performing arts—areas that are exciting and fulfilling but unfortunately don't pay the most. The average starting salary is $48,700.

Now does this mean you should destroy your guitar and throw out your canvases? No! Your degree doesn't dictate how much you make. What you choose to do with that degree does.

Education

A study found that a bachelor's degree in education has a negative lifetime ROI of -55.43%. In other words, this isn't a major that makes a little bit of money—it's one that literally loses it: $149K to be exact.

It's sad because we need more teachers, yet they just aren't paid enough. Do you remember how your teacher would decorate the classroom for holidays? That came out of their own pocket.

Shoutout to the teachers reading this. Y'all are the real heroes.

Humanities

I feel bad for these majors because the humanities are fun, but unfortunately English, history, and philosophy majors often get a bad rap for their average salaries. The average starting salary for an English major is $49,332—about 11% below the average college grad.

But here's the thing: these majors have transferable skills that are very much relevant. English majors develop strong writing skills. History majors develop research abilities. Philosophy majors hone critical thinking.

You might be surprised to learn that many tech executives like Steve Jobs and Jack Ma have humanities backgrounds. In fact, I'd argue humanities offer more versatile career paths than STEM—but you need to take the initiative to figure out which path is right for you.

The Bottom Line 📝

Some majors fall somewhere in between, like healthcare (great pay but brutal hours) and IT (solid salaries with lower barriers to entry).

The key is to balance money with passion. Your degree doesn't have to define your entire career, but it's worth understanding the financial realities before committing four years of your life to studying something.

Which fields are you considering and why? Feel free to DM me on Instagram (@goharsguide) to let me know. I won’t be able to respond to everyone, but I’ll do my best!

If you want study help, come join my Discord! We have a global community of students helping each other succeed in school. I’d love to see you there.

If you’re ready to level up this school year, check out Scholar OS. It’s the ultimate Notion template designed to help you organize your classes and life in one place.

I’ll see you next week!

Best,
Gohar