The 5 Worst College Majors If You Like Money!

Let’s face it, nobody wants to graduate from college only to find out they chose one of the worst college majors!

Choosing the correct college major is often a time of great speculation and, in the case of many students, tremendous stress. After all, the major you choose to pursue can have long lasting effects on your post-graduate life, to say nothing of your career. While many people struggle to pinpoint their interests or what they hope to accomplish as a student, it can be quite a task to decide among the ever-growing list of college majors.

In some cases, it may be most beneficial to understand what you are not interested in, which can help you narrow down your list of potential courses of study. Although any educational track has its merits, not all college majors are created equal. To help you in your quest, consider this list of the worst college majors.

The 5 Worst College Majors

In selecting these majors, we kept it simple and only used a couple criteria to form our list.  The two factors which generally contribute to the attractiveness of a particular major are…

1. Employability After Graduation
2. Income Potential

These majors typically do not significantly boast either attribute:

Religious Studies
Religious Studies, which may go by other names such as Divinity or Theology, is not exactly a wise investment of your time and resources. Indeed, this course of study is only ideal for those who have a true passion or calling for the field, as the range of employability is limited primarily to churches and other religious institutions, most of which are not very lucrative careers. What’s more, should you decide not to work in the field of Religion after graduation, this major does not offer many translatable skills to other careers.

English
Although one of the oldest fields of study, English is certainly one of the worst college majors. A degree in English does not open many doors to careers other than teaching, and this type of education does not entail many practical job skills. Although many pre-law students choose to major in English, it is much wiser to choose a practical major such as Business, Mathematics, or Economics.

Also see Education Salaries below!…

Fine Arts
Although music and the fine arts have an irreplaceable role in our society, neither should be considered as a college major, unless you have a true passion for your craft. A degree in either of these fields endows students with absolutely zero practical job skills, and students in these majors have almost no employability. In fact, the most typical job acquired by these grads is in the field of education. Furthermore, music and fine arts teachers quite often make even less than the average teacher salary.

See Education Salaries below…

Education
It might seem odd to consider Education as one of the worst college majors, as this is obviously such an important career. The truth is, though, that teachers have one of the lowest average salaries of any college-educated profession. Although teachers do have a favorable work schedule, their jobs can be stressful. What’s more, the current economic climate has even slowed the rate at which teachers are being hired, making Education a major which you should be wary of.

• Average Elementary Salary Range: $40,000-$60,800
• Average Secondary Salary Range: $40,000-$77,000

Social Work
Social work has long been an area of low pay, and even lower employability.  To do this kind of work, you really need to have a true passion or calling for it as it not glamorous and it certainly won’t make you independently wealthy.  Areas of employment can range from psychiatric centers, hospitals and adult health centers to the public and private school systems.  If you would like to earn a decent living doing social work, your best bet would be to get into a public school system as you will most likely be paid based on a teacher contract.

• Salary Range: $43,000-$59,800

This list of the worst college majors is by no means comprehensive. While some students choose to pursue their passion without regard to career prospects, it is vitally important to consider what type of job your major may facilitate and how well you will be compensated for years to come.  We are by no means saying that you shouldn’t follow your true calling or passion in life just because it doesn’t pay well.  But, you should consider earning power and employability when considering any career path!

Related Articles:

• What Should I Major In College? 4 Important Factors To Consider!
• Top College Majors and Where To Get The Best Degree
• Easiest Colleges To Get Into – 100% Acceptance!