World News – Remember these numbers do not apply to people working in Costa Rica, and although so many Costa Rica college graduates see the USA as the land of opportunity and money…..it is quite an uphill battle especially in the current state of the economy. The American Dream is slowly being flushed down the toilet.
You probably already know that college grads have an easier time finding jobs, and earn more those who only have a high school diploma. But that’s not the whole story. Some college majors offer a much worse return on investment, with starting salaries that are no better than high school grads’ pay, according to a new study released Wednesday. The study, conducted by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, looked at 2010 and 2011 salaries and unemployment rates among college grads between the ages of 22 and 26. The startling conclusion: Some majors have starting salaries no better than the average salary of a high school graduate, which is about $29,900 a year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
The worst-paying majors tended to be in the arts, where the low pay in creative work is matched by high unemployment rates, with an average of roughly 9 percent unemployment for arts majors. In fact, the overall unemployment for all recent grads is 8.9 percent. Several arts disciplines, however, lead to double-digit unemployment, according to the study.
But that doesn’t mean those who major in those fields are worse off in every way. In fact, as Forbes has reported, studies of college graduates show that liberal arts majors are “are as satisfied or more satisfied with their lives as their classmates in other disciplines.” And several majors in technical fields have high unemployment rates, too, despite relatively high salaries.
Below are the 10 worst-paying majors, with average starting salaries and unemployment rates.
10. Music
Starting Salary: $30,000.
Unemployment Rate: 9.2 percent.
9. Film Video and Photographic Arts
Starting Salary: $30,000.
Unemployment Rate: 12.9 percent.
8. Liberal Arts
Starting Salary: $30,000.
Unemployment Rate: 9.2 percent.
7. Psychology
Starting Salary: $30,000.
Unemployment Rate: 7.6 percent.
6. Philosophy/Religious Studies
Starting Salary: $30,000.
Unemployment Rate: 10.8 percent.
5. Social Work
Starting Salary: $30,000.
Unemployment Rate: 6.6 percent.
4. Fine Arts
Starting Salary: $30,000.
Unemployment Rate: 12.6 percent.
3. Physical Fitness / Parks Recreation
Starting Salary: $30,000.
Unemployment Rate: 8.3 percent.
2. Anthropology / Archaeology
Starting Salary: $28,000.
Unemployment Rate: 10.5 percent.
1. Drama / Theater
Starting Salary: $26,000.
Unemployment Rate: 7.8 percent.
By Dan Fastenberg from Jobs at AOL.com
