Major Critical to financial success

By Rachel Furlong
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer

Choosing a major is a financial decision that is a large factor in determining what kind of job one gets and what kind of money one will earn upon graduation. With a fluctuating economy and uncertain job market, choosing a major is more difficult than ever.

Research by professors at Northeastern University in Boston revealed that a college student’s major is more important than what college they attend, in determining what kind of salary they will earn following graduation, according to Michael P. Regan.

Paul Fornell, associate director of the career development center at Cal State Long Beach said that he finds this to be true with a couple of rare exceptions. "Of course, if you have a degree in engineering from somewhere like Harvard or Stanford, you’re going to have a lot more sizzle than someone with an engineering degree from a state university," Fornell said. "But those students graduating from very highly prestigious schools like that make up a very small portion of the graduating class." Generally, taking geographical and economic factors into account, what your degree is in is more important than what school a student graduated from.

But Fornell stresses the importance of incorporating more than just salary into a student’s decision concerning their major. "When I work with a student who has no clue what they want to do I help them to determine their interests, values, and abilities, and then explore the possibilities from there," Fornell said. "You want to do something that you love, you’re going to have to get up and go to work every day, how much you like your job will affect how successful you are at what you do."

William Gilstrap, a CSULB student said that he was originally an engineering major, and that a good income was one of his main considerations in choosing his major. After taking some language classes, which inspired him to study Latin, he developed an interest in classical mythology, and switched his major to classical studies. Gilstrap would like to eventually become a nautical archaeologist." "Now I do much better at school," William said. "I like my classes, I’m interested in what I’m learning…I even like my teachers better."

CSULB’s Career Development Center offers services such as career counseling and vocational testing, career workshops and computer programs that are designed to help students get a better idea of what kind of career is right for them.

Cara Connor, a liberal studies major at Cal State Dominguez Hills said that she never even considered income when choosing her major. "I would rather love what I do than make a lot of money," Connor said. "However, I do realize that because I chose to go into a field that doesn’t necessary promise a lot of money that I will probably have to struggle to make ends meet."

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, one in every four new jobs created in the nation’s economy between 2002 and 2012 will be either the healthcare and social assistance or private educational services sector. Also, employment services rank among the fastest growing industries in the nation and is expected to be among those industries that provide the most jobs.