We all know that there are several factors at play when an undergraduate student chooses his/her major: interest, aptitude and plans, etc. However, one major factor is the income level of the student’s parents. If parents have less money, students are more prone to go for “useful” majors, such as computer science, while those from more affluent families frequently found to take up subjects like history, languages and the arts for their college major.
This is the conclusion of researchers who assessed data from the National Center for Education Statistics for a latest Atlantic article by Joe Pinsker, “Rich Kids Study English”. After reading this article I found that I was in agreement with the conclusion which had been drawn. In my career of teaching I have seen that the children who hail from small income group families normally sign up for “useful” subjects like computers, math or medicine when they apply to universities in USA.
As per the article, the quantity of money a college student's parents make draws a parallel with what that student studies in college because occasionally students with high-income background don't feel the similar monetary pressure to decide a practical field of study. Furthermore, Kim Weeden, Cornell University sociologist who conducted the study concludes that on completing their college education, prosperous students might have the advantage of a safety net if they aren’t able to land a job or are underemployed. Poor kids refrain from majoring in performing arts or humanities as these are riskier in terms of job opportunities.
Now, I don’t think it is particularly hard to arrive at this conclusion as poorer kids tend to make this decision out of necessity as they know that they have to make money on their own instead of waiting for inheritance like the affluent students. They gravitate towards landing jobs which enable them to make money quickly. The Georgetown University study analyzed the income level of 137 college majors and it concluded that STEM and business grads make the highest amount of money after completing college.
I found out that doctors and surgeons usually hail from low-income families. Fact check for instance, the preliminary salaries for health majors are around $41,000, whilst humanities and liberal arts majors earn an average of $29,000 per annum in entry-level jobs. The top degree programs (as per the study conducted) as per the lifetime earnings are:
1.Medicine or dentistry with $ 5.25 million for men and $2.12 million for women.
2.Business graduate degree with $2.91 million for men and $1.89 million for women.
3.Law graduate degree with $2.9 million for men and $1.77 million for women.
No wonder students from not so affiliated background choose education courses which offer them the best job opportunities. Jobs which require professional degrees actually gain higher economic returns in the open market which isn’t surprising. I find this quite disconcerting as students should not be forced to make decisions just because of their financial background. Each child should be able to make the choice based purely on their interests and not under pressure.
This is the conclusion of researchers who assessed data from the National Center for Education Statistics for a latest Atlantic article by Joe Pinsker, “Rich Kids Study English”. After reading this article I found that I was in agreement with the conclusion which had been drawn. In my career of teaching I have seen that the children who hail from small income group families normally sign up for “useful” subjects like computers, math or medicine when they apply to universities in USA.
As per the article, the quantity of money a college student's parents make draws a parallel with what that student studies in college because occasionally students with high-income background don't feel the similar monetary pressure to decide a practical field of study. Furthermore, Kim Weeden, Cornell University sociologist who conducted the study concludes that on completing their college education, prosperous students might have the advantage of a safety net if they aren’t able to land a job or are underemployed. Poor kids refrain from majoring in performing arts or humanities as these are riskier in terms of job opportunities.
Now, I don’t think it is particularly hard to arrive at this conclusion as poorer kids tend to make this decision out of necessity as they know that they have to make money on their own instead of waiting for inheritance like the affluent students. They gravitate towards landing jobs which enable them to make money quickly. The Georgetown University study analyzed the income level of 137 college majors and it concluded that STEM and business grads make the highest amount of money after completing college.
I found out that doctors and surgeons usually hail from low-income families. Fact check for instance, the preliminary salaries for health majors are around $41,000, whilst humanities and liberal arts majors earn an average of $29,000 per annum in entry-level jobs. The top degree programs (as per the study conducted) as per the lifetime earnings are:
1.Medicine or dentistry with $ 5.25 million for men and $2.12 million for women.
2.Business graduate degree with $2.91 million for men and $1.89 million for women.
3.Law graduate degree with $2.9 million for men and $1.77 million for women.
No wonder students from not so affiliated background choose education courses which offer them the best job opportunities. Jobs which require professional degrees actually gain higher economic returns in the open market which isn’t surprising. I find this quite disconcerting as students should not be forced to make decisions just because of their financial background. Each child should be able to make the choice based purely on their interests and not under pressure.
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