The WORST-PAYING College Degrees (PHOTOS)

How much is your college degree actually worth? Each year, PayScale compiles a list of how lucrative most majors are. We took a look at the list's bottom half, and the news is not so good. But hey, a job's a job. And to our nation's public servants: we salute you.

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Social Work

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The quest for social welfare doesn't pay much, even if you commit to it for the long haul. Average starting salary is just over $33,000, and the average mid-career salary barely tops $40,000.

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The quest for social welfare doesn't pay much, even if you commit to it for the long haul. Average starting salary is just over $33,000, and the average mid-career salary barely tops $40,000.

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Comments

[Thornology]

10:53 PM on 06/22/2010

Any degree a person earns can either make them tons of money or very little pay it just depends on how you use it. Laziness and expecting others to determine the value of what you are worth gets you average pay, going above and beyond makes you independently wealthy as well as satisfied and fulfilled. I suppose it determines how much you really love what you went to school for and not what you just settled with.

[inmotion12]

08:52 PM on 06/21/2010

None of this surprises me as an economics major. There are two main things that determine career salary:

1. Supply
2. Demand

It's pretty simple and it's the reason why I switched from studying psychology to economics and computer science. To me, subjects like psychology, history, political science, anthropology etc... are things that should be studied in one's leisure time with one exception, which is if your career goal is to be a professor/teacher in one of those subjects. I think it's very poor decision-making for someone to choose history or english as a college major unless they intend to teach the subject to others. After college, you'll have 50-70 years to read and learn about the subjects you are interested in. The purpose of going to college should be to prepare you for a well-paying career, as well as teaching you how to think critically- which is what the core courses are for.

[samthor]

10:34 AM on 06/15/2010

And this is part of the reason college may not be the best path to hone your skills as an artist or musician. With SKY high tuition and whopping student loan interest rates, the debt is not always worth it. If any one is thinking of going intot these areas, consider alternative methods of education.

[Rozanna]

11:48 AM on 06/11/2010

They forgot to mention my degree - Anthropology.

[pmoessner]

05:16 AM on 06/11/2010

Being a research assistant in the biological sciences pays even lower than a social worker. In 1999 with a MS I started out at $10/hour. When I left the field in 2004 I was paid $29,000/year. My understanding is salaries have not improved much since then.

[Anthony OReilly]

04:31 AM on 06/11/2010

The Pope dosent get paid?? Oh no then how will he afford all those nice thing.... oh right tithing!

[BridgetNielsen]

12:57 PM on 06/08/2010

I think generally this is true. I disagree with the Fine Arts degree- I've gotten just as much money from my art degree as my buisness degree. The catch is that Fine Art majors have to use their CREATIVITY to make money and have a competitive edge...

[mrm3]

11:43 AM on 06/11/2010

I totally agree with you. I've been flamed flamed flamed on this thread for saying that nothing is promised especially in the arts, but none of these underachievers want to hear it. If you can't market your art in this 21st century world of eBay, Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc etc etc ad nauseum you aren't trying hard enough and don't deserve to call yourself an artist.

Another stupid thing people say is that they can't work a full-time job and also be artists. Are you so tortured that you can't create and do something you love in the evening? Puleeze.

Fanned.

[nmaddog7]

09:36 AM on 06/15/2010

Fanned, although to give you a Counterexample, I did a BA in architecture and then was disabled in an accident. Because of the increased competitveness in my general focus, I am having to retrain myself because I can't work a 10 hour day.

[Andnowwesee]

10:45 AM on 06/07/2010

The issues with social workers is they do not get their skill base out in the public eye. The average person believes social workers only work with youth. False-they are the most trained people coming from college and can handle most if not all situations that arise. social workers are trained to handle crisis. The work we do is far beyond the salary. We should begin at $50,000 that is still low.

The NASW is WEAK and needs to be dismantled. They do nothing for social workers but agree with left wing policies. NASW does not follow nor push the very reason their is social work. Its so political, this is why we are paid so low. We have no positive exposure and people again have no idea what we can do, have done and will be doing. Professors of colleges are at fault for this too. They make plenty of money but treat students in this career field like aliens from another planet.

The whole career needs rebuilding.

[vet-of4renwarz]

04:37 PM on 06/03/2010

I wonder what (if any) do the Pope have to pay for with his own money...

[MBA is King]

05:04 AM on 06/03/2010

That's supposed to look like Jessica Alba's head?

Wow. That guy needs more college, maybe he should do an MBA or something.

http://www.mbaunderground.blogspot.com/

[jcabowers]

09:40 PM on 06/01/2010

When I got my social work degree, I didn't read the fine print. Turned out to be a vow of poverty.

[MBA is King]

05:02 AM on 06/03/2010

You mean that college is a scam?

www,mbaunderground.blogspot.com

[Andnowwesee]

10:46 AM on 06/07/2010

yes but don't tell the youth

[BrianManning81]

01:58 AM on 06/06/2010

It's my assumption you would be well aware that a social work degree does not come with a written in gold. Seems like a degree one would choose in the the service of others. Selfless and admirable.

[jcabowers]

09:11 AM on 06/06/2010

Yes, SWers are well aware of the money situation and it is the service to others that motivates us. I've been at it for 35 years and have no complaints. Meant the first post as a bit of sardonic humor.

[Andnowwesee]

10:47 AM on 06/07/2010

Being selfless and admirable doesn't mean being poor.

[Andman0121]

03:11 PM on 05/30/2010

This society is a joke

[hypnotoad72]

06:43 PM on 06/02/2010

Pithy, but not inaccurate.

[MJVs Common Sense]

09:49 PM on 05/27/2010

I think what is REALLY sad about this is that many of these (social work and elementary education for example) require a MASTERS level education, so they take out even more debts to pay for school, and then don't make any money. I work in education, so maybe I'm a little biased, but I think we need to pay teachers a lot more. Teachers should get $100,000 a year. There should be a vicious competition to be a teacher in American schools. Right now we can barely get enough to fill the classrooms, much less expect to hire only the best and brightest.

[johnmorgan]

10:54 PM on 06/01/2010

You're right about the salary.

But right now there are a lot of unemployed teachers. School districts are cutting back. Even bad schools can pick and choose the teachers they want now, thanks to the bad economy.

[mrm3]

11:44 AM on 06/11/2010

I think Teach For America is a good program that aims to bring innovation into American classrooms. Some of those 'non'- professional college grads bring out the best in their students while 'professional' educators fail fail fail

[Pauline Walters]

05:18 PM on 05/27/2010

Sometimes it is not about the money it is all about enjoying the job. I personally would rather make less and enjoy going to work each day than get paid more and not enjoy the job.

[Amanda Donovan]

04:35 PM on 05/28/2010

spoken like someone who makes a living! im a social worker, and while i love what i do, i also need to keep a roof over the heads of my kids and their bellies full. i would say that more than half of the people i went to grad school with less than ten years ago have now left the field out of necessity.

[Andnowwesee]

10:55 AM on 06/07/2010

Agree agree agree. We go into deep debt and society feels we should be underpaid. I can not for the life of me know why social workers should be underpaid. Have they NO IDEA what we must do to obtain our degrees? Or the suffering we suffer helping others?!
When did this career become such a lowly one that we don't need the very things our clients need.

Social workers unite and lets demand more money. Most of us have to go to grad school or we cannot even practice what we learned in undergrad!

We need a change and since we are change makers lets make that change for our selves!

[mrm3]

11:45 AM on 06/11/2010

Where could you go after that though?

[Clem2]

04:08 AM on 05/27/2010

I would think that art history is another degree not likely to get you anywhere financially. It's interesting and fun, but I took it as a minor as even years ago there were really few jobs in it.

[MBA is King]

05:02 AM on 06/03/2010

You are not allowed to say that about college dude.

Just...no.

[hypnotoad72]

12:39 PM on 06/03/2010

College, most people think, helps them land well-paying jobs and to avoid the stigma and stereotype of "the poor choose to be that way because they are uneducated".

Oh well, at least we'll end up a nation of poor, educated people.

[mrm3]

11:45 AM on 06/11/2010

haha I love your comments MBA is King keep them coming