College degrees that don't pay
PayScale.com collected salary data for more than a hundred college degrees. These workers majored in some of the lowest paying fields. But they still love what they do.
Social Work
Median starting pay: $31,800
Median mid-career pay: $44,900
Dealing with homelessness, drug addiction, poverty and abuse on a daily basis in exchange for a tiny paycheck is emotionally -- and financially -- straining.
"Anybody who does this isn't in it for the money. If they are, they're in the wrong field," said Katie Stine-Hodges, a graduate of Portland State University with a degree in child and family studies. Now a case manager for a foster program in Portland, Ore., Stine-Hodges knew her salary would be low, but she has no regrets.
"It sucks to not make as much money as someone else who is doing something less emotionally challenging, but that's the way it is, and I feel lucky to be able to help people and go home at night and feel like I accomplished something."
Athletic Training
Median starting pay: $32,800
Median mid-career pay: $45,700
For the number of hours athletic trainers dedicate to working with athletes, the compensation doesn't always measure up.
Chris Shenberger received a degree in athletic training at Capital University and is now working 60 to 70 hours a week nursing injuries, teaching classes and handling insurance claims as the head athletic trainer at Case Western Reserve University.
"In terms of the amount of time I put in, it's definitely low-paying, and I make significantly less money than a good portion of head coaches," he said. "But I'd rather get paid less money and be here until 10 p.m. because I like being around athletics a lot more than I would like sitting at a desk somewhere, even if it would bring me more money."
Recreation and Leisure
Median starting pay: $33,300
Median mid-career pay: $53,200
For a career path that requires so much energy, the pay can be a drag.
But while they may not be rolling in dough, camp directors, community planners and park managers often get to have a lot more fun than high-paid engineers.
Matt Lewis, who graduated Virginia Wesleyan College in 2007, now works as the youth program director at his local YMCA, which means organizing and taking part in any activities geared toward children -- and getting by on a small paycheck.
"I tell people I get paid in smiles," he said. "I know I'm not making as much money as a lot of my friends, but I love going to work every Monday and know that I'm changing lives every day, whether it's teaching someone how to swim or throw a football."
Art
Median starting pay: $33,500
Median mid-career pay: $54,800
It's not a pretty picture out there for fine art majors, with many graduates still looking for work or squeezing by on measly pay.
Alison Tremblay, an art major with a photography concentration from Alfred University, wasn't getting by on income from freelance photo gigs and was forced to take a job in data entry.
"It pays the bills but it's not what I want to be doing at all," she said. "But since I can't find a full time job in my field, I'm stuck doing this until I make enough money to support myself."
But despite the struggle, Tremblay says she wouldn't have picked a different major.
"I guess I wish I had taken more practical courses like business, but I couldn't imagine not majoring in art and not having a camera in my hand," she said. "I'm just trying to take my skills and turn them into something where I can actually make money -- that's the real struggle."
Interior Design
Median starting pay: $34,400
Median mid-career pay: $56,600
Pursuing a career in interior design is not always glamorous. Decorating living rooms, designing stage sets or putting together store displays requires working long hours, often for little pay.
"Going into the major, it was made very clear to me that the potential for what you could make was $30,000 to $35,000 to start. When my parents heard that, their eyes definitely bugged out, " said Dan Mazzarini, who graduated from Miami University in 2003 and was the only student in his program with a job lined up.
But Mazzarini stuck it out. Now a director of store design for Ralph Lauren's wholesale department, he said he has tripled his salary in the last three years.
"If you put in that extra leg work and you're in the right place at the right time, it can work out for you."
Religious Studies
Median starting pay: $34,700
Median mid-career pay: $54,400
With a religious studies degree, you need to be devoted to your job.
After graduating from the University of Georgia, Katherine Daley-Bailey was paid little more than minimum wage to review high school text books at the Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education and was forced to supplement her income until she landed a full-time job as a religious studies professor at Georgia State University.
Taking a job as a business analyst to pay the bills along the way is what made her realize that money wasn't what she was after.
"I was paid more than I've ever been paid in my life when I was an analyst -- I had full health insurance, a company credit card, you know, all the perks -- but nothing could compensate me for spending eight to 10 hours a day at this job when I knew something I really loved to do was still out there waiting for me."
Horticulture
Median starting pay: $35,000
Median mid-career pay: $50,800
Apparently, a degree in Horticulture doesn't plant the seed for a six-figure salary.
As a groundskeeper for the Idaho Falls Chukars, a minor league baseball team, Phillip Grefarth said his degree in horticulture from Missouri State University gave him the tools he needed to edge, mow and fertilize a field, but he's not getting rich doing it.
"I'm still paying student loans off so I definitely think about the pay a lot, but I enjoy doing it so much that it's not a huge deal," he said.
Grefarth said his job in horticulure fits his Type A personality and perfectionist tendencies, and the rewards of taking care of the field -- which he says has become his "little baby" -- outweigh the lower pay.
"The fans reaction, and when the players and coaches come out and say, `Wow, this is beautiful' -- that makes it all worth it," he said.
Education
Median starting pay: $35,100
Median mid-career pay: $54,900
It's no surprise that education isn't exactly a high-paying career. And with budget cuts and a struggling economy, paying the bills has become even harder for teachers and educators.
Danny Kofke graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in elementary education and now works as a special ed teacher at an elementary school in Jefferson, Ga. On top of his low salary, he's been forced to take unpaid furlough days.
But the satisfaction of helping students learn and grow pays off for many teachers.
"I have the power to teach and help my students acquire skills and accomplish tasks they could not before -- that is a huge reward," said Kofke, who teaches students with severe mental disabilities. "I may never drive a BMW or live in a 5,000 square foot house, but I get to go to a job that I love and that, to me, is priceless."
Culinary Arts
Median starting pay: $35,900
Median mid-career pay: $50,600
By choosing to enter the food industry, a fat paycheck may end up on the chopping block.
But whether it's working behind the scenes in a kitchen or starting a restaurant, real foodies are in it for more than the money.
"You can't not have passion for food and be in this industry, or it will eat you up and spit you out," said Eddie Ledesma, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America who was recently hired as a restaurant manager at Ocean Prime restaurant in Dallas, Texas. "A real love for the art of cooking is what's going to sustain you, not necessarily a paycheck."
That doesn't mean it's impossible to live comfortably while working in the world of food.
"I absolutely love what I'm doing now and couldn't imagine myself in another career for any amount of money," said Ledesma.
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