Deciding Whether to Choose a Major I Love or a Major that Pays

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I like to write. As a matter of fact, I love to write. I have kept a diary since I was twelve, written and submitted articles to local magazines (none of which have ever been published), even written a book that I plan to publish electronically one of these days. You would think that with writing being such an important part of my life, I would be pursuing a degree in English and a professional writing career. Yet, with the advice of my family and peers and in the interest of financial security, I have chosen to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. As I’m writing this essay, I am beginning to understand how paradoxical and counterintuitive this decision is but (here comes the rationalization) the opportunity cost of pursuing an in-demand, high paying career is well worth sacrificing a career in writing, which is not as ambitious in the eyes of society. As we all know, perception is reality, however baseless it is. An English degree is just not perceived as being as marketable or desirable as a degree in finance. I, too, ascribe to this particular opinion and I’m no better for it.
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers website, students who graduated in 2013 enjoyed an average starting salary of $45,327, which represents a 2.4% increase from the average salaries reported in 2012. Graduates with a degree in business earned an average starting salary of $55,635 in 2013, a 7.9% increase from 2012 and is the largest increase of average salary in a particular discipline. Those people graduating with a degree in Education or the Humanities earned on average $40,337 and $37,791, respectively. This information is highly influential when determining what type of degree you want to invest in. No one wants to h...

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...is me and I cannot afford to waste my days perusing the ancient Grecian texts or Sumerian cuneiform writings. The society we live in values hard labor more than labors of love and for that we are all the less. Now you see why I haven’t begun my dissertation on the African diaspora. However, it is us, the college students, the stalwarts of higher education who shape the future and impose on it our will. To be an English major or not to be an English major, that is the question that I ask myself and the decision boils down to the hardest one a college student must make. Do I choose the major I love or the major that pays?

Works Cited

Naceweb.org. 2014. Salary Survey: Average Starting Salary for Class of 2013 Grads Increases 2.4 Percent. [online] Available at: http://www.naceweb.org/s09042013/salary-survey-average-starting-class-2013.aspx [Accessed: 6 Feb 2014].

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