5 majors that don't pay major bucks

Bob Ross from Joy of Paining fame and one of my all time favorite inspirational role models once said, “You do your best work if you do a job that makes you happy.” But in tough economic times it’s easy to wonder if happiness is more rewarding than a good paying job. With the rising cost of college tuition it’s a tough choice to pick a degree program where the yearly tuition is more than the annual starting salary but can you really put a price on getting to do what you love?

Here are 5 degrees where the financial pay off isn’t as gratifying as the pride in a job well done:

• Social Work


• Athletic Training


• Recreation and Leisure


• Art


• Interior Design

Social Workers can expect to encounter everything from homelessness in a day’s work and only expect about $31, 800 to start and about $44,000 by the middle of their career. That may seem low compared to the emotional payout involved but this isn’t a job field saturated by the selfish.

Athletic Trainers work long hours for less pay than their coaching counterparts. They are expected to nurse injuries, teach classes and even file insurance claims. It doesn’t sound that glamorous but for someone who loves to be around athletes and help them achieve its worth more than the $32,800 starting salary.

Recreation and Leisure majors don’t have the pay checks of their corporate counterparts but they don’t have the dress codes either. Camp directors, community planners and park managers can coordinate play into their day which makes the $33,300 starting salary a little more enticing.

Art majors should expect to be starving, after all what good artist hasn’t suffered for their work. The average starting salary of $33,000 seems rather plush to young hopefuls still jockeying coffee and dreaming of one day being able to support themselves off of their art. For those with the passion in them though it seems impossible to do anything else and advancing their skills and inspiring other artists can be more filling than a cup of joe.

Interior Designers don’t start off picking swatches for the country estates of posh celebrities. They usually start by setting up store displays and coordinating colors in waiting rooms. The $34,000 starting salary might seem like small potatoes compared to other job fields but designers with perspicacity and passion can build their careers into something much bigger.

By Heather Fairchid - Heather is a multimedia develpoer, business owner, and work-from-home mom.