Many college students struggle with the idea of having a high-paying job versus having one that will make them happy.
Alexandra Chopson always expected performance art to be a part of her life. As a junior acting major, she is exposed to a great deal of live performance. At a young age, she developed a passion for becoming a performer herself – it made her happy, but would it make her successful?
Today’s college students face a tough choice between passion and stability when it comes to their career choice. And with family opposition to certain majors, finances and student loans, and growing industries in need of employees, they have a lot to consider.
Luckily for Alexandra, she had a strong support system behind her decision.
“My family was a wonderful source of encouragement throughout the process of searching for the right school,” says Alexandra. “They knew since I was in middle school that I would be pursuing theatre, and none of us ever wavered on that.”
In Alexandra’s case, her personal passions overpowered the salaries that other fields had to offer. She made her decision to pursue acting in high school.
“The encouragement I received and the joy I experienced in the process of making art told me that theatre was not only a good fit,” she says, “but what I was meant to pursue.”
A Princeton University study concluded that $75,000 is the golden salary — the salary that brings in enough money to support yourself and have some left over to treat yourself and your family.
Although successful individuals exist in all fields, many stereotypes have been built around liberal arts majors and careers. These stereotypes include the idea that liberal arts majors are less employable and unable to earn a supportive salary in comparison to majors like computer science and aerodynamics.
Alexandra’s case is rare in that she experienced certainty in her major from early on. However, Dale Eilerman, a licensed counselor, says that many liberal arts majors face challenges deciding what career they want to pursue.
“Liberal Arts students are more likely to have challenges related to job availability and decent salaries,” Eilerman says.
Some students feel pressured by their parents and teachers to choose a career that won’t disappoint them, says Eilerman. “Others worry that they are too far into completing a major or finishing college to stop and change direction.”
Alexandra reflected on the physical, emotional, and psychological toll of acting. She says because of the audience’s enjoyment of the work, they often overlook the actors’ sacrifice.
“More than anything, people assume being an acting major is easy and ‘fun’ based on their own experiences in high school or with community theatre,” says Alexandra. “Where, in actuality, it is twice the hours of a typical major, and involves dozens of hours a week in rehearsals for shows and studio classes.”
An analysis published by Glassdoor in 2018 lists the 50 highest paying college majors during their first five years out of college. Results were determined by analyzing and comparing thousands of resumes and corresponding salary reports.
While STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) majors do appear in the top spots, liberal arts majors appear in the top half of the list.
The highest paying major is computer science with a median base salary of $70,000, followed by electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. The first liberal arts major to appear on the list is fashion design, with $50,000.
Majors like graphic design, English, and journalism all placed in the top half of the list above majors like chemistry and biochemistry.
Typically, students in liberal arts majors are able to reach a salary of at least $42,000, yet liberal arts majors are considered less financially realistic.
“Liberal arts majors may need to get into administration, or perhaps run their own business, in order to make a high salary,” Eilerman says, “and they may not be able, or cut out, to do that.”
Research from the Mellon Foundation reports that many concerns related to getting a liberal arts degree stem from the cost of the degree versus an individual’s earnings after completing their degree. Because of the increasing costs of college and the decreasing salaries of those who studied liberal arts, a liberal arts education may not be worth paying for.
If a student receives a large amount of financial aid or scholarships, some believe that a liberal arts degree may be worth pursuing considering the salary the student could make after graduating. If they receive enough financial aid, they may be able to afford a liberal arts degree, but if a student pays the cost of the entire degree, it is possible that student loans will weigh them down, preventing what some consider a successful life.
Ultimately, what students need to decide is their definition of what makes for a successful life.
“I think the key is a balance of doing what you enjoy and are good at while also finding a way to have a livable family salary,” says Eilerman, “which may mean that one partner makes more money to enable the other to pursue a lower paying, but personally rewarding, career.”
Alexandra, on the other hand, says that believing in yourself is key.
“If you have the talent and the calling and the dedication, you don’t have to be cocky about it,” she says, “because the right people at the right time will notice.”
