Most academic advisors tell students to major in a field the student really loves. After all, it is true that money cannot buy happiness! Nevertheless, it is interesting to at least look at some of the higher-paying fields of study. After all, a field like mathematics can be a lot of fun, once you get into it. We see that women’s salaries tend to be less than men’s salaries. However, women’s salaries are rapidly catching up, and this benefits the entire work force in different ways. Figure 3-13 shows the median incomes for college graduates with different majors. The employees in the sample are all at least 30 years old. Does it seem reasonable to assume that many of the employees are in jobs beyond the entry level? Explain. Compare the median incomes shown for all women aged 30 or older holding bachelor’s degrees with the median incomes for men of similar age holding bachelor’s degrees. Look at the particular majors listed. What percentage of men holding bachelor’s degrees in mathematics make $52,316 or more? What percentage of women holding computer/ information science degrees make $41,559 or more? How do median incomes for men and women holding engineering degrees compare? What about pharmacy degrees?

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Lucrative Majors for Bachelor's Degrees The U.S. median income for women and men (age 30 or older) with bachelor's degrees Women Median salary: $31,848 Major Pharmacy Engineering Computer/ Infomation Sciences $41,559 Physical Therapy/ related services Median income Nursing $47,567 $46,389 $40,491 $40,096 Men Median salary: $43,856 Major Engineering Mathematics Physics Pharmacy Economics Median income $52,998 $52,316 $51,819 $50,805 $50,360