Some college degrees in Virginia never pay off. Others provide an immediate return.

[Anonymous]

https://richmond.com/news/local/education/some-college-degrees-in-virginia-never-pay-off-others-provide-an-immediate-return/article_2c73cc6f-c508-51c0-8fb4-7960bd1402dc.htm

Not a news, but specifically for VA schools.

Of course CS is King.
Good luck to humanties folks such as philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc.

[Anonymous]

Educated is always better

[Anonymous]

Not exactly rocket science. I hope a government grant didn't sponsor this so-called research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Educated is always better

If it's free.
The question is the education you get there vs $$$ of debt.

If you are rich enough to be careless, you can pass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Educated is always better

If it's free.
The question is the education you get there vs $$$ of debt.

If you are rich enough to be careless, you can pass.

It is common sense that English/Dance/Philosophy/etc majors are lower pay than STEM majors. As such a person should especially attend a college they can afford if this is what they plan to major in. The world needs these majors, we need Education majors, we need art history majors. What we don't need is people planning to major in that taking loans of $100K+ to get that degree and then asking for loan forgiveness.

I tell my kids they can major in whatever they want, to follow their passion in life. But to be realistic and know what type of lifestyle will be afforded by that major choice. If you really want a luxury car, a trip to Hawaii/Europe yearly, to eat out 5 nights a week/etc, then being an education major or philosophy major may not be your best choice because it would be hard to support that lifestyle with that degree. If however you are passionate about being a philosophy major or English major, then go for it. But plan accordingly, as you need to work a bit harder to find a job. There are not tons of jobs applications that say "English major wanted" like there is with CS/Engineering. So you have to plan a bit more what you actually want to do with your degree. Also, know what your expecting starting salary will be and don't take more loans than you can afford with that (unless parents are going to help you pay off the loans). Go to a state school that's only $25K/year (or private school that offers you merit so that it's only $25K/year) and work summers and breaks and PT during college to minimize your loan needs. But do not take out $25K of loans each year for a degree that only gives you $25-30K as a starting salary---you will struggle to keep up with payments and actually afford to live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Educated is always better

If it's free.
The question is the education you get there vs $$$ of debt.

If you are rich enough to be careless, you can pass.

That would be a pretty big portion of DCUM

By far the smartest thing to do is go to CC and/or trade school to get certifications, then college if needed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Educated is always better

If it's free.
The question is the education you get there vs $$$ of debt.

If you are rich enough to be careless, you can pass.

It is common sense that English/Dance/Philosophy/etc majors are lower pay than STEM majors. As such a person should especially attend a college they can afford if this is what they plan to major in. The world needs these majors, we need Education majors, we need art history majors. What we don't need is people planning to major in that taking loans of $100K+ to get that degree and then asking for loan forgiveness.

I tell my kids they can major in whatever they want, to follow their passion in life. But to be realistic and know what type of lifestyle will be afforded by that major choice. If you really want a luxury car, a trip to Hawaii/Europe yearly, to eat out 5 nights a week/etc, then being an education major or philosophy major may not be your best choice because it would be hard to support that lifestyle with that degree. If however you are passionate about being a philosophy major or English major, then go for it. But plan accordingly, as you need to work a bit harder to find a job. There are not tons of jobs applications that say "English major wanted" like there is with CS/Engineering. So you have to plan a bit more what you actually want to do with your degree. Also, know what your expecting starting salary will be and don't take more loans than you can afford with that (unless parents are going to help you pay off the loans). Go to a state school that's only $25K/year (or private school that offers you merit so that it's only $25K/year) and work summers and breaks and PT during college to minimize your loan needs. But do not take out $25K of loans each year for a degree that only gives you $25-30K as a starting salary---you will struggle to keep up with payments and actually afford to live.

Well said! Very sensible advice.

[Anonymous]

I think the loans should be capped at estimated return and market value of the the school + major combination of the student.

[Anonymous]

Water is wet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://richmond.com/news/local/education/some-college-degrees-in-virginia-never-pay-off-others-provide-an-immediate-return/article_2c73cc6f-c508-51c0-8fb4-7960bd1402dc.htm

Not a news, but specifically for VA schools.

Of course CS is King.
Good luck to humanties folks such as philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc.

Hasn't this always been the case? I mean, CS would have been Engineering in general, say 20 years ago.. I can't recall a time when "philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc." were considered hot..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://richmond.com/news/local/education/some-college-degrees-in-virginia-never-pay-off-others-provide-an-immediate-return/article_2c73cc6f-c508-51c0-8fb4-7960bd1402dc.htm

Not a news, but specifically for VA schools.

Of course CS is King.
Good luck to humanties folks such as philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc.

Hasn't this always been the case? I mean, CS would have been Engineering in general, say 20 years ago.. I can't recall a time when "philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc." were considered hot..

English & Psychology are the back up degrees for kids that couldn't hack more demanding programs. The kids that fall back on those programs are generally lower performers and lower curve for those degrees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://richmond.com/news/local/education/some-college-degrees-in-virginia-never-pay-off-others-provide-an-immediate-return/article_2c73cc6f-c508-51c0-8fb4-7960bd1402dc.htm

Not a news, but specifically for VA schools.

Of course CS is King.
Good luck to humanties folks such as philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc.

Hasn't this always been the case? I mean, CS would have been Engineering in general, say 20 years ago.. I can't recall a time when "philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc." were considered hot..

English & Psychology are the back up degrees for kids that couldn't hack more demanding programs. The kids that fall back on those programs are generally lower performers and lower curve for those degrees.

Not really. They are degrees people get if they are not focused on STEM (which many are not). However, I always think someone with a non-stem degree should take some stem courses/get a "stemy" minor as that is what will likely help a psychology major get a job. They may end up in a training position or sales job for a company that is IT/Healthsciences/Tech focused at some point. So the psych degree or philosophy or English degree is what they are interested in, they learn and develop critical thinking skills at the college level and then must use those skills to get a job. If one has some tech skills/knowledge to go along with the liberal arts degree, it often times makes them much more desireable/marketable in the business world. An English major can work at a tech company writing training programs/mauals/etc or actually be a trainer---there are many options, but the new college grad has to work to market themselves and find the right position. But the process will be easier for them if they had some math/basic CS course/etc. Or an English/psych/history major that has a business minor will have an easier time determining what to do for a career and locating that first job.

I know plenty of really smart people with non-stem and non-business majors who have gone far with careers at tech based companies. It just takes a bit more creativity to determine your path. Not as many jobs that say "English major required/preferred" as say CS or Engineering or business degree needed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://richmond.com/news/local/education/some-college-degrees-in-virginia-never-pay-off-others-provide-an-immediate-return/article_2c73cc6f-c508-51c0-8fb4-7960bd1402dc.htm

Not a news, but specifically for VA schools.

Of course CS is King.
Good luck to humanties folks such as philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc.

Hasn't this always been the case? I mean, CS would have been Engineering in general, say 20 years ago.. I can't recall a time when "philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc." were considered hot..

English & Psychology are the back up degrees for kids that couldn't hack more demanding programs. The kids that fall back on those programs are generally lower performers and lower curve for those degrees.

Not really. They are degrees people get if they are not focused on STEM (which many are not). However, I always think someone with a non-stem degree should take some stem courses/get a "stemy" minor as that is what will likely help a psychology major get a job. They may end up in a training position or sales job for a company that is IT/Healthsciences/Tech focused at some point. So the psych degree or philosophy or English degree is what they are interested in, they learn and develop critical thinking skills at the college level and then must use those skills to get a job. If one has some tech skills/knowledge to go along with the liberal arts degree, it often times makes them much more desireable/marketable in the business world. An English major can work at a tech company writing training programs/mauals/etc or actually be a trainer---there are many options, but the new college grad has to work to market themselves and find the right position. But the process will be easier for them if they had some math/basic CS course/etc. Or an English/psych/history major that has a business minor will have an easier time determining what to do for a career and locating that first job.

I know plenty of really smart people with non-stem and non-business majors who have gone far with careers at tech based companies. It just takes a bit more creativity to determine your path. Not as many jobs that say "English major required/preferred" as say CS or Engineering or business degree needed

I wasn't clear enough, I'm talking about the people that didn't intend to be psychology or english majors. It became their backup when they flunked out of finance or another more strenuous major. English & Psy major classes are more stand alone, not mastering the prereq material freshman/sophomore year doesn't have as much affect on major classes taken junior/senior .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://richmond.com/news/local/education/some-college-degrees-in-virginia-never-pay-off-others-provide-an-immediate-return/article_2c73cc6f-c508-51c0-8fb4-7960bd1402dc.htm

Not a news, but specifically for VA schools.

Of course CS is King.
Good luck to humanties folks such as philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc.

Hasn't this always been the case? I mean, CS would have been Engineering in general, say 20 years ago.. I can't recall a time when "philosophy, English, Psychology, etc. as well as dance, fine art, drama, etc." were considered hot..

English & Psychology are the back up degrees for kids that couldn't hack more demanding programs. The kids that fall back on those programs are generally lower performers and lower curve for those degrees.

Not necessarily.

They may want to go to Law school.

[Anonymous]

It’s a mistake to think of education as training school. Limited thinking brings limited results.