What the "1%" majored in

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some successful philosophy majors.

http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-philosophy-majors-2014-1?op=1

But these are people at the top of top schools. Except for Sheila Blair, nobody went somewhere like the University of Idaho.

[Anonymous]

Well if you can't do well in philosophy classes, I wouldn't recommend it as a major at a non-elite institution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well if you can't do well in philosophy classes, I wouldn't recommend it as a major at a non-elite institution.

I went to Harvard and did quite well. Philosophy courses were, for me, as hard if not harder than upper level math classes.

[Anonymous]

Unless you're getting a PhD (and, even then, not always), what you majored in in college really doesn't matter. What you *learned* in college might matter -- but wrt ending up in the 1%, probably not. Sociological and psychological factors (or personality) play a much greater role than education per se.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a 1% family. DH grew up in NE DC, went to DC schools in the 70s and 80s (and lived to tell about it) and was raised in public housing by a single mother. He majored in computer science at an average state university and got his masters degree in CS at night while working for the government afterwards.

I grew up upper middle class, taught school for 10 years, got a masters degree, stayed home to raise kids, did the volunteer thing and held board positions at non-profits. Can't get a job to save me life!

So your DH working in computer science is the entire reason you're a 1% family? I guess he no longer works for the government. I also earned a MSCS at night while working full time. I've done very well with my career. I'll never be poor but I'm nowhere near the 1%. I have to ask: Did he earn a lot of his wealth during the dot-com boom? I sure did but it still didn't put me in the 1%.

He left government after 4 years and worked during the Dot com boom at DoD contractors, then we moved west and he got a job at a publicity held company. Stock grants were a big part of his compensation. He left that job and due to his skills and competition for a certain skill set, he jumped jobs and got a tremendous signing offer (4 year payout) at a competitor. He basically sold his sole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a 1% family. DH grew up in NE DC, went to DC schools in the 70s and 80s (and lived to tell about it) and was raised in public housing by a single mother. He majored in computer science at an average state university and got his masters degree in CS at night while working for the government afterwards.

I grew up upper middle class, taught school for 10 years, got a masters degree, stayed home to raise kids, did the volunteer thing and held board positions at non-profits. Can't get a job to save me life!

So your DH working in computer science is the entire reason you're a 1% family? I guess he no longer works for the government. I also earned a MSCS at night while working full time. I've done very well with my career. I'll never be poor but I'm nowhere near the 1%. I have to ask: Did he earn a lot of his wealth during the dot-com boom? I sure did but it still didn't put me in the 1%.

He left government after 4 years and worked during the Dot com boom at DoD contractors, then we moved west and he got a job at a publicity held company. Stock grants were a big part of his compensation. He left that job and due to his skills and competition for a certain skill set, he jumped jobs and got a tremendous signing offer (4 year payout) at a competitor. He basically sold his sole.

Then shortly after his multi year signing bonus dried up, he moved companies again with another 4 year payout.

Point is, he had a very challenging beginning but slow and steady wins the race. We got married young and are humbled by our first 5 or so years of marriage. On our first wedding anniversary, we went to Smith Mountain Lake for the weekend and ate at Taco Bell because Applebee's was too expensive.

[Anonymous]

My guess - if self-made - creativity. If not, family inheritance.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and around here - mooching off the govt - especially defense contractors!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well I wonder how many of these 1%'ers come from a 1% family? I had friends in college who were rich. They could major in anything and when the graduated they went into the family business.

This is me. I am a trustie, so was in that category as soon as I turned 18.

"Trustie?" Gross.

[Anonymous]

Pretty much, the 1% I went to college with could major in whatever they liked and then join the family business. Or, get a graduate degree related to the family business, and then join the family business. We called them "trustafarians".

[Anonymous]

Trustee, not trustie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trustee, not trustie.

Yo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trustee, not trustie.

Know it all, you are wrong. They are being funny and referring to themselves as a beneficiary of a trust fund.

You on the other hand do not understand the meaning of trustee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if this is top 1% of individual earners or all includes all adults in 1% households but it's interesting to see that engineering majors aren't more likely than English majors to be in it, while Finance majors aren't particularly well represented.

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/what-the-top-1-of-earners-majored-in/

Also interesting is the variation within the social sciences - political science and history majors are more likely to be in it than psych or sociology majors for instance.

They major in family money and connections. I'm serious. That's not a knock, necessarily. But, if you're very poor and have no connections or are the first to go to college, it's very hard (not impossible) to make it to the 1%. I speak from experience (and as someone who has done very well, though I doubt woudl be considered a 1%). I am successful but it was very, very hard. Grad school was full of people who had parent help and support, who had connections for jobs, etc. Everything came easy for them and they had family fall backs. I had nothing and you really need some grit to get past it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if this is top 1% of individual earners or all includes all adults in 1% households but it's interesting to see that engineering majors aren't more likely than English majors to be in it, while Finance majors aren't particularly well represented.

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/what-the-top-1-of-earners-majored-in/

Also interesting is the variation within the social sciences - political science and history majors are more likely to be in it than psych or sociology majors for instance.

They major in family money and connections. I'm serious. That's not a knock, necessarily. But, if you're very poor and have no connections or are the first to go to college, it's very hard (not impossible) to make it to the 1%. I speak from experience (and as someone who has done very well, though I doubt woudl be considered a 1%). I am successful but it was very, very hard. Grad school was full of people who had parent help and support, who had connections for jobs, etc. Everything came easy for them and they had family fall backs. I had nothing and you really need some grit to get past it.

I agreed, it is just lucky that is all.