The majors that have the best chance of being in the top 1 percent earners of the country include pre-med, economics, biochemistry, zoology and biology, according to the Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey.
Lisa Grobar, an economics professor at Cal State Long Beach, was surprised to see economics at No. 2, but could see why it ranked so high as the curriculum is complimentary with a variety of different career paths, such as business and law.
“We often see that in the business cycle, we get more economics majors when the economy is in recession,” Grobar said. “It’s very interesting when we hire, because we have trouble sometimes trying to compete with the government since there are so many jobs. They tend to be high-paying, especially when you’re looking at somebody with a Ph.D.”
Brandon Hara, a junior economics major, said that he was going to major in business before he changed his mind.
“For me, to understand the business world, I had to know the basics first,” Hara said. “With that in mind, I think it’s pretty cool that economics made it on the list. We understand how money works, and this means that I’m probably going in the right direction.”
As to why the sciences are doing so well, Grobar said that students don’t seem to want to do the hard sciences so relatively few students earn those degrees, and thus demand is high.
Allen Vu, a sophomore biology major, said he is not surprised by the results either, knowing the financial potential of graduating in the subject.
“There are a lot of students competing for very few spots [in the programs], but we’re here because this is where the money is, and this is where we’re needed,” Vu said.
Rianna Ramos, a sophomore kinesiology major, said the competition is too rough.
“I used to be a pre-med student before switching over,” Ramos said. “It’s nerve-racking when there’s such a small chance just to get into the program and so many people wanting to get in. I wanted to be confident that I wasn’t wasting time and money, and I’m still staying in the sciences … just not pre-med.”
She said she knew about the financial possibilities of pre-med and biology.
“I want a stable future and I’m working as hard as I can to make sure that happens, but I’m not doing this just for the money,” she said. “I’d also like to graduate in a timely matter, too.”
Grobar said she hopes students still choose their majors depending on what they truly enjoy, rather than being influenced by the economy or other factors.
“I’m glad to see more economics students, but I hope that everyone has that moment, when they’re in class and suddenly they’re like, ‘This is so fascinating, I love this subject.’ and a light turns on,” Grobar said. “Sometimes it happens late in a college career, and sometimes it’s very unexpected.”
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