Most Useful Degrees

College degrees have become more expensive. Current laws block dismissing student loans in a bankruptcy. So, you are going to pay for your degree. It needs to be worth the cost. This article addresses the value of a degree, how to select a program, and which jobs pay the most.

The two most important predictors of how much money you will earn in your lifetime are these:

1. If you hold a professional degree, you will make 50% more than your peers if you are a woman. If you are a man, you will earn about 67% more than your peers by holding a professional degree. These numbers compare income with your peer age group who hold a doctorate in a non-professional field like History of Romania, philosophy, or psychology. Comparing professional degrees to age-group peers with only high school education, the ratio rises to 6-fold.

2. A positive attitude. Those who believe they can succeed, do succeed significantly more than those who are less positive. Make positive affirmations each day when you shower.

3. There are many other factors that predict financial income. See this article on Predictors of Income Success.

But, which degrees are considered professional degrees?

As noted above, a doctorate is not necessarily a professional degree. A professional degree is one which qualifies the holder to sit for a professional examination and (after passing) to hold a license to practice the profession.

More specifically, professional degrees, and the exams required to work as a professional are these:

1. Medicine- pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination

2. Accounting- pass the Certified Public Accountant Exam

3. Law- pass the bar exam, a series of tests required by the state in which you desire to practice.

4. Engineering- Work 4 to 8 years (varies by state), pass a Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (the FE), work 4 more years, then take the Professional Engineering (PE) exams.

5. Geologist

6. Land Surveyor

7. Architect- Each state has its own unique licensing board for Professional Architects.

These professional jobs have a barrier to entry: education, experience, and exams. For this reason, many do not enter these professions. Basic laws of supply and demand dictate that members of these professions will earn more.

So, what are the highest paying jobs in the United States?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these were the highest paying jobs in the Unites States in 2011.

Consider also that some names carry a profound premium in opening the door for excellent jobs. Names like Harvard, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton, Brown, MIT, and Harvey Mudd carry prestige. Graduates from these schools tend to have greater options than other graduates.

Outside of the very top tier of prestige-branded institutional names, the degree issuing school name makes less difference. In all cases, it is really the individual that counts. It is not the degree that is hired. An individual is hired. The reason big-name graduates can fairly claim to have greater potential for hiring managers lies in the selection process for those programs. By accepting only 8% to 12% of applicants, a school already guarantees that it's graduates are a cut above.

If you do not plan to attend one of the top 10 or so most famous institutions, look for a real value. Consider the cost to attend to graduation and also consider the graduation rate. Real values in degree acquisition can be found both in campus programs and in online classes.

Which engineering degree will earn you the most money over your lifetime? The main branches of civil engineering are: Mechanical, electrical, civil, chemical, environmental, biomedical, petroleum, and nuclear. In general, a degree in civil engineering provides the highest compensation to engineers over a lifetime. Typically, this means advancing to engineering management. A Master's degree in engineering is recommended for this. However, today many M.Eng. degrees can be achieved online. Norwich University offers Structural M.Eng. degrees. California State University offers an Master's degree in Environmental Engineering- totally online.

Now, let us look at the 2010 median pay (Bureau of Labor Statistics) and lifetime pay for each of the classes of engineering listed above.

The average starting salary for a law degree is inflated by the salaries offered by the largest corporate law firms. These tend to be in the $160,000 range. Other salaries tend to range from $40,000 to $65,000 to start. Corporations tend to hire from certain programs.

Many excellent businesses develop long-term relationships with campuses. They use this relationship to recruit candidates. Law firms do the same.

Research the biggest law firms. Learn what they do, who they hire, where they hire, and why. Then, plan your academic training accordingly.

With the biggest corporations in each of the professional fields, human resources departments determine which campuses have the strongest recruitment programs and graduate the most competent employees. HR then develops regular and annual recruitment visits and programs to bring those workers into their offices. For this reason, and especially for the legal field, the most useful degrees should also be attained at the most prestigious universities and colleges.

Of course, there is really only one thing important in life. You can win at everything to which you put your hand in life: have a perfect career, manage your finances and accrue great holdings, marry the perfect person, and enjoy perfect health. But, there is one thing, that if you miss it, your entire life will count as worthless.

Every person must seek and know and learn to follow Almighty God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You can gain the whole world. But, if you lose your soul, you made a bad deal.

Peace.