Question for those of you who will begin college this fall: Have you decided which major you'll follow? Granted, there are many incoming college freshmen who aren't yet decided as to which academic path to follow. Those that have chosen a path, though, may well end up changing their direction sometime in the first couple years of study, maybe more than once. That brings us to another question: If you have chosen your particular major (or "area of concentration"), why have you chosen it?
Are you passionate enough about a certain field to commit the majority of your college courses to that field? Or, maybe you're looking to maximize your income potential. While I'm certainly not a big fan of choosing a college degree based on its earning potential, some high schoolers are drawn into dreams of large annual incomes and luxurious lifestyles. Thus, you may be asking, "Hey, then. Which college degrees open the door for the most earning power?"
PayScale.com has released a very interesting list of the Best Undergrad College Degrees By Salary. It's no surprise that technical degrees dominate the top 10 spots. But there are a few surprises. Here's the list: 
Best Undergrad College Degrees By Salary
We've all heard that English majors often struggle to make ends meet while electrical engineers rake in the cash. Is that true? Yes, but don't give up hope. Take a look below at our list of best undergrad college degrees by salary and you'll see that the engineers and scientists fare better financially. But, there is still plenty of money to be made with a liberal arts degree.
| Best Undergrad College Degrees By Salary - Full List | ||
| Best Undergrad College Degrees By Salary | Starting Median Salary | Mid-Career Median Salary |
| Aerospace Engineering | $59,600 | $109,000 |
| Chemical Engineering | $65,700 | $107,000 |
| Computer Engineering | $61,700 | $105,000 |
| Electrical Engineering | $60,200 | $102,000 |
| Economics | $50,200 | $101,000 |
| Physics | $51,100 | $98,800 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $58,900 | $98,300 |
| Computer Science | $56,400 | $97,400 |
| Industrial Engineering | $57,100 | $95,000 |
| Environmental Engineering | $53,400 | $94,500 |
| Statistics | $48,600 | $94,500 |
| Biochemistry | $41,700 | $94,200 |
| Mathematics | $47,000 | $93,600 |
| Civil Engineering | $55,100 | $93,000 |
| Construction Management | $53,400 | $89,600 |
| Finance | $48,500 | $89,400 |
| Management Information Systems | $51,900 | $87,200 |
| Computing and Information Systems | $50,900 | $86,700 |
| Geology | $45,100 | $84,200 |
| Chemistry | $42,900 | $82,300 |
| Marketing | $41,500 | $81,500 |
| International Relations | $41,400 | $80,500 |
| Industrial Technology | $49,500 | $79,600 |
| Environmental Science | $43,300 | $78,700 |
| Architecture | $42,900 | $78,300 |
| International Business | $41,900 | $77,800 |
| Accounting | $46,500 | $77,600 |
| Political Science | $41,300 | $77,300 |
| Urban Planning | $43,300 | $77,000 |
| Philosophy | $40,000 | $76,700 |
| Information Technology | $49,400 | $75,200 |
| Zoology | $37,000 | $74,400 |
| Occupational Therapy | $61,300 | $73,400 |
| Microbiology | $39,800 | $73,200 |
| Business Administration | $42,900 | $73,000 |
| Business Management | $43,300 | $72,100 |
| Advertising | $36,900 | $71,800 |
| Biology | $39,500 | $71,800 |
| Film Production | $38,200 | $71,800 |
| Landscape Architecture | $43,100 | $70,800 |
| History | $38,800 | $70,000 |
| Health Sciences | $37,800 | $69,600 |
| Geography | $40,400 | $69,300 |
| Nursing | $54,900 | $69,000 |
| Communications | $38,700 | $68,400 |
| Radio and Television | $34,000 | $67,000 |
| English | $37,800 | $66,900 |
| Agriculture | $40,900 | $66,700 |
| Hotel Business Management | $37,400 | $66,400 |
| Journalism | $36,300 | $65,300 |
| Forestry | $39,700 | $64,200 |
| Anthropology | $37,600 | $63,200 |
| Fashion Design | $36,700 | $62,800 |
| Public Relations | $36,700 | $62,600 |
| Art History | $36,300 | $62,400 |
| Health Care Administration | $37,900 | $61,000 |
| Psychology | $36,000 | $61,000 |
| Interior Design | $35,700 | $59,900 |
| Human Resources | $37,800 | $59,600 |
| Graphic Design | $36,000 | $59,400 |
| Criminal Justice | $35,900 | $59,300 |
| Medical Technology | $46,600 | $58,400 |
| Foods and Nutrition | $41,700 | $58,200 |
| Sociology | $36,500 | $57,900 |
| Religious Studies | $35,300 | $57,500 |
| Drama | $35,600 | $56,600 |
| Fine Arts | $35,800 | $56,300 |
| Hospitality and Tourism | $37,000 | $54,300 |
| Education | $36,200 | $54,100 |
| Horticulture | $37,200 | $53,400 |
| Spanish | $35,600 | $52,600 |
| Music | $34,000 | $52,000 |
| Theology | $34,800 | $51,500 |
| Elementary Education | $33,000 | $42,400 |
| Social Work | $33,400 | $41,600 |
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So, you can see a wide spread between the top-earning degrees and the rest. We might roughly characterize it as a B.S. vs. B.A competition.
The bottom line from where I sit, though, is: Follow your passion. I've always been an advocate of the philosophy that if you do what you want (in other words, what you're passionate about), the money (and happiness) will follow. Sometimes that's a hard swallow, but I've seen it work many times, and I include myself in that "doing what you want" category."
Here's my challenge, then: Sit down and make a list of things you really love to do. Be honest. Then compare that with possible college majors. You just might find that it's possible to follow your passion in some kind of degree and then enter the "real world" with enough preparation and networked circumstances to start building your dreams.
Take it from someone who knows. It can be done.
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Be sure to check out all my admissions-related articles and book reviews at College Confidential.