If you look at what is claimed to be the 10 most popular college majors in 2016. Only 3 out of 10 accounting , nursing & business BAs/BSs have high probability of giving any ‘Return-On-Investment (ROI)’ to the taxpayer (and the college/university- as gifts, etc.) if USG-backed student loans are used to finance. Any USG-back loan system should take ROI into account before financing.
Aside: I have no insight as to who or how this list was compiled but it seems to “fit” personal anecdotal evidence as both a student & parent. I got it off the “Internet” so take it with a grain of salt!
My daughter’s art degree is one that most around would find useless.
But she is working, and selling her art and making a fine living. Its been two years since she asked for any money, she lives in an apartment, she’s paid off a car, and pays her student loans on time...plus a little.
I know there is a lot of talk about “useless” degrees. I would argue that its not the degree per se, but the person. She works harder for every dollar she earns, compared to me. But that just means she is beating the competition.
S.T.E.M students might not fair the best on tangible ROI. Technology and Engineering pay off with good solid jobs, but encumber the graduate and overwhelm whatever extra Salary benefits they received.
Science and Math are worse. If you’re not in the top .2% you’re basically a high school teacher candidate. University level if you’re in the best of the 2nd tier group.
Each one of those in the S.T.E.M. class though has an added benefit. They’re good bets. if even 1 out of a 100,000 are successful per generation, that could be a great economic win for the country.
— which leads to another gripe. University level schooling in the United States is not the right of foreign students, like it has become. Foreign should be limited in mass and controlled by the government in the form of largesse to countries with exemplary cooperation.
Our Colleges and Universities are letting in elements of foreign students that are subversive to U.S standards.