Doing it for love or money

PASSSION, page 1 terwhatmybankaccount was,thetype ofhouseIlived in, orthekindsofclothesI wore,buttheworldmaybe much differentbecauseIwas importantinthelifeofa child.’”

Many students when faced with a big paycheck in one hand or job satisfaction on the other will cringe at the decision. Choosing a major that promises financial stability with a minor that one is passionate about may be a solution for some students. Other students will plan on making their money through a potentially less satisfying career, one that may have no relevance to their intended major.

Students will often plan on making money quick only to be able to do what they love later on.

Dr. Mary Harris, an assistant business administration professor, said, “Students will seek corporate jobs with financial stability when they are right out of college. They make career choices based on money but as they grow they usually reorder their priorities. Students feel so much pressure to get that first job after graduation and then they wise up and follow their passions much later.”

Harris herself illustrates this point. She left her old career as a bank vice president to get a doc- torate and begin teaching. The same is true for English and communication professor Dawn Francis. Francis said, “I worked in corporate and continually sought positions that both interested me and placed me in a higher salary bracket. My first jobs demanded a lot of travel and late nights. My husband’s job was the same way. The first year of our marriage, we were home together, not traveling only 35 days that whole year. Knowing that we wanted more time together, we considered new employment opportunities. We now share a better quality of life.”

Kelly Grant, a sophomore math and history double major, said, “I chose my majors after careful consideration and I believe the combination of math and history will make me well rounded and more appealing to employers. Ultimately I based my decision on finances and my need for a job after graduation.”

ANew York Times review of the book “College Majors Handbook with Real Career Paths and Payoffs,” said, “The authors concluded that choosing a major that satisfies a student’s finances and passions was more central to future success than the college attended. One of the authors, Paul E. Harrington, an economist and associate director at the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern, said, ‘On average, humanities and education majors fared far worse financially than