1) Culinary Arts
Starting salary: $31,900
Mid-career salary: $50,800
Annual online job postings: 15,918
Related job: Chef
Projected 10-year job growth: 8.9%
Low pay plus few job prospects are the recipe for a troubling career. Studying culinary arts comes with the second-lowest starting salary of all 128 majors, behind only child and family studies. Chefs can expect a median income of less than $40,500 a year, and you need five or more years of experience, making even less money, to become one.
Alternate major
If food is your passion, you might jump right into the field after high school and save your tuition money; most jobs as a cook do not require a college degree. Or you can focus your education on the business side of the kitchen, which might prove particularly helpful if you’re an aspiring restaurateur. Business administration majors typically have a starting salary of $45,500 a year and $73,100 by mid-career. The degree also qualifies you for many more opportunities; more than 2.8 million job postings were seeking candidates with a bachelor’s in bu
