Best College Majors for Lucrative Careers
How much will you make when you graduate college? It’s a good question, especially as economic anxiety soars across the U.S. Inflation continues to rise. Rent is high, and hopes of homeownership are dim; a salary of $107,700 is required to afford a house in most U.S. cities, nearly double the $56,800 needed in 2019.
It’s no surprise that college students are already worrying about their finances after they graduate.
And there are significant disparities between majors: “The top-paying college majors earn $3.4 million more than the lowest-paying majors over a lifetime.” It pays (see what we did there) to choose a college major that will earn you a good salary.
But salary shouldn’t be the only thing you think about when choosing a major, and ultimately, a career path. That’s why we’re here to answer your questions about the best college majors for lucrative careers — and what to do if yours isn’t on this list.
The Highest Paying Majors in 2025
STEM degrees offer high earning potential. Engineering graduates from the class of 2025 are projected to be the highest paid at $78,731, according to a 2025 survey from The National Association of Colleges and Employers.
Engineering degrees also dominate CNBC’s list of the highest paying majors for young adults ages 22 to 27:
- Chemical engineering: $80,000
- Computer engineering: $80,000
- Computer science: $80,000
- Electrical engineering: $78,000
- Aerospace engineering: $76,000
- Industrial engineering: $76,000
- Mechanical engineering: $75,000
- Civil engineering: $71,000
- Construction services: $70,000
- Economics: $70,000
Not only do engineering grads earn high pay upfront, but their salaries also increase more over time. By the middle of their career, a chemical engineer will nearly double their salary, while a childhood education major will only see a $3,000 increase, according to this CNBC article.
If you think one of these degrees might be for you, check out our comprehensive article on engineering tracks. If not, don’t worry. There are plenty of other degrees that will earn you a comfortable starting salary.
Lists can vary depending on the data being analyzed; for example, in this line-up of degrees for lucrative careers from Kiplinger, interactive design is actually ranked number three, with a starting salary of $74,700. In their top 15 rankings, Kiplinger also includes degrees such as cognitive science ($78,000) and pharmacy ($69,400).
What If Your Chosen Major Doesn’t Pay Much?
If your chosen major isn’t particularly high paying, don’t rule it out. You have options:
- Make a plan to advance in your field. “Some careers may not start out as high [paying], but as you advance, it starts to … achieve the salaries similar to other careers,” says Antonia Ripo, coordinator of career services for USF Sarasota-Manatee campus.
- Negotiate your salary at the outset. “If you just ask for one more dollar per hour, that’s $2,000 more per year,” Ripo points out.
- Explore out-of-the-box career options. For example, an English major might become a consultant, a career with an average salary of $100,000+ and a projected growth of 11% between 2023 and 2033, according to this list of high-paying jobs for English majors.
Degrees that don’t immediately lead to high salaries can still be incredibly valuable. For example, some experts believe that grads with humanities degrees (like English or philosophy) will become more sought-after in the age of AI, because curiosity, empathy, and ingenuity can’t be replaced by robots.
Should You Choose a College Major Based on Its Earning Potential?
The short answer is no. Salary is an important, practical factor to consider, but you shouldn’t base your entire decision on it.
“One big reason people are unhappy at work is that when they choose a job or project, they are not aware of what will truly matter to them once they are in the midst of it,” explains this New York Times article. When making a decision about jobs (or majors!), we tend to value salaries and promotions but ignore whether the work will interest us. It’s easy to see the tangible benefits — like that finance major’s big house — and harder to see the intangible benefits — like whether the finance major is happy. But it’s important to consider both.
Since the average American will spend 90,000 hours of their life at work, you definitely want to be happy at your job. How can you tell if a job will satisfy you? “The research shows that people are more satisfied with their careers when [the career] aligns with their values, their interests, their skills, and their personality types,” explains Lesa Shouse, director of career services for the USF St. Petersburg campus.
How Can You Tell If a Major Is Right for You?
Visit your university’s career counseling center as early as possible. They’ll help you through each step of this process:
Join a Student Club or Organization in Your Area of Interest
For example, if you think you might like engineering, check out a robotics club. (And if you end up being an engineering student at USF, you can apply for the Engineering Living and Learning community, where you’ll hang out with like-minded peers as passionate about the subject as you are.)
Get to Know Yourself
Career counselors can help you take assessments of:
- Your personality style
- Your interests
- Your skills
- Your values
This will help match you to a potential major and various career paths. For example, if you are skilled at analysis, problem-solving, and math and science, you might make a good engineer. And if you love nature and value sustainability, you might explore environmental engineering.
Notice that we are talking about interests, not passions. You may feel pressured to have identified your passion already, but passions come from pursuing your interests, this New York Times article suggests: “Passion is something you discover over time by finding an interest, however small, and nurturing it.”
The article gives an example of a NASA engineer who started out as a musician in a rock band. “I had actually started to notice that when I would return home from playing a show at night, the stars were in a different place in the sky,” the musician-turned-engineer said. “I was thinking, ‘Whoa, they’re moving. Why do they move?’” He signed up for an astronomy class, took a physics prerequisite, and started on the path to a degree in engineering mechanics. Eventually, he landed the Curiosity rover on Mars.
He wasn’t chasing engineering because it would get him a steady job. When he felt that little tug of curiosity, he followed it. “Surrender to the process,” he advised, “rather than the goal.”
Do Some Research
When Shouse talks to first-year classes, she always tells them to look at the job descriptions for their chosen field. Sure, you’re not applying for a job yet, but this will give you clues about what employers are looking for, and you can decide whether you might like doing these tasks.
You can also use free tools, such as My Florida Future and O*NET Online, to find out more about potential career paths. 
Talk to Industry Professionals
Your career center can help you set up “informational interviews,” where you chat with someone in your industry. Shouse and Ripo suggest asking questions like:
- What’s a typical day in your job like?
- What’s the best/worst part of your day?
- What do you find most rewarding about your job?
- How do you like working with your coworkers?
- What are some stereotypes about this job that I should rethink?
- How did you get into this field?
- What questions should I ask about this job that I haven’t asked?
Get Some Experience
By now, you’re probably interested in a certain major. At this point, Shouse says, “we reality test the choice.”
Do an internship. (Our blog article on internships can help you find the perfect fit.) Shadow someone in this field. Connect with a mentor. Experiment with hands-on activities as much as possible.
Be Flexible
Making these decisions isn’t as straightforward as this simple list, though. Instead, it’s a bit circular, Ripo says. You might learn about your interests, talk to a professional, then go back and re-evaluate whether what she said matches up to your assessment results. At that point, the process might start all over again. But you’ll get there!
What if You Feel Pressured to Pursue a “Lucrative Major” by Your Relatives?
Let’s say you tried business analytics and it wasn’t for you. How do you tell your parents that you’re now an English major?
Shouse often gets this question in October and November, “when students are starting to register for the next year but know they are heading home for the holiday break [where] they’re going to get those questions from family members.”
Her advice? Arrive at that dinner well-prepared: “I can make X salary, and there are X number of jobs available annually.”
Parents want to know that you are passionate, have done your research, and “know the path forward,” Shouse says.
Trust Yourself
Choosing a major can feel overwhelming, but you have support. If you are a current student at USF, make an appointment with our career counselors. They love helping students and expressed hope that this blog post encourages you to visit them.
If you’re currently in high school, talk to your guidance counselor about your options. You should also feel free to reach out to the USF Office of Admissions to learn more about what we offer. Email admissions@usf.edu or call 813-974-3350.
And wherever you are in your journey, it’s most important to listen to yourself. Get to know yourself and understand what matters to you. Through that process of exploration, you’ll find a major (and a career) where you can thrive.
Curious about what majors are the fastest growing in America? We’ve got just the article for you! Check out the top degrees in demand in 2025.
