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Engineering
One of the greatest benefits to majoring in engineering is the money you are likely to earn. Starting salaries for engineers vary by specialty, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average starting annual salaries in 2006 range from just over $47,000 for environmental engineers to over $60,000 for petroleum engineers. Those figures are for bachelor’s degree holders, and engineers with master’s degrees and PhDs can earn even more.
To become a licensed engineer, you’ll need four years in an engineering program and then four years of work experience before you’re able to sit for the Professional Engineer, or PE, exam. Specialties vary widely in engineering, but a great benefit to this field is that many majors allow for some cross-over. Aerospace and mechanical engineers, for example, have skills that can easily translate into the other’s field.
Information technology
As technology improves so does the market for IT pros, making information technology a smart career choice for the tech-savvy. If you’re interested in working with computers, you have your choice of majors and specialties, and that variety is one thing that makes this field great.
Just as you’ll have your choice with majors and specializations, you also have a lot of options when it comes to the kind of education you pursue for an IT degree. You can start in the field with a certificate, or go after an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degree. If you’re interested in teaching or research, you might even go all the way for a doctorate. The level of education you need largely depends on the kind of career you want. Like many industries, IT is flexible enough that you can start with a certificate program or associate’s degree, and then build onto your credentials as you need or want to.
Education
Summers off? No work on the weekends? Your very own chalkboard? These may be the things that drive some, but most teachers will tell you they come to work every day because the work is so rewarding. To become a teacher, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in education, but more and more education programs are being offered online, making it easier than ever for anyone to pursue a teaching career.
Once you’ve completed the degree, fulfilled student teaching requirements and have your licensure in hand, you’ll find that jobs are plentiful in most urban and rural areas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but that need does vary by location. Many states are experiencing dire teacher shortages, especially in the Southwest, and they will do whatever it takes to get qualified teachers into their schools.
When you’re choosing a college and a major, opportunities can sometimes seem endless. There are pros and cons to every field, but most will find that once they’ve found the right career path, the good will always outweigh the bad.
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