College Majors That Result in a Sense of Satisfaction

Summary: Choosing a college major that leads to a satisfying career is especially important for some, so here are ten of twenty majors that lead to satisfying careers.

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College majors can lead one to a variety of paths in life. For some, the destination of being in a career that gives back or has a sense of satisfaction is important. A survey by PayScale found “the majority of workers with a bachelor’s degree who tell PayScale their makes the world a better place are in the healthcare and related programs but finding meaningful work and big paychecks doesn’t necessarily go hand in hand as many of these healthcare professions don’t take home top pay.”

We have 10 college majors that offer satisfying careers despite not the strongest salary growth:

1. Early-childhood education- Commonly ends up as daycare teachers, preschool teachers, and elementary-school teachers with 77 percent finding their job meaningful. The starting median pay is $30,300 with a mid-career median at $38,000.
2. Health administration- Commonly ends up as administrative assistants, practice managers, and office managers with 77 percent finding the job meaningful. The starting median pay is $34,600 with a mid-career median pay at $56,100.
3. Human services- Commonly ends up as medical case managers, social workers, and administrative assistants with 78 percent finding the job meaningful. Starting median pay is $34,100 and the mid-career pay is $43,400.
4. Health- Commonly ends up as registered nurses, office managers, and administrative assistants with 78 percent finding the job meaningful. The starting median pay is $38,200 with a mid-career median pay of $67,400.
5. Safety management- Commonly ends up as safety managers, safety directors, and environmental health and safety managers with 79 percent finding their job meaningful. The starting median pay is $52,600 and a mid-career pay of $80,800.
6. Mining engineering- Commonly ends up as a mining engineer, mine engineer, or civil engineer with 79 percent finding their job meaningful. The starting median pay is $71,500 and mid-career pay is $109,000.
7. Radiologic technology- Commonly ends up as radiology technologist, computer-tomography technologist, or magnetic-resonance-imaging technologist with 79 percent finding their job meaningful. The starting pay is $46,600 and mid-career is $63,800.
8. Respiratory therapy- Commonly ends up as respiratory therapist, respiratory director, and respiratory-therapy managers with 80 percent finding the job meaningful. The starting median pay is $46,400 and mid-career pay is $62,300.
9. Therapeutic recreation- Commonly ends up as activities directors, therapeutic-recreation directors, and recreation therapists with 80 percent finding their job meaningful. The starting median pay is $33,800 with the mid-career pay as $48,000.
10. Athletic training- Commonly ends up as athletic trainers, assistant athletic trainers, and physical-therapy assistants with 80 percent finding their job meaningful. The starting median pay is $35,900 and mid-career median pay is $48,300.

Photo: forbes.com