[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by nostatic

True, but I could argue that the Latin major actually might have the edge for a much broader set of jobs than the accounting major.

In the end it comes down to the individual. There are straightforward paths, and others that are much less so. Plenty of people who drifted through college then got out and couldn't find a job that they either liked or thought paid enough. Is that the fault of the college?

College prices are high for a number of reasons. Part of it is that people are willing to pay for it, but sadly some (or many) do so out of habit rather than cost/benefit analysis. Lots of people love to blame the colleges and "stupid degrees" but the reality is that those degrees have value. Whether or not the individual can use or leverage that value effectively, or has suitable expectations for compensation in the real world is a totally different story.

Perhaps. But now we're into defining quality and quantity of said jobs. An accounting major graduates into a diverse field that is in demand. Entry level accounting grads start in the $45-50k range, can work nearly anywhere in the USA, and have a number of different paths internal to the field (tax, corporate, audit, etc). Most employers will pay for a new graduate to work towards their master's degree and cover the expense of a CPA exam, at which point their income and career options increase further.

There is no barrier to the Latin major finding similar career and financial success. But they will have far fewer options, and likely have to work harder, than their accounting counterpart. Worth the effort if you love the Latin language, not so much if you chose the major because it gave you more free time to get laid.