Throughout our lives, we are told that a college diploma is a deciding factor in the success we choose to have or not have. However, does a college diploma always lead to success?
Of course not. And while I have not even experienced my first day of college, I can say that by doing research on this topic, it does not necessarily matter (in most circumstances) what college you go to, or how you did in high school academically - what matters is the amount of effort you are willing to put into your academic pursuits once you arrive in college.
However, the effort you put in may not be the only factor. The connections you make, the money your parents may have, and knowing what you want to after graduation all can help quite a bit, and can give you a great head-start over those who do not have access to them.
One aspect that is often overlooked when measuring success post-graduation is your major.
For example, a political science major straight out of college for less than a year has an average starting salary of about $43,200 (considering that all values taken into account were from employed individuals) and is projected to make about $62,000 6-9 years after having graduated.
Compare that to the painstakingly low salary to that of an economics major, who makes, on average, a starting salary of about $58,600, a salary that is very close to what a political science major would make 6-9 years into their career.
From what I found from my research, it is evident that your college major does, in fact, hold some weight in terms of your post-grad salary and earnings. It can even be the deciding factor for whether or not your college experience and your investment into that experience were worth the money and time.
People get caught up in college, only wanting to do what they think their heart wants them to do - pursue something that may not give much of a benefit throughout their lives, both monetarily and generally. Therefore, from what I can take out of this research, I plan on taking a diverse courseload throughout my four years in college, discovering what I like and what I don't like, and hopefully finding a career path that suits both my interests, and my need - a healthy salary that will allow me to enjoy life to the fullest.