Headed back to school, and uncertain what to major in? It might help to check out a hefty new paperback tome, College Majors Handbook with Real Career Paths and Payoffs. The 546-page book is packed with detailed career information on 58 majors, including the kinds of jobs each major is likely to lead to; how closely related grads' work usually is to the subjects they studied; how much (or little) degree holders in each field report enjoying what they do; and how much they earn.
要开学了，还不确定该选什么专业吗？可以去看看最新出版的纸皮版大手册，《大学专业指南：职业道路和回报》（College Majors Handbook with Real Career Paths and Payoffs）。这本长达546页的手册详细记录了58个专业的职业信息，其中包括：可能得到的工作类型、工作和专业的相关度、对工作的满意度以及薪水。
The four co-authors — led by Drexel University research professor Neeta P. Fogg and by Paul Harrington, director of Drexel's Center for Labor Markets and Policy — mined the data from mountains of Census Bureau statistics, U.S. Department of Labor studies, and a 2011 National Science Foundation survey of 170, 000 college grads.
四个作者以德雷塞尔大学（Drexel University）教授尼塔•P.福格和该校劳动力市场和政策中心（Center for Labor Markets and Policy）的主管保罗•哈林顿为首，合作研究了堆积如山的数据，其中包括：美国人口普查局（Census Bureau）的统计数据、美国劳工部（Department of Labor）的研究以及美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation）在2011年对17万名大学毕业生的调查。
Median pay for a recent college graduate with a full-time job in 2010, the researchers found, stood at $53, 976. But these 15 majors commanded substantially more:
研究发现：拥有全职工作的应届毕业生在2010年的中位工资为53,976美元。但下列15个专业毕业生的收入明显高出一截：
1. Pre-med $100, 000
1. 医学预科 100,000美元
2. Computer systems engineering $85, 000
2. 计算机系统工程 85,000美元
3. Pharmacy $84, 000
3. 药剂学 84,000美元
4. Chemical engineering $80, 000
4. 化学工程 80,000美元
5. Electrical and electronics engineering $75, 000
5. 电气及电子工程 75,000美元
6. Mechanical engineering $75, 000
6. 机械工程 75,000美元
7. Aerospace and aeronautical engineering $74, 000
7. 航天及航空工程 74,000美元
8. Computer science $73, 000
8. 计算机科学 73,000美元
9. Industrial engineering $73, 000
9. 工业工程 73,000美元
10. Physics and astronomy $72, 200
10. 物理及天文学 72,200美元
11. Civil engineering $70, 000
11. 土木工程 70,000美元
12. Electrical and electronics engineering technology $65, 000
12. 电气及电子工程技术 65,000美元
13. Economics $63, 300
13. 经济学 63,300美元
14. Financial management $63, 000
14. 财务管理 63,000美元
15. Mechanical engineering technology $63, 000
15. 机械工程技术 63,000美元
Clearly, engineers are hot properties, but even the five non-engineering majors on the list require a strong mathematical bent. What if you're not inclined toward math and science? Luckily for liberal arts mavens, College Majors Handbook notes, "Salary is not the only form of payoff from a college education."
工程师显然炙手可热，但即使5个上榜的非工程专业也要求具有深厚的数学功底。那些不喜欢数学和科学的人就只能干瞪眼了吗？对文科生来说，幸运的是，这本大学专业指南同时也告诉我们：“薪酬并不是大学教育的唯一回报。”
Consider: Despite relatively modest median pay of $44, 000, well below the roughly $54, 000 average for all 58 fields of study, English majors report job satisfaction that is on a par with that of people who make far more money. Likewise, recent grads who majored in history, although they earn $48, 000 on average — and often end up working in unrelated fields like sales and marketing — report higher-than-average satisfaction with their chosen path.
看看这个：英语专业的毕业生中位工资仅有4.4万美元，远远低于约5.4万美元的平均值，但他们的工作满意度却和那些挣钱多得多的家伙不相上下。与此类似，历史专业的毕业生平均工资也只有4.8万美元，而且常常在销售和营销这些和本专业八竿子打不着的行业工作，但他们对职业道路的满意度却高于平均水平。
Moreover, even at the lower end of the salary scale, the authors point out, higher education leads to more earning power: "The average employed young person with a bachelor's degree earned 81% more in 2011 than his or counterpart with a high school diploma. The earnings premium of individuals with college degrees persists over their lifetime." Given the often jaw-dropping price tag on a sheepskin these days, that's good to know.
此外，作者们还指出，即使对那些挣钱较少的专业，大学教育还是给他们带来了更高的收入：“拥有学士学位的年青雇员的平均工资比只有高中文凭的同龄人要高出81%。而且这一趋势随着年龄增长并无太多改变。”想想现在令人咋舌的皮草价格，大学毕业生多少应该能够感觉到一点欣慰吧。
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