On the general subject of college major choice and earnings, I think this recent article is interesting:
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/what-the-top-1-of-earners-majored-in/New York Times
January 18, 2012, 10:00 AM
What the Top 1% of Earners Majored In
By ROBERT GEBELOFF and SHAILA DEWAN
...
According to the Census Bureau�s 2010 American Community Survey, the majors that give you the best chance of reaching the 1 percent are pre-med, economics, biochemistry, zoology and, yes, biology, in that order.
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Looking at the article's numbers, I was surprised to see that art history majors were more likely than math majors to be in the top 1%, (5.9% vs. 3.9%). I remember someone at college saying that art history majors tended to be from well-off families and wonder if this plays a role. The optimistic take from this article is that one can major in a range of subjects and still have a chance becoming affluent.
