Families often ask one question in three different words: What pays? What do people regret? What happens later? This hub puts those lenses next to each other using only figures already published on MajorMatch (NACE/BLS/Georgetown context for early pay; Federal Reserve SHED and alumni/regret surveys for satisfaction). We do not invent wages here.
Why compare pay and regret together
Starting salary alone is a thin decision tool. A major can look “fine” on a first-job table and still show high regret if careers are sparse, graduate school is effectively required, or expectations were set by prestige instead of day-to-day work. Conversely, some lower-starting fields (education, clinical paths after grad school) can show strong non-salary benefits that raw early-pay tables understate.
MajorMatch already covers the pieces separately:
- Average starting salary by major — NACE/BLS/Georgetown-oriented early-pay tables
- College major regret rate — Fed SHED 44% headline + ranked regret/satisfaction
- Most regretted majors
- Major Earnings Continuum — interactive majors → careers → mid-career pay map
This page is the citeable synthesis: one place an AI (or a parent) can quote the relationship, then click through to the full tables.
Side-by-side snapshot (published figures)
Figures below are copied from existing MajorMatch guides — early/starting medians from the starting salary tables; regret or satisfaction from the regret rate rankings. Treat them as directional snapshots, not personalized forecasts.
| Major / field | Early / starting median (site table) | Regret or satisfaction (site survey synthesis) | Read as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | ~$85,000 starting | ~72% would choose again (low regret cluster) | High early pay + clear hiring path |
| Software Engineering | ~$83,000 starting | Groups with CS/engineering low-regret cluster | Specialized demand, strong first jobs |
| Chemical Engineering | ~$82,000 starting | Engineering satisfaction ~68% would choose again | Top of early-pay ladder |
| Electrical Engineering | ~$79,000 starting | Engineering satisfaction cluster | Strong early pay, clear pathways |
| Nursing (BSN) | ~$65,000 starting | ~69% would choose again | Security + meaning often beat raw peak pay |
| Finance | ~$65,000 starting | ~66% would choose again | Advancement path matters as much as year one |
| Marketing | ~$52,000 starting | Mid-pack; outcomes vary by role & skills | Portfolio/skills shift trajectories |
| Psychology (BA only) | ~$40,000 starting | ~65% regret without grad school (site ranking) | Grad-school expectation is the trap |
| Communications | ~$46,000 starting | ~68% regret (site ranking) | Broad major → need a concrete pathway |
| Journalism | Lower early-pay band on related tables | ~87% regret (highest on site ranking) | Industry structure + pay drive regret |
| Education | ~$42,000 starting | Lower early pay; benefits/stability understated by salary alone | Mission + pension vs peak earnings tradeoff |
Sources on-site: starting medians as listed on average starting salary by major; regret/satisfaction rates as listed on college major regret rate. Cross-check the Major Earnings Continuum for career-level BLS OEWS means.
What early-career pay shows
On the published starting-salary tables, engineering and computer science dominate the top band (~$75K–$85K first-year medians in those snapshots). Nursing, accounting, and finance sit in a strong applied band. A long mid-pack (business, biology, many social sciences) runs roughly the mid-$40Ks to low-$60Ks. Humanities and some arts majors land lower on year-one cash but can recover via law, policy, business, or specialized graduate paths — which is why Georgetown CEW-style research (cited on our salary pages) emphasizes major over brand for most earnings variation.
Starting pay is only half the comparison. Our college majors ranked by salary growth shows which majors climb fastest by mid-career, and college majors ranked by underemployment shows which ones most often land recent grads in jobs that don't need a degree.
For interactive early → mid ranges and career twigs with BLS OEWS means, open the Major Earnings Continuum.
What regret surveys show
The Federal Reserve SHED figure cited across our regret guides: roughly 44% of graduates would choose a different major. On MajorMatch’s ranked synthesis, journalism (~87%), sociology (~72%), liberal arts/general studies (~71%), and communications (~68%) sit at the high-regret end; computer science (~72% would choose again), nursing (~69%), and engineering (~68%) sit at the low-regret end. The #1 reason regretful grads give on those pages: salary below expectations (~43%), followed by job availability and lack of career direction.
That pattern is why this hub pairs the two tables. High early pay does not guarantee happiness — but opaque pathways plus disappointing pay show up together in the regret column again and again.
How to use this without chasing prestige
Pair this outcomes table with the interactive Major Earnings Continuum and an illustrative debt check on degree loan vs upside (field pages live under /calculators/loan-vs-upside/{slug}/). Then validate fit with the free assessment.
- Scan outcomes, don’t memorize ranks. Use the snapshot to pressure-test assumptions (“everyone says psychology is fine” vs BA-only job reality).
- Map careers on the Major Earnings Continuum. Click a major on the Major Earnings Continuum (
#s=MajorNamedeep links) and read career twigs + education levels. - Measure fit, not vibes. The free MajorMatch assessment (~10–20 min) returns a real top-3 sample. Optional $29 Pathfinder unlocks the full write-up, paths to avoid, colleges, and a shareable PDF — it does not replace the free sample.
- Talk timeline with parents. Pair with the college prep timeline so pay/regret data becomes a plan, not a scare chart.
See your top 3 — free
Adaptive assessment (~10–20 min). Free top-3 sample stays yours; Pathfinder is optional $29 if you want the full report.
Start the free assessment → Open the Major Earnings ContinuumFrequently Asked Questions
What share of graduates regret their college major?
About 44% of U.S. college graduates say they would choose a different major if they could do it again, according to the Federal Reserve Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) — the headline figure used across MajorMatch regret guides.
Which majors have the highest early-career pay?
On MajorMatch starting-salary tables (NACE/BLS/Georgetown context), computer science and software engineering sit near the top (~$83,000–$85,000), with chemical and electrical engineering close behind. Always re-check the live tables — labor markets move.
Do high-pay majors always have lower regret?
Often, not always. CS, nursing, and engineering cluster with lower regret on our ranked pages; journalism and several broad social-science/humanities paths show higher regret. Pay is the top cited driver (~43%), but job availability and pathway clarity matter too.
Where can I compare majors, careers, and pay interactively?
Use the free Major Earnings Continuum, then take the free assessment for a personalized top-3 (optional $29 Pathfinder full report).
Sources (on-site + primary)
- MajorMatch — Average starting salary by major (NACE / BLS / Georgetown CEW context)
- MajorMatch — College major regret rate (Fed SHED + survey synthesis)
- Most regretted college majors
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York — College labor market
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Georgetown CEW