That's a Pretty New Arts Degree You Have

It may be too late for the class of '10 and those of us who chose this insane career path out of love for the arts, but maybe those high schoolers out there whose parents haven't blocked access to my blog can be forewarned (thanks to Thomas Cott for the tip):

Arts majors have three of the Top 10 lowest-earning college degrees

Posted on Yahoo.com's HotJobs website

There's no denying the value of a college education: According to recent U.S. Census surveys, the median salary for college grads is more than $20,000 higher than that of people with only a high school diploma. And the unemployment rate for people with bachelor's degrees is almost half the rate for people without. But some degrees are worth more than others, as PayScale.com shows in its 2010 report on the earning power of bachelor's degrees. No surprise, engineering degrees continue to be top earners -- and (also no big shocker) you have to go pretty far down the list before you see the liberal arts well represented. But there's more to choosing a major than comparing dollar amounts. We salute and congratulate the graduates whose interests (and hard work) have led them to the following degrees -- the lowest-earning degrees on PayScale's list:

#10. Drama (starting annual salary: $35,600; mid-career annual salary: $56,600)
# 9. Fine arts (starting annual salary: $35,800; mid-career annual salary: $56,300)
# 8. Hospitality and tourism

# 7. Education

# 6. Horticulture

# 5. Spanish

# 4. Music (starting annual salary: $34,000; mid-career annual salary: $52,000)
# 3. Theology

# 2. Elementary education

# 1. Social work