Seventy percent of Keene State College students stress about money and their future incomes, according to a survey in the KSC City Guide II: Campus Confidential Magazine, an online and mobile questionnaire was conducted this winter break. The participants in the survey were limited to KSC students. On the introduction page of the magazine it was stated that the survey was not scientific, but it is very insightful for readers. The KSC City Guide was contacted for an interview but there was no response.
Joey Sullivan / Equinox Staff
One of the survey questions asked students, “Are you worried about making a livable wage in your field of study?” 40 percent of participants chose the answer “Yes, but I’ll work it out” while 30 percent answered with, “Yes, constantly and it’s killing me slowly.” 24 percent said, “No, I’m confident my field of study is monetarily stable.” Four percent said, “No, money is not the point: Find something you like,” and two percent of participants had no response.
First year journalism major Emma Paltauf discussed her worries of making a suitable income as a journalist. “I am nervous about making a living as a journalism major. Journalism is extremely competitive. I know people that went to college to study journalism and they are jobless,” she said. Although it is nerve racking for her to think about her future career, Paltauf finds it more important to find a job that is enjoyable. “I think it’s more important to find a career I like. If I did something for the sake of money, I would be miserable for the rest of my life… Money doesn’t buy happiness,” she continued.
Similarly, sophomore music education major Christian Terry said he is nervous about making money after college due to the difficulty of his future career. “I’m a music education [major] and the field of a teacher and music put together is a tough field, but music is my passion,” Terry said. He went on to say that he thinks about the subject of money often, but he believes his future income is not as important as choosing a career path he truly enjoy. “I believe I will be honestly happy with whatever [income] I make because I will be doing what I love,” he explained. Terry would like to add that he is a Resident Assistance and his views do not represent the views of Residential Life or Keene State College.
Contrary to Paltauf and Terry, sophomore education and psychology double major, Karli Sou said the college has prepared her enough to be successful in her career field. “I’m not that nervous about making money after college… Keene is a really good school for education majors so I’m confident that my teachers have prepared me to make a livable income,” she said.
Sophomore safety major Connor Page also said that he does not get anxiety about making money post-college.
“I don’t worry about my future income as much as I see others do. From what I’ve heard from older students, safety majors typically make a lot of money, especially right after they graduate,” he said. Page said it is important to find a career path you love, but passion was not the reason he decided to declare himself a safety major.
“I became a safety major because I knew that was a popular major for students here, and because me and my family thought it would make me the most money,” Page said. Although his decision upon his major wasn’t connected to his passion for the subject, Page said his enthusiasm and drive for the field has grown the more he learns.
“When I was a freshman, I wasn’t exactly educated enough about the safety field to be passionate about it. The more knowledge I gain through my classes, the more intriguing the subject becomes to me and the more I enjoy it,” he said.
KSC Academic Advisor Jennifer Drake-Deese explained that income isn’t always determined by a desired career path. She believes an individual’s determination has an immense impact on future success.
“Majors aren’t always directly connected to the amount of income someone makes… Anytime a person has good grades and experiences outside of the classroom, they make their chances of a high-income career a little bit better,” she said. She continued by saying students are more motivated in a career that they enjoy, which tends to benefit them in the long-run.
“When I work with students who try to get into a major that they feel, or their families feel, will make them money, they’re often miserable and they’re not successful; it’s tough to be successful in a major you don’t love,’ Drake-Deese said.
To talk about future careers or to question desired majors, students can make an appointment with an Academic or Career Advisor at the Elliot Center.
Ashley Arnold can be contacted at aarnold@ksceuinox.com
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