- Some jobs pay you well, while others allow you to feel like your work makes a difference in the world. But these two things don’t necessarily have to be mutually exclusive.
- Using data from PayScale, we found which majors led to jobs that paid well and where workers also felt like their work mattered.
- Most majors that lead to well-paid and satisfying jobs are engineering-related: Marine engineering, biomedical engineering, and aeronautical engineering top the list.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
There are jobs that pay you well. Then there are jobs that make a difference in peoples’ lives while making you feel personally fulfilled. While many of us think these categories are mutually exclusive by necessity, they don’t always have to be.
Using data from compensation platform PayScale’s 2018 College Salary Report, we found which majors made workers feel like their work mattered and paid them handsomely. The report found average salaries as well as a “high meaning” rate – the percentage of college grads who say their work makes the world a better place – using worker surveys.
To determine which majors had both high job satisfaction and high salaries, we tallied the top 20 majors with an annual mid-career salary above $100,000 that also had a “high meaning” rate above 50%.
Here are the majors to choose if you want to land a lucrative gig that’ll pay you to change the world.
20. Construction management majors have a mid-career salary of $100,400 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 58%.
Possible jobs with this major: Construction manager, building surveyor, sustainability consultant, building services engineer, fire risk assessor.
Early-career pay: $59,000
19. International economics majors have a mid-career salary of $105,900 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 59%.
Possible jobs with this major: Economist, foreign service officer, financial analyst, development associate, intelligence officer, legislative assistant.
Early career pay: $53,600
18. Astrophysics majors have a mid-career salary of $110,800 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 59%.
Possible jobs with this major: Software engineer, physics professor, database administrator, principal test engineer, astrophysicist.
Early career pay: $60,700
17. Electrical and electronics engineering (EEE) majors have a mid-career salary of $112,000 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 59%.
Possible jobs with this major: Control and instrumentation engineer, design engineer, electrical engineer, electronics engineer, IT consultant, network engineer.
Early career pay: $69,200
16. Nuclear engineering majors have a mid-career salary of $121,700 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 59%.
Possible jobs with this major: Electrical engineer, machinist mate, radiological engineer.
Early career pay: $70,700
15. Applied physics majors have a mid-career salary of $104,300 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 60%.
Possible jobs with this major: Nanotechnologist, physics professor, physicist.
Early career pay: $61,400
14. Petroleum engineering majors have a mid-career salary of $183,600 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 60%.
Possible jobs with this major: Information specialist, petroleum engineer.
Early career pay: $82,700
13. Evolution, ecology and biodiversity majors have a mid-career salary of $100,000 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 61%.
Possible jobs with this major: Veterinarian, pharmacist, environmental conservation, college professor.
Early career pay: $43,000
12. Construction project management majors have a mid-career salary of $106,200 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 61%.
Possible jobs with this major: Construction manager, quantity surveyor, site engineer, sustainability consultant.
Early career pay: $56,500
11. Metallurgical engineering majors have a mid-career salary of $111,100 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 61%.
Possible jobs with this major: Product engineer, research and development engineer, data architect.
Early career pay: $77,300
10. Agricultural engineering (AE) majors have a mid-career salary of $101,200 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 62%.
Possible jobs with this major: Agricultural and food scientist, environmental engineer, Hydrologist, conservation scientist.
Early career pay: $58,200
9. Bioengineering (BioE) majors have a mid-career salary of $107,000 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 63%.
Possible jobs with this major: Clinical engineer, biomedical engineer, orthopedic bioengineer.
Early career pay: $65,400
8. Mining engineering majors have a mid-career salary of $114,000 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 63%.
Possible jobs with this major: Geological engineer, geophysical engineer, mineral engineer, mining safety engineer, seismic engineer.
Early career pay: $72,100
7. Civil engineering (CE) majors have a mid-career salary of $101,100 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 64%.
Possible jobs with this major: Consulting civil engineer, contracting civil engineer, design engineer, fire risk assessor, nuclear engineer, site engineer, structural engineer, water engineer.
Early career pay: $60,400
6. Electrical power engineering majors have a mid-career salary of $122,300 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 65%.
Possible jobs with this major: Power engineer, utilities engineer.
Early career pay: $71,300
5. Biochemistry and molecular biology majors have a mid-career salary of $103,400 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 67%.
Possible jobs with this major: Analytical chemist, biomedical scientist, biotechnologist, clinical research associate, forensic scientist, medicinal chemist.
Early career pay: $49,800
4. Structural engineering (SE) majors have a mid-career salary of $107,900 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 70%.
Possible jobs with this major: Architectural engineer, bridge engineer, construction engineer, facilities engineer, geotechnical engineer, highway engineer, hydrographic engineer, research hydraulic engineer, transportation engineer.
Early career pay: $62,400
3. Aeronautical engineering majors have a mid-career salary of $122,500 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 70%.
Possible jobs with this major: Commercial aerospace engineers, spacecraft designers, engineering, science and data processing managers, inspectors and compliance officers, mechanical engineers.
Early career pay: $67,900
2. Biomedical engineering (BME) majors have a mid-career salary of $110,300 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 71%.
Possible jobs with this major: Medicinal chemist, microbiologist, physician associate, biomedical scientist, biotechnologist, forensic scientist.
Early career pay: $66,000
1. Marine engineering majors have a mid-career salary of $126,500 a year and a "high meaning" rate of 73%.
Possible jobs with this major: Marine mechanical engineer, waterfront project engineer.
Early career pay: $72,600