Best majors at West Point to make money with

My Username Will Fi

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What are the best majors to choose at West Point if you want to make a lot of money? I read that the average graduate's mid-career salary is around 120k. I also read that the average mid-career salary for a graduate that majored in management in 123k. Does that mean that if you want to make more money you should not choose engineering majors? I read that the average mechanical engineer nationwide makes about 85k. Do mechanical engineers that graduate from West Point make significantly more than 85k a year on average?
 
The best major is graduation :)

Kidding aside, everything depends on. Not sure where you are getting your numbers and what you are comparing. You can't compare a West Point undergraduate degree with a regular college undergraduate graduate as West Point undergraduate degree comes with 5 years of military experience.
 
Kidding aside, everything depends on.
Everything depends on what lol?

Not sure where you are getting your numbers and what you are comparing.
I found them on the internet from a bunch of different websites. The websites had numbers of starting salary and midcareer and I put the ones for midcareer here. I'm trying to compare how much money I will make if I graduate with a mechanical engineering major with how much I will make if I graduate with a management major. I'm guessing mechanical engineering will be a much harder major than management, and I'd like to know if the harder workload will actually lead to me earning more money or not. I'm not to interested in lowering my quality of life for several years to earn an engineering major if it's not going to earn me any more money. But if it is going to earn me more money then I might be interested.
 
Finance.

If your goals are based on material things and that unattainable number of "how much money will make me happy?" Then you'll miss out on life and the most difficult and rewarding job of life........being a father and dedicated husband.

Good luck.

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
Most of my family is living in an impoverished area in another country. I want to earn a lot money so I have money to send them so that they can live a good life like me. My family has worked hard to get me into the position I am today. If I went to college and majored in something like psychology that won't get me a high paying job I would feel like I would be letting everyone down. I don't plan on majoring in something that I hate, but I feel that it is a necessity that I choose a major that will allow me to make a good chunk of money. I don't hate engineering and I don't hate management. I think I would enjoy management a little bit more, but that enjoyment isn't worth it to me if I'm going to be earning double the money as an engineer. I like math better than I like writing essays, but if I got offered a job that pays $100 to write essays and another job that offers $10 to do math I would not hesitate take the job writting the essays. Not everyone has the same goals in life. My goal in life is not to procreate or to have the job that I will enjoy most. My goals are different, and large amounts of money will allow me to accomplish my goals so I'm trying to choose the path that will give me large amounts of money.
 
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What are the best majors to choose at West Point if you want to make a lot of money? I read that the average graduate's mid-career salary is around 120k. I also read that the average mid-career salary for a graduate that majored in management in 123k. Does that mean that if you want to make more money you should not choose engineering majors? I read that the average mechanical engineer nationwide makes about 85k. Do mechanical engineers that graduate from West Point make significantly more than 85k a year on average?

Most of my family is living in an impoverished area in another country. I want to earn a lot money so I have money to send them so that they can live a good life like me. My family has worked hard to get me into the position I am today. If I went to college and majored in something like psychology that won't get me a high paying job I would feel like I would be letting everyone down. I don't plan on majoring in something that I hate, but I feel that it is a necessity that I choose a major that will allow me to make a good chunk of money. I don't hate engineering and I don't hate management. I think I would enjoy management a little bit more, but that enjoyment isn't worth it to me if I'm going to be earning double the money as an engineer. I like math better than I like writing essays, but if I got offered a job that pays $100 to write essays and another job that offers $10 to do math I would not hesitate take the job writting the essays. Not everyone has the same goals in life. My goal in life is not to procreate or to have the job that I will enjoy most. My goals are different, and large amounts of money will allow me to accomplish my goals so I'm trying to choose the path that will give me large amounts of money.

This is the ServiceAcademyForums - Upon graduation all the leaders that choose this path will earn the same amount of money with few exceptions for professional or special skills pay and additional for time served previously in the military. Base pay is $2972.40 per month plus a housing allowance. Your goals are not aligned with Service. Clearly this is not for you - Good luck in your money making endeavors.

This is simple for me - Would I want you to lead my son or daughter in combat or training for combat? No!

Go ask your questions on college confidential, reddit, or a career website.
 
An engineer is not likely to make over $120k (high cost of living areas aside). A manager who doesn't understand the business won't be employed long enough to make $120k total. A manager who understands engineering because they have a degree in both (undergrad engineering and graduate management/business) can easily make $120k or more.

Statistics lie. They do a good job of showing correlation without explaining the causation. Don't get blinded by the end result and overly simplified conclusions because the road there has plenty of challenges along the way that you have to commit to.
 
You haven't mentioned one word about serving, what major will help me lead people, etc. That has me most concerned. If you only goal is to make money, don't go to West Point.

Making money as a civilian has a ton of factors involved. I make great money, but it's more about work ethic, what you bring to the table, what you do. Sure West Point on your resume might get you in the door, but it won't out weigh a bad interview, work ethic or not doing your job well. A lot of the management majors probably also have now have an MBA. I have engineers who work for me who make much more than $85k. As an engineer I made much more than $85k. But it also depends what level you are at, where you live, etc. Honestly my friends who make the most money, double and triple what I do, work in sales or finance.
 
To add what everyone else has said, if you come here with only the dream of making money you're going to really hate it. West Point isn't easy, even with a goal I've dreamed about since I was a kid I've asked myself a million times if it was worth it and if I should leave. You're only going to survive if you're driven by something intrinsically. If you want to go here so that you can help your family, that is admirable, just keep in mind that USMA is a 9 year gig, you'll have to serve 5 after graduating.

That said, I'll preface this with: Don't major in something you don't like. You'll be spending so much time working on problem sets and assignments that if this isn't what you want you're going to get demoralized.

Management at West Point is a bit of a joke (no offense to others). It's the easiest major and that's why it is so popular. Why do they make more money then engineers? Because engineers don't make much. Project managers sure do. If you go engineering and get an MBA or some other management degree on top of your Mech/Civil/Electrical Bachelors, there's a lot of money there. My sponsor was a project manager after being an aeromech undergrad and he was making 200+. If you major in engineering, you'll go to the private sector with 5 years of leadership under your belt and you should be able to find a job there. Also consider systems engineering, they're always needed for stuff like being PMs. Keep in mind, how much you make is heavily influenced by what you do. If you network a ton and are really charismatic, chances are you can get that upper management position that makes money.

I personally don't like management a lot, PhD in Aerospace and I'll stay with less pay if it means I can do cool stuff in the lab longer. To each their own.
 
Leave the money aside for a moment. Are you willing to spend a year in the sandbox (Iraq/Afghanistan)? Because honestly that can be part of your life as a military member. The cliche service before self exists for a reason.

As stated you WP diploma will open doors, but you have to do 5 years Active Duty 1st. YOU MAY request a post assignment, and THEY MAY deny it. You may desire a certain career field and they may offer you something you don't want. Hence the cliche....service before self.

This is also not going to be 4 years of your life (WP as a cadet), it is a total of 9 because you will owe those 5 yrs. AD. You won't walk until you are at least 27.

I think if this is coming down to a fiscal reason (free education), you need to re-think this approach and maybe go AROTC scholarship. With AROTC you have the option of going Guard or Reserve. Thus, you can have that $$$ making career and pay back your committment.
~ AROTC will pay either your tuition or Room and Board. Many recipients are competitive for merit scholarships, and many colleges will discount for ROTC cadets.
~~ Caveat: You can land up doing a yr in the sandbox this way too. The cliche does not change.

I would also say that impho, it would be hard to get past that 1st hurdle with what you are currently saying here....make the moolah! 1st hurdle to attending any SA is an MOC nomination. I doubt that they would choose you if you walk in and say what you are saying here. Nothing about defending this great nation, nothing about being a part of a team, everything about ME, MYSELF and My Family's needs.
~ Nothing wrong with that, but it is not in sync with the military's vision of future leaders.
 
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Most of my family is living in an impoverished area in another country. I want to earn a lot money so I have money to send them so that they can live a good life like me. My family has worked hard to get me into the position I am today. If I went to college and majored in something like psychology that won't get me a high paying job I would feel like I would be letting everyone down. I don't plan on majoring in something that I hate, but I feel that it is a necessity that I choose a major that will allow me to make a good chunk of money. I don't hate engineering and I don't hate management. I think I would enjoy management a little bit more, but that enjoyment isn't worth it to me if I'm going to be earning double the money as an engineer. I like math better than I like writing essays, but if I got offered a job that pays $100 to write essays and another job that offers $10 to do math I would not hesitate take the job writting the essays. Not everyone has the same goals in life. My goal in life is not to procreate or to have the job that I will enjoy most. My goals are different, and large amounts of money will allow me to accomplish my goals so I'm trying to choose the path that will give me large amounts of money.
I get that you're trying to help your family, buddy. In my opinion, it is a really noble goal. I too feel the weight of my family not being able to live comfortably, that's why I work hard and study even harder. Being the first member of my family to go to college (and not just any college-wp-) I too feel the need to make wise decisions that'll benefit my finances too. However, you need to keep in mind that the decision to go to West Point is much more than a dream of a pocket full of cash in the future. West Point will forge a standard bearing individual. The academy will mold you from the moment you report to the moment you toss your hat up in graduation-some of us are molded by the academy even before attending, making every choice worthy of a future cadet-. My best advise to you is to find PASSION in whatever you decide to you. Sure, money is important, but doing something everyday can really take a toll on you if its not something that you love. Find purpose in everything you do. See you at the academy, feel free to PM me if you want.
 
Easy folks, I did not read at all that this young man was looking to line his pockets, Seems to me his concern was taking care of the family that sacrificed to get him to where he is. "Serving your family" is very important, as long as it is not at odds with loyalty to the country. If it was only about "Service to Country" above all else maybe we should all just enlist.

"My User Name" you need to get to 10 posts so you can private message. Just drop some Hello's if necessary
 
I guess this forum was not the correct place to seek advice.

Yes, this is a good place to ask questions. I apologize that you weren't treated in a more friendly manner.

The people on this forum need to realize that everyone is free to ask questions and not be labeled a "Troll" simply because you don't like their question. This is a forum for information and many new users are going to ask question that may have been answered before, or may seem to not be aligned with military service. It doesn't mean that these people are not genuinely interested in a military career. The fact that they are asking questions and want to learn should be supported by the members here.

Stealth_81
 
Everything depends on what lol?


I found them on the internet from a bunch of different websites. The websites had numbers of starting salary and midcareer and I put the ones for midcareer here. I'm trying to compare how much money I will make if I graduate with a mechanical engineering major with how much I will make if I graduate with a management major. I'm guessing mechanical engineering will be a much harder major than management, and I'd like to know if the harder workload will actually lead to me earning more money or not. I'm not to interested in lowering my quality of life for several years to earn an engineering major if it's not going to earn me any more money. But if it is going to earn me more money then I might be interested.

How much you will make your mid career depends on many things - starting point is your undergraduate degree. Other factors such as source of your undergraduate degree, having a graduate degree, job experience, job location, industry structure, economy itself, and etc. A kid I know is graduating from a good school with good grades in Chemical engineering, a few years ago he could have probably found a job close to six figure as the oil industry was hot and growing, now he is still looking for a job. Another kid I know graduated from a state university with Computer Science degree a couple years ago and got a close to a six figure starting position. A big tech company recruits heavily from his school.

What websites provide are average and does not account for individual situations. Average means there are people that will make more or less than the average.

Make me laugh to think that you will be lowering your qualify of life by majoring in engineering vs. management.

According to Payscale.com, the average starting salary for lawyer is $78K and mid career (5 to 10 years) about $95K

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Attorney_/_Lawyer/Salary

But for Anna Alaburda, could even find a starting position.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/b...ng-law-school-of-inflating-job-data.html?_r=0
 
You should major in what interests you. If you like what you do, you will be successful.

"Those whose work and pleasures are one, are fortune's favorite children" - Churchill

Fortune is not exclusively synonymous with money.
Spot on brother!

...on the other hand, if you have a job that you love, and it pays well, then you have something. Quality of life should be the measure. Accomplishment brings pride and happiness. Be that professional, personal or otherwise.

Although, I also get curious about these career figures as well, so I understand the question. I would be more curious as to which majors corelate with making higher rank in the army though.
 
In the interest of a having a productive discussion, might I be so bold as to make a make an attempt at re-framing the question :

I am or hope to be a Cadet at West Point. I am excited and thrilled to have the opportunity to serve my country. My family has made great sacrifices to help me get to make this dream a reality. I feel that because of their sacrifices it is important that I make wise decisions, I do not have the luxury of taking Basket weaving 101. Could you help me with your thoughts, on where America is heading along with the world economy. What would be a good area to Major in while at West Point so that in the future I will be able to best use my talents for maximum SERVICE, effectiveness, and advancement.
 
Yes, this is a good place to ask questions. I apologize that you weren't treated in a more friendly manner.

I don't think an apologize is needed. If Username Will Fi posted his question on the "Off Topic" thread, some of the reactions were unwarranted. By posting his question on the Military Academy thread, he opened himself up to different responses.
 
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