Best majors at West Point to make money with

My answer to the question. The world in my most humble opinion is in a State of upheaval at the moment, what was once a high paying job, engineering for example MAY be less sure in the future as Foreign engineers are being brought into the country on work Visa's. What was up is down and what is down is up. So where I once might have had some "Sure advise" to my Children, I am reluctant to point them in any direction.

If I were to roll the dice, I would bet on Cyber Security. That of course does not take into account what your skill set and talents are. I agree with you that we do not always have the luxury of doing exactly what we like, But one thing is for sure you need to be doing that which you are good at. or you will not rise to the top.

Totally agree wit Member LG Numbers and statistics Lie... don't count on them.
 
I will say this……I don’t know too many SA graduates who are on the bread line. Once they get out of the service an unparalleled alumni network is at their disposable to help them find employment. They all seem to do rather well financially.
 
The Dean said to my grad's plebe class, "Pick what you're interested in; you already have a job upon graduation." So, mine chose a major that he knew would allow a high class rank to ensure a better chance at his 1st choice branch. #2 has seen a lot of changes in the past few years, so he's thinking more of what he can do as a career if he doesn't serve 20. First one majored in German. Second one is Astronautics with a physics track. Study what you like and will do well at so that you can graduate.
 
I don't know many service academy graduates who are foreign nationals (I do know some).

I don't know of any service academy graduates who, upon graduation, were allowed to stay in the United States to work.

In all honesty this thread has been an absolute waste. I just hope something was lost in translation along the way and the motive isn't as transparent as it appears to be.
 
LineInTheSand said:
I don't know many service academy graduates who are foreign nationals (I do know some).

I don't know of any service academy graduates who, upon graduation, were allowed to stay in the United States to work.
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For West Point, about 20 foreign nationals graduate under the foreign cadet program (attending West Point full 4 years) each year and I believe all go back their country to serve in their military.
 
MemberLG said:
For West Point, about 20 foreign nationals graduate under the foreign cadet program (attending West Point full 4 years) each year and I believe all go back their country to serve in their military.
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Same at CGA (less cadets though).
 
To the original poster: The correct answer to your question for the majority of USMA grads - it doesn't matter. Unless you have a combination of brilliance and luck such as Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg, your path to making a lot of money as a USMA grad is through graduate school, preferably a top business or law school. West Point's curriculum is sufficiently rigorous, broad, and respected that any USMA major is a good path to graduate school. It would be a good idea to check prerequisites - medical schools will have certain requirements; business schools like to see proficiency in math.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be wealthy. Money does not bring happiness, but it does provide security, comfort, freedom, and opportunity. Many USMA grads proudly serve their five years after USMA, doing a great job leading soldiers, and then pursue other careers.
 
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MemberLG said:
For West Point, about 20 foreign nationals graduate under the foreign cadet program (attending West Point full 4 years) each year and I believe all go back their country to serve in their military.
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I only know of 1 who didn't have a service commitment after. He was a recruited athlete and played overseas for a long time after graduation. Actually at USNA, all the foreign nationals I knew had lengthy service commitments; 10-20 years in most cases.
 
Since you don't seem too motivated about military service as an officer and chasing the big bucks is your priority, I would suggest the Merchant Marine Academy. The USMMA turns out fine military officers and I have served with them, but you don't have to go that route. Graduate and go into civilian shipping and make a butt load of money. Look up what merchant ship captains make and remember that is the average----half of them make much more than that. Good ones on the right ships make even more. You're good, right?
 
Did I just wake up in bizaro... wait a minute. It's wacky Wednesday. You got me there.
 
My Username Will Fi said:
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?
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Looks like Will Fi will be a true 5 and diver. Another poor investment for the tax payer.
 
Don't choose your major on how much money you could have all the money you want but if you choose something you hate you'll be miserable and will be dissatisfied with your time in the service. Go with what you love to do, even if your not making 150k.
 
:popcorn1::popcorn1:
Enjoying watching a 2016 thread sputter back to life. Now I want to know about what really happened with the ones with the questions.
 
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Statute sets the total number of four-star officers allowed in each service: 7 Army generals, 2 Marine generals, 8 Air Force generals, 1 Space Force general, 6 Navy admirals, and 2 Coast Guard admirals. An elite group by any measure.

- Base Pay of the 26 O-10's on Active Duty: $197,304 (2020)

- Median S&P 500 CEO Pay (2018): $11.7 million

- Median Pay of the Top 25 Highest Paid Hedge Fund Managers (2019): $645 million

Study what interests you because it's experience and graduate degree that will matter later - only the gang in Kelly's Heroes got rich on active duty.
 
I actually think this is a valid question and actually shows some maturity. Yes, when you go to a service academy you must understand that you will serve the nation. But at some point, you will walk out the door of military life into civilian life and when you do the military will remind you to not let the door hit you on the way out. Some will do the five and dive, some will stay in. I've seen officers talk for 20+ years how they were getting out. The only officer from my flight class still on active duty just pinned on his third star. He was one of the ones who kept saying he was getting out. Others who thought they would stay in for 20+ were shown the door with a swift boot to the rear end after Desert Storm before their obligation was over. Yeah, their major mattered. "Uh rah, service to the nation" FEBA did not get them jobs when the Army showed them to door 2-4 years into their 7-year commitment. Heck, I know one infantry lieutenant who was in the field in Germany. His battalion commander called him into a tent and told him he was not being retained as a lieutenant. He needed to pack up his stuff, head back to garrison, and be out of the Army in 90 days. Thank you very little. This was during internet infancy so he was left scrambling to find a job. From Germany. In 90 days.

Now having written that, as others have pointed out, a person needs to balance what they love with what will provide an income. Yes, chose something you love/enjoy. But my majors were German Literature and European History. My career is in aviation. I love it. My kids say I don't go to work, I go and play with my toys. But, as I and 10,000+ other pilots are once again being reminded, it's a volatile industry. It's tough to fall back on a BA in German Literature and European History. I probably should have chosen something like finance or accounting. I enjoy that stuff and probably could have used it as a backup plan. Oh well. I hear train engineers are in demand and they like to hire pilots.
So look at the usefulness of a major on the outside, but balance it with something you do enjoy.
Just my 2 cents.
 
BTW, an anecdote to show how the post-military job issue is universal.
In the early 1990s I was on a UN assignment in the Sahara Desert as a UNMO (UN Military Observer). Several Russian officers I knew who were Afghan war vets got the "thank you for your service, but due to the end of the Cold War it's no longer needed" notifications while they were there. In the middle of the Sahara Desert. With no cell phones. No email. The nearest payphone a 2-hour drive away. Their military degrees were worthless. And they had to try and find jobs using "snail mail" which took about 2-3 weeks each way.
 
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