Page 166 - Crisis in Higher Education

Changing Attitudes and Expectations • 137

Many applicants come to universities with hopes and dreams, and
they should pursue them with a full understanding of the risks they take.
The student athlete who majors in recreational therapy, but really wants to
make it in the National Basketball Association (NBA), may have to be sat-
isfied with much lower pay and very different working arrangements if the
NBA is unattainable. Starting salary for a recreational therapist in 2015
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was about $30,000. A political science major, who wants to run for public
office, may end up in a staff position in a government office. Students who
pursued the noble profession of social worker faced a median annual sal-
ary of $45,900 in 2015. The bottom 10% earned less than $28,530, while
the top 10% earned more than $76,820. Starting salaries with a bachelor’s
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degree are “up to” $30,000. There are jobs available. But can graduates
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live and repay their student loans on $30,000 or less? These are the difficult
trade-offs that applicants must consider.
Data about job growth and salaries are available from the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, which is part of the U.S. Department of Labor. (For access, go to
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/) Consider the data in Table 6.2, 23,24,27 which is for
three jobs in healthcare that have strong job growth and substantial patient
contact: recreational therapist, registered nurse, and respiratory therapist.
Recreational therapists typically require a bachelor’s degree. Registered
nurses usually have a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), a three-year
diploma, or an associate degree, although the trend is moving toward a
BSN. Respiratory therapists typically have associate degrees, but they may
have bachelor’s degrees. Anyone who wants to be a recreational therapist

TABLE 6.2
Salary Data and Job Prospect for Recreational Therapist, Registered Nurse,
and Respiratory Therapist
Projected
10% 10% Growth Rate
Earned Median Earned from 2014
Job Title Less than Salary More than to 2024
Recreational therapist $28,020 $45,890 $71,790 12%
Registered nurse $46,360 $67,490 $101,630 16%
Respiratory therapist $41,970 $57,790 $80,440 12%
Sources: Recreational Therapist, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2015. http://www.bls.gov/
ooh/healthcare/recreational-therapists.htm#tab-1; Registered Nurse, Occupational
Outlook Handbook, 2015. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Registered-nurses.
htm#tab-1; Respiratory Therapist, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2015. http://
www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Respiratory-therapists.htm#tab-1