His future is secure.

And we just live in it. The National Association of Colleges and Employers just released their quarterly survey of which college majors produce the highest starting salaries.  No surprise that 8 out of the top 10 are in the field of engineering.

Petroleum engineering earned the highest starting salary reported at the bachelor’s degree level—$86,220—more than one-and-one-half times the average starting salary reported for bachelor’s degree graduates as a whole ($48,351).

“While a variety of factors play a role in determining salaries, new graduates with degrees in the technical fields tend to benefit from their relatively low supply. There is more competition for their skills, driving up their salary offers,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.

For example, petroleum engineering degrees account for less than 1 percent of all bachelor’s degrees conferred.

“Not every case is that extreme, but, in general, candidates with technical degrees have an advantage in the job market,” says Mackes.

I would never suggest a student pick a college or a major solely based upon what kind of salary they might look forward to, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to consider it as one of many factors either.  In this kind of economy, even with my liberal arts bent, I can see the value in the stability technical fields provide.