Anthropology

If you don't want to spend your 30s paying for pizza with the change you find between your couch cushions, we suggest you avoid the anthropology major.

In this major, you'll study the present and past of human history, and immerse yourself in the science of humankind itself. Hopefully, that'll help you explain the nature of your debt when the collections agents call. The median salary for recent grads is a measly $28,000 per year and anthropology grads are 2.1 times more likely to end up working in retail than the average college grad (source). 

A high debt to earnings ratio makes this major an equity fail. 

Education

We've heard that children are the future. You can derive great personal satisfaction from watching them learn and grow. 

But betting your financial future on an education major might come at the cost of foregoing material pleasures. With a median pay of roughly $43,000 per year and an average degree cost of $52,000, you'll likely be repaying your education for over twenty years (source). 

At least kids are adorable, right? 

Fine Arts

You could be the next Basquiat or Rothko, but you're probably not. Most painters and illustrators with a fine arts degree can expect to earn a salary of just $37,000 per year (source).

That's a pitiful 17% return on investment (ROI) if you attended a private university (source). Here's an interesting tidbit, though: house painting also pays $37,000 per year (source)...so that would be a lateral move for you, young artist. 

Something to consider should you ever need a bigger canvas. Just sayin'.

Sociology

We totally get the drive to understand human behavior. For instance, why does your roommate consistently eat all of your Nutella? Can't she buy her own? Well, maybe not if she studies sociology. 

The major boasts a miserable 3.45% average return on investment (ROI) over twenty years (source). 

Long story short: be nice and share your delicious hazelnut spread with her, because it could be her last tasty snack before debtor's prison.

Religious Studies

It might be super rewarding to delve into our spiritual and dogmatic truths, but the financial perks are decidedly less inspiring.

One out of every ten recent graduates with a religious studies degree is unemployed (source). It's nearly impossible to pay down debt and increase equity without a steady paycheck. 

One religious school, Valley Forge College in Pennsylvania, suffers the ignoble fate of having one of the worst ROI rankings in the country (source). Yikes and double yikes. 

This situation is almost bad enough to make you want to contact that higher power and ask for some winning lottery numbers, are we right?