Low-Paying Degrees, a reflection of Misplaced Priorities?

Sorry about the delay, I totally misread the syllabus and thought these were due today (Wednesday)!

I saw a headline on Yahoo! News regarding "Worst-Paying College Degrees" and I immediately became curious. The article lists seven majors/careers with the lowest median annual salaries in the United States:

• Child and Family Studies (Median Annual Salary: $37,700)
• Social Work (Median Annual Salary: $45,300)
• Elementary Education (Median Annual Salary: $46,000)
• Human Development (Median Annual Salary: $47,800)
• Special Education (Median Annual Salary: $48,900)
• Culinary Arts (Median Annual Salary: $49,700)
• Athletic Training (Median Annual Salary: $49,800)

The article doesn't list the highest paying degrees, but a quick search provided data (also on Yahoo!) about the ten highest paying college majors (I will list the top seven for comparison purposes):

• Engineering (Median mid-career pay: $88,600-$155,000)
• Computer Science (Median mid-career pay: $97,900)
• Physics (Median mid-career pay: $101,000)
• General/Applied Mathematics (Median mid-career pay: $89,900-$98,600)
• Economics (Median mid-career pay: $94,700)
• Management Information Systems (Median mid-career pay: $88,200)
• Finance (Median mid-career pay: $87,300)

Interestingly, the worst-paying degrees are those in the humanities which are focused on helping the greater population via education, advocacy, or health/fitness-- all of which are facing enormous problems in our nation due to budget issues, inconsistent standards across states, and the raging obesity epidemic. Meanwhile, the highest paid degrees are focused on technology, economy, and science.While these pursuits are critical for technological progress and advancement, and are very difficult disciplines, why are these seemingly valued more in our society than creating a foundation for our nation's future?

Without the solid foundation of health (athletic training, nutritionists), education (early, secondary, and special), and advocacy for voices often lost in the larger population (social work, child/family services) our country cannot continue to flourish and grow into the future. By reducing the salaries for individuals in these professions to near poverty levels in some cases, the incentive for new generations of college students to enter these fields is diminished.

American Exceptionalism argues that our country is exceptional because of our unique foundations. However, with the current trends outlined above, the "by the people, for the people" philosophy that defined the American Exceptionalism ideal is falling to the wayside. Our nation is focusing on economics, advancing technology, and research-based professions rather than creating an educated, healthy overall population necessary for our future. This is a risky path to pursue, for the well-being of the population and the country at large.