Though the broad topic of child and family studies could lead graduates of such programs down many career paths, most will enter the work force in such positions as child care workers, preschool teachers, child development counselors, housing workers and overnight shelter workers. These positions tend to require a lot of hard work, both physically and mentally, and pay very little. On average, graduates of a child and family studies program start at $29,500 per year as of 2010, making about $38,400 by the middle of their careers.
True, there are educators out there that do pull in a decent salary, but these teachers have usually reached the highest level of education they can in their field, and work in private universities. The reality of becoming a teacher is that it is a high-stress job that doesn't allow you to clock out when the final school bell rings. Though teachers receive a comparable living wage and tend to have excellent benefits, when one compares the amount of hours they work to their average starting salary of $35,100 a year, it is clear that education is one of the lowest paying college degrees.
Social workers have a mentally draining job that involves counseling, creating treatment plans, assisting their clients in various areas of their lives and administering numerous social service programs. On a daily basis, social workers are involved with those living in very poor situations, and are in constant contact with people who have been abused. The goal of a social worker is to provide these people with assistance that could one day change their lives. For all the work social workers do, they earn an average starting salary of $31,800 a year.
Athletic trainers work with sports teams to examine and treat sports injuries, as well as offer information to athletes on how to prevent injury on the field. The main job of an athletic trainer is to provide physical therapy to help injured athletes regain their strength and return to peek physical condition. There are a lot of advantages to entering the athletic training field, such as the high demand for trainers, but the low starting salary of $32,800 a year can be a deterrent.