Liberal arts and education majors tend to earn some of the lowest salaries right after college, according to a February report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Based on 2024 U.S. Census data, the most recent available, the analysis shows that full-time workers ages 22 to 27 who majored in theology, performing arts, social services and education report some of the lowest median earnings early in their careers.

Graduates with these degrees all earn a median of $45,000 a year or less — below the individual U.S median income of $45,140, according to Census Bureau data.

Teachers and other education professionals are typically paid by state and local governments, where wage growth tends to lag the private sector. While those roles often offer job stability, defined pensions and summer breaks, a 2025 report from the Economic Policy Institute finds teachers earn less than other college-educated workers with comparable levels of education and experience.

And generally speaking, liberal arts and social service majors often enter nonprofit, public-sector or service-oriented roles, which historically offer lower pay than technical fields tied to high-demand industries such as engineering or computer science.

In contrast, most engineering majors make $75,000 or more five years after graduating from college. Those median income rise to $100,000 or more by ages 35 to 45, with chemical engineering majors earning the most at $135,000 annually.

Here are the 14 majors that lead to the lowest median incomes for workers ages 22 to 27:

1. Pharmacy: $40,000
2. Theology and religion: $41,600
3. Social services: $43,000
4. Performing arts: $44,000
5. General education: $45,000
6. Early childhood education: $45,000
7. Elementary education: $45,000
8. Liberal arts: $45,000
9. Biology: $45,000
10. Leisure and hospitality: $45,000
11. Psychology: $45,000
12. Anthropology: $45,000
13. Art history: $45,000
14. Fine arts: $45,000

It’s worth noting that these figures reflect workers whose highest degree is a bachelor’s, so the data doesn’t include licensed pharmacists, who earn a median of $137,480 annually, per BLS data. Becoming a pharmacist requires a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and state licensure. A bachelor’s degree alone does not qualify someone to practice, according to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

Pharmacy’s place at the bottom of the early-career rankings doesn’t last. By mid-career — ages 35 to 45 — pharmacy majors earn a median of $85,000, more than double their early-career pay. The data reflects workers by major rather than job title, so not every pharmacy graduate is earning the typical six-figure salary for licensed pharmacists.

Instead, education fields remain clustered near the bottom a decade into workers’ careers. Here’s a look at the 15 majors held by full-time workers ages 35 to 45 who report the lowest median earnings, all below $75,000:

1. Early childhood education: $52,000
2. Elementary education: $55,000
3. General education: $56,000
4. Special education: $56,000
5. Social services: $60,000
6. Miscellaneous education: $60,000
7. Secondary education: $62,000
8. Anthropology: $65,000
9. Family and consumer sciences: $65,000
10. Theology and religion: $66,000
11. Health services: $67,000
12. Nutrition sciences: $70,000
13. Treatment therapy: $70,000
14. Psychology: $72,000
15. Fine arts: $72,000

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Rosalyn Engelman was just 15 when she met her future husband, Irwin, she says. That was in 1953.

The two were set up by a mutual friend, and when Irwin, then 19, came to pick her up at her family’s home in the Bronx, “I certainly had not dated anyone like the tall, dark, handsome man in a navy-blue suit with a briefcase who came to my door,” she says.

“He looked like a movie star.” Irwin took her out for a movie and milkshake, and by the end of the night, they were falling in love, she says. After three years of dating, the two got married in November 1956.

In their nearly 70 years together, they had two daughters, stood side by side through life-threatening illnesses, traveled the world, and built their careers. Irwin worked as a CFO at companies like Xerox, and Engelman was a painter and mixed media artist whose work has been displayed all over the world, she says.

They now live at the Apsley, an assisted living facility in Manhattan.

For couples seeking tips on how to stay happily together for decades, here’s Engelman’s advice.

For Engelman, it really comes down to one piece of advice: “Try to understand the other person,” she says.

That can come into play in many ways.

If your spouse sometimes prioritizes their work, for example, put yourself in their shoes. “I never resented his time that he worked hard,” she says, “and I don’t think he resented the fact that I was covered in paint.”

Try to get interested in their hobbies as well. “He liked opera more, I learned to like opera,” she says. “I like classical music most, he learned to love classical music.”

Finally, understanding each other can also mean forgiving each other during mishaps, large or small. Engelman remembers the first time she tried to cook the two of them dinner. She decided on Brussels sprouts, hot dogs, and corn. And the dinner did not come out as she planned. The Brussels sprouts tasted like rubber, she says.

Irwin was not angry. Instead, “we just started laughing and went out for pizza,” she says. That’s the kind of mutual understanding that can keep a relationship strong.

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The last several years have been tough for homebuyers and sellers alike, with mortgage rates and housing prices in flux. But according to real estate marketplace Zillow, 2026 is looking up, with buyers seeing more availability and sellers seeing the rewards of price stability and more consistent demand.

In January, Zillow released a report on which of the 50 largest U.S. metros will be the most buyer-friendly housing markets in 2026. To rank the markets, Zillow’s index incorporated three themes:

1. Places where home values are currently dipping, but Zillow’s home value forecasting tool shows expected home value growth in the coming year.
2. The share of income a median earner would pay to buy a typical home in their metro area, assuming a 20% down payment.
3. Places where buyers have more negotiating leverage, according to a Zillow tool that measure’s buyer competition based on factors like days on the market and the share of listings with a price cut.

One thing the top markets have in common: They are all located in the Midwest and the Sun Belt, Kara Ng, a senior economist at Zillow, tells CNBC Make It. The Sun Belt includes states across the southern U.S., such as Florida, Texas, California, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina.

“A huge component of buyer friendliness is affordability,” Ng says. ”[The Midwest] was affordable before the pandemic and it is affordable after the pandemic.”

Although prices rose in the Sun Belt during the pandemic because the region is friendly to developers, builders have since come in and created more inventory to accommodate the demand, Ng says.

Take Florida, for example. Ng says since demand for Florida rose so much during the pandemic, prices went up, but there has been more building in some regions since, easing competition.

Between March 2020 and June 2022, median listing prices in Florida rose 46% to a high of $493,500, according to Realtor.com data. At the time, demand was very high and inventory was low. As of January 2026, the median listing price in Florida is down to $425,000, per Realtor.com.

“If you want to take another look at living in Florida to fulfill your 2021 dreams, this is the time,” Ng says.

Indianapolis topped Zillow’s list of the best markets for homebuyers this year. As of December, the average home value is $283,040, and the share of median household income needed for an average mortgage payment is 26.9%, according to Zillow. It has an estimated annual home value change of 2.9%.

“We expect home values to appreciate in the future. Buyers face less competition for each home in Indianapolis, which gives them more time to make decisions and more time to make the right decision for them,” Ng says.

Indianapolis is the capital of Indiana and offers a cost of living 10% lower than the national average, according to PayScale. Compared with New York City, the cost of living in Indianapolis is 62.4% lower and housing is 85.2% lower, PayScale finds.

The city is known as the Racing Capital of the World because it hosts the Indy 500 Festival and is home to the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

1. Indianapolis, Ind.
2. Atlanta, Ga.
3. Charlotte, N.C.
4. Jacksonville, Fla.
5. Oklahoma City, Okla.
6. Memphis, Tenn.
7. Detroit, Mich.
8. Miami, Fla.
9. Tampa, Fla.
10. Pittsburgh, Pa.

Atlanta ranked as the No. 2 most buyer-friendly city, with an average home value of $374,117, according to Zillow. The share of median household income needed for an average mortgage payment is 30.5%. It has an estimated annual home value change of 1.9%.

“In Atlanta, new construction has given buyers more options and has eased the competition for each home. Atlanta benefits from strong population growth and a healthy job market, which supports future home value appreciation,” Ng says.

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city of the state of Georgia. It is home to the Georgia Aquarium and the Centennial Olympic Park. The city played an important role in the civil rights movement and is home to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park.

The city’s cost of living is 5% lower than the national average, according to PayScale. Housing expenses are 17% lower than the national average, while utility prices are 2% higher, per PayScale.

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As language and public speaking experts, usually we talk about the specific words and phrases you can use to influence others — ways to get people on board with your ideas, or to view you as a leader.

But there’s more to communication than just talking. Nonverbal cues can be just as powerful, and sometimes even more persuasive than what you say.

So how can you earn respect and influence people without being overbearing or pushy? Here are 10 subtle tricks that can tip the scale in your favor.

Studies have found that people tend to think more positively about people they’ve helped out in some way. Behavioral scientists call this the Benjamin Franklin effect, after Franklin wrote about borrowing a rare book from a political rival — who later became a supporter.

Even minor requests, like asking if someone has a phone number or if you can borrow a pen, can increase goodwill and openness toward you.

This is a variation on the Benjamin Franklin effect, and is often called the Ladder of Engagement or Foot in the Door Technique. You ask someone for a small favor and they comply. Then you ask for something larger, and they comply again because they’re already committed to helping you. 

Leaders often use this approach to build momentum and alignment without forcing compliance.

People like to think they’re making decisions, that they’re not being steamrolled. So it’s a good idea to give them the feeling that they’re in control by offering them choices instead of saying a blunt “here’s what I want you to do.”

By allowing someone to choose between acceptable alternatives, you reduce resistance and increase cooperation. The decision feels voluntary, not imposed.

Leaders don’t feel the need to fill every second with conversation. They pause and let the other person wait and wonder. This can be especially effective when you’re negotiating something.

The silence often prompts the other person to start talking and, often, give more information than they intended just to banish the silence. 

Strong leaders don’t feel the need to fill every moment with noise. Silence creates space, and often prompts the other person to keep talking.

This is especially effective in negotiations. People frequently reveal more information than they intended simply to escape the discomfort of silence.

Silence can also take the form of brief pauses before you respond. Waiting two or three seconds signals that you’ve listened carefully and are considering your answer, which builds trust and goodwill.

Research also shows that pausing every 20 seconds or so helps maintain attention and engagement.

Our brains can only hold a limited amount of information at once — roughly four key ideas. Long explanations dilute your message.

Aim to speak in concise bursts: one or two sentences at a time, ideally under 30 seconds. Clear, focused statements are easier to follow and more persuasive.

If someone challenges you, resist the urge to match their energy. Staying calm and refusing to escalate is often the fastest way to regain control of the conversation.

When you don’t engage in back-and-forth conflict, the other person’s argument often loses steam on its own — and you come across as confident rather than defensive.

Persuasive communication depends not only on what you say, but how you say it. Numerous studies show that people perceive speakers as more confident when they speak firmly, keep their pitch relatively low, and end sentences with a falling intonation.

Speed matters, too. Linguists have found that speaking too slowly can make you seem disengaged or dull, while speaking too quickly may make you appear nervous or untrustworthy. A moderate pace strikes the right balance.

You’ve probably heard that nodding when someone else is talking can make them think more favorably of you (because you’re showing that you’re listening and interested). But it’s also a great idea to nod when you’re doing the talking.

It sends a subconscious message to the person listening to you: Agree with me. What I’m saying is right. And there’s another interesting side benefit: Nodding when you’re speaking increases your own self-confidence in your message.

It’s a variation on the old “leave them wanting more” concept. When you close down the conversation before the other person, you leave in charge … and you make them wonder what else you didn’t say. 

Kathy and Ross Petras are the brother-and-sister co-authors of the New York Times bestseller You’re Saying It Wrong, along with other popular language books, and co-hosts of the award-winning NPR syndicated radio show and podcast ”You’re Saying It Wrong.” They’ve also been featured in media outlets including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post and Harvard Business Review. Follow them on Bluesky.

Want to give your kids the ultimate advantage? Sign up for CNBC’s new online course, How to Raise Financially Smart Kids. Learn how to build healthy financial habits today to set your children up for greater success in the future.

Stephanie Harrison spent so much of her life trying to get it “right,” chasing the right schools, the right job, the right apartment and the right achievements that would give her life a sense of meaning.

But in 2013, she was struggling. “I was unbearably lonely. I had daily panic attacks, developed a stress-induced autoimmune disease, and felt an overwhelming sense of hopelessness almost every day,” she writes in “New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That’s Got It Wrong.”

At her lowest moment, she got curious about why happiness seemed to be eluding her — and realized she was following the wrong playbook. She started making changes in her life: moving cities, studying happiness, and cultivating new relationships, including one with the man she fell in love with, Alex. 

When Alex became ill, Harrison took on the role of full-time caregiver. “It was shocking to compare my 2013 self, who had everything going ‘right’ and yet felt lost, miserable, and isolated,” she writes, “to my 2018 self, who had everything going ‘wrong’ and yet felt far more peace, joy, and purpose.”

Harrison attributes this to throwing out what she calls “Old Happy” and embracing “New Happy,” the philosophy she lays out in her book.

CNBC Make It chose “New Happy” as our February book club pick because we know our readers, like Harrison, are searching for happiness as well as success.

Here are some key takeaways ahead of Wednesday’s discussion in our private LinkedIn group (you can join the group here, then drop your questions for Harrison in the comments of this post).

So many of us craft our lives around the idea that happiness comes from things like perfection, material gain, fame and acclaim, and achievement at all costs.

According to Harrison, there are three pillars that Old Happy culture relies on to thrive:

• Individualism: the idea that you don’t need other people and you have to go it alone
• Capitalism: the idea that you must be successful, and your value is based on your work  
• Domination: the idea that you need to compete and win, and that some people are better than others 

Old Happy is “like the mythical three-headed Hydra monster,” Harrison writes, “snapping at you to isolate yourself, work harder and harder, and prove your worth.” 

One of the biggest lies that Old Happy tells us, Harrison explains, is that the pursuit of extrinsic goals and external approval — popularity, conformity, financial success, aesthetic beauty — is the key to happiness. 

But at the end of the day, Harrison writes. “What makes us happy is acting in alignment with our true selves.”

New Happy is all about the cultivation of intrinsic goals that are aligned with your internal value system, such as taking care of yourself, learning to love yourself, and building community with others. 

Three of the most important questions you can ask yourself are: “Who am I?” “What should I do?” and “How am I related to others?”

Harrison recalls people often asking her if running her company, The New Happy, was too much alongside caregiving, but she actually felt the opposite. 

“It was my lifeline, refueling me, giving me meaning, and connecting me to others,” she writes. “The more I gave, the more I personally received in return. I am certain that I would not have survived those difficult years without it. I am so grateful that I didn’t wait until life was better. If I had, I would still be waiting, and I would have missed out on so much joy.”

When someone is in need, there are two chances for joy and happiness: one for the person who needs help, and one for the person who is helping them. 

“Human beings do not possess a finite amount of love, compassion, and support. If you ask someone for love, you are not draining them of their limited supply. People are not oil wells. Care is not a nonrenewable resource,” she explains. “Asking for help gives someone else a chance to be of service and, therefore, to experience happiness.”

Harrison says she used to describe her experience as “I am a young caregiver for a sick partner who had a mysterious degenerative disease that no doctor understood or could help with.” That perspective was a lonely and isolating one.

But one day, she says, “I started describing my pain in a new way: ’I am a person who has been affected by a devastating illness.” That expansion led to greater connection. There were so many people in her sphere who’d supported a friend or loved one through illness. 

“Finally I went even bigger: ’I am a person who has gone through pain,” Harrison recalls. “In opening up to ways in which our pain connects us, we are able to tap into another level of compassion for ourselves and others,” she writes. “Connection makes our pain bearable.”

One of the biggest ways to find happiness, Harrison says, is to figure out what your gifts are and share them widely. If you’re struggling to figure out what your talents are, Harrison recommends asking yourself a few key questions.

• “What did my seven-year-old self love?” Whether it was a subject in school, or a book or film, regardless of how impractical it might seem, write it down. 
• “Who leads a life that excites me?” Borrow their schedule and see how it might feel to be the person who you look at and think “Wow, I can’t believe they get to wake up every morning and do that.
• “What is something I love and feels like it comes easy to me that other people might dislike or struggle with?”

Then reach out to five to 10 people who know you — family, friends, colleagues, or neighbors. Ask them “What do you think my unique talents are?” or “When have you seen me most alive?” 

Old Happy thrives on the lie that just one hero is coming to save us and change the world. New Happy is built on everyone coming together to share their valuable and transformative gifts. 

“Making our world better is not a soloist task. It is an orchestral one,” Harrison writes. “Our orchestra is incomplete without you,” she writes. “We need you to play the part that only you can play.” 

So how can you do that? Harrison recommends looking to the inspiring stories of others, and seeing how they lead by example, fight for what they believe is right, reject the way that things have always been done, build hope and community, embrace their biggest challenges, and work to achieve their dreams through small, incremental actions.

Then join them.

Ready to dive in? Start reading, request to join our LinkedIn group, and come chat with us and Harrison on Wednesday, March 4, at 12 p.m. ET, at our next CNBC Make It Book Club discussion. 

Any questions for the author? Drop them in the comments of this LinkedIn post (you’ll need to join our private group first, which you can do here). Or email them to us in advance at askmakeit@cnbc.com, using the subject line “Question for Stephanie Harrison.”

Have suggestions for future picks? Send them to us at askmakeit@cnbc.com, using the subject line “Make It book club suggestion.”