Picking a high ROI college major

I recently started posting a series of videos on Instagram explaining how I saved up my first $250k by age 25 (here’s part 1 and part 2). Making these videos has forced me to think about the various decisions & factors (those within my control and without) that influenced my educational and career decisions.

Something I think we don’t talk about nearly enough is how life-changing it can be to pick a major in college that has a good return on investment. American society in particular places a lot of emphasis on “following your passion”, and not, in my opinion, nearly enough emphasis on being practical. Low ROI for specific college majors is part of the reason why so many college graduates are struggling to pay off their student loans and why so many Americans are losing faith in the value of college.

When I was deciding what to study in college, I specifically looked at college majors with the best return on investment, I did a lot of research, and I ended up choosing to study computer science at Stanford largely because I knew that doing so would enable me to earn 6-figures right out of college. When I graduated from college I made over 6-figures. Now, at age 25, I make $170k from my 9–5 job as a software engineer. Earning a high salary right out of college has played a huge role in my ability to save, invest, and grow my net worth.