According to recent U.S. Census surveys, the median salary for college grads is more than $20,000 higher than that of people with only a high school diploma. And the unemployment rate for people with bachelor’s degrees is almost half the rate for people without.

But some degrees are worth more than others, as PayScale.com shows in its 2010 report on the earning power of bachelor’s degrees. Are you surprised at the worst-paying college degrees?:

10. Drama
9. Fine arts
8. Hospitality and tourism
7. Education
6. Horticulture
5. Spanish
4. Music
3. Theology
2. Elementary education
1. Social work

And in a related article, some popular career myths are busted, one of which is: All that most workers care about is their salary. Recruiter Tony Beshara says, “If that were true, we’d all rob banks.” Sure money is important, but workers usually care about more than just money. According to the 2009 employee job-satisfaction survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, employees identified job security as the most important contributor to their job satisfaction. Benefits were in second place, with salary coming in at number three.

Lesson: Money doesn’t buy happiness. (but in my opinion, it sure helps!)

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