Louisiana’s #1 College Major is Exactly What We Need More Of

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If the past couple of years has taught us anything, it's that there are a handful of key jobs that we absolutely need filled by qualified individuals when the stuff really hit the fan.  Maybe you remember them being called "Essential Workers,"  but I think of them as the folks who kept this big blue marble spinning while we were all hunkered down trying to avoid the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the most important groups of these essential workers are our healthcare workers - especially nurses.  If you have paid attention to the help wanted ads lately, you have probably noticed that every single health care system in our area desperately needs more nurses - marking their essential status even after the pandemic fears are fading.

The good news is that the #1 choice of college major for incoming students for 2022-2023 is nursing!  According to a report from WGNO, this (much needed) new crop of nursing students are training in the right state!  There are currently an estimated 66,000+ licensed nurses already working in the state, and as I mentioned above - they need lots of help.

According to the data from Indeed, the average starting salary for nurses in Louisiana ranges from 40K to 90K a year!  On top of the benefits, we're talking about an hourly rate of $39.81, with an average of $11,594 per year in overtime alone!