What was your starting salary after college?

[lazyj10]

Some of you are very short-sighted.

If you make. 30-40k out of college and your earning power is nominal on top of that, then yes it was seemingly a wrong choice to spend money on college.

However, if you earn that out of school but it continually increases then who cares? Depending on the field, companies incur a huge cost to train you in what they need which wouldnt be taught at school.

My own case in point - accounting/finance degree. Joined a public accounting firm right out of school (had accepted offer before graduation) with a salary of 44k and OT. My salary doubled within 5 years. As time goes on, my earning power is still increasing and i'm not capped, especially if i want to be a partner.

 

[air spider 777]

Some of you are very short-sighted.

If you make. 30-40k out of college and your earning power is nominal on top of that, then yes it was seemingly a wrong choice to spend money on college.

However, if you earn that out of school but it continually increases then who cares? Depending on the field, companies incur a huge cost to train you in what they need which wouldnt be taught at school.

My own case in point - accounting/finance degree. Joined a public accounting firm right out of school (had accepted offer before graduation) with a salary of 44k and OT. My salary doubled within 5 years. As time goes on, my earning power is still increasing and i'm not capped, especially if i want to be a partner.

Repped.

Every kid out of college wants to start off as CEO. LMAO

 

[rko2004]

Some people have to settle for less money because they refuse to leave their hometown. If you open up to jobs in another city, that increases your opportunites exponentially.

Family and friends are a hard to leave behind for dollars and cents. I know everyone is different and that's fine.

 

[sir charles]

Outta high school, I went into management training at pepsico for 55k salary. After certification a year later, I got a 15% raise and became bonus eligible, bumping me into the mid-70's.

I majored in marketing, but most of the marketing offers we're between 30-45k so I took a position in sales management for the cash. And I live in Seattle, so I'm pretty comfortable with what I make/my lifestyle.

how do i do this
id be coooooooool if it was around 35-40k too
srs

18 and dont know what to do in life

any of ya been on the same boat when you were my age?

I'm right here, start looking for higher education.

Got a BA in psych and my first job as a counselor I got $9/hr   After 8 months, I quit, found a job in QA and make 53k/year

How did you make the switch? Did you have experience in QA? Seems like companies are hesitant to just accept people with degrees like Psych, Criminal Justice, Sociology for unrelated jobs.

Hmm a counselor with a BA? I'll look into that, but for more than $9 an hour. (Minimum wage here is $7.25 though :x )

But I want to be a psychoanalyst. I guess I need a PhD for that though. A few more years of school won't kill me

 

[rko2004]

I'm 24 now and I'm telling you guys younger or older and on the fence about school. Do it. But make sure you do something that will put you in a position to succeed. I'm doing OK for myself but long term, I need a launching pad. Something to generate more opportunity and revenue. An education.

I don't regret the road I took because I've met some great people who gave me a lot of advice. Plus I can use my path as a teaching point for others.

 

[bruce negro]

I'm 24 now and I'm telling you guys younger or older and on the fence about school. Do it. But make sure you do something that will put you in a position to succeed. I'm doing OK for myself but long term, I need a launching pad. Something to generate more opportunity and revenue. An education.

I don't regret the road I took because I've met some great people who gave me a lot of advice. Plus I can use my path as a teaching point for others.

I don't have nearly as much life experience as some of the other posters in this thread but I'm gonna go ahead and co-sign this anyways. I think the REAL key to success though, is not looking at college as a "get to success free" card. Because it's not. If you go to college and get average grades and be the average college student, then expect an average lifestyle once you're done. It's really not that hard to be above average in college, and a lot of it comes outside of the classroom. GET INVOLVED, join organizations that focus on what you're interested in doing AFTER college and make sure to use your college to YOUR advantage. Once you're on a campus you now have something in common with thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people. Use those connections. Reach out to alumni in your desired fields EARLY on, so that you'll gain a better idea of what you really want to do and how to get there. The college experience has so much to offer, but only a select amount are going to milk it for all that it's worth. I believe those are the ones that are going to have a higher chance of being exactly where they want to be once they're done with school.

 

[rko2004]

I don't have nearly as much life experience as some of the other posters in this thread but I'm gonna go ahead and co-sign this anyways. I think the REAL key to success though, is not looking at college as a "get to success free" card. Because it's not. If you go to college and get average grades and be the average college student, then expect an average lifestyle once you're done. It's really not that hard to be above average in college, and a lot of it comes outside of the classroom. GET INVOLVED, join organizations that focus on what you're interested in doing AFTER college and make sure to use your college to YOUR advantage. Once you're on a campus you now have something in common with thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people. Use those connections. Reach out to alumni in your desired fields EARLY on, so that you'll gain a better idea of what you really want to do and how to get there. The college experience has so much to offer, but only a select amount are going to milk it for all that it's worth. I believe those are the ones that are going to have a higher chance of being exactly where they want to be once they're done with school.

Good post. Also for the younger people reading this. Don't screw around once your in college. Have fun, enjoy life, but treat it like a job. Show up to class. Get good grades, but use your resources and being in college is a big resource. Also know that there is a lot of competition. People in your age group and people looking for a restart who are probably hungrier than you are because they know the struggle.

 

[ill steelo]

Some of you are very short-sighted.

If you make. 30-40k out of college and your earning power is nominal on top of that, then yes it was seemingly a wrong choice to spend money on college.

However, if you earn that out of school but it continually increases then who cares? Depending on the field, companies incur a huge cost to train you in what they need which wouldnt be taught at school.

My own case in point - accounting/finance degree. Joined a public accounting firm right out of school (had accepted offer before graduation) with a salary of 44k and OT. My salary doubled within 5 years. As time goes on, my earning power is still increasing and i'm not capped, especially if i want to be a partner.

One of the reasons I picked accounting.

with the big 4, you get raises every year & even if you're an average performer you'll be around 90k by the time you're promoted to manager in 5-6 years. On top of that, you're required to have your CPA if you want to be a manager. So. if you wish to go to a smaller firm/industry, you'd be over 6 figures five years outta college with that CPA & lengthy big 4 experience

 

[wj4]

You lived at home and your parent footed that bill. That's the difference. You had a BMW with no job, bro. Learn to be humble.

I definitely had my slice of humble pie and learned a lot thru a terrible firm I was with (first professional employer). When/where did I come off as arrogant? That's pretty much my motto..."stay humble, but hungry". Good jobs are out there, I truly believe that. There's no such thing as a dead end job, just a dead end state of mind.

A lot of kids out of undergrad feel they are priveleged. They want a great paying job right away that is within 5 miles of home. My first job had me working swing and graveyard shift and the commute was 1.5 hours....and I loved it. I take nothing for granted. Even with a bad employer, I learned from them and how to treat my employees correctly and ethically.

Yeah, my bad

As far as graduating in 2009 and having a job within a month, you and your friends are in the minority. Where are you from and what is your field?

I'm in Southern California. I have a BS and MS in Environmental Studies, as well as an MBA.

This goes across the board. A couple of my friends did their undergrads in finance, and all got employed ASAP. One even got a job before graduating. A handful of friends that were in my major got jobs with large companies in defense, and aerospace. We still keep in touch and mix up about career in goals.

My close buds and I made a goal of making $100k by the time we turn 30 at the latest, and we are on track. Alas, the money doesn't go too far when you're living in a place like here where single and claiming 0 takes nearly 40% of your moolah.

 

[bruce negro]

I definitely had my slice of humble pie and learned a lot thru a terrible firm I was with (first professional employer). When/where did I come off as arrogant? That's pretty much my motto..."stay humble, but hungry". Good jobs are out there, I truly believe that. There's no such thing as a dead end job, just a dead end state of mind.

A lot of kids out of undergrad feel they are priveleged. They want a great paying job right away that is within 5 miles of home. My first job had me working swing and graveyard shift and the commute was 1.5 hours....and I loved it. I take nothing for granted. Even with a bad employer, I learned from them and how to treat my employees correctly and ethically.
I'm in Southern California. I have a BS and MS in Environmental Studies, as well as an MBA.

This goes across the board. A couple of my friends did their undergrads in finance, and all got employed ASAP. One even got a job before graduating. A handful of friends that were in my major got jobs with large companies in defense, and aerospace. We still keep in touch and mix up about career in goals.

My close buds and I made a goal of making $100k by the time we turn 30 at the latest, and we are on track. Alas, the money doesn't go too far when you're living in a place like here where single and claiming 0 takes nearly 40% of your moolah.

In some fields it's common to receive a full time offer before you graduate, but I don't think that you and your friends' experiences are indicative of the job market as a whole. Sounds like you guys were just really on your stuff and also really lucky. Plenty of very qualified, fresh-out-of-school grads looking for jobs that aren't there. From what I've seen in this thread and others on NT, the job struggle is VERY real. Just be grateful you have yours straight.

 

[crazy dav0]

1st job 49 k ... i was so hyped ...

 

[HankHill]

I definitely had my slice of humble pie and learned a lot thru a terrible firm I was with (first professional employer). When/where did I come off as arrogant? That's pretty much my motto..."stay humble, but hungry". Good jobs are out there, I truly believe that. There's no such thing as a dead end job, just a dead end state of mind.

A lot of kids out of undergrad feel they are priveleged. They want a great paying job right away that is within 5 miles of home. My first job had me working swing and graveyard shift and the commute was 1.5 hours....and I loved it. I take nothing for granted. Even with a bad employer, I learned from them and how to treat my employees correctly and ethically.
I'm in Southern California. I have a BS and MS in Environmental Studies, as well as an MBA.

This goes across the board. A couple of my friends did their undergrads in finance, and all got employed ASAP. One even got a job before graduating. A handful of friends that were in my major got jobs with large companies in defense, and aerospace. We still keep in touch and mix up about career in goals.

My close buds and I made a goal of making $100k by the time we turn 30 at the latest, and we are on track. Alas, the money doesn't go too far when you're living in a place like here where single and claiming 0 takes nearly 40% of your moolah.

In some fields it's common to receive a full time offer before you graduate, but I don't think that you and your friends' experiences are indicative of the job market as a whole. Sounds like you guys were just really on your stuff and also really lucky. Plenty of very qualified, fresh-out-of-school grads looking for jobs that aren't there. From what I've seen in this thread and others on NT, the job struggle is VERY real. Just be grateful you have yours straight.

But what was their majors?

 

[destination kicks]

In some fields it's common to receive a full time offer before you graduate, but I don't think that you and your friends' experiences are indicative of the job market as a whole. Sounds like you guys were just really on your stuff and also really lucky. Plenty of very qualified, fresh-out-of-school grads looking for jobs that aren't there. From what I've seen in this thread and others on NT, the job struggle is VERY real. Just be grateful you have yours straight.

Yup. I'm about to graduate in two months with my BA in Economics (minor in Business) in the top 5% of my class with plenty of internship experience, and I can't manage to get an interview. I've applied for probably close to 100 jobs.

 

[memphissfinest]

In some fields it's common to receive a full time offer before you graduate, but I don't think that you and your friends' experiences are indicative of the job market as a whole. Sounds like you guys were just really on your stuff and also really lucky. Plenty of very qualified, fresh-out-of-school grads looking for jobs that aren't there. From what I've seen in this thread and others on NT, the job struggle is VERY real. Just be grateful you have yours straight.

Yup. I'm about to graduate in two months with my BA in Economics (minor in Business) in the top 5% of my class with plenty of internship experience, and I can't manage to get an interview. I've applied for probably close to 100 jobs.

WHY CAN'T YOU WORK WHERE YOU INTERNED AT? IF YOU DID WELL AT YOUR INTERNSHIP, THEN A JOB OFFER SHOULD ALMOST BE MANDATORY. EVERYONE I KNOW WHO DID A CO-OP OR INTERNSHIP INCLUDING ME HAD AN OFFER FROM THAT COMPANY UPON GRADUATION.

 

[destination kicks]

WHY CAN'T YOU WORK WHERE YOU INTERNED AT? IF YOU DID WELL AT YOUR INTERNSHIP, THEN A JOB OFFER SHOULD ALMOST BE MANDATORY. EVERYONE I KNOW WHO DID A CO-OP OR INTERNSHIP INCLUDING ME HAD AN OFFER FROM THAT COMPANY UPON GRADUATION.

Last company I interned for doesn't have any openings in my area but the VP of HR knows to call me if anything pops up.

One before that doesn't have entry-level positions for my department. All the people in the "entry-level" position of my department had their MBA's and several years of experience.

 

[bobby fischer]

graduated in december with a BS in Political Science. no pun intended.

was planning to go to law school but more and more moving away from it.

You in Houston?

 

[timelessflight]

Wish I knew all this while I was in school. Never took advantage of the Career Services in school, no internships, etc and now I'm paying the price of it. I have a degree, work at a decent job but I feel I should be doing better than what I'm doing right now. Been applying to jobs but haven't had any luck and I feel its due to my work experience. My networking skills aren't that great either.

 

[a blinkin]

Just got the call that I got hired for a probation officer position. I think it's a good start that'll help me out since I was able to secure a job prior to graduation. Pretty excited. They're supposed to be sending me an official offer letter today.

Forgot to mention, I get my BS in political science in May. I plan on staying at this job until December. If I have enough saved up, I'm looking at moving to Chicago to go to John Marshall law. If not, I'll just hold off until next fall and keep saving up for my eventual move.

 

[Fong$tarr]

WHY CAN'T YOU WORK WHERE YOU INTERNED AT? IF YOU DID WELL AT YOUR INTERNSHIP, THEN A JOB OFFER SHOULD ALMOST BE MANDATORY. EVERYONE I KNOW WHO DID A CO-OP OR INTERNSHIP INCLUDING ME HAD AN OFFER FROM THAT COMPANY UPON GRADUATION.

Some companies use interns literally for cheap labor. Not all are looking to hire them right after. Some intern programs are just good for the company and good for the people that apply since they are giving them "experience".

 

[Fong$tarr]

Just got the call that I got hired for a probation officer position. I think it's a good start that'll help me out since I was able to secure a job prior to graduation. Pretty excited. They're supposed to be sending me an official offer letter today.

Forgot to mention, I get my BS in political science in May. I plan on staying at this job until December. If I have enough saved up, I'm looking at moving to Chicago to go to John Marshall law. If not, I'll just hold off until next fall and keep saving up for my eventual move.

Are you going to contest the offer in regards to the salary? It's almost mandatory to do so. I would always advise this, especially since you know you are getting the job. I think companies always know that people will want more and expect it. My girl did it not know what she would get in return and she was offered over 10k more then what her letter stated and she said she was getting close to 65k. I guess the only reason why you wouldn't do this is if this is your first job.....but always do it on your 2nd and other jobs after.

 

[a blinkin]

Yeah I don't plan on contesting it. They were pretty big on the whole "must have a college degree" thing, but I managed to do really well on the interview and my work history must've impressed them. But then again I only have two classes at night and school's out in a month or so. I wouldn't know where to begin contesting the offer, and I'd hate to have then take it away because I tried. I'm really looking for experience at this point. Monetary gain is always good, but I have time to advance. Plus I plan on staying on the job hunt. I'm going to look into positions in Illinois to see if I can get my foot in the door prior to me moving.

Maybe on my second job offer I may try it. What exactly does someone do to contest though? Just flat out say "I think the position should offer a better salary?"

 

[Fong$tarr]

What exactly does someone do to contest though? Just flat out say "I think the position should offer a better salary?"

Something in the lines of that. It's sort of a game in a way. You can say anything like "I have another offer on the table from another company" or if you were coming from another company, you can factor in things like they promised you a promotion soon and it is equivalent to what they are offering in the letter. Also around this time of the year (for me anyways), yearly bonuses are being given out and your new job could even give you that as a signing bonus from their company.

I sort of did it another way to get more money at my current job. I just lied about what I was making at my old job. So I said I made 50k when in reality I was making 40k. They offered me 55k and I went back at them and then they offered me 55k plus being a non-exempt employee. That pretty much means I get paid hourly and I can clock in OT, which I do all the time. That is why I pretty much say I make 60k cause getting 5k in OT is pretty easy to do in a year.

 

[celticsfan9783]

Just got the call that I got hired for a probation officer position. I think it's a good start that'll help me out since I was able to secure a job prior to graduation. Pretty excited. They're supposed to be sending me an official offer letter today.

Forgot to mention, I get my BS in political science in May. I plan on staying at this job until December. If I have enough saved up, I'm looking at moving to Chicago to go to John Marshall law. If not, I'll just hold off until next fall and keep saving up for my eventual move.

Congrats

I'm jealous. Have my BS in Criminal Justice and applied last month for a juvenile probation position, and that's with 4 years of experience working with juvenile offenders to boot. If I don't get it I don't know wtf I'm going to do.

What state are you in?

 

[703 hwy]

Some of yall need to look into career ladders . Go ahead and turn down that #poor $35k/yr a job if you want. But some people understand that that's just the beginning and everyone isn't gonna make $60k out the gate, hell a lot of you won't (talking undergrad degrees only). It's called gradual increases, promotions, bonuses, etc. Some of yall need to get off those imaginary high horses.

I went government unlike most of my friends so maybe I short changed myself but I knew what I was getting into ahead of time so its not like I didn't know what to expect. For those of you familiar with gov I went GS 7/9/11/12 ($42k, $51k, $63k, $72k I think these numbers are right this was off the top of my head). I graduated 12/2009 and found a job 2/2010, i'm not gonna lie I was applying to any and everything , which was my fault since I didn't intern correctly. The main reason I went gov was because my only option was to keep hopping around from temp job to temp job and that's when hiring had just started to slow down so I chose security over "NT wealth".

And for those of you who "oh you shoulda skipped college if you're gonna settle with $35-40k" what's that managers ceiling?? What's his benefits, perks, etc? Free kicks?? There's more than just a number. Are you gonna pay for my commute? Can I telework? How many hours a week am I looking at??

 

[xinvasian661x]

Graduated Electrical Engineer in 2011. Started salary was $55k in DOD. Year later, $60k.