Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

Wow! I graduated College in '97 and there were endless job opportunities then

I started working for a fortune 500 health insurance company, in an "HR leadership development program" (whatever that means), for $37k. And that was in PHILLY!

It's scary to think that 10 years later college grads are making less than that

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

This question is way too broad. It depends on so many factors, not just what field you are in. Social workers who graduate from a small, unknown school are going to make less than Warton graduates with high GPAs and tons of internship experience.

Among the factors you'd have to consider are:

- the field the graduate is entering
- the college from which the graduate graduated
- the graduate's grades
- the graduate's degree
- the graduate's experience (internships, part time jobs, etc.) and how related they are to the chosen field
- the graduate's writing skills (as reflected in his or her resume)
- the graduate's interview skills

Message edited 9/7/2007 8:04:33 AM.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

Posted by Bxgell2

Posted by nrthshgrl
Then again if you break it down to an hourly rate, you don't need to pay rent. You could move into your office.

No kidding

We have a family friend who works for one of the biggest firms here in Philly. He's making about $160k, but works from 6am to 10pm everyday, and on the weekends. If you break it down to an hourly rate, the scary part of it all is that I'm making more. I just work less

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

in my field- sales and marketing in Long islands Largest company. I started off around 6 yrs ago at 28K plus some commision that was capped.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

When I first started out of school I was making $30,000, which now I can't imagine, but then I was still living with my parents. Although in the beginning I was living in TX, which is affordable. Then I moved back to NY and couldn't afford to live on my own with that salary.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

When I started out almost 4 years ago I was making crap. 14 an hour but the benefits were good. I moved up in the company a few times and ended up moving on. I couldn't imagine living on that kind of money these days. Wow.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

When I started working full-time in 2002, I was making $27,000 plus benefits, and that was considered a "good salary" compared to what my other friends were making.

Kids these days expect so much more I feel like (gosh, I sound like my mother). I feel like you have to pay your dues, especially if you are a liberal arts grad and not in a specialized field.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

Back in 2000, my first salary was $26,000 on Long Island

On average, I would say your salary should hypothetically go up about $5k every 1 - 2 years. Depends on your field.

My sister just graduated and her starting salary is in the low 30s. in NYC.

eta: When I was able to move out 2 years later I was making around $40k.

Message edited 9/7/2007 9:23:52 AM.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

With a bachelor's degree in engineering in 2003, I would say starting salaries averaged around 50k.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

I know that the starting salary for some investment firms is around $50k +

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

I am so out of the loop! I went to law school right after college so I only know average starting salaries for attorneys. I had NO idea how low starting salaries could be!

But I think the bottom line is that many jobs on Long Island do not pay well.

My first job out of law school was working for the largest firm on Long Island and I left after 1 year because I, as well as everyone else, was DRASTICALLY underpaid.

I now work for a firm in Manhattan and my salary increased tremendously. And, my hours are pretty much the same as the LI firm (same billable requirement) and I have a better commute into Manhattan than I did to LI!

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

I started at my company 7 years ago as a receptionist making 27k. Now I worked my way up in the company. I'm now currently a Quality Assurance Supervisor. Making a pretty good salary.

But I think to start around 35k is pretty good.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

I only know starting salaries in my field from 7 years ago. When I graduated with a BS in engineering back in 2000, the average starting salary was somewhere in the 50's.

I think a lot depends on the field and the location. I took a job that paid less than my other friends with the same degree b/c I chose a slightly different career path not in a big city.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

i started in public accounting in 2002 at $52k with a masters degree. I think they start 4 year degrees at $55k now.

BUT i was very overworked and if you considered the amount of hours i worked, i made less than minimum wage. But it was worth it to stick it out and now 5 years later i have a much better job and time to have a life!

....

Message edited 3/4/2013 11:21:32 AM.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

In my company out of school you can probably get a position for 35K....probably a help desk analyst or coordinator type role.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

My firm out of school they start at $50K.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

I started in 2003 at a public accounting firm in NYC, and made $50K (no masters degree). They're probably $55-60 now, with a masters degree).

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

I should add that I do know one many engineering grads (all with internships and 5-year program graduates) starting in mechanical and electrical engineering in the $50-55k range. Civil engineers a bit lower, chemical / good computer engineers a bit higher.

I also know some big-name business school grads starting at $75-80+, though that's rare!

Not sure if these are norms, just what I've heard from friends.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

Posted by Kara

Posted by Bxgell2

Posted by nrthshgrl
Then again if you break it down to an hourly rate, you don't need to pay rent. You could move into your office.

No kidding

We have a family friend who works for one of the biggest firms here in Philly. He's making about $160k, but works from 6am to 10pm everyday, and on the weekends. If you break it down to an hourly rate, the scary part of it all is that I'm making more. I just work less

I work for one of the biggest law firms in the country. I don't work from 6am to 10pm on a daily basis, and I don't really know anyone who does. He's either allowing himself to be overworked or needs to find another job. The hours are not as horrendous as people seem to think. I'm in my office before 8am every day. I don't see another soul until 9:30 or 10. Unless something comes up, I leave around 6, maybe 7. Every once in a while, I do get stuck here late (brief due that week or something). Sometimes (less than once a month), I'll have to work on a weekend. Only once have I had to come into the office to work on a weekend. I can usually do it from home and it's usually only a few hours.

Is the quality of life the same as if I were at a regular 9-5 job? No, definitely not. Do I work a lot of overtime? Yes. Do I have time for a life outside of work? Absolutely.

We have to remember that the legal profession takes a lot of workaholic types. You can have a life outside of work if you so choose. Yes, there will be weeks or maybe a couple months where you are swamped -- but if your life is 6am to 10pm on a daily basis (heck, even just 5 days a week), I'd be looking for another firm.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?

My sister just graduated college last year (with a 4 yr. bachelor's degree) and she makes $28,000 in Manhattan.

As for the big law firm jobs, I agree that the high salary does not justify the hours. I used to work for a very large NY firm (in M&A), but I was staying past midnight most nights (with the occassional all-nighter or double all-nighter). It was miserable. Not worth the $$$ IMHO.

Re: What is considered a good starting salary?