Average starting salaries for 2011 graduates..

[dullard]

Like others have said, you need to be careful with your statistics. This is the result of a survey of only 174 responding employers. See the list on page 11. They look like a lot of engineering (or related) firms. I didn't look at every single one but, there seems to be quite a lack of schools or other lower paying employers (even the low teacher salary was mentioned in the OP's link, but they didn't bother to include many teacher salaries in the average).

So, it is correct to interpret this as the average starting salary at 174 mostly technical companies. It is incorrect to interpret it as the average starting salary of any college grad.

 

[Ricemarine]

I'm surprised only getting $50k from Boeing.

What were your friends majors for Amazon/yelp/google? CS?

I guess I should've added ranges, as there were a few other people I forget that were getting higher salaries.

The major is CS...

 

[Farmer]

I guess I should've added ranges, as there were a few other people I forget that were getting higher salaries.

The major is CS...

Those companies wouldn't hire you if you weren't in a top-10 program. $60K is unbelievable for all CS majors in the US.

 

[Gibson486]

Those companies wouldn't hire you if you weren't in a top-10 program. $60K is unbelievable for all CS majors in the US.

That is not true at all....I know people who got jobs at Boeing and Google that did not graduate from a top 10 school (BU, Umass). Not saying they do not prefer the MIT grads of the world, but they will not say "no" to you just because you are a grad that did not graduate from an elite school

 

[Ricemarine]

Those companies wouldn't hire you if you weren't in a top-10 program. $60K is unbelievable for all CS majors in the US.

UW is top-10 in CS for their graduate program, not their undergraduate. UW is also ranked 41st overall.

 

[Farmer]

That is not true at all....I know people who got jobs at Boeing and Google that did not graduate from a top 10 school (BU, Umass). Not saying they do not prefer the MIT grads of the world, but they will not say "no" to you just because you are a grad that did not graduate from an elite school

For Google, I mean in a statistical sense. If you randomly pick a Google developer he most likely got his bachelors from a top 10 CS school. Those companies recruit primarily from top 10 CS programs. There are enough candidates from the better schools to fill most of their vacancies. Oracle is another company that will pay you in the 80s starting. The high pay is necessary to attract that type of talent. It is absolutely not representative of the "average."

I also mean, to get in the door, to get an interview, because everyone knows Google is highly selective. I am not claiming that, for example, all MIT CS students are much better candidates than UMass CS students, they just have a higher chance of getting an interview.

When I say "top 10," I mean, a school you would normally think of when someone mentions "a good CS program." I don't know what are the currently accepted rankings, but certainly MIT, CMU, Stanford, Berekley, UIUC, UTAustin, etc.

Large defense contractors like Boeing are not picky at all for where they recruit from (save for things like LMT Skunkworks). Like many companies, they won't pay you more just because you went to a more prestigious school. These companies are so humongous and traditional that to find a position that suits you almost requires that you have an inside contact that can pull a few strings.

 

[PingSpike]

Probably major selection bias just like those job placement percentage statistics colleges publish.

 

[PingSpike]

A list of what state unemployment pay is would have made more sense.

Don't you have to have at one time had a job in order to get unemployment?

 

[sdifox]

well, of the ones that have a job, yeah, 50k sounds about right. For all ten of them.

 

[ShawnD1]

I read an article a few weeks ago stating it was under $30K, and a majority not even in the field of study.

That would make a lot more sense. Many of the people I know are not working in their desired field, and their salary out of school was less than $30k. They're doing ok now, but it often has nothing to do with college. One of the guys who worked with me in a drug testing lab quit his job as a chemist to run a welding business with his brother. He's probably doing great right now.

 

[Alienwho]

Everybody hit the nail on the head already.

These surveys only account for those who voluntarily fill out the survey and there is no way to verify the data.

Example. 100 People graduate from the school. 40% of those people actually got jobs. Of those 40%, only half got a real job that uses their degree. The rest work at best buy and wait tables and obviously are not going to fill out the survey. This leaves 20 people of the original 100 graduates. Of these 20, only 10 fill out the survey because they want to brag about hitting a $25/hr job while their fellow students got the more realistic $18/hr. They'll also inflate their salary by an extra 20% for personal ego boosting.

Even if the numbers are true (which they're not), they don't tell you what percentage actually found a job they were looking for. Count in all the unemployed/underemployed and the 2011 average salary is $12k.

 

[dullard]

Everybody hit the nail on the head already.

These surveys only account for those who voluntarily fill out the survey and there is no way to verify the data.

You started off correct, but then you posted this crap:

Example. 100 People graduate from the school. 40% of those people actually got jobs. Of those 40%, only half got a real job that uses their degree. The rest work at best buy and wait tables and obviously are not going to fill out the survey. This leaves 20 people of the original 100 graduates. Of these 20, only 10 fill out the survey because they want to brag about hitting a $25/hr job while their fellow students got the more realistic $18/hr. They'll also inflate their salary by an extra 20% for personal ego boosting.

Even if the numbers are true (which they're not), they don't tell you what percentage actually found a job they were looking for. Count in all the unemployed/underemployed and the 2011 average salary is $12k.

This was a poll of employers not employees. I posted the link above. There is certainly a voluntary bias in employer reponses to surveys. But, your example is just crap if you think about the fact that employees weren't surveyed.

 

[Zebo]

I read something that said 80% are w/o jobs, how does that skew?

 

[TridenT]

UW is top-10 in CS for their graduate program, not their undergraduate. UW is also ranked 41st overall.

Were your friends in the grad program or just undergraduates?

People in the UW undergrad program still usually get paid pretty nicely when they come out.

 

[Ricemarine]

Were your friends in the grad program or just undergraduates?

People in the UW undergrad program still usually get paid pretty nicely when they come out.

All the #'s are undergraduates.

 

[Alienwho]

You started off correct, but then you posted this crap:

This was a poll of employers not employees. I posted the link above. There is certainly a voluntary bias in employer reponses to surveys. But, your example is just crap if you think about the fact that employees weren't surveyed.

In this example you are correct. I guess my example had to do with my personal experience where my school contacted the alumni for this same information in order to post on their own websites/newsletters/etc.

 

[nageov3t]

going by the wording, it seems like they're only looking at the average salary of those who got job offers prior to graduation.

not the legions who are unemployed, taking some time off before entering the work force, hiding out in grad school, etc.

 

[spidey07]

Half of people are making less than they are worth. The other half are making what they are worth. The average of these is shown here.

Figure out what side you want to be on and do something about it.

 

[mooncancook]

Back when I attended college, the university's published "Graduate Starting Salaries" were based on alumni who volunteered to report their employment [offer] details, which I imagine skewed the results.

The ones who got a crappy job didn't reply the survey because they don't want their peers to know they accepted a job with below average pay (even if it's anonymous), while the ones who get a decent job can't wait to announce to others.

 

[ShawnD1]

In this example you are correct. I guess my example had to do with my personal experience where my school contacted the alumni for this same information in order to post on their own websites/newsletters/etc.

I was contacted for the same information both times I graduated. What surprised me was how accurate the survey information seemed. The expected salary before starting the program is fairly close to what people were getting, and most of us did get jobs. Of course there's a bit of flexibility based on what kind of job you're getting. Working 40 hours in an office-related job will probably pay a hell of a lot less than 60 hours in a field service job. Some EE grads are out in the field making $30/h and 60 hours per week. That works out to something over 100k doesn't it?


One of the more important things is to look at what percentage of graduates actually got a full time job in their field. My local university doesn't track stuff like that but my local community college does. 83kb pdf file. If you scroll to the second page, you'll see a column titled "FT/TR" which means full-time training-related. Some programs have a higher percentage like 80%, so that actually means something. Some of the useless programs are under 50%. That's a good indication that your program isn't going to pay shit when you finish, and you'll be lucky if you actually get a job in that field.

Keep in mind that's a government institution I linked to. If you're going to a private institution, they probably won't report stats that suck. After all, people won't hand over their money if the stats show it's a complete waste of money.

 

[mesthead21]

I read an article a few weeks ago stating it was under $30K, and a majority not even in the field of study.

Thats what I would assume. All of my friends that graduated work in jobs that have nothing to do with their degree

 

[dullard]

Some EE grads are out in the field making $30/h and 60 hours per week. That works out to something over 100k doesn't it?

(60 hours / week) * (52.14 weeks / year) * ($30 / hour) = $93 852. Assuming they are paid while on vacation (less otherwise).

I sure hope you put more effort into the rest of your life.

 

[Imp]

Back when I attended college, the university's published "Graduate Starting Salaries" were based on alumni who volunteered to report their employment [offer] details, which I imagine skewed the results.

Ah, I remember that survey. At the time I was making $13/hour doing clerical work when I was "support" to make at least double that with my degree. No, I didn't fill it out and submit.

 

[AreaCode707]

Blame the companies at Silicon Valley I guess... I know people that are making the following right out of college (2011 graduates):
Amazon's starting = $87k
Yelp = $78k
Google = $81k

EE?
Seattle Public Light = $56k-$60k
Intel = ~$56k-$70k,
Boeing = $50k-$60k

I was talking to a an ex-coworker who's a TPM at Amazon. Apparently Amazon has just revamped their hiring process. They're pooling their SDEs now and starting salary can be as high as 120k for an SDE 1. But they do have an intense hiring process and they will burn through their first level folks.

My starting salary out of college with an English degree was $16/hr.

 

[ultimatebob]

$50K isn't much in most urban areas. You can easily blow though that just on rent, taxes, and car payments in most cities.