Most lucrative college degrees in 2004

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Feldenak

Lifer
Jan 31, 2003
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Originally posted by: trmiv
I have a BS in Business Admin with concentration in MIS, I guess I fall in two places on that list?

Since I'll have that same degree next year, I'm hoping that's where I'll fall on that list. :)
 

Beller0ph1

Golden Member
Apr 18, 2003
1,302
0
76
I was surprised to not see ChE at the top. Well, I guess it is worth the self tourture we put ourselves to get that degree.
 

ajayjuneja

Golden Member
Dec 31, 2001
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These numbers seem kinda low. Students at my school are getting 65K - 100K+ (ok, that 100k+ is an outlier, but still, most are 65-85K). This is with just a BS degree.
 

CanOWorms

Lifer
Jul 3, 2001
12,404
2
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Originally posted by: ajayjuneja
These numbers seem kinda low. Students at my school are getting 65K - 100K+ (ok, that 100k+ is an outlier, but still, most are 65-85K). This is with just a BS degree.

I think saying most are getting 65-85K is a major exaggeration.

You're in Pittsburgh.. are you at CMU? If so, I just did a quick search @ CMU's site and you're majorly off.
 

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
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that list is such bullsh*t. They should average in all graduates, not just the ones who found jobs.
 

Gibson486

Lifer
Aug 9, 2000
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Originally posted by: ajayjuneja
These numbers seem kinda low. Students at my school are getting 65K - 100K+ (ok, that 100k+ is an outlier, but still, most are 65-85K). This is with just a BS degree.

what school is this? My school has coop, so people get 1.5 to 2 years of experience when they graduate and most get around 40 to mid 50's. Some get 60's and 70's if they are lucky and in teh right place right time..
 

Shanteli

Senior member
Aug 7, 2000
568
0
0
Originally posted by: RaiderJ
Originally posted by: Shanteli
All those numbers pertaining to CS/IT are complete BS....complete.

Why? They don't sound off-track to me.

Oh but it is offtrack. Of course it also depends on where you live and the cost of living increase in salary and such.

1) Getting a job with MIS is HARD and I'm talking very damn difficult still. I have been to 3 different cities and lived there and they all are crazy hard. I am in 'ok' hands cuz I have a lot of experience but for an average fresh graduating skill class lets just say that most MIS majors will not get any offers. I graduated in 2002 and I have known people who graduated this last december and may of 2003 and a lot of them don't have stuff either. And for the ones who did manage to get a job >>GOTO #3.

2) In the event that you somehow do get an interview, companies don't really have the time to train you that is why fresh graduates right now tend to lose jobs to more experienced people...all this means is that if they are hiring for a "systems administrator" that means that they want a person who has worked as one...not a person who has the "potential to be" one.

3) If you get the interview and then the offer the amount will be around 34ish....low is around 28 and high is realistically around 38. This is of course unless you somehow land a job with one of the big boys like IBM, Raytheon, Intel, Lockheed Martin, consulting firms, etc.

that is just my view on it and 1sthand experience job hunting.
 

rgwalt

Diamond Member
Apr 22, 2000
7,393
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#2 BABY! Chemical engineering always ranks in the top 5, if not the top 2.

Ryan
 

BD2003

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
16,815
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81
Hooray for psych majors! Somehow I knew "studying what interested me" would get me places. ;)

Ah well, not too worried. But to think a theatre arts major is likely to make more than me.
 

cchen

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 1999
6,062
0
76
I really don't understand why everyone b!tches about the job market being bad. I've never had trouble getting a summer internship since high school, and all of my friends who graduated (or those who haven't even graduated yet) have had great job offers well above the averages listed
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Originally posted by: dr150
Btw, all those IT jobs are going to India and China.


Write to your SENATOR to complain!

Side note:

I find this funny. I mean, the US prides itself on having a free market where anyone can come in and start a business. Competition is good and all that. Yet, when some other country comes along and starts offering to do things more cheaply, or better, those same Americans cry about it as unfair and try to enact laws limiting competition.
 

KK

Lifer
Jan 2, 2001
15,903
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81
Originally posted by: silverpig
Originally posted by: dr150
Btw, all those IT jobs are going to India and China.


Write to your SENATOR to complain!

Side note:

I find this funny. I mean, the US prides itself on having a free market where anyone can come in and start a business. Competition is good and all that. Yet, when some other country comes along and starts offering to do things more cheaply, or better, those same Americans cry about it as unfair and try to enact laws limiting competition.

Exactly, and those that are against these jobs going overseas, still think that we need global support when going to war. So in one hand they hate other countries, but on the other hand, they want their approval.

KK

 

CanOWorms

Lifer
Jul 3, 2001
12,404
2
0
Originally posted by: cchen
I really don't understand why everyone b!tches about the job market being bad. I've never had trouble getting a summer internship since high school, and all of my friends who graduated (or those who haven't even graduated yet) have had great job offers well above the averages listed

I think most people here are IT people or are unwilling to move from their current location, so they're really restricting themselves.
 

Svnla

Lifer
Nov 10, 2003
17,986
1,388
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You guys/gals need to understand about the market demands and locations. One person with a degree in a high cost place such as NYC or Chicago or SF will **generally*** make more than a person with the very same degree in lower cost areas such as in the South and small cities.

Another thing you will need to consider is the benefits. Some companies will pay most if not all of your health care costs, continue educations, membership to clubs and such while others will make your pay for those. It will depend greatly on the companies and locations.

Last but not least, I think the list is a bit on the high side. It is not practical to get that much money if you just fresh out of college with a degree and no experience. Why would a company pay you that much to train you while they can get someone who already had working experience. That is why it is a big deal with all the IT jobs being outsourcing to India and other countries (same experience/result with much lower costs).

That are my takes from someone who is working for a Fortune 100 company for almost 10 years with a BS and MBA degrees.
 

Martin

Lifer
Jan 15, 2000
29,178
1
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Good news, seeing as how I am in CompEng.

Hopefully by the time I graduate (06) average wil be up and jobs will be more plentiful :)
 

DanTMWTMP

Lifer
Oct 7, 2001
15,908
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81
lol i'm in EE, w/ a psych as possible double major, but it's currently a minor and probably will stay that way

so i get both ends of the spectrum hehe...but probably won't help me anyways oh well
 
Nov 5, 2001
18,366
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Construction Science woot!

Number looks a little low though I suppose when you factor in all graduates from all schools. Average starting salary in 1999 for graduates of our program at Kansas State was $36,500. I got $39,500. Last years graduates averaged around $43,000. Thank god I am well past that or I'd have been bummed.
 

miniMUNCH

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2000
4,159
0
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3 years out of school with a BS in Chemical Engineering I was making $35 an hour (w/ 1.5X or 2.0X OT pay), with a fantastic bonus structure, stock options that were worth something, and 4 weeks vacation (5 wks in another 2 years of employment)...and I worked a 8 minute car ridefrom my house.

I could have made 90k a year if I wanted to commute but in L.A., fsck that... $75-80k a year was fine.

But now I'm in grad school studying for my PhD in ChemE...I figure to be worth 100-120k/yr (that's around the average) when I'm done and go from there.


People, if you grades are good do yourself a favor and go to grad school...it is very different from undergrad and much more fun than either undergrad or working a real job for a living plus you get to learn quite a bit that "you kinda were interested in but figure you'd never understand".

For tech majors, grad school is generally free (prof/school pay your tutition plus a stipend) plus enough money to live off of.


 

DT4K

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2002
6,944
3
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Originally posted by: OS
that list is such bullsh*t. They should average in all graduates, not just the ones who found jobs.

No, they shouldn't average them, because those numbers would be meaningless.
If half the people get offers at 50k and half the people don't get jobs, the average would be 25k, which is NOT what someone with that degree would be expecting to get.

What they should do is also provide information about what percentage of graduates in each major actually had job offers.
That combined with the average of what those offers were would give a much clearer picture of how hard it is to get a job in a field and how much you can expect to make if you do get a job.

As I said, I've been making around 50k as a software developer since shortly after graduating and several of my classmates also work here and have been making about the same amount since graduating in 2001.

But all 4 of us were good students who graduated with honors in CS and had good recommendations from professors. But it was also a low-reputation school that nobody outside of Oregon would have ever heard of. And I have seen quite a few of my former classmates who are still working in the grocery stores and restaurants that I go to.
 

DT4K

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2002
6,944
3
81
What doesn't make sense to me about these numbers is:
If outsourcing is so prevalent and there are so many unemployed techies, why are companies still paying these high starting salaries to college grads? Or is it just that they are only picking the very very best grads and the rest can't even find jobs?
 

EmperorIQ

Platinum Member
Sep 30, 2003
2,003
0
0
currently i'm a CS major. My plan is to graduate, work for 2 years and return to graduate school to get a masters in business.