College Graduates Seeing Higher Salary Numbers

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), salary numbers for recent college graduates are climbing.  Their survey suggests that 94 percent of all disciplines had increases to their average starting salary offers and that the average starting salary offer to grads is up 7.6 percent to $49, 224.  Computer engineering graduate starting salaries are closer to $60,280 (7.8 percent increase).  Liberal arts graduates have been seeing more money too, but their starting salary is in the mid 30’s.

While these numbers sound really high to the uninitiated worker, they are high for a reason.  Many of the higher skill jobs require smarter, more disciplined and more experienced workers.  Many of the computer science jobs that I’m assuming are grouped in with “computer engineering” by NACE go to students who have either worked full or part time through college.  In cases where students graduate into jobs, I’ve seen salaries in the DC area that range from mid 40’s to mid 60’s.  The difference is always related to the level of difficulty for the job and the level of experience brought to the table by the candidate.  These jobs do not get handed out to everyone who applies, nor do they find themselves in the hands of underachievers.  If you didn’t do well in school and work while you were in school then you can expect to find yourself on the lower end of the spectrum.

If you are still in school then you should really be thinking about taking on some sort of off campus job to improve your profile when it comes time to start applying for jobs.  Internships that are un-paid or not well paid can be just as valuable.  For computer science interns you can expect to see wages for your intersnhip that range from $15-23 dollars per hour.  The larger the company the larger the wage in this case.

While money is important when considering job opportunities, it is not everything.  Some of the larger companies may end up offering higher starting salaries.  Take into consideration that they might not offer cutting edge problems to work on though.  So in other words, you may get paid well now, but you will be out of date or behind the curve in a few years.  Those dollars that you make today will not be worth what you will make in a few years.  Keep this in mind as you are looking at options.  Smaller organizations and startup comanies tend to offer more cutting edge experience and may give you the opportunity to pick up more skills quickly.