| Occupation | Beginning Salary ($) | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Engineer (Stanford Ph.D.) | 75,000 | 1997 |
| Ph.D. Physicist (National Lab) | 64,400 | 1996 |
| Computer Science (Stanford MS) | 60,000 | 1997 |
| Electrical Engineer (Stanford MS) | 57,200 | 1997 |
| Ph.D. Physicist (NASA/GSFC tenure-track) (Ph.D. + 2-4 years) | 46,000-54,000 | 1997 |
| Computer Science (Stanford B.A.) | 45,000 | 1997 |
| Operations Research Analysts | 44,100 | 1996? |
| Chemical Engineer | 42,758 | 1997 |
| Ph.D. Physicist (University) | 42,000 | 1996 |
| Mechanical Engineer | 39,852 | 1997 |
| Electrical Engineer | 39,811 | 1997 |
| Computer Science | 39,964 | 1997 |
| Occupational Therapists | 38,300 | 1996? |
| Physical Therapists | 38,000 | 1996? |
| Computer Engineers | 37,301 | 1996? |
| Ph.D. Physicist (Post-doctoral Jobs) | 31,000-39,000 | 1996 |
| Systems analysts | 35,222 | 1996? |
| Speech/language Pathologists | 34,000 | 1996? |
| Management analysts | 33,364 | 1996? |
| Nursing | 32,927 | 1997 |
| Civil Engineer | 32,170 | 1997 |
| Chemistry | 31,262 | 1997 |
| Accounting | 30,393 | 1997 |
| Speech/language Audiologists | 30,000 | 1996? |
| Employment Interviewers | 29,900 | 1996? |
| Social Workers | 27,000 | 1996? |
| Retailing | 25,856 | 1997 |
| Designers | 25,800 | 1996? |
| Education | 25,742 | 1997 |
| Hotel-restaurant management | 25,176 | 1997 |
| Advertising | 24,757 | 1997 |
| Special Education Teachers | 24,507 | 1996? |
| Kindergarten Teachers | 24,507 | 1996? |
| Liberal Arts | 24,081 | 1997 |
| Medical Scientists | 23,500 | 1996? |
| Guidance Counselors | 23,000 | 1996? |
| Journalism | 22,102 | 1997 |
| Residential Counselors | 18,000 | 1996? |
| Preschool Teachers | 11,375 | 1996? |
Sources: Michigan State University's Collegiate Employment Research Institute, in NCT, 4/29/97, D1;
PHYSICS NEWS UPDATE (The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Physics News)
Number 321, May 13, 1997, as corrected by Raymond Chu, AIP, personal communication, 5/21/97;
Bureau of Labor Statistics data reported in extraMoney, 1997, 56;
GSFC Advertisement 8/8/97;
PC Magazine Online, 9/1/97 (Stanford data).
Beginning Salary for English Majors
The average starting salary for 1998 college graduates with majors in English, classics and related majors was $27,608, up almost 16% from 1997.
Source: Survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, quoted in LAT 8/20/98, A5.
Median Salaries by Occupation
| Occupation | Median Salary ($) | Median Age | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. Physicist (National Lab) | 78,500 | 1996 | |
| Ph.D. Physicist (Industry) | 77,000 | 1996 | |
| Ph.D. Physicist (all) | 65,000 | 46 | 1996 |
| Software Industry | 60,000 | 1996? | |
| Ph.D. Physicist (4-year college) | 49,200 | 1996 | |
| Ph.D. Physicist (Post-doctoral Jobs) | ~35,000 | ~27 | 1996 |
See below for internet / software industry.
Source: PHYSICS NEWS UPDATE (The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Physics News)
Number 321, May 13, 1997, as corrected by Raymond Chu, AIP, personal communication, 5/21/97;
Business Software Alliance, as reported in Computerlink, SDUT 6/10/97, 22.
1997 Salaries for Internet / Software Industry
| Occupation | Salary ($) |
|---|---|
| Consultant | 63,008 |
| Creative Director | 61,917 |
| Software Engineer | 57,668 |
| Technical Writer | 51,422 |
| Web Programmer | 50,978 |
| Webmaster | 45,822 |
| IS/Network Administrator | 45,448 |
| Web Instructor | 44,810 |
| Technical Support | 32,489 |
These salaries are derived from a self-selected sample, and thus may be biased. However, note that the salary quoted for software engineer is very close to the median salary in the previous table, and hence the results may be fairly reliable. The methodology used to derive the "average" salary is not clearly stated, but involves "a mean of the salary ranges and then an average of those means", whatever that means.
Source: http://www8.zdnet.com/zdimag/salaryzone/title_summary.html
Top Five Paying Jobs
This list was published in extraMoney, 1997, 56, a publication by Money magazine for high-school students. They stated that they "excluded the pay of the highest 10% or so earners".
| Occupation | Salary Range ($) | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors | 100,000 - 175,000 | 1996? |
| Lawyers | 59,319 - 326,781 | 1996? |
| Chemical Engineers | 45,500 - 148,000 | 1996? |
| Aerospace Engineers | 50,804 - 105,000 | 1996? |
| Pharmacists | 50,598 - 60,853 | 1996? |
| Occupation | Salary ($) |
|---|---|
| CEO of a start-up company | 200,000 + 6-10% of the company |
| Chief Technology Officer of a start-up company | 190,000 + 4% of the company |
| Vice President of Marketing for start-up company | 175,000 + 1.5-3% of company |
| Biotech Researcher | 20,000-30,000 beginning |
| Computer Animator | 30,000-50,000 |
| Computer Chip Designer | 35,000 beginning; 80,000 with experience |
| Computer Designer | 40,000-50,000 beginning |
| Computer Technician | 32,000 average |
| Corporate Product Support | 17,000-39,000 average |
| Database Specialist | 32,000 average lower-level; 47,000-75,000 senior |
| Electrical/computer engineer | 47,712 average |
| Graphic Designer | 21,000-24,000 beginning |
| Graphical User Interface Designer | 28,000 beginning; 40,000 experienced |
| Help desk support and training personnel | 20,000 entry-level; 42,000 managers |
| Management Informaton Systems Manager | 60,000 (small businesses); 75,000 (large businesses) |
| Manufacturing Engineer | 35,000 beginning; 70,000 experienced |
| Multimedia Producer | 30,000 beginning; 100,000 for talented freelancer |
| Network Specialist | 53,750 average |
| Programmer | 37,056 average |
| Quality Assurance Specialist | 16,000-32,000 average; 30,000-65,000 with computer engineering degree |
| Software Engineer | 25,000 for experienced engineers working in a hot area |
| Systems Analyst | 42,768 average |
| Technical Support Specialist | 17,000-39,000 average |
| Webmaster | 20,000 beginning; 50,000 experienced |
Source: LA Times "Careers" 3/24/97, 7, 9 from Bureau of Labor Statistics; "100 Jobs in Technology" by Lori Hawkins and Betsy Dowling; Jeff Christian, Christian & Timbers; Jack Kyser, Economic Development Corp. of L.A. County. and, yes, the salaries seem quite low for reality!
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Copyright © 1997, 1998 by Tom Chester.
Permission is freely granted to reproduce any or all of this page as long as credit is given to me at this source:
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Comments and feedback: Tom Chester
Last update: 20 August 1998