What do YOU consider a good starting salary for a graduate?

katebushfan

Can't believe how many people are saying 20K + ;p.

I'd expect around 18K /- coming out of university, and for it to go up as I was working. Although, I am doing an anthropology degree <.<.

Well the thread title did say a GOOD starting salary. :P I'd consider 20k to be a good starting salary for a graduate, not that 18k would be bad or anything. But then again, I've always lived in London, so maybe my expectations are a little higher. o_O

Reply 41

xoxAngel_Kxox

21

20k imo, but I wouldn't work in a career without opportunity for eventual promotions and pay rises etc. I would like to end up on a job with about 50k, eventually that is.

Reply 42

username358506

20

Anything above £20K would do me nicely.

Reply 43

blinkbelle

17

katebushfan

How do you know what your salary will be?

Because I have a job..

Reply 44

inksplodge

17

I'd say £18k. A lot of graduate jobs in my area are £14-15k, so!

Reply 45

Sapphire_Eyes

14

I'm expecting 15.5 - 18k depending on what I go into.

Reply 46

sunspoon

14

There are certain courses from certain universities that are almost always snapped up straight away by certain companies - a prime example of this is the MSc Financial Computing course at UCL - this course was specifically designed by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to provide a regular annual conveyor belt for new graduates into their tech departments.

In the current economic climate there are going to be fewer jobs available and so there is obviously going to be an increase in graduate unemployment. Those who do get jobs in traditionally well paid industries like the financial services sector and certain strands of engineering, won't be affected at all. UBS for example gave all their grads a pay rise to at least £39k (dependant upon which department you work in) early this year so that they wouldn't bugger off to work for competitors.

EDIT: The Msc Financial computing course was also designed by Credit Suisse ...

anything above 20K

out of the blue

in times gone by I feel that the majority of the above answers (over 20k) would have been very appropriate.

However nowadays having a degree is not viewed as anything particularly special. So many people have degrees now that to be set apart from the rest and get the jobs that pay enough you have to have something more. Especially in todays current job climate. There are so many graduates without a job purely because they fell now they have a degree they should be paid anything 20k and over and won't take anything less.

When job searching don't over value yourself anything is good at the moment.

ahhhh sorry to be the cynic in this thread!

I agree with this. It's actually hard to get a job, let alone experience. Because there's just too many people, and not enough jobs. So any job is good, and there's plenty of time to work the way up the ladder and earn a lot more once you have a job!

25k

Fysidiko

I noticed that the two highest answers (the two I've quoted above) are from IT/computing undergrads. As someone who's worked fairly extensively in software/network engineering and digital media I have to say that if those are serious replies then you'd better get used to not having a "good" starting salary!

At the last place I worked I was on the interview panel when we hired a new lead programmer; we hired a guy with a Phd and a few years of experience for barely minimum wage. It's a brutal market out there for computer scientists.

One you've quoted, sunspoon, is doing Computing at Imperial. The average starting salary for said degree is ~£32,000 - but I know many 4th years in both the joint and Computing who are starting on more.

Consequentially, I think it is only fair that a "good" starting salary would be the average. The figure has actually improved on my last reading:

http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/news/archive/story/top-salaries

Obviously, this is dependently entirely on who you are, but for them, the figure they quoted was not unrealistic as you're suggesting.

Reply 51

jit987

13

Depends on what degree + jobs available...

25-30k

Fysidiko

I noticed that the two highest answers (the two I've quoted above) are from IT/computing undergrads. As someone who's worked fairly extensively in software/network engineering and digital media I have to say that if those are serious replies then you'd better get used to not having a "good" starting salary!

At the last place I worked I was on the interview panel when we hired a new lead programmer; we hired a guy with a Phd and a few years of experience for barely minimum wage. It's a brutal market out there for computer scientists.

You obviously did not graduate from the top Computing departament in UK.

In 2009, the Sunday Times ranked Computing graduates from Imperial as earning the second highest average starting salary, £34,960, after graduation, over all universities and courses.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article6832285.ece

Reply 54

katebushfan

13

Best Superlative

Well the thread title did say a GOOD starting salary. :P I'd consider 20k to be a good starting salary for a graduate, not that 18k would be bad or anything. But then again, I've always lived in London, so maybe my expectations are a little higher. o_O

I live in London too and none of the graduates I knew started on 20K =/. It was all around 17/ 18K (this is in central London) though it did move up quite fast for some people depending on their degree.

Reply 55

katebushfan

13

blinkbelle

Because I have a job..

Ah, well you made it sound like in your earlier post that's what your salary WILL be, not what you have.

Reply 56

sunspoon

14

Moa

You obviously did not graduate from the top Computing departament in UK.

In 2009, the Sunday Times ranked Computing graduates from Imperial as earning the second highest average starting salary, £34,960, after graduation, over all universities and courses.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article6832285.ece

There's a reason for all these high numbers - when you start in October (assuming you get your results) you'll start to wish you had just stayed at home - or gone to Cambridge.

You will be glued to your computer screen so tightly for the next four years that you'll have to skip lectures to finish the coursework even though every evening for the past three days of every week leading up to Monday midnights you've been in labs until the security guard tries to kick you out at 11pm.