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How many graduates do you think will reach a 50K+ salary in their career?

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Realistically, having a degree isn't going to get you a job worth £50k, the degree would be largely irrelevant for the responsibilities of the job and you're probably going to get it on your skill at the job and your work history.

Postgraduate degrees and diplomas also make your degree largely irrelevant because you're judged on with your knowledge and research of what you study as much as you are on the marks you get.

Degrees are obviously required for a career in academics, and most lecturers in the country don't earn more than £35-40k. Research fellows and assistants earn even less, and PhD students who are funded usually get just above minimum wage. My girlfriend who has a PhD in a science subject and runs a lab doesn't earn close to £50k, and will never earn that much, and thats the public sector!

I know one graduate who earns 45k, he's 35, single, has a degree in sociology and went into sales. He's loaded because he could sell **** as if its gold in a call centre and moved into life insurance for old rich people or something like that, not because of his degree.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 21

loloway

I think once people secure a proper grad job, the likelihood that they will hit the £50k+ benchmark, at some point in their life, is high.

Reply 22

JamesyC

Original post by loloway

I think once people secure a proper grad job, the likelihood that they will hit the £50k+ benchmark, at some point in their life, is high.

Vast majority of graduates will never get a graduate job that is good enough to do that. Earning £50k takes years of hard work unless you want to live on an oil rig with a engineering degree.

Reply 23

M1011

This is a depressing thread. So much pessimism.

50k is not an unachievable goal for anyone, let alone graduates. Completely manageable if you really set your sights on it. Just need to be clever with the direction you go with your career and work hard.

Reply 24

M1011

Original post by JamesyC

My girlfriend who has a PhD in a science subject and runs a lab doesn't earn close to £50k, and will never earn that much, and thats the public sector!

I know one graduate who earns 45k, he's 35, single, has a degree in sociology and went into sales. He's loaded because he could sell **** as if its gold in a call centre and moved into life insurance for old rich people or something like that, not because of his degree.

He's 35 earning £45k and you label him rich? :s-smilie:

Just a general FYI - generally speaking the public sector pays less than private companies.

Reply 25

Quady

Original post by JamesyC

Admittedly I'm £600 off earning £50k. But by degree was a prerequestite for my job on graduation and the role I'm in now was a promotion from that job I got on graduating which I wouldn't hev got otherwise.

So I'm confused how the degree hasn't got me to this point...

Reply 26

Sandtrooper

Volunteer Team

How much do you think a language graduate would earn? Specifically Japanese, maybe with a bit of Mandarin.

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Reply 27

Observatory

Original post by Wisefire

I don't really understand what you mean in this post; and I don't understand the difference in me writing "undergraduate scene" and you writing "graduates". I'm just saying (as a year 12 student), once I graduate, is it THIS unlikely I'll ever even break the goddamn £50k+ barrier? I'm just in shock if it's as low as 10% of all graduates... What the hell...?
The other poster said it was 10% of all workers. So narrowing to graduates, and people over 35, would increase it a lot.

I do think that £100-150k is very optimistic outside a handful of professions unless you become a senior manager. Even most of those are in LDN where cost of living means this is more like a £50-75k salary in the provinces.

Reply 28

cole-slaw

Q: does one of your parents or a close relative work in a position where they are responsible for hiring people for high salary jobs?

If yes, your chances are very good.

If no, your chances are very slim.

Hope that helps.

Reply 29

College_Dropout

Most of them. In about 30 years when im around 50 I would be expecting to earn £50k if not more. Average salary at the moment is around £25k, in 1970 it was £2000.

Reply 30

Quady

Original post by M1011

It isn't unachiveable for any individual.
Its unachiveavle for more than 15% of grads.

Otherwise more than 14.7% of people would be higher rate tax payers (earning over £42k) right now.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 31

Quady

Original post by College_Dropout

Most of them. In about 30 years when im around 50 I would be expecting to earn £50k if not more. Average salary at the moment is around £25k, in 1970 it was £2000.

Pretty sure the OP meant inflation adjusted....

Reply 32

thegodofgod

As a community pharmacist, I could be on £40k 1 year after graduating, but the salary wouldn't increase much past that.

As a hospital pharmacist, I could be on £50k about 6-7 years after graduating, and on about £90k about 5-6 years after that.

Reply 33

DeepStar

Original post by M1011

My thoughts exactly. Most of the people I'm still in touch with from university with varying degrees are more than half way to the 50K mark after 3 years of graduating so its not an impossible goal.

Reply 34

M1011

Original post by Quady

It isn't unachiveable for any individual.
Its unachiveavle for more than 15% of grads.

Otherwise more than 14.7% of people would be higher rate tax payers (earning over £42k) right now.

I'm not sure how your post is particularly relevant to mine? :tongue:

I think we agree that 50k is not an unachievable goal for anyone (well.. most people)? The fact everyone doesn't earn it isn't proof to the contrary, it's just indicative that some people aren't money oriented or aren't willing to work hard for it.