Comments on: 2008 Best Paying Jobs for Graduates

By: Tim

Tim — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 10:53:40 +0000

Maybe it’s your job performance that sucks.

By: Austin

Austin — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:53:12 +0000

@ Frugal Finances

That is because both Law and Medicine usually require additional professional training beyond college. This list is focusing on best paying jobs for ONLY college graduates.

Personally, I think a more interesting study would be a breakdown of the typical costs and time commitments for different jobs.

For anyone interested a useful resource is the Occupational Outlook Handbook which is produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm

By: Frugal Finances

Frugal Finances — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:53:08 +0000

Law and Medicine didn’t even make the list?

By: Adam (golferadam)

Adam (golferadam) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 04:55:27 +0000

nice to see ChEs at the top…

By: Ari Breverd

Ari Breverd — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:48:33 +0000

I have the worst pay check in the history of pay checks as a chemical engineer. I only get paid 37K per year for heavens sake! It sucks!!!

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 02 May 2008 02:38:52 +0000

I doubt that 90% of chem e’s ever go to a “rig”. Most rig people are petro eng’s. Most chem e’s go to processing facilities or offices. Many of the processing facilities are refineries or chemical plants in not nice places like Nigeria or Borger, TX (been to Borger, don’t want to return, and I live in Houston). But many of the processing facilities are in okay places like San Francisco area or Rotterdam.

As always, and speaking from experience, remember that many engineering jobs start out high and only slowly move up. Currently, the raises are nice for engineers due to demand and the busy project era we are in. But I have had years with 0-1% raises. Still, my average is 7-8%.

By: Lily

Lily — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:15:02 +0000

Looks like the finance category (1) conflates investment banking and management consulting with other financial jobs and (2) does not include bonuses, which, while not necessarily predictable, should not be ignored. Investment banking first-year analysts, who are almost all new grads, can expect $60,000 in salary at the bigger firms and probably six-figure in total compensation. I think last year the average compensation was $120,000 – $150,000 for first years at the big firms (Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Citi, etc.). You also get $25 per diem for dinner, because 99% of the time you’ll be in the office until well after dinner time. Nice health and retirement packages.

Of course, the lifestyle sucks. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a way better paying job than chemical engineering.

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:40:47 +0000

I agree… Chemical Engineers make bank.

When I graduated, if you went to work for an oil company on a rig (or in a horrible location like Siberia), not only do you get 2.5x your base salary (which in 2005 was $60K), you also work on the rig for a month, then 2 weeks off, work a month, 2 weeks off.

I hear the work can suck, but it’s unlike anything you’ll ever do again.

By: jim

jim — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:20:57 +0000

My personal take is that a business will hire someone if they can, through company resources, earn more than they cost in salary/benefits/etc.

By: Trent Hamm

Trent Hamm — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:28:11 +0000

Cynics always say “employers are hiring cheaper graduates and dumping the more expensive seasoned employees” even when the economy is booming. The truth is that employers are ALWAYS looking for the best people – they’ll pay more for a person that does their share and will be looking to toss a person who is dead weight, no matter what.