Your first job out of college could pay anywhere from $32,000 to $76,000, GOBankingRates finds, having collected data from Salary.com to determine which jobs offer the highest and lowest starting salaries to new grads.
Your salary may matter now more than ever, since the annual interest rate on federal student loans for undergraduates could hit more than 5 percent for the 2018-2019 academic year. That’s in addition to the $1.4 trillion borrowers owe in loan debt already. And the amount of money students make right out of college can affect how quickly you can pay back the loans you took out to pay for your education.
Based on the data, here are the top 10 highest-paying entry-level jobs for new grads:
Median annual base salary: $76,589
Median annual base salary: $75,745
Median annual base salary: $71,674
Median annual base salary: $70,907
Median annual base salary: $70,136
Median annual base salary: $69,470
Median annual base salary: $68,827
Median annual base salary: $66,230
Median annual base salary: $65,983
Median annual base salary: $65,839
“Many top-paying jobs are in the engineering field … proving that engineering is a career path that pays well,” notes GOBankingRates. “The other high-paying entry-level jobs continue to fit mostly into the technology field — along with some in the business field,” too.
Of course, how much money you make will depend on your individual circumstances, like the amount of experience you have heading into the workforce, what company you land a job with and what state you work in.
And, while these numbers can provide useful insight, they shouldn’t deter you from pursuing a career that doesn’t make the list. A surprising number of big-name companies also commit to helping employees work their way up to a six-figure job.
To get a more personalized glimpse at how much you can expect to make, check out these wage calculators that estimate your salary based on your college, education level, company and age.
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Video by Zack Guzman