Starting Salaries for Recent IT Grads Inch Up
Technology and engineering majors have a financial edge over their peers in education and business.
Despite a tough employment market, the 2012 class of college graduates saw slightly higher starting salaries than their 2011 counterparts. Surprisingly, however, IT graduates did not see as great a salary boost as some other majors, according to a new report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
In its 2012 Salary Survey, NACE found that the overall average starting salary for class of 2012 bachelor’s degree graduates rose 1.7 percent to $44,259, up from the overall average of $43,521 posted by the class of 2011.
While IT graduates on average earn higher starting salaries, the year-over-year increase in starting salaries for technology professionals was just 1.4 percent for 2012 grads -- from $59,234 to $60,639. Still, IT and engineering majors had significantly higher overall starting salaries than all other fields including business ($51,541), education ($39,080) and social sciences ($36,824).
While some studies have concluded that federal IT workers earn more than their private sector counterparts, it does not appear to be the case when it comes to young college graduates. For example, the starting base salary for a GS-7 Step 1 is $33,979. Keep in mind that this figure does not include locality pay or other incentives.
How did/does the starting salary for your federal IT job stack up?