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Would your students think about STEM Salaries?
Posted by John Meagher
It helps to remind students that scientists and engineers can make higher salaries than lower paid professions.
Do you think your elementary school students are starting to think of their long-term financial and lifestyle prospects? The information below may be of use to supplement ReSET volunteers’ discussions of what sparked their interest in science and math, their educational background and what they do on the job. Maybe the students could make a bar chart of salary levels with a bar representing minimum wage salaries as well?
It can be pretty frustrating for anyone who is hitting the pavement in search of work these days. But it can be particularly daunting for new grads who are inexperienced, burdened with debt, and confronting less than stellar starting salaries in their first jobs.
Take heart.
Not all college graduates face these grim prospects. PayScale’s College Salary Report indicates that engineering degree holders are the top salary earners, offering the quickest return on their educational investment. This spring, a Georgetown University study also gave highest honors to engineering degrees after ranking median salaries by major. In addition, the study revealed that many students in the top-earning majors went on to work within their fields, suggesting that not only will graduates with science and engineering degrees find a job, they will find one that interests them and pays well.
Below are the 10 college degrees found by PayScale to lead to the highest starting and mid-career salaries:
• Petroleum Engineering
(Median starting salary: $97,000)
• Chemical Engineering
(Median starting salary: $64,500)
• Electrical Engineering
(Median starting salary: $61,300)
• Materials Science and Engineering
(Median starting salary: $60,400)
• Aerospace Engineering
(Median starting salary: $60,700)
• Computer Engineering
(Median starting salary: $61,000)
• Physics
(Median starting salary: $49,800)
• Applied Mathematics
(Median starting salary: $52,600)
• Computer Science
(Median starting salary: $56,600)
• Nuclear Engineering
(Median starting salary: $65,100)
Learn more about these high-paying fields
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/08/22/10-highest-paying-degrees/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%7C88464
ReSET in action! Chemical Engineer Clarence Wade makes polymer chemistry come alive for 4th-graders. [www.resetonline.org]