Salary for students with a B.S.?

Question

What do you think the salary is when a student graduates with her B.S. and starts working in a firm? I'm going into exhibit desiging at a trade show firm..

Answer 1

experience > degree but I would say 40k.  60k with experience.

Answer 2

Check out www.salary.com. This will give you a better view when you take the average salaries for your career in the area in which you live or plan to live.

Answer 3

Don't be surprised if you start at $35K since I am assuming you have no experience...however it should not take you too long to learn and move to the next job which is where you can really get ahead.

Don't ask for too much going in but learn a lot along the way and then you will be able to DEMAND whatever you want later on....or maybe start your own design firm.

Too many students think they can demand high salaries but let me ask you this, I have 20 years of experience so if you think that you will go in at $60K then I must be able to demand twice that and I can't get $120K for the job you are describing but I don't take less than $75 right now anyway. If you go into your boss and say $65 then you might loose your opportunity. It would be a bit more realistic if you, as a student were to make $35 and with experience maybe $45-$50 but this job does not bring much, I don't think, Check out the link below and you might find exactly what position you are looking for. You can search the job title and just for kicks add in the firm's name at the end and you might be surprised if that exact job did not show up with the salary attached.

When someone asks what I need to be making, I go to the jobsite I gave you below and study up like you are doing and decide on what I will take. I have taken a lot less just because I knew nothing about the position (I have no idea why they hired me but I got it) but I learned fast and am making twice what I made and I learned what I needed to in from May 04 to Sept 04.....not too long but I needed that experience on my resume so I could go to the next job and get more.

The key is not what you make on your first job but what you get out of it while you are there. If you learn fast then you jump to your next job with a years worth of experience you can put on your resume and double your salary at the same time. Yes, the idea is learn fast, leave quicker and DOUBLE your salary. Hopefully you will love what you do but if not figure out a way you CAN and make it fun while you are there. Become the best exhibit designer this company has with your own added little 'extra' skills, like the one I mention below about color schemas.

Don't be too disappointed if you get $35 to start because I watched a young lady jump from $35,000/year to $68K/year with one move. Keep moving and that is the best way to get quick experience and more money. People don't stay at one job for long anymore. That method doesn't seem to keep up with the high cost of living, not to mention GAS.

I did trade shows for 13 years and had a great time designing our booth ($40,000 booth). Skyline Displays tried to hire me because of my color experience alone.

Here is a great hint to give you an added umph and a VERY FAST way to get the colors you need for your clients: Get A Book Of Colors by Shigenobu Kobayashi, a little hand held book that give you instant color schemes to use instead of trying to pull it all together in your head. A color psychologist wrote it so it has meanings behind the colors you choose, e.g. high tech, calming, bold, and much more. I still have mine and use it all the time for websites, painting rooms, designing brochures, etc. It is my little black book and people are amazed at the color selections I come up with. I would learn as much about color as you can. Martha Stewart has fantastic color schemes. Check out Columbia Sportswear, Nike, Pantone (and Pantone Color Trends). Search the meanings behind Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, etc. You can really impress clients with color psychology.

Another great website to get salary ideas is http://www.indeed.com/salary .

Best of Luck!