It’s no easy feat landing a six-figure salary straight out of school, but your chances are better if you’ve studied in certain high-demand fields.
Consulting, program management, and nursing rank in the top 10 fields to land a six-figure starting salary, per ZipRecruiter’s most recent annual grad report that used its marketplace data.
Additionally, nursing and program management are two of the top 10 industries hiring for entry-level roles, per ZipRecruiter.
Where rising grads’ career expectations are falling short
For most students, their expectations around pay after graduation did not match their actual earnings.
Rising graduates anticipated that their average annual pre-tax salary would be $101,500, per ZipRecruiter’s report, which included a survey performed by PureSpectrum of about 3,000 recent graduates and students graduating within the year. However, the reality is that recent grads earn an average of $68,400 annually pre-tax.
This data point is another indicator that Gen Z isn’t feeling great about the workplace. The generation is less engaged than their older peers at work, as Business Insider previously reported.
Additionally, surveyed college graduates reported that agriculture, environmental sciences, and natural resources majors earned the most in their first year at about $85,000. Meanwhile, fine arts, performing arts, and design majors made the least at about $48,000.
Former President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program impacted the types of jobs that graduates chose, per ZipRecruiter. Just over half of all students said that the policy influenced their job plans, including allowing them to pursue lower-paying but more satisfying occupations.
The Trump administration announced on April 21 that it would resume collection on defaulted borrowers starting on May 5.
Are you a recent college graduate struggling to be hired? Reach out to this reporter to share your story at jdeng@businessinsider.com.
