PayScale recently compiled a list of the 20 jobs in which the “salaries go nowhere”: that is, in which the person’s salary in mid-career varies least from their starting salaries.
This sort of comparison seems to me to undercut some of the emphasis on how much graduates earn six years out from their graduation dates.
Please note how many of these jobs are in STEM or STEM-related fields. In most cases, the starting salaries in those fields seem fairly substantial, but almost no one has been focusing on salaries in those fields in mid- and late-career. Like almost everyone else, I assumed that the high starting salaries meant that the salaries for those in such fields would continue to be proportionately higher throughout their working lives. Apparently, that is the case only in most engineering fields and in some other, selected STEM and STEM-related fields.
Notice also how many of the positions are in education—and, in particular, in early childhood and elementary education—as well as in human services. These salary figures tell a different story than the commonplace talking points about our grossly overpaid teachers and public employees.
- Respiratory Care
Most common jobs: Respiratory therapist, respiratory-services supervisor, registered polysomnographic technologist
Starting median pay: $47,800
Mid-career median pay: $64,000
Increase in pay: $16,200 / 33.9%
- Environmental Management
Most common jobs: Environmental health and safety manager, environmental manager, environmental health and safety specialist
Starting median pay: $51,300
Mid-career median pay: $68,600
Increase in pay: $17,300 / 33.7%
- Parks and Recreation Management
Most common jobs: Parks and recreation director, recreation supervisor, executive assistant
Starting median pay: $37,100
Mid-career median pay: $49,500
Increase in pay: $12,400 / 33.4%
- Medical Laboratory Science
Most common jobs: Laboratory technologist, laboratory scientist, laboratory supervisor
Starting median pay: $46,200
Mid-career median pay: $61,500
Increase in pay: $15,300 / 33.1%
- Computer Animation
Most common jobs: Animator, 3-D artist, graphic designer
Starting median pay: $42,600
Mid-career median pay: $56,700
Increase in pay: $14,100 / 33.1%
- Nutrition and Dietetics
Most common jobs: Dietitian, nutritionist, certified diabetes educator
Starting median pay: $43,400
Mid-career median pay: $57,700
Increase in pay: $14,300 / 32.9%
- Elementary Education
Most common jobs: Elementary school teacher, office manager, administrative assistant
Starting median pay: $34,300
Mid-career median pay: $45,500
Increase in pay: $11,200 / 32.7%
- Computer and Network Administration
Most common jobs: IT network administrator, systems administrator, IT network engineer
Starting median pay: $49,900
Mid-career median pay: $66,000
Increase in pay: $16,100 / 32.3%
- Recreation and Leisure Studies
Most common jobs: Administrative assistant, activities director, retail store manager
Starting median pay: $38,700
Mid-career median pay: $50,600
Increase in pay: $11,900 / 30.7%
- Nursing
Most common jobs: Registered nurse, registered emergency nurse, registered operating-room nurse
Starting median pay: $56,600
Mid-career median pay: $73,600
Increase in pay: $17,000 / 30.0%
- Logistics Management
Most common jobs: Logistics manager, warehouse manager, operations manager
Starting median pay: $49,800
Mid-career median pay: $64,200
Increase in pay: $14,400 / 28.9%
- Early Childhood and Elementary Education
Most common jobs: Elementary school teacher, preschool teacher (excluding special education), daycare teacher
Starting median pay: $32,900
Mid-career median pay: $42,300
Increase in pay: $9,400 / 28.6%
- Child and Family Studies
Most common jobs: Preschool teacher (excluding special education), child life specialist, daycare teacher
Starting median pay: $30,900
Mid-career median pay: $39,600
Increase in pay: $8,700 / 28.2%
- Human Services
Most common jobs: Medical case manager, social worker, administrative assistant
Starting median pay: $34,100
Mid-career median pay: $43,400
Increase in pay: $9,300 / 27.3%
- Clinical Laboratory Science
Most common jobs: Laboratory technologist, laboratory scientist, laboratory supervisor
Starting median pay: $47,400
Mid-career median pay: $60,100
Increase in pay: $12,700 / 26.8%
- Counseling
Most common jobs: Addiction counselor, office manager, social worker
Starting median pay: $32,300
Mid-career median pay: $40,900
Increase in pay: $8,600 / 26.6%
- Child Development
Most common jobs: Preschool teacher (excluding special education), daycare teacher, director of preschool
Starting median pay: $31,500
Mid-career median pay: $39,600
Increase in pay: $8,100 / 25.7%
- Early-Childhood Education
Most common jobs: Daycare teacher, preschool teacher (excluding special education), elementary school teacher
Starting median pay: $30,300
Mid-career median pay: $38,000
Increase in pay: $7,700 / 25.4%
- Diagnostic medical sonography
Most common jobs: Ultrasound technologist, echocardiographer, vascular technologist
Starting median pay: $57,700
Mid-career median pay: $70,800
Increase in pay: $13,100 / 22.7%
- Dental Hygiene
Most common jobs: Dental hygienist, dental-office manager, dental-hygiene instructor
Starting median pay: $65,800
Mid-career median pay: $72,800
Increase in pay: $7,000 / 10.6%
Reblogged this on Ohio Higher Ed.
This is very interesting. For reference, is there any average rise in pay against which to benchmark these low-rising categories? It also reminds me of an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education within the last year or two in which it was revealed that the average bump in pay that one received upon tenure and the move from assistant to associate professor was only $5,000 (note that the article may have been focused on the humanities and social sciences, which would have been why I paid attention to it). It would be interesting to know where college and university professors figure in this scale.
Much more extensive sets of rankings are available at the page on PayScale’s website devoted to college graduates’ salaries: http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report. Some of the detail is undoubtedly from federal data sources, but PayScale seems to do its own surveys as well. There are breakdowns by level of degree, by major, by institution, etc.