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jer446

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 28, 2004
826
0
Hey guys.. i dont really know where to post this, but figure it might be an ok place.. I am in highschool now, and need to start thinking of colleges.. I love computers, and technology and engineering. I would love to become an engineer, but it seems like they barely make any money.
My question is, what is the highest paid engineers? From what i have read, most don't even make 80,000 usd per year. That is not that much nowadays.

Second, who designs the way consumer electronics look? I think I would be good with that type of stuff because I am good at designing aestically pleasing things. (also, what salary can i expect)

Third, does anyone know of any good place to say, i want to make for example, 100,000+, what are some of my career options?

I don't really have a problem getting into any college, and possibly could even go to an ivy league, just would like to know what i want to do.
 
Well, first of all, you're a half decade or so away from entering the work force as a college grad, so many things can change between now and then.

Second, if money is your primary concern, look into medicine (pharmaceuticals, esp.), law, or business.

If you want to enter a technical field, your best bet at making a good salary is to attend a good school, get good grades, and be active in non-class events.

Generally, liberal arts degrees and classes pay the least, so if money is a big deal, avoid them.

However, you don't want to be 30, 40, 50 years old working in a field you hate and making good money. You want to be in a field you love and making the most money you can in that field.

So my advice is to start with a good, solid couple of years academically - strong math, science, etc. classes - then see what interests you and pursue that. The money should be secondary, and there is absolutely zero guarantee that what is a high paying job now or in five years will continue to be one a decade or two from now. You're much better off doing what you love. Those who reach the top of any profession are well compensated.
 
And also, since when is $80K per year "not much nowadays"? What is your standard for a sufficient starting salary? $100K?!? Or was that assuming some number of years of experience? Because, really, I can't think of many careers which include $100K+ salaries for people with a 4 year degree.
 
no i dont mean over 100k right out of highschool, and i am definetly willing to do more than 4 years of college. What i mean by isnt that good nowadays, i mean 80 grand to raise a family isnt to good..
 
jer446 said:
no i dont mean over 100k right out of highschool, and i am definetly willing to do more than 4 years of college. What i mean by isnt that good nowadays, i mean 80 grand to raise a family isnt to good..
Click to expand...

You need 80K a year for a family, where do you live? :p

All I have to say is those people making less than 80K a year are now considered POOR :: sarcastic remark :: :)
 
jsw said:
And also, since when is $80K per year "not much nowadays"? What is your standard for a sufficient starting salary? $100K?!? Or was that assuming some number of years of experience? Because, really, I can't think of many careers which include $100K+ salaries for people with a 4 year degree.
Click to expand...

I believe these are high school dreams of making 100K a year. :rolleyes:

It is obvious this person has no clue as to what the real world is. :)

20K is low income
40K is mid income
60K is high income

^^that is realistic not 100K. :)
 
i understand 80k is a lot, but it all depends on your lifestyle. For my town, 80k a year is poverty lol. 150k is low, 200k is ok, and 300k is a little above avg.. thats why my standards are so high.
 
jer446 said:
i understand 80k is a lot, but it all depends on your lifestyle. For my town, 80k a year is poverty lol. 150k is low, 200k is ok, and 300k is a little above avg.. thats why my standards are so high.
Click to expand...
Then you'll need to rely on inheritance or assistance from relatives. No career you can learn in college in four years is going to earn you anything even vaguely close to what you consider to be acceptable, right off the bat.

And the ones that get there eventually are medicine, law, and business. Sometimes.
 
jsw said:
Then you'll need to rely on inheritance or assistance from relatives. No career you can learn in college in four years is going to earn you anything even vaguely close to what you consider to be acceptable, right off the bat.

And the ones that get there eventually are medicine, law, and business. Sometimes.
Click to expand...


medicine, law take at least 4 years since experience is what counts.

business, well if you want to play risky on the stock market go for it. :)

Even starting your own business it will take 4+ years to be well off. :)
 
i think you might of missed a part of my post.. i said i know theres no way of making that out of college, after about 10 or 15 years maybe.. out of college maybe 60-100 is ok. And i also said i would want to do more than four years of college/
 
jer446 said:
i think you might of missed a part of my post.. i said i know theres no way of making that out of college, after about 10 or 15 years maybe.. out of college maybe 60-100 is ok. And i also said i would want to do more than four years of college/
Click to expand...

Salaries for jobs, positions always fluctuate from year to year, just because a certain position pays well now does not mean it will pay well in 5-10 years. It always doesn't mean that a positions pay will stay the same and might drop or increase many folds as needed.

It all depends on demand and supply. :)
 
Hoef said:
Seems that $$$ is important for you ... go do economics at respectable college and become an investment banker. 120 Hrs a week but 100k/yr is easy.
Click to expand...

Still not realistic, are we forgetting the educational studies cost and unless this person is obtaining grants and has saved up I see no where that this person will take in even 40K after graduation. :)
 
m a y a said:
The site states:

Median household income
(per year)*
$91,245

So where are you getting 100K. This also does not state if its a dual or single income.
Click to expand...
Yeah - that's lower than where I live, IIRC. And that's median _household_ income. Meaning <$100K average, even for dual-income families.

It's great to strive for success, but, if money's all you care about, life loses most of what makes it actually enjoyable. And it's a horrible basis for comparison with others.

But I don't think it's bad at all to see what relative salaries are like. I just still stick with my original advice that you should pick something you love. And, if you're good at it, you'll make the money.
 
Dayton, OH (my location) ranks 30k. However, this includes lots of low income housing areas. Whereas if you pick a place in the suburbs you will get a lot of multi-earning households with decent paychecks. 80k is normal for a family.

IMO, if you get 40k right out of college you are doing great.

Anyway, if anyone in/around Dayton, OH knows of any finance positions open I would love to talk to whoever you can connect me to. Dayton is not doing good job wise and finance is a sector that is currently dumping employees out of companies and back into the workforce. Help a fellow macrumors guy out.

Also: how is this General Apple and Tech Discussion???
 
jer446 said:
i think you might of missed a part of my post..
Click to expand...

Steps to making 100k+ per year:

1. Learn that even though it sounds like "of", it's actually "have"
2. ???
3. Profit!


:)
 
Why are you all jumping on this kid and telling him he doesn't have a clue?

Seems to me that he has a pretty good clue. In his OP he mentions his interests and dream job, then he asks if he can make enough money to raise a family doing those jobs. He has his priorities in place. He wasn't asking how he could get rich quick. He didn't say he wanted to buy a Benz or something.

And his income numbers are realistic for his area. I live not too far from him and a 1,000 square foot starter home with 3BR and 1 bath costs around $350,000. Taxes on that house will be over $6,000/year.

That being said...you all are right about finding what you love. You need to be happy at work because you will be spending a lot of your time there. Will you be happy if you make $100,000 doing a job that you hate?

$40,000 right out of school is good. If you find something in NYC and you are very, very good you could probably get much more.

If you like coding/development/systems analysis you could look into an MIS degree and then an MBA. This makes you a "techno-MBA", someone who can speak both IT and business-speak. If you like to travel you can take a position with one of the bigger consulting firms. While you are young (without a family) you can travel around the US, make very good money and learn. Then you can find the place you'd like to settle down and look for a more permanent position.

The industrial design that you are interested in is probably a much smaller field but again, if you love it, go for it.

AGAIN, DON'T PICK A FIELD JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN MAKE MONEY IN THAT FIELD. The world changes and that field may no longer be hot. Then you are stuck doing something you don't like.

One last piece of advice for the poster, this is years away for you but once you do land a job make sure that you save at least 10% of your income UP FRONT. Most companies offer a 401k plan which takes money out before taxes. Trust me on this. It is free money. If you start doing this from day one (age 24 or so) you will be able to retire at a decent age and you'll be a millionaire. Save 10% of everything you make. Don't think you can't afford it because you have to pay a bill or something. Do it from day one and you'll never miss the money.

Good luck and have fun.
 
Ok, I'm gonna chime in here....

1) Income is relative to where you live. If you want to 'make 100k' and that raw number is all you care about, you're gonna end up screwing yourself over. As you mentioned, the mean income in your are is 90k give or take. If someone offered you 90k to stay there and work, or offered you 50k to go to Iowa and work, you'd be a moron to turn down the Iowa gig. (If it was money that's important to you).

2) Law is a bad thing to AIM for, unless you really REALLY want to be a lawyer. Most law school grads DON'T end up practicing law. Most law schools recommend that you study (as an undergrad) some sort of NON-prelaw program in a field that interests you, and you want to work in proffesionally.

3) By the time you graduate, tech jobs will NOT be high income. They aren't even now, really. In 10 years you will be working in India, Chine, Tiawan, etc, if you want to do tech work. The only things that will be in the US is project managers (fairly non-technical anyways), and technician jobs (low pay).

4) Study something in Medicine, as suggested above. Pharmacuticals, would be my bet. The number of "old" folks is the fastest growning population segment and is already one of the most populous age groups in the country. They are also living longer every year. They like thier pills, and drug companies like to sell them, and everyone feels bad if they don't have them, so someone will pay for it.

5) Whatever you study, it is vital that you hit the English and Communication classes hard. People with degrees are quickly becoming the norm, not the exception. A well written cover letter and an articulate interview are going to win you a lot more points than "I took all these computer language courses in college!!1!!1". (You can teach someone to code, but you can't teach them not to be a moron - even if they just appear to be, an interviewer will assume the worst).

6) Assuming that we don't have an economic upturn like the mid-90's, always remember for that ANY job, especially ones paying well, you will be going up against hundreds, if not THOUSANDS, of applicants. Don't be to discouraged if you have to try for 100 jobs to get 1. Don't be afraid to apply for ones outside your area of study or that you are underqualified for... you never know...

7) Please excuse any typos, etc. in this message. It's late Saturaday night, and I have been drinking since 5 with my mates! :D

Best Wishes,
Rob
 
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