To say there's a gap between expectation and reality might be a bit of an understatement.

Answer: Around $34,000

• Salary expectation: $101,500
• Salary reality: $68,400

Questions:

1. Before seeing these numbers, what did you expect the average salary to be for college graduates? How does that expectation compare?=
2. Why do you think college students’ expectations are so far from their actual starting salaries?
3. What are some consequences of having salary expectations that are higher than your real salary?
4. What steps could you take to get a more accurate estimate of your starting salary?

Here are the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (CNBC):

"Rising college graduates have high expectations for their starting salaries, but the reality of the job market may fall short of their hopes, according to a new report from ZipRecruiter.

Members of the class of 2025 say they expect to earn an average $101,500 per year for their first job, according to the survey of over 3,000 recent and rising college grads between Feb. 28 and March 19.

That’s much higher than what the average recent grad actually makes — $68,400 per year — according to survey data."

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For more resources related to career planning, check out NGPF's Career unit.

About the Author

Kathryn Dawson

Kathryn (she/her) is excited to join the NGPF team after 9 years of experience in education as a mentor, tutor, and special education teacher. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in policy analysis and management and has a master's degree in education from Brooklyn College. Kathryn is looking forward to bringing her passion for accessibility and educational justice into curriculum design at NGPF. During her free time, Kathryn loves embarking on cooking projects, walking around her Seattle neighborhood with her dog, or lounging in a hammock with a book.