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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Hottest graduate salaries

Hottest graduate salaries | Business News | News.com.au
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Hottest graduate salaries

By Chelsea Mes

5-8-08
Graduation
Hot jobs ... dentistry is the best paid profession for graduates in their first year of work, paying more than $68,000 / AP

* Medicine, law, engineering highest-paid graduate jobs
* Engineers, nurses and pharmacists most in demand
* Employment: More employment and business news in Business Sense

LOOKING to make the most cash first year out of university? You need to be studying dentistry, engineering or medicine.

But despite being the highest paid sectors for graduates, they're also the most expensive to study. Annual course fees for those sectors average $8500, according to the latest data in the Hobson Good Universities Guide, released yesterday.

Engineering ranks as the sector to post the biggest jump in wages, with graduates expecting to earn $51,887 in their first year of work.

Richard Evered, ratings manager for Hobson, says the resources boom is behind the increase in engineering wages, making it one of the top earners for graduates.

And there's no shortage of jobs -- only 11 per cent of engineering graduates were seeking work, compared to around 30 per cent for communications and creative arts graduates.

"There's plenty of work in the resources area in Queensland and WA, and I would expect for next year that to get even better," Mr Evered said.
Related Coverage

* The best paid job? It's not what you thinkNEWS.com.au, 5 Jun 2008
* Best paid jobs revealed - researchNEWS.com.au, 5 Jun 2008
* University graduates, HobartMercury, 11 Aug 2008
* The best paid job? It's not what you thinkHerald Sun, 5 Jun 2008
* VET sector sets sights on degreesThe Australian, 25 Jun 2008

Your Say

I got a journalism degree and my first job netted my the princely sum of $39,000pa. And I had to relocate interstate just to get that. A journalism degree means you're classified as a 'cadet' and until you work for nothing for a few years you're not really educated or skilled or worth a fraction of the median average wage. All on top of working for zilch throughout my degree for massivle rich media companies. It's 'part of the culture' of keeping the media owners astonishingly rich while the workers get very little. So to the nurses and teachers etcetera bitching about their lot, spare a thought for the poor guy writing your newspapers. Chances are he gets paid a lot less than you - and he - thought and had to do all sorts of hideous things just for that position.

(Read More)
Andy L

Reply or add your comments

Accounting was one area that had surprised Mr Evered as recording a high level of job seekers.

"I would have thought with all the talk about accounting being an area of need in terms of qualified people, that figure would have gone down," he said.

Accounting posted one of the higher levels of graduates seeking work.

Lower pay not-so-attractive

Not surprisingly, the sectors crying out for workers were also the fields that paid the least.

Only 2 per cent of nursing graduates were seeking employment, compared to up to 30 per cent for other fields such as communications, creative arts and sports and leisure.

Nursing, along with tourism, creative arts and pharmacy were the worst paid fields first year out of university. Pharmacy was the worst paid, earning just $35,976.

Mr Evered said education, nursing and social work rates of pay were dictated by state policy, which tended to be lower than other sectors.

"Unless the states turn around and say 'we're going to give all the teachers a pay rise, all the nurses', then they're going to stay down there," he said.

Although some sectors were paid comparatively low in the first few years out of study, they were dependent on industry training on the job.

"Architecture and pharmacy are both low, but that's because you need to go out and do a couple of years in industry before you become fully qualified," Mr Evered said.

"You've got that training period post-graduation and then you'd expect both of those salaries (to) take off," he said.

But before you rush to become an engineer, dentist or doctor - the highest paid sectors also rank amongst the hardest to qualify for.

Dentistry, law, medicine and veterinary sciences are among the hardest degrees to get into; with tourism, business and social work rating as the easiest.

Graduate snapshot

Best-paying jobs for graduates:
Dentistry, engineering, medicine, rehabilitation and surveying

Worst-paying graduate jobs:
Architecture, communications, creative arts, pharmacy, tourism and veterinary sciences

Sectors with best job availability
Architecture, dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, rehabilitation, veterinary sciences

Sectors with worst job availability
Communications, creative arts, languages, sciences, sport and leisure.


Comments on this story
Andy L Posted at 2:55pm August 07, 2008

I got a journalism degree and my first job netted my the princely sum of $39,000pa. And I had to relocate interstate just to get that. A journalism degree means you're classified as a 'cadet' and until you work for nothing for a few years you're not really educated or skilled or worth a fraction of the median average wage. All on top of working for zilch throughout my degree for massivle rich media companies. It's 'part of the culture' of keeping the media owners astonishingly rich while the workers get very little. So to the nurses and teachers etcetera bitching about their lot, spare a thought for the poor guy writing your newspapers. Chances are he gets paid a lot less than you - and he - thought and had to do all sorts of hideous things just for that position.

James Posted at 1:15pm August 07, 2008

Great! Students complaining about their future salaries yet again. Guess what?! Just because you listened to some clown babble shit for a few years doesn¿t mean the workforce or employers owe you anything. Going to university was YOUR CHOICE and the pay for these occupations hasn¿t changed greatly since you filled out your enrolment form. I might add Nurses have my sympathy tho.. but just Nurses. Welcome to the real world.

Kristy Posted at 4:14pm August 05, 2008

Arnold of Melbourne, Remuneration does not work that way. Scientists are expected to solve problems and are required to have at least a bachelors degree + honours. They get paid peanuts for their hard work.

Rod Posted at 3:40pm August 05, 2008

I'm working for a hot shot investment bank next year and plan to rake in the big bucks...money never sleeps baby!

billy boy of Perth Posted at 3:37pm August 05, 2008

To all these people reading this column and complaining about how much they SHOULD be getting paid, i would suggest going out there and actually looking for work that will lead you to a path of higher salary. There is no point staying in a dead end job where there is no career path, or incentive to progress. These Grads are getting this money becuase the qualifications they receive and the skills they obtain from uni are in demand. The responsibilities, risks and complexity of work they will engage in their future careers should be reflected in their salary. Remember a degree is not a life sentence and I know countless number of people that got their degree's and work in feilds that have nothing to do with their studies, utilising the skills, not the content that they learned from uni. Also remember qualifications are not everything, and although you might be a great engineer or whatever, at the end of the day if your soft skills are lacking, then you will get nowhere and stay there. Have some killer instict people! Go out there and get what your worth!

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