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How much do college students overestimate their starting salary?

ngpf.org 5/6/25

Q:

CAREER

QUESTION OF THE DAY

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A:

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Source: CNBC

CAREER

Around $34,000

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

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FOLLOW-UP 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?