Leaving college, stepping into a $90K-a-year job

Some in the Class of 2020 did that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic

In early 2020, college seniors headed for graduation and a robust job market suddenly had to trade their last campus hurrahs for Zoom studies and then “celebrate” receiving their degrees at home in front of a laptop.

Worst of all, with the economy reeling, job prospects for many seemed bleak.

But in the end, how did the pandemic treat a group dubbed the COVID-19 Class?

Surprisingly, not all that bad — at least according to a new survey of starting salaries showing those 2020 graduates actually saw gains on average from the year before. Depending on their major, some managed to pull down starting salaries approaching $90,000.

Starting pay rose by 2.5% for the Class of 2020 over 2019, and by 8.5% over the starting salaries offered and accepted in 2018, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. It averaged $55,260 compared with $53,899 in 2019 and $50,944 in 2018, according to the Bethlehem -based association.

“The figures reported are for base salaries only and do not include bonuses, commissions, fringe benefits, or overtime rates,” states the association’s summer 2021 report.

Throughout the year, NACE gauges hiring and salary prospects for college seniors, as well as what those individuals actually made after graduation.

Make no mistake, those leaving campus in 2020 faced a world of hurt in a job market turned upside down by COVID-19. As people became sick and businesses faced sudden downturns and even closures, job losses reached historic levels.

Even so, certain things held constant about the job market last year, pandemic or not, according to the NACE.

For one, most of the top 10 fields for starting salaries were in technical areas. Chief among them $87,989 for those in petroleum engineering; $86,098 in computer programming; $85,996 in computer engineering; $85,766 in

computer science; and $80,819 in electrical, electronics and communications engineering.

Nursing, an already in-demand field, became more so during the COVID-19 crisis. It may be why those entering the field saw a boost, said Shawn VanDerziel, NACE executive director.

“The increased demand for nurses as front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic may have fueled the 2.1% increase in the average starting salary for registered nursing majors, from $57,416 for these graduates from the Class of 2019 to $58,626 for Class of 2020 registered nursing graduates,” he said.

Graduates in other fields from biology and business administration to social work took home less with a bachelor’s right out of college but received significantly more if they entered the job market with a master’s degree in those areas.

Bachelor’s graduates in biology earned $37,182, but those with a master’s received on average $69,353, a boost of 86.5%; bachelor’s graduates in business administration on average began at $54,392, but with a master’s, made $82,372, a jump of 51.4%

In psychology, bachelor’s recipients that year began at $37,006, but those with a master’s earned $52,786, a 42.6% boost; and in social work, the starting salaries average $35,622 for bachelor’s holders, but $48,711 with a master’s — an increase of 36.7%.

Colleges and universities mobilized campuswide efforts to bolster job prospects for their students, among them the University of Pittsburgh, this region’s largest campus. Even the alumni association got involved in helping soon-to-be graduates make connections.

In an email headlined “The Class of 2020 Needs You,” leaders of Pitt’s alumni association last year pointed to the upheaval that graduates faced and their perseverance during a crisis that took some away of their last weeks on campus and altered commencement plans.

“Many businesses and industries need new talent; other organizations seek short-term assistance or an intern to help with a special project or initiative,” wrote Association President Lisa Golden, MD (A&S ’93) and Nancy Merritt, vice chancellor for alumni relations to 165,000 alumni. “Now more than ever, our soon-to-be graduates need a hand from us — Pitt’s powerful, global network of alumni and friends.”

The NACE report is based on its national Class of 2020 First-Destination Survey data provided by 341 colleges and universities accounting for 757,144 graduates at the associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree levels. most of the information involves data points for 77,180 bachelor’s degree graduates.

Of those institutions, 249 provided salary data by specific program or major; the report contains average salaries for 38 majors at the associate level, 249 majors at the bachelor’s level, 195 majors at the master’s level, and 101 majors at the doctoral level.

In November 2019, a few months before the pandemic hit, a NACE survey projected hiring would be up by 5.8% for the Class of 2020. By February that outlook was even brighter: 6.8%. Then, people started getting sick.

But in the end, the actual salary data offer reas-surance, as might another NACE projection: hiring outlook for the Class of 2021 is expected to improve.

Then again, as COVID-19 illustrated, job market projections can turn on a dime.