College Students’ Expectations VS Reality

A new report conducted by online polling software Pollfish has revealed that college students are vastly overestimating their future income.

While business majors were revealed to be the most overly-enthusiastic, students across many majors don’t have a realistic idea of what their financial future will look like. The report polled 1,000 undergrads on their salary expectations, and ultimately found that the undergrads of today will soon be in for a rude awakening.

When it comes to the largest stretches, business majors are the most enthusiastic. Business majors overestimate how much money they’ll be making out of college by $14,585, and they overestimate how much money they’ll be making ten years into their career by $47,070. The average Gen Z college student that is pursuing a bachelor’s degree expects to make $57,964 in just one year after completing college. When all of the majors are analyzed, it is only computer science majors who actually underestimate their future income. The average computer science major believes they will make $59,303 straight out of college, while in reality they will be making $68,800. Engineering majors overestimated their salary just like students in every other major except computer science, but only by $415.

When it comes to the most unrealistic majors, business, political science/economics, physical and life sciences, and communications/journalism majors overestimated their future income by the largest margins. When it comes to which of the majors produces the highest-earners in general, computer science takes the 1st place prize at $68,800, with nursing coming second at $66,600.

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5 years ago
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