Harvard grads earn $81,500 at age 34 – WTF?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is a medical school resident making $65,000 per year. He could be dragging down the average.

Classic humble brag. Is he 34 old resident??

Oops, sorry, I didn’t see the age. BTW, my DS is 30 and ends his residency in one month.

And by 34 he will likely make over $200k and up

Depends on the program. For surgery, you start making $$$ much later in life, 34 is nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suspect there may be a chunk in grad school or SAH with kids, with zero income, pulling down the average.

Public service is popular. Obama was probably earning in that range at 34. Those jobs don't necessarily pay well.

Yes. I'm looking at my Brown class and so many went into public service or top law schools reaching for judgeship. As a foreigner, it's amazing to me. The very wealthy families can afford to send their offspring to work in power positions that shape the future of this country. It's a self-serving mechanism that keeps the poor and unconnected from gaining decision-making power. Do you think all these people working on the Hill and buying the million $ housing are doing it from a staffer salary? Meanwhile, the poor are busy working their butts off to get a well paid job and accumulate some wealth while the elite is deciding almost everything.

[Anonymous]

My husband and I are Ivy grads and work for the Fed govt so no, this does not surprise me.

In fact, what surprises me is you think the only reason to get an Ivy degree is to go into finance and make oodles of money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suspect there may be a chunk in grad school or SAH with kids, with zero income, pulling down the average.

Public service is popular. Obama was probably earning in that range at 34. Those jobs don't necessarily pay well.

Yes. I'm looking at my Brown class and so many went into public service or top law schools reaching for judgeship. As a foreigner, it's amazing to me. The very wealthy families can afford to send their offspring to work in power positions that shape the future of this country. It's a self-serving mechanism that keeps the poor and unconnected from gaining decision-making power. Do you think all these people working on the Hill and buying the million $ housing are doing it from a staffer salary? Meanwhile, the poor are busy working their butts off to get a well paid job and accumulate some wealth while the elite is deciding almost everything.

I'm shocked this is "amazing" to you. Where are you from where this isn't the case?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is it that low? Here’s a link to the study:

https://www.topuniversities.com/where-to-study/north-america/united-states/penn-graduates-are-highest-earners-ivy-league

Some other takeaways:

1. UPenn graduates earn the most ($91,800/year at age 34), while Brown graduates earn the least ($66,900 at the same age).

2. The gender gap still exists, with males earning $110,200 and females $76,400 (I believe this is for UPenn, but the article is not very clear on this).

3. The article was from 2017 but says it was last updated in March 2021. So it’s possible those were the salaries in 2017, but even then, I would’ve thought they would be higher.

What do you think? Maybe we in the DC area have an unrealistic idea of salaries nationwide, but I was still surprised to read that graduates of the most prestigious university in the country can only muster a salary of $81,500 more than a decade after graduation.

At the ivys -- the doctors are not even out of fellowships yet. They are making crap. Also lots and lots of non-profits, government, and politics. Add in living in fly over which is where a lot come from. Then add in women (and men) working part time due to babies and kids. Not so tough to figure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is a medical school resident making $65,000 per year. He could be dragging down the average.

Classic humble brag. Is he 34 old resident??

Oops, sorry, I didn’t see the age. BTW, my DS is 30 and ends his residency in one month.

And by 34 he will likely make over $200k and up

Depends on the program. For surgery, you start making $$$ much later in life, 34 is nothing.

Yes surgeons or really any top specialist are still in residency or have multiple fellowships. Could be much later before they are making bank.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s hardly shocking that an Ivy League degree doesn’t mean what it did at some point. In my 20+ year career, it’s not meant much more than a degree from anywhere else for most fields of study.

This is the least relevant post on this thread. Harvard still is Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suspect there may be a chunk in grad school or SAH with kids, with zero income, pulling down the average.

Public service is popular. Obama was probably earning in that range at 34. Those jobs don't necessarily pay well.

Yes. I'm looking at my Brown class and so many went into public service or top law schools reaching for judgeship. As a foreigner, it's amazing to me. The very wealthy families can afford to send their offspring to work in power positions that shape the future of this country. It's a self-serving mechanism that keeps the poor and unconnected from gaining decision-making power. Do you think all these people working on the Hill and buying the million $ housing are doing it from a staffer salary? Meanwhile, the poor are busy working their butts off to get a well paid job and accumulate some wealth while the elite is deciding almost everything.

I'm shocked this is "amazing" to you. Where are you from where this isn't the case?

Europe. Of course it's amazing to me, don't you advertise yourself as the land of opportunity, equality, pull oneself up by one's bootstraps and various other c*ap? At least we're honest about the privilege.

[Anonymous]

My spouse has an MD and a PhD and earns less, OP.

It depends on your profession. Generally the service-oriented professions, public research-type jobs don't pay much, even though you might be finding a cure for cancer (in my husband's case, literally).

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t want to make an annual salary that was less than or equal to a year of college tuition (and I went to Harvard for grad school).

[Anonymous]

Salary is a very specific kind of earned money and kind of a middle class one. It doesn’t include anyone who owns a business, is a partner at a business or firm, makes money in real estate, rental income, or property management, who manages money from inherited wealth, who is paid in stock options, and a whole bunch of other pay structures employed by the wealthy. Even many doctors eventually become owners in private practice and stop making a salary. If you take all those people out of the pool from which you are deriving your average, it will almost certainly be low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of Ivy League students come from relatively wealthy families, which means they’re able to take on meaningful work with lower salaries. Or they’ve learned that money isn’t the only measure of success!

+1

They work at NPR and will inherit millions.

Sincerely,
Their state school coworker

[Anonymous]

most grads do not get law med or business grad degrees and for those that do with the exception of medicine top tier consutling, finance, and law are all up or out.

Without that's it's very common to be making under six figures

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suspect there may be a chunk in grad school or SAH with kids, with zero income, pulling down the average.

Public service is popular. Obama was probably earning in that range at 34. Those jobs don't necessarily pay well.

Yes. I'm looking at my Brown class and so many went into public service or top law schools reaching for judgeship. As a foreigner, it's amazing to me. The very wealthy families can afford to send their offspring to work in power positions that shape the future of this country. It's a self-serving mechanism that keeps the poor and unconnected from gaining decision-making power. Do you think all these people working on the Hill and buying the million $ housing are doing it from a staffer salary? Meanwhile, the poor are busy working their butts off to get a well paid job and accumulate some wealth while the elite is deciding almost everything.

I'm shocked this is "amazing" to you. Where are you from where this isn't the case?

Europe. Of course it's amazing to me, don't you advertise yourself as the land of opportunity, equality, pull oneself up by one's bootstraps and various other c*ap? At least we're honest about the privilege.

People do have the opportunity to make a lot of money if they graduate from an Ivy and go into finance. But usually people that start out poor and become rich will value that, and they will also tell their kids to go into high-earning professions. They don't care about public policy as long as they're making money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suspect there may be a chunk in grad school or SAH with kids, with zero income, pulling down the average.

Public service is popular. Obama was probably earning in that range at 34. Those jobs don't necessarily pay well.

Yes. I'm looking at my Brown class and so many went into public service or top law schools reaching for judgeship. As a foreigner, it's amazing to me. The very wealthy families can afford to send their offspring to work in power positions that shape the future of this country. It's a self-serving mechanism that keeps the poor and unconnected from gaining decision-making power. Do you think all these people working on the Hill and buying the million $ housing are doing it from a staffer salary? Meanwhile, the poor are busy working their butts off to get a well paid job and accumulate some wealth while the elite is deciding almost everything.

I'm shocked this is "amazing" to you. Where are you from where this isn't the case?

Europe. Of course it's amazing to me, don't you advertise yourself as the land of opportunity, equality, pull oneself up by one's bootstraps and various other c*ap? At least we're honest about the privilege.

People do have the opportunity to make a lot of money if they graduate from an Ivy and go into finance. But usually people that start out poor and become rich will value that, and they will also tell their kids to go into high-earning professions. They don't care about public policy as long as they're making money.

Maybe but a as poor student at a finance feeder Ivy, I definitely was not the type of candidate that was tapped for finance. There is a certain pedigree that is expected for going into pitch meetings and all. And to be honest I had no idea what IB was; a banker to me were the guys in cubicles at the local SunTrust who helped me setup my savings account.