Entry-Level Jobs with Good Pay

By Michelle Goodman

Competition for entry-level work is starched-shirt stiff right now. Finding a high salary entry level job is harder than at any time in the last 70 years. But grabbing the first minimum-wage, dead-end gig that comes along won’t serve you well in the long run. After all, you don’t want to live in Mom and Dad’s basement forever. A better strategy is to pursue a career that allows your responsibilities -- and your income -- to grow year after year. Here are eight of our top picks for those who are just starting out, and their median annual salaries according to online salary database PayScale.com.

Environmental Engineer. Have a bachelor’s degree in engineering? You’re in luck! According to the U.S. Department of Labor, environmental engineers make among the highest starting salaries of all college graduates. Entry-level positions in the field are similar to “an apprentice situation,” says workplace expert Alexandra Levit, whose latest book is “New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career.” “As you get more senior, you receive more independence to work on your own, eventually supervising your own staff.” Median annual salary: $68,628.

Network systems / data communications analyst. Not a computer science major? Not to worry. In information technology, getting field certification is often more valuable than a formal education, Levit says. Once you cultivate an area of expertise, such as network security or enterprise software, “You can very quickly become the go-to person in the organization and eventually the head of IT,” she says. “And you can make a very, very good living.” Median annual salary: $61,949.

Marketing research analyst. From high-tech and biotech to retail and hospitality, consumer-driven industries rely on market data to make smart business decisions. If you have a business marketing or statistical background, you may be able to analyze data from the get-go in this field rather than starting as “a [low-paid] telemarketer,” says Dr. Laurence Shatkin, author of more than 20 books for job hunters, including “200 Best Jobs for College Graduates,” which he co-wrote with Michael Farr. “Then you work your way to the point where you’re managing how the data is gathered and what questions the market researchers ask,” he says. Median annual salary: $58,423.

Copywriter. Fancy yourself the next Don Draper or Peggy Olson from “Mad Men”? Why not try your hand at writing ad copy? “Here’s something for the English major to be doing now that journalism doesn’t seem to be such a prospect,” Shatkin says. Although you might start by contributing text to lower-profile agency projects, in time “you can be involved to the point where you’re developing entire ad campaigns,” Shatkin says. Median annual salary: $53,288.

Sales associate. The beauty of sales is that you can enter the field even if you majored in art history, Shatkin says. “With a lot of products, you can learn what you need to know from a short training program,” he explains. “And sometimes you’ll work with a more experienced salesperson your first few days out.” To boost your income, he says, you can transition into selling bigger ticket items or you can move into management. Median annual salary: $45,656.

Lobbyist. “There are all sorts of places where lobbyists exist: lobbying firms, public interest groups, trade organizations,” Levit says. “You can start with an unpaid internship and move within a couple years to making six figures.” To get your feet wet, Levit suggests volunteering for a political campaign or interning on Capitol Hill for a few months to see what causes interest you. Median annual salary: $66,929.

Public relations assistant. “PR and digital marketing are hot hot hot,” Levit says. “Everyone is switching their traditional marketing to online and they can’t fill positions fast enough.” Expect to work your hide off at a PR agency, a field with a high burnout rate, Levit warns. On the plus side, she says, annual promotions are the norm, with the path from peon to supervisor fairly short. Median annual salary: $42,810.

Financial analyst. Yes, the financial sector took a beating during the past year, but finance jobs are starting to bounce back, Shatkin says. So if you’re looking to put that business, finance, or statistics education to use, consider analyzing financial data for a living. “Analysts contribute to the decisions that financial managers make,” Shatkin explains. Specifically, financial analysts make investment recommendations to the banks, insurance companies, securities firms, and other businesses employing them. From this starting point, Shatkin says, the sky’s the limit -- all the way up to company controller, CFO, or CEO. Median annual salary: $60,952.


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How to Acquire Some Experience Before Your First Pay Job

By Funom Makama

After graduating from the University, you begin searching for Jobs and all you see in adverts is specificity in demand for applicants with experience and not just that, but years of it. Does that mean companies are no more interested in fresh graduates? Even the experienced ones started from somewhere and if they discourage 'fresh brains' how would they acquire the experience then?

First, you have to know that it is very possible to gain some experience while studying. This is not necessarily achieved by doing some part-time Jobs. After all, most professional Jobs may not accept part time Jobs. But if you manage to get one, then kudos to you! But if the possibility is slim, how can you acquire this experience almost every firm needs? Before we proceed, let's pause to review the academic calendar. A normal academic calendar is 8-9 months for a year. So, if peradventure your academic session is 8 months, you are assumed to cover one year after the completion of this period.

Now what? Apply for Holiday internships. Look for jobs closely related to your field of study. When your friends are thinking of enjoying the summer holidays with family friends, or touring around Europe in 2 months or spending time in the beach, or even watching the summer world cup competition, you can be working. DO not bother whether you'll be paid or not, your sole aim is to get the experience and ensure that after your internship, you get an attractive certificate. You can also apply for volunteer Jobs. Even though most of the volunteer jobs readily available focused on Children and camping, you may be fortunate to find 'semi-professional' ones related to your field. You can do this twice a year during the summer and as well during the winter.

Okay! Let's say you worked for approximately 3 months in the summer and maybe 3 weeks (which is approximately a month) during the winter. You've worked for approximately 4 months that year, which is already half an academic year and for you, it would be counted as half a year. If you do this for 2 years, you now have one year experience. If for 4 years, then you have 2 years experience. Another advantage of this is that even after graduation; you can easily get a Job with the organization, or go back to them for an added one full year experience before you begin your search for a better Job. Another plus is that, if you are very good, they can persuade you to stay by upgrading your pay check. But most importantly, you have acquired the experience you need.

Note that some professions are very difficult to get jobs under the holiday internship programs, especially when your year of study is concerned. For most European Medical Universities running the 6 year-medical undergraduate study program; a first year and second year medical student, and sometimes even a third year student may hardly get a holiday internship program, because these are pre-clinical periods of the student's medical program. Well, just apply for another internship program, and if lucky something close to the medical field. But here is another alternative. Apply for an 'unprofessional self-training program' personally to any public hospital. This will enable you work like an apprentice under any medical professional you will work with. Look for teaching or specialist Hospitals owned by medical schools or government bodies. You may not necessarily work, but you would be allowed to see technical procedures, surgical operations and other medical procedures. You may be lucky to be attached to a professor or specialist who can give you some basic coaching, comprehensible at your level. This is a lot easier to achieve if you go for Hospitals in another country or even another continent (if you can afford it).

It is very good to relax, have lots of fun and even be adventurous during your long holidays, but it is better and even more productive to use them to acquire some experience, as you still will have much more opportunities later in Life to relax and have fun. Acquire some experience as you study now and find it a lot easier to fit into the Labor Market later.

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