What's the scoop on 20-somethings who seem to have $$$ (Pittsburgh: rent, mortgage)

[hinsey86]

Starting engineers at Westinghouse do indeed average about 65,000. Every time I am reminded of that (hubby is a manager there) I ache a little over my career choice.

[jimmyev]

Originally Posted by Katiana

$70K for a 24 yr old engineer seems high, too, especially for "just" a BS. I know several 20something engineers who do not make near that much with MS degrees. $65K for the person with an engineering job and an MBA may be accurate.

$70K is about right in Pittsburgh or Texas. My guys make that in their mid-20s. Maybe Denver is different? And for some strange reason they all like to hang somewhere on the South Side with $5 appetizers during happy hour...

[SorryIMovedBack]

Originally Posted by ForYourLungsOnly

the problem with this is that the average hospital is beginning to REQUIRE a BSN rather than an associate's (this is a good idea as the evidence shows, I think ALL nurses should be required to get a Bachelor's degree)

True, in many cities, especially like Pittsburgh with its glut of colleges cranking out new BSRNs, the hospitals hire only BSRN fresh-outs. But the OP asked about 20-somethings, and many of them may have started with an associate degree or diploma RN. BSRN, Associate degree RN, and diploma RN all have a considerable amount of college course work required, and all of those sit for the exact NCLEX-RN. I really don't think the BS completer adds much valuable content, unless it's community health. The hard work is all in the three years that it takes most people to get RN, and the BS completer can be done totally online in about 1 year.

In the more rural areas and smaller hospitals, they still hire associate degree and diploma RN freshouts. Some of those programs (espicially diploma RN) actually offer more floor nurse training than a BSRN gets, and that is less OTJ training that the hospital has to do with that new hire.

[SorryIMovedBack]

re. engineers: What is an Engineering Degree Worth

2011:

What is engineering degree worth? Engineers get top pay!

The engineering disciplines as a group earned a 2.5 percent increase to their overall average salary offer, which now stands at $60,465—the best increase this group has seen since Fall 2009, when the overall average gained 4.2 percent over Fall 2008. In addition, nearly all of the reported engineering disciplines posted increases, with petroleum engineering and computer engineering grads seeing the highest bumps.
The average offer to those earning degrees in petroleum engineering rose 8.1 percent to $80,849—driven by interest from petroleum and coal products manufacturers, which made nearly 90 percent of the offers to these graduates. The average offer to computer engineering graduates rose 7.6 percent to $64,499.
At the other end of the scale, civil engineering graduates posted a tiny increase—less than 1 percent—bringing their average offer to $52,069. Electrical engineering graduates and mechanical engineering graduates fared better, posting increases of 2.8 ($61,021) and 3.2 percent ($60,345), respectively. Chemical engineering grads saw no movement: Their average offer remains at $65,617.

Historically, EE and ChE were always at the top, and cival at the bottom, of starting salaries. Petroleum was always boom/bust, as was ChE. In either of those, if you graduated at the right time, the world was your oyster, and if you hit it wrong, it was either work at McDonald's or go back to grad school, haha.

[ForYourLungsOnly]

Originally Posted by SorryIMovedBack

True, in many cities, especially like Pittsburgh with its glut of colleges cranking out new BSRNs, the hospitals hire only BSRN fresh-outs. But the OP asked about 20-somethings, and many of them may have started with an associate degree or diploma RN. BSRN, Associate degree RN, and diploma RN all have a considerable amount of college course work required, and all of those sit for the exact NCLEX-RN. I really don't think the BS completer adds much valuable content, unless it's community health. The hard work is all in the three years that it takes most people to get RN, and the BS completer can be done totally online in about 1 year.

In the more rural areas and smaller hospitals, they still hire associate degree and diploma RN freshouts. Some of those programs (espicially diploma RN) actually offer more floor nurse training than a BSRN gets, and that is less OTJ training that the hospital has to do with that new hire.

we may agree to disagree about the BSN vs. RN thing, as I think but yes it's true that rural hospitals will still hire diploma nurses. When it comes down to it unfortunately, its hard for ANY new grad with no experience to land a nursing job nowadays.

One of many studies concerning the BSN/RN issue
Educational Levels of Hospital Nurses and Surgical Patient Mortality, September 24, 2003, Aiken et al. 290 (12): 1617

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by SorryIMovedBack

Some of those programs (espicially diploma RN) actually offer more floor nurse training than a BSRN gets, and that is less OTJ training that the hospital has to do with that new hire.

The ADN programs certainly do not offer more floor nurse experience (I hesitate to equate nurses with trained anything) and the diploma programs have cut way back in the last few decades.

[madg0at]

Originally Posted by SorryIMovedBack

In either of those, if you graduated at the right time, the world was your oyster, and if you hit it wrong, it was either work at McDonald's or go back to grad school, haha.

I graduated in late 2003 with my CS and Poli. Sci. degrees and caught the post-dot com meltdown upswing at the right time. If the economy was worse I'd have stuck around for an MS. I still have a number of friends in graduate school waiting out this economic mess. They don't expect their extra education to net them more when they graduate, just that its paying the bills right now.

[PeeAye Native]

Back when I was in college, the name used for that stereotype was "trustafarian".

[SteelCityRising]

Well, if nothing else the fact that there are numerous 25-30-year-olds in Greater Pittsburgh who are living quite comfortably can provide hope to those of us who are struggling that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel someday. After my bi-weekly day off from both of my jobs tomorrow I forge into four straight days of working at least 13 hours per day. I'm working as dilligently as I can to repair my credit score, pay down long-term debt, and to save money towards a down payment on a home for my partner and I. Do I want to work two dead-end jobs in perpetuity? No. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that an opportunity in my field will present itself, and I'll look back upon these 75-hour work-weeks and laugh.

My main inquiry, though, wasn't one of "how can two 27-year-old DINKs afford BMWs?" It was, more or less, "Why are there so many 20-year-old Pitt/CMU college students here who have luxury vehicles, gadgets, designer clothing, an insatiable addiction to dine out, etc., and HOW do they PAY for it all?" I got the answer already---they're all sponging off their parents.

[Benzman66]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I got the answer already---they're all sponging off their parents.

That and their credit cards.

Originally Posted by Hopes

they don't have children!

That sums it up pretty much!