<p>Also, a large chunk of the CS grad work in the most dysfunctional municipality in America, where state income tax and cost of living are both through the roof due to over-regulation and cradle-to-grave socialist policies.I honestly don’t think pay is that far apart on a cost of living adjusted basis. </p>
<p>Just to use some more concrete numbers, for a company in SF to offer me a job right now, the total comp discussion would start at about 2.5 times what I am making now, or I am just not interested. And it still need to be a pretty damn unique opportunity to lure me. </p>
<p>Like Seattle, which may now be a more popular destination than Silicon Valley, with no state income tax?</p>
<p>Yes, CS jobs tend to be more centered in higher-than-Ann Arbor cost of living areas, but those places often pay even more. All included someone starting at Google is looking at 150K in first year compensation. </p>
<p>I work in a lower cost of living area than Ann Arbor now. The company just recently bumped up starting salaries for new hires to 100K with a bachelors. Base salary. There is an additional starting bonus and another bonus I received. And rent is about 33% cheaper than Ann Arbor, gas about 30-cents a gallon cheaper. Though taxes are slightly higher. </p>
<p>“The average starting base salary isn’t 100K for CS, but all inclusive first year compensation (dividing signing bonus by the number of years you have to work to keep it) is over 100K.”</p>
<p>I agree Vladenschlutte, but that applies to all engineering disciplines. CS majors always earn the most coming out of college. But the difference between AE, Materials, MechE, EE, ChemE and IOE isn’t that pronounced. The kind of job opportunities available to each will be significantly different, but not the pay.</p>
<p>Not as much. In IOE I was hearing mostly 3-5K starting bonus. Some didn’t even get a starting bonus at all. If I recall correctly Amazon’s starting bonus was 40K. </p>
<p>Though it seems we’re agreeing here mostly. I’m not saying IOE is a terrible major or anything like that, I’m only comparing it to CS because those two are what I’m familiar with. </p>
<p>“Like Seattle, which may now be a more popular destination than Silicon Valley, with no state income tax?”</p>
<p>Seattle is one of the most expensive cities in the US after your obvious New York, San Fran and LA. Seattle also has a 9% all in sales tax, which is one of the highest in the nation. Now of course a sales tax is vastly more preferable and fair than an income tax due to the regressive nature and its tendency to make leeches/deadbeats in society pay up.</p>
<p>“Yes, CS jobs tend to be more centered in higher-than-Ann Arbor cost of living areas, but those places often pay even more. All included someone starting at Google is looking at 150K in first year compensation.”</p>
<p>That 150k is worth probably about 60k where I live, after cost of living and sales tax, which is an insulting starting comp. Not to mention, you will probably still need to make quality of life adjustment (smaller house, less driving, dealing with radical liberals/tree huggers who hate you). My 300k 4BR with a backyard house here 10 minutes away from work in one of the fastest growing cities with zero income tax would run quite a bit over the million mark in an equivalent area of SF, probably for something older, smaller square footage wise and a longer commute. Oh and to think about paying 15-20k in income tax to fund that dysfunctional state… <em>cringe</em> </p>
<p>“In IOE I was hearing mostly 3-5K starting bonus. Some didn’t even get a starting bonus at all. If I recall correctly Amazon’s starting bonus was 40K.”</p>
<p>Everyone going into finance and consulting from IOE (which is a sizable chunk of the class) is looking at at least 10k in signing bonus, with a number of people getting significantly more. The Amazon bonus is vested over 3-4 years if I remember right, which is a complete joke. Within my first 3 years out of school, I have already left for greener pasture and my all in comp went up by more than that amount on the switch. Being locked at a place for a paltry 10k a year is foolish at best.</p>
<p>You’re a smart dude bearcats, I’m talking about what’s best for us ordinary people. It’s a pretty small portion of people going into finance from IOE. Pretty much everyone from CS is going into software development, which has high pay. Even consulting, I never heard anything I was remotely impressed by, but I didn’t personally know anyone who went to the Bain/McKinsey/BCG, at least not well enough to ask what they make. </p>
<p>There is however a significant increase in the class size of ChemE in the last couple years. Not sure if money is the primary factor.
Her is the number I got from March: 210 sophomore, 155 junior, 125 senior.</p>
<p>Not everyone is interested in CS. Some engineers choose something they enjoy that also pays a decent salary. Some have an engineering mind but find the thought processes behind CS less to their liking. Some would rather work with tangible things. Some don’t like programming. There are plenty of reasons. </p>
<p>“Keep in mind those salary statistics are all self-reported, so they aren’t the most reliable. Based on people I know and have talked with, Vladenschlutte’s comments are accurate”</p>
<p>How are the SELF REPORTED salary statistics provided by people you have talked to any more reliable than the SELF REPORTED salary statistics provided by the CoE?</p>
<p>"You’re a smart dude bearcats, I’m talking about what’s best for us ordinary people. "</p>
<p>How are we “ordinary?” Who is to say that one of us cannot experience the kind of career success that bearcats has experienced? I’m tired of all of this “average” and “people I know” stuff. It doesn’t matter what the average person makes. What matters is how much you make.</p>
<p>More importantly, there is a lot more to life than just money.</p>
<p>Well, I don’t know you so I can’t say you won’t, but I won’t if I have a correct understanding on bearcats success. If you’re not ordinary then you’re not included in the we I’m talking about. </p>
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<p>Yeah, but money is what we’re talking about. </p>
<p>“How are the SELF REPORTED salary statistics provided by people you have talked to any more reliable than the SELF REPORTED salary statistics provided by the CoE?”</p>
<p>Because I’m more likely to trust figures provided by people I know…</p>
<p>The university’s reported numbers are probably more reliable than what your friends say. The sample sizes aren’t always great, but it is better than nothing. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all a little higher than what they should be. </p>
<p>Some engineering majors probably have more kids in it just for the money (they think) than others. Too bad the data isn’t adjusted for cost of living as well. </p>
<p>Bearcats must have done very well in school and had the perfect arrogant personality his employer was looking for. Vlad got two majors. The average student won’t be in their shoes when finding jobs. Then again, must engineering students don’t come in wanting to do consulting or something like that. Those that do a lot of times end up in IOE. This is one of the reasons it seems like IOE has the biggest disparity top to bottom. </p>
<p>But then again, to each his own. I hear some of the numbers thrown around on here and I think damn, I should have done IOE. I could have had an easier time of it and possibly walked away with a higher paying job. But then again the material just isn’t for me, it doesn’t interest me as much as ME. It isn’t hands on enough and if an employer needs me to learn any of it I don’t think it would be that difficult.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t pick a major with money in mind. Just pick the engineering that you think interests you the most. Far enough down your career it could all start to merge anyway.</p>