Top jobs for college and high school grads

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before getting into high-paying jobs for high school grads, let’s look at college communication major.

The 7 Top-Paying Jobs for College Graduates in 2014 and Beyond

These degrees help students get the biggest financial bang for their education buck

By Mary Patrick (U.S. News and World Report)
Posted 2014

The 7 Top-Paying Jobs for College Graduates

Going to college and obtaining the knowledge to become an expert in a specific field is a worthwhile goal in its own right.

But let’s face it: everyone also knows that earning a degree typically leads to more money.

A report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows clearly how much a college education can be worth. According to the study, a person with a bachelor’s degree makes $1,066 a week, far more than the $652 a week made by those with just a high school diploma.

Those with a master’s degree make $1,300 weekly, while doctoral degree holders make $1,624, according to the BLS.

But which occupations can maximize the earning potential of a college degree?

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) recently released its annual salary survey, which includes salary figures for the disciplines that offer the best starting salaries.

It’s worthwhile to note that across all disciplines, the average starting salary for college graduates in 2013 was $45,327, a 2.4% increase over 2012, according to the NACE report.

Engineering Degrees

The salaries for engineers continued to be the best among all disciplines for college graduates, with an average starting salary of $62,062. In specific fields, two stood out in the report. The starting salary for bioengineering majors jumped 10.1%. Also, the highest starting salary of any major studied in the report was petroleum engineers, who start at $96,200.

Computer Science Degrees

As a whole, computer science degree earners saw their starting salaries dip by 2.5% in 2013. Still, the resulting average starting salary – $58,547 – was enough to make those with computer science degrees the earners of the second-highest starting salary. The dip came primarily in information sciences, where the average starting salary fell about half a percent.

Business Degrees

The chief business of the American people is business, according to former President Calvin Collidge, and the starting salaries show that. In 2013, the average starting salary for business degree holders increased 7.9%, the largest increase of any discipline. Business degree holders made an average starting salary of $55,635 in their first year on the job. Within the business category, finance majors (at 10%) and business administration majors (at 6.7%) saw the largest increases.

Communications Degrees

Communications majors actually saw their salaries increase in 2013 by 3.7%, making the average starting salary $43,835. On the downside, advertising majors saw their salaries fall a little less than 1% to $47,300, according to the NACE.

Math & Sciences Degrees

Overall, the starting salaries for those with degrees in mathematics and science increased by less than 1% in 2013. However, within this category there were some areas that saw bigger increases, including architecture majors (2.7%) and biological science majors (2.2%).

Education Degrees

Those who earned a degree in education saw an overall increase in their starting salaries, going up 3.2% to $40,337. Also, according to the NACE report, the overall starting salary for all the individual education fields also increased. Those increases ranged from 7% for pre-elementary education graduates to 1.7% for physical education majors.

Humanities and Social Science Degrees

Many of those with degrees in the humanities and social sciences saw increases in their starting salaries, according to the NACE. Those ranged from a 10.8% increase for sociology majors (to $37,000) and a 8.1% increase for criminal justice majors (to $34,800). The lowest increase was for social workers, who went up 2.3% to $36,000. Those with visual and performing arts degrees actually saw their starting salaries drop to $35,600. Overall, those with degrees in humanities and social sciences saw a 2.6% increase in their salaries, to $37,791.

Susan Ricklerof CareerBuilder wrote a column on “High-Paying jobs for high school grads:

Here is a summary:

1. Commercial pilot = $98,410

2. Claims adjuster, appraiser, examiner and investigator = $59,850

3. Construction and building inspector = $53,450

4. Elevator installer and repairer = $76,850

5. Fire inspector and investigator = $53,990

6. Farmer, rancher and agricultural manager = $69,300

7. Line installer and repairer = $58,210

8. Postal service and worker = $53,100

9. Power plant operator, distributor and dispatcher = $68,230

10. Railroad worker = $52,400

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October 27, 2013October 28, 2013

From the PR News Blog — 9 Tips for Public Speakers Who Hate Public Speaking

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The following was carried “The PR News — the Skinny on PR:

Butterflies in your stomach. Dry mouth. Fantasy of escaping through the back door. It’s inevitable: at some point in your career, you’ll need to speak in front of an audience. Whether at a small meeting, a conference, a general session, on a panel, or on your own. For most of us, it’s about getting out of our comfort zone. If it’s any consolation, the number-one fear of Americans is Public Speaking. Death is the number-2 fear. So you are not alone (until you die). Based on my own experiences and interviews with countless public speakers over the past year, I offer these nines tips to help you get through your next speaking gig with flying colors:

1. Research your audience: why are they there, what are their job responsibilities, how knowledgeable are they of the topic you’ll be speaking about? If possible, ask the event producer to survey the audience in advance w/a few questions that will help you tailor your presentation.

2. Avoid death by PowerPoint. Put another way, don’t talk them to sleep. Slides are important but they should be springboards to your speech and not littered with words and cheesy clip art. Large point size, consistent style and about half the slide blank are the rules. Show some video if you can – but not of cute puppies or kittens, unless you’re speaking to an animal rights group.

3. Master your content:. a corollary to tip #1, speak of what you know. You’ll be more relaxed and confident if you know your material. If you’re asked to speak about a topic that is complicated and not in your wheelhouse, decline the invite.

4. Interact with your audience. Build a quick community with the attendees and encourage questions.

5. Limit talking about yourself. You know the speaker bio provided to the audience in advance? They already know who you are. Make it about them.

6. Wear your storytelling hat. There’s nothing better than a story to illustrate your point. That is what the audience will remember. Bring one great story to your speech – not 3 mediocre ones – and you will connect with your audience.

7. Own your content. I was listening to a speaker recently whose entire presentation was about quoting other authors and experts and not sharing an original thought. Find something unique and original to say to your audience. There’s a reason you were asked to take the stage.

8. Remember social media. Be careful what you say and how you say it. One off-color quote can go viral on social media and affect your reputation and your organization’s.

9. Don’t picture your audience naked. This is an old bit of advice predicated on the notion that the naked attendee is more vulnerable than you and so you have the upper hand. This advice doesn’t hold true — better to picture your audience thinking positive thoughts about you, and cheering you on. The crowd wants you to succeed, they are rooting for you. That‘s the naked truth.

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September 8, 2013October 11, 2013

Major that Pay You Back

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RANK	SCHOOL NAME	REGION	SCHOOL TYPE	STARTING SALARY	MID-CAREER SALARY	% WITH HIGH JOB MEANING
464 – tie	Rowan University	Northeast	State Schools	$42,100	$73,200	45%

* Data represents those in the civilian labor force, not active service members.
** Results based on 2012 data due to insufficient data in 2013.

Check out this link: http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2014/majors-that-pay-you-back

Majors by Salary Potential – Full List

RANK	MAJOR	STARTING SALARY	MID-CAREER SALARY
1	Petroleum Engineering	$103,000	$160,000
2	Actuarial Mathematics	$58,700	$120,000
3	Nuclear Engineering	$67,600	$117,000
4	Chemical Engineering	$68,200	$115,000
5	Aerospace Engineering	$62,800	$109,000
6 – tie	Electrical Engineering (EE)	$64,300	$106,000
6 – tie	Computer Engineering (CE)	$65,300	$106,000
8	Computer Science (CS)	$59,800	$102,000
9	Physics	$53,100	$101,000
10	Mechanical Engineering (ME)	$60,900	$99,700
11	Materials Science & Engineering	$62,700	$99,500
12	Software Engineering	$60,500	$99,300
13	Statistics	$52,500	$98,900
14	Government	$43,200	$97,100
15	Economics	$50,100	$96,700
16	Applied Mathematics	$52,800	$96,200
17	Industrial Engineering (IE)	$61,100	$94,400
18	Management Information Systems (MIS)	$53,800	$92,200
19	Biomedical Engineering (BME)	$59,000	$91,700
20	Civil Engineering (CE)	$54,300	$91,100
21	Environmental Engineering	$49,400	$89,800
22 – tie	Construction Management	$51,500	$88,800
22 – tie	Mathematics	$49,400	$88,800
24	Electrical Engineering Technology (EET)	$57,900	$87,600
25	Computer Information Systems (CIS)	$50,800	$87,400
26	Information Systems (IS)	$51,900	$87,200
27	Finance	$49,200	$87,100
28	International Relations	$41,700	$85,700
29	Geology	$46,100	$85,300
30 – tie	Chemistry	$44,100	$84,100
30 – tie	Information Technology (IT)	$49,900	$84,100
32 – tie	Biotechnology	$48,700	$84,000
32 – tie	Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET)	$54,100	$84,000
34 – tie	Supply Chain Management	$52,800	$83,700
34 – tie	International Business	$43,800	$83,700
36	Industrial Design (ID)	$44,800	$82,200
37	Industrial Technology (IT)	$50,800	$81,500
38	Telecommunications	$43,100	$81,200
39	Food Science	$45,200	$80,500
40	Occupational Health and Safety	$50,500	$80,300
41 – tie	Biochemistry (BCH)	$42,900	$80,200
41 – tie	Marketing Management	$42,100	$80,200
43	Civil Engineering Technology (CET)	$49,200	$79,700
44	Advertising	$40,000	$79,400
45	Philosophy	$39,700	$78,300
46	Marketing & Communications	$40,200	$77,600
47	Fashion Design	$39,400	$77,100
48	Political Science (PolySci)	$41,700	$77,000
49	Linguistics	$39,700	$76,800
50	Molecular Biology	$40,400	$76,400
51	Architecture	$41,900	$75,800
52	Accounting	$45,300	$74,900
53	Agriculture	$38,500	$73,600
54	Microbiology	$40,800	$73,400
55	Global & International Studies	$39,600	$73,200
56	Urban Planning	$41,100	$72,200
57	Nursing	$55,400	$71,700
58	Environmental Science	$41,300	$71,500
59	English Literature	$40,800	$71,400
60 – tie	Business Administration	$43,500	$71,000
60 – tie	History	$39,700	$71,000
62	Film Production	$38,200	$70,900
63	Biology	$40,200	$70,800
64	Health Sciences	$38,400	$70,500
65	Hotel Management	$40,600	$69,800
66	Communication	$40,000	$69,600
67	Forestry	$40,000	$69,400
68	American Studies	$41,400	$69,000
69	Broadcast Journalism	$32,700	$68,800
70	Landscape Architecture	$41,200	$68,700
71	Speech Communication	$39,400	$68,100
72	Journalism	$38,100	$67,700
73	Zoology	$37,400	$67,600
74	Geography	$40,800	$67,200
75	Public Administration	$40,600	$66,900
76	French Language	$40,900	$66,700
77	English Language	$38,700	$65,200
78	German Language	$41,400	$65,000
79	Human Resources (HR)	$38,800	$63,900
80	Public Relations (PR)	$37,400	$63,300
81	Hospitality & Tourism	$35,700	$62,600
82	Humanities	$37,900	$61,800
83	Anthropology	$36,200	$61,400
84	Multimedia & Web Design	$41,600	$61,300
85	Psychology	$36,300	$60,700
86 – tie	Medical Technology	$48,900	$60,500
86 – tie	Liberal Arts	$36,600	$60,500
88 – tie	Kinesiology	$35,600	$60,400
88 – tie	Visual Communications	$37,300	$60,400
90	Organizational Management	$41,900	$60,300
91	Interior Design	$36,000	$59,300
92 – tie	Nutrition	$41,300	$59,100
92 – tie	Fashion Merchandising	$39,100	$59,100
94	Art History	$36,900	$59,000
95	Sociology	$37,400	$58,800
96 – tie	Health Care Administration	$39,300	$58,600
96 – tie	Theater	$36,200	$58,600
98	Criminal Justice	$35,300	$58,400
99	Radio & Television	$37,900	$58,300
100	Fine Arts	$37,400	$58,200
101	Religious Studies	$34,900	$57,900
102	Sports Medicine	$39,300	$57,400
103	Art	$36,100	$57,100
104	Classics	$38,700	$57,000
105	Dietetics	$44,200	$56,600
106	Public Health (PH)	$35,900	$56,500
107 – tie	Physical Education Teaching	$34,900	$56,300
107 – tie	Drama	$35,600	$56,300
109	Graphic Design	$37,000	$56,000
110	Photography	$36,200	$55,500
111	Sports Management	$37,000	$55,400
112 – tie	Education	$37,400	$55,200
112 – tie	Animal Science	$33,600	$55,200
114	Social Science	$37,300	$54,800
115	Interdisciplinary Studies (IS)	$37,600	$53,400
116	Paralegal Studies	$35,000	$53,000
117	Theology	$34,000	$52,200
118	Recreation & Leisure Studies	$35,000	$51,900
119	Music	$35,700	$51,400
120	Culinary Arts	$34,800	$51,100
121	Exercise Science	$32,600	$51,000
122	Horticulture	$35,200	$50,900
123	Biblical Studies	$35,400	$50,800
124	Special Education	$33,800	$49,600
125	Human Development	$35,900	$48,000
126	Athletic Training	$34,800	$46,900
127	Social Work (SW)	$33,000	$46,600
128	Elementary Education	$32,200	$45,300
129	Child & Family Studies	$30,300	$37,200

Methodology

This chart is based upon PayScale Salary Survey data for full-time employees in the United States who possess a bachelor’s degree and no higher degrees and have majored in the subjects listed above. These results may not represent all graduates with these degrees. More than 1,000 colleges and universities across the U.S. were included. As a result, median salary figures may be skewed toward large state universities, since these schools have the largest attendance. Salary is the sum of compensation from base salary, bonuses, profit sharing, commissions, and overtime, if applicable. Salary does not include equity (stock) compensation.

February 2, 2013October 15, 2013

Ragen’s PR daily says ‘Stop the madness! Rules for using the exclamation point’

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You too may subscribe to this RSS feed. Go for it at:

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/13860.aspx#

A recent study reported on PR Daily found that “43 percent of online daters consider bad grammar a ‘major’ turnoff.”

So I think it’s safe to say that bad grammar can affect relationships. And so can punctuation. Does anyone remember the “Seinfeld” episode in which Elaine breaks up with her boyfriend over his failure to use an exclamation point?

In case you missed it, Elaine’s boyfriend had written down some phone messages, one of which said that her friend had baby. Elaine found it “curious” that he didn’t think someone having a baby warranted an exclamation point.

“Maybe I don’t use my exclamation points as haphazardly as you do,” he quips.

When Elaine later tells Jerry about the break up, he responds: “It’s an exclamation point! It’s a line with a dot under it!”

RELATED: A punctuation mark for the mildly enthused

Oh, no, no, no, Jerry, an exclamation point is so much more than just a line with a dot under it. It is one of the most exploited, abused, overused, and misused punctuation marks in the English language. I can’t count how many times I see an exclamation point after the most mundane statements.

“Thank you for setting up your account with us!”

“Your order has shipped!”

“Laura!”

“I’ll see you at the conference!”

Why all the emphasis? Does anyone remember what we were taught in grade school? “If everything is emphasized, nothing is.” And this is exactly what our style guides tell us.

From the Associated Press Stylebook:

“Emphatic expressions: Use the mark to express a high degree of surprise, incredulity or other strong emotion.

“Avoid overuse: Use a comma after mild interjections. End mildly exclamatory sentences with a period.”

Likewise, from The Chicago Manual of Style:

“Use of the exclamation point. An exclamation point (which should be used sparingly to be effective) marks an outcry or an emphatic or ironic comment.”

The American Medical Association Manual of Style—which I use in my day job as a medical writer—takes an even more conservative approach.

“Exclamation points indicate emotion, an outcry, or a forceful comment. Try to avoid their use except in direct quotations and in rare and special circumstances. They are not appropriate in scientific manuscripts and are more common in less formal articles, such as book reviews, editorials, and informal essays, where added emphasis may be appropriate. If they are used, limit their use to one.”

In the words of novelist Elmore Leonard: “Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.”

PR Daily readers, care to comment on the use and abuse of this “line with a dot under it”?

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/13860.aspx#

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December 9, 2012October 13, 2013

A Public Affairs chief’s views of her profession — Public Relations in the Air Force

Earlier this fall, my Introduction to Public Relations students interviewed strategic communication professionals. Casey Kelly has given permission to reprint his — including actual notes before they were turned into a narrative This young professional shared her public affairs duties with Casey. Now, he and I share Lieutenant, Alexis D. McGee sage advice with you:

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Casey Kelly

Professor Litwin

Interview Paper

Public Relations in the Air Force

For my sit down interview, I spoke with 2^nd Lieutenant, Alexis D. McGee of the United States Air Force. Lieutenant McGee is Chief of Community Relations, and Public Affairs at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. I was able to contact Lieutenant McGee for my interview because my father is Gary Kelly and the Deputy Operations Officer at the Joint Base. I asked my father if I could speak with someone from Public Relations and he gave me Lieutenant McGee’s contact information. For me personally, it was more than just an interview process for the Public Relations class.

As a senior at Rowan University, I am going to receive my Radio, TV, and Film bachelor’s degree in December. Just like many students graduating college, I want to make the correct career choice to be successful now and in the future. So during the interview, I asked her questions about her career, the benefits of joining the Air Force, and why it would be good for me to join the Air Force after college. With Lieutenant McGee being twenty-three years old, I could relate to her very well compared to an older person not understanding what it is like finding a job as a young person in 2012.

Lieutenant McGee is from a small town in Iowa and graduated college with her bachelors in Illinois. As a sophomore in college, she joined the ROTC program. She told me she joined the program not to be selfish. She wanted to be a part of something and she couldn’t think of anything better then being a part of serving her country. During the ROTC program, she found out she wanted to join the Air Force. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree, she went to officer training school.

Now as Chief of Media Relations and Public Affairs, she wears a lot of hats. For Chief of Media Relations, she is in charge of community tours, events, orientations, and guest speaker requests.

For public relations, she answers all media phone calls, in charge of supervising Facebook, Twitter, the newspaper, and writes press releases. Recently, “The Today Show,” came to the Joint-Base to highlight an airmen becoming a United States Citizen. She answered the phone call, managed where, when, and how the producer, audio technician, and camera operator would get onto the base. With the military, civilians cannot just drive onto the base. A civilian is someone who isn’t in the service, or doesn’t have someone in there family in the service. This makes Lieutenant McGee’s job much more difficult compared to civilian work with Public Relations. A person can get onto the base by either having an identification card (I.D. card) or in special circumstances having a major back round check by the security police on base. After getting to know Lieutenant McGee a little bit, these are the questions I asked her for the interview.

Question: What is your definition of Public Relations?

Response: Building and gaining community support.

Question: What is the hardest part of your job?

Response: Since I am so new, I am still learning so many things at once. I still need to know what course of action needs to take place and who the correct people are to ask for answers.

Question: What do you think is different between Public Relations in the service and civilian world?

Response: I think they are really similar. I haven’t worked outside of the service for Public Relations, but I think they are the same when it comes with coming together and meeting a goal.

Question: What happened to the person that previously had this job?

Response: With the military, we work with the three corner stones and Lieutenant Murphy just switched duties. He works with me with Media Relations, Community Relations, and Internal Information. They switch duties so people can become more well rounded and keep learning different jobs. In my department, we move after two years to a different part of the country just to be refreshed and energized.

Question: So after two years, you wont be living in New Jersey anymore?

Response: No, I will be assigned a different place to live. That’s another reason why I joined the Air Force because it enables me to travel. I want to live in Italy, and all over. If I hate the Air Force after four years, then I can move on, but at least I can say I served my country and I love that.

Question: If you had one wish to make Public Relations better, what would it be?

Response: Having every answer at your fingertips.

Question: How can the Air Force become more popular and well known?

Response: I would say, to continue to tell people our story. That we are much more then people in a uniform. The story on, “The Today Show,” is a great example of that airmen’s story. Some people are intimidated by people in the service, but were just normal people too.

Question: What is your next step?

Response: I am going to continue to honor my three years I have left on my four-year contact with the Air Force. I am moving in a year, so when I move I am going to get more experience.

Question: What keeps you motivated to come to work every day?

Response: I work with really great people and I love my job. I might have to work ten or even eleven hours sometimes, but it’s ok because I am doing what I love and it’s a part of who I am.

Question: If you were to get out of the Air Force tomorrow, what organization would you like to work for?

Response: Well I know this is silly because we just spoke about it but I would love to work for “The Today Show.” It would be a dream come true.

Question: How will Public Relations change in ten years?

Response: Well, ten years ago I had no idea that I wanted to be involved with Public Relations. Since I was just a kid at that time, I don’t know the exact tactics that they used. I do believe that companies used advertising and marketing a lot more compared to Public Relations back then. In ten years, I believe companies will hold Public Relations at a higher level and less about advertising and marketing.

Question: What makes Public Relations important?

Response: In Public Relations, the opportunities are endless. It doesn’t matter what job you have, or what degree you earn, public relations is needed everywhere.

Question: Many people wish they could go back in time and change something in the past in their career, what would you change?

Response: I am a firm believer of never regretting anything, so nothing. Of course I have made mistakes, but with those mistakes I have learned from them and everything. So whether I have made a mistake or not, it is a learning experience.

After the interview was over, I thanked Lieutenant McGee for everything she did for me. She was extremely nice and was a great person to contact for this interview. From the moment I met her, I had a feeling she knew what she was speaking about, very educated, and was confident in herself. With the smile on her face speaking about her job, it was easy to see she truly loves what she does. I am proud to have met her, and hope that one day I will wake up and be as happy as she is going to work. She is one of the most proud and positive people I have ever met. I am honored that she represents the Public Relations Department for the United States Air Force.

[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]

October 21, 2012October 13, 2013

Al Neuharth: Can ‘old’ newspapers remain relevant?

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USA TODAY celebrates its 30th birthday anniversary this weekend (Sept. 15, 2012). The Nation’s Newspaper first was published on Sept. 15, 1982, in the Washington, D.C., market.

Most media critics brushed us off quickly. Linda Ellerbee, then a popular late-night news commentator on NBC, paraphrased our “non-smudge” ink promotion with this sarcastic comment: “USA TODAY doesn’t rub off on your hands or your mind.” Many critics compared us to McDonald’s, as the “fast food of journalism.”

But the farther west of the Hudson and west of the Potomac we went, the more popular we became. When our certified circulation topped more than 1 million in just six months, most observers decided the guessing game was over. Some critics began adopting some of our news features. As Taylor Buckley, then editor of USA TODAY’s Money section, told a California editors’ conference in the spring of 1983: “The same newspaper editors who called us McPaper now are stealing some of our McNuggets.”

Just as there was widespread conjecture about USA TODAY 30 years ago, there is rampant speculation about newspapers in general today. The daily circulation for the top three:

• The Wall Street Journal 2,118,315 (1,566,027 print and 552,288 digital)

• USA TODAY 1,817,446 (1,701,777 print and 115,669 digital)

• The New York Times 1,586,757 (779,731 print and 807,026 digital)

The fact is more people across the USA and around the world want more news and information today than ever before. They also want it in different ways — in print, on the air, on the Web.

As long as news providers give it to them when they want it, where they want it and how they want it, they not only will survive but also thrive. That includes newspapers, if they also adapt to new ways of distributing the news, which they generally gather more professionally than any other media.

Feedback

“Al is right. No other media equal newspapers in gathering news, professionally and fulsomely. That has always been the industry’s main strength, and always will be.”
John Morton, newspaper analyst“Al has a right to crow. His baby was much ridiculed, but it not only thrived; it had wide influence. It will be fascinating to watch USA TODAY evolve under digitally savvy leadership.”
Rem Rieder, editor, American Journalism Review

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The 7 Top-Paying Jobs for College Graduates in 2014 and Beyond

By Mary Patrick (U.S. News and World Report) Posted 2014

Feedback

By Mary Patrick (U.S. News and World Report)
Posted 2014