Postal Letter - is $10.67 decent for your first job out of college?

is $10.67 decent for your first job out of college?

Sign and Graphics specialist for FedEx Kinko's

Public Comments

yes, that is pretty good wage to have.
if that is all that is out there, then maybe that's what you get. But I would expect a higher wage than that with a college degree.
Um... no... I haven't been to college yet and I make $65/hour..
It seems low! I'm not familiar with the graphics industry, but many fast food places pay $10 to flip burgers, so...
I think so, if you don't have much work experience. In my experience a degree will get you a higher pay once you've had a good amount of work on your resume. Take the $10.67 and in a couple of years you can ask for much more at another job with your experience!
it is if you have a (realistic) opportunity to advance (& get promotions)... sometimes, even with a college degree, you have to start at the bottom... i know that out of college i'll only be making 30k.
Income sufficiency is relative. Whether this job is "decent" depends on things like What field did you get your degree in? Is this income sufficient to cover your current expenses (place to live, car, gas, food, electricity, spending money)? (If you're temporarily living at home, your expenses are lower, so it's less critical that you earn the maximum possible amount) Are there reasonable opportunities to advance and will those opportunities come quickly, or will it take a long time to advance? Do you get regular salary increases over time, or are the increases merit-based? Is your supervisor fair in doling out merit-based increases, or is there pressure from the corporate level to keep merit-based increases to a minimum? Assuming that you're scheduled for a 40-hour week, a salary of $10.67 an hour is equivalent to an annual income of $22,193. Once you subtract social security and income taxes, your bottom line would be something in the neighborhood of $19,485, or $375 a week. Can you rely on a regular 40-hour work week, or does your scheduling change if the store is less busy? Are there opportunities for overtime, or are those opportunities restricted to more senior employees? How stable is the position? The newest hires are often the first to be laid off if business is bad. What are the benefits of the position? If the company offers paid health and dental care (or at least a reasonable contribution towards your insurance costs), this will save you a lot of out-of-pocket expense, while providing you with a needed safety net in the event of an injury or an illness. Does the company provide tuition reimbursement, if you should decide to go back to school, whether to take specialized courses in graphic arts, or to pursue an advanced degree? Again, it's difficult to evaluate a $10.67 offer in a vacuum. If you graduated with a degree in accounting, for example, the average offer to first-time employees is right around $46,000. If you graduated with a degree in psychology, the average starting salary in 2006 was $31,000. If you graduated with a degree in computer engineering, a typical student was offered a first job paying $56,000. Frankly, unless the perks of the position are very attractive, or you majored in an unusually undesirable course of study, a first job salary of slightly more than $20,000 seems a little low. Then again, these are difficult economic times, and many people consider themselves lucky to have a job at all right now. If the job climate is particularly poor in your area and/or you need to start bringing in an income right now, accept the position, while keeping your eyes open for better opportunities. Sign and graphics specialist isn't one of those fields where your employer expects you to retire from the company in 40 years - they know that people in that position come and go. On the other hand, if you can afford to wait it out, pass this one up and keep looking - that is, assuming that you have a degree and an academic record that should create demand for your skills and talents. Good luck to you!
NotAnyone gave you a great answer, but I want to point out that calculating out $10.67 comes out to a $21000 salary is a bad college investment. Generally, if you are doing a job out of college, where you didn't need college in the first place, it's probably not great in terms of salary. You can make $15-20 working on Excel spreadsheets through a temp agency. I doubt that this signage job is your life's passion.