When you’re young and just entering the workforce, it’s tempting to aim for a high starting salary. After all, you likely have student loans and other bills to pay. However, these salary expectations are often not commensurate with the reality of the working world.
Jade Waltersa career coach and content creator, agrees. In a TikTokshe insisted that recent graduates should be willing to take a low starting salary, sharing her own experience as an example.
Walters made her video in response to a Threads post that read, “Seeing people fresh out of college reject $65K salaries because they automatically want $100K, yet they have no experience and one (certification) is crazy.”
Walters made it clear that she agreed. “Take that $65K offer,” she urged. “Take it. Take it.”
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“My first postgrad job, I was working at TikTok, and I was offered $50K,” she shared. “If I had $65K if that was my offer, oh my gosh, I would have felt rich.”
Walters explained that she had to relocate from New York City to Chicago for the job. Even though it only paid $50,000 she “still made it work” living in a one-bedroom apartment.
“I had a great social life,” she added. “I was out almost every other weekend … I feel like when you have a salary like that, you can still make it work.”
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“There’s also a lot of nuance to this conversation, ‘cause I understand some people have different responsibilities,” she said. “You might be taking care of your family, or you might be super good with your finances and you’re already paying off your student loans.”
In other words, there’s no one-size-fits-all salary that’s right for everyone. Just because she was able to accept a position paying $50,000 doesn’t mean everyone else can.
The salary you’re offered will also vary based on the industry you’re in. Technical roles, for example, will likely pay newcomers more than creative positions.
“Some companies still have the nerve to be paying folks $30, $40K,” she continued. “So I feel like $65K as a new grad, especially if you don’t have many responsibilities — single, childfree, man-free — you can make it work.”
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Additionally, Walters reminded viewers that their starting salary is just that — a starting point. “You gotta remember too, as you’re leveling up in your career and you’re going up, up, up, you’re gonna be making more,” she said. “Like, my first post-grad job I was making $50K, but my second job, I was making $90K. And now I know at my next job I’m gonna be … in that six figures.”
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A 2023 survey from Real Estate Witch found that a majority of college students expected to be making $84,855 a year after graduating in 2023. However, the actual average starting salary was $55,911.
By this calculation, $65,000 isn’t just a nice starting salary — it’s fantastic. But it’s still below what students expect.
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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
