By Melissa Gibbs
More than a decade of uninterrupted economic growth has boosted starting salaries for most college graduates.
According to the Utah State Board of Licensing, professionals in Utah generally average lower wages than professionals of the same fields working in other states. This is because the cost of living in Utah is lower than many other states.
The highest-paying major groups of occupations are the legal, business and medical professions.
According to the 1999 Associate Salary Survey done by the National Association for Law Placement, first-year college graduates with a law degree have an average starting salary of $70,000 per year.
The Marriott School of Business reported 94 percent of the graduates from 2000 earn a mean salary of $65,100.
Assistant Director of Career Services at the Marriott School of Business, Shauna Gygi, explained starting wages in business depend on a person''s specialty.
'Salary can be determined by functional emphasis,' Gygi said. 'Someone in finance can demand a higher salary than someone in marketing.'
In surveys with recent graduate students, the Engineering Career Placement Center disclosed that Chemical Engineers average $50,000 for their starting salary. Other graduates with degrees from the School of Engineering and Technology at BYU earn first-year salaries ranging from $44,000 to $49,000 per year.
The lowest-paying majors requiring four-year degrees are communications and education.
Graduates who obtain a degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations or advertising start out with a higher pay than those with an emphasis in news.
According to Jordan School District''s 2000 salary schedule, a teacher''s first year salary is $24,605
There are many other professions that do not require eight or four year degrees.
Registered nurses can obtain either a two or four year degree.
Barbara Wilson, nurse manager of Alta View Women''s Center in Sandy, Utah, said the wage for a nurse with a two or four year degree is the same.
'RNs with either degree take the same state board, obtain the same license, have the same responsibilities and perform the same duties,' Wilson said. 'So they get the same pay.'
In its 1999 Wage Adjustment Report, Intermountain Health Care released a registered nurse''s starting salary in Utah around $18,050.
Those enlisting in the U.S. Army earn a starting salary of $14,230 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Although the pay is not huge, Sgt. Smith, a recruiter for the U.S. army in West Valley, Utah, explained that there are many other benefits to being employed by the U.S. Army.
'There is a $20,000 enlistment bonus, free room and board, 30 days paid vacation, weekends off, paid holidays, medical and dental coverage, plus the chance to travel the world and retirement is available after 20 years of service,' Smith said.