Survey finds recent high school grads expect to earn $90k/year by age 30. - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Regular_John · 11-02-2011, 12:15 PM

Survey finds recent high school grads expect to earn $90k/year by age 30.

Quote:

Recent high-school graduates are looking at their financial futures through rose-coloured glasses, according to a new survey of 17- to 20-year olds.

The average respondent expects to be raking in about $90,000 a year by the age of 30. And 73 per cent of those surveyed think they’ll be homeowners by the same age.

I have a hard time getting riled up about 17-20 year olds giving unrealistic answers about what they'll be making in a decade or more down the road. Take an 18 year old and ask them how much they'll be making in the year 2023 and you're just asking to get some pie in the sky answers.

We're these 22-24 year olds coming out of university and expecting to make $90,000 in 6-8 years time it might be a bigger cause for concern, but teenagers? They'll also tell you they want to spend their life building a new village in a different country every 6 months.

Hockeyguy15 · 11-02-2011, 12:17 PM

That's funny.

Everyone buy stock in Kleenex, there is going to be a lot of tears and broken dreams in the next few years.

Husky · 11-02-2011, 12:18 PM

Some do and some don't. All depends what you do with you life. Im a coupel years out from being 30 and I make close to 6 fugures...put in your time in a ceratin field and its all good (I'm a CA working for O&G).

Hockeyguy15 · 11-02-2011, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Husky

Some do and some don't. All depends what you do with you life. Im a coupel years out from being 30 and I make close to 6 fugures...put in your time in a ceratin field and its all good (I'm a CA working for O&G).

The average will not be $90K...No way.

squiggs96 · 11-02-2011, 12:23 PM

It's not unheard of, especially in Calgary.

Ages 18-22 Go to university for four years and graduated with a business degree.
Ages 22-25 Article at a CA firm for three years.
Age 27 Become a manger at a CA firm. $100,000 salary is close
Age 27-30 Leave CA firm and make at least $100,000 by going to an oil & gas company.

Taking 12 years to reach $90,000 is very doable if you want to. It took me seven years to break $90,000 from the day I started business school.

Edit: Beaten by two posts.

Bill Bumface · 11-02-2011, 12:24 PM

Yeah, I think there are plenty of 30 year olds out there NOW making 90,000 a year, and that number will be a lot higher in 12 years, it will be more "normal".

It's like asking a Peewee team how far they want to make it in hockey. If all of them don't say the NHL, they are some kind of screwed up disillusioned generation.

bradster57 · 11-02-2011, 12:25 PM

nm

Cowboy89 · 11-02-2011, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

The average will not be $90K...No way.

Actually in O&G in Alberta if your an engineer, geologist, finance/accounting (with some sort of designation), $90k by age 30 is below market.

EDIT: This is why I always laugh in the face of anyone who argues the 'Upgrade/refine all of our Bitumen here in Alberta' viewpoint. The high cost of labor really makes it tough to compete. Alberta incomes are high because the resource is here and it seriously makes it tough to compete on any value-added business that doesn't have to be done in Alberta.

J pold · 11-02-2011, 12:27 PM

A good friend of mine who doesn’t have a post secondary education, works at a mid level sales job, and moved out of his parents basement for the first time just a few months ago said to me the other day that if he knew how tough real life was going to be he would have tried a lot harder when he was young, and playing high level hockey.

It was meant to be a joke, but I kind of a shook my head and wanted to say, what the hell did you think real life was going to be like?

Hockeyguy15 · 11-02-2011, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

Actually in O&G in Alberta if your an engineer, geologist, finance/accounting (with some sort of designation), $90k by age 30 is probably below market.

I think you are all missing the point...It says the average 30 year old.

Sure there are accountants, lawyers, engineers, other O&G professionals that will make it easy. But the AVERAGE for 30 year olds won't be $90K. Also the survey was Canada wide, not just Alberta.

The Yen Man · 11-02-2011, 12:31 PM

In 10 years time, $90K will probably be what $60-$80K is now, so it's not that unrealistic.

Edit: Just to add, really what would you expect a high schooler to say? I would think most who go into post secondary would expect to be somewhat successful by age 30.

pylon · 11-02-2011, 12:32 PM

I see credit applications of the sub 30 genre every day. There are a ton of people in their 20's making 90+. In Calgary it is not an unrealistic target. I would think it would be safe to say things would be different say in the Maritimes, but it is mind bottling how many people in that 25-30 range pull in 6 figures, some right out of University.

Wormius · 11-02-2011, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

I think you are all missing the point...It says the average 30 year old.

Sure there are accountants, lawyers, engineers, other O&G professionals that will make it easy. But the AVERAGE for 30 year olds won't be $90K. Also the survey was Canada wide, not just Alberta.

Damn, I am mid-30s engineer, I am not making that much! I should have chosen chem. eng where are all the hot girls were and money were at.

black rubber disc bunny · 11-02-2011, 12:36 PM

Maybe they all plan on marrying teachers and running their own businesses - they'll easily be pulling in $300K

Bill Bumface · 11-02-2011, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

Sure there are accountants, lawyers, engineers, other O&G professionals that will make it easy. But the AVERAGE for 30 year olds won't be $90K. Also the survey was Canada wide, not just Alberta.

Most people coming out of highschool plan on being an accountant, lawyer, doctor, engineer, etc, until they find out getting wasted all the time and taking a comms degree is a lot more fun for the short term.

Knalus · 11-02-2011, 12:36 PM

90k a year is not unrealistic - it's not like they are hoping to drive cars made of diamonds or something like that.

In 12 years time, 90k a year won't buy what it can now, and it actually should be average. What was the average 12 years ago?

Everyone hopes for more than they have, and almost always hopes for more than they can get. Considering this, 90k a year is pretty on target.

People who are claiming this is ridiculous are likely just a little jaded - as will be many of those high school kids when they reach 30.

chemgear · 11-02-2011, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wormius

Damn, I am mid-30s engineer, I am not making that much! I should have chosen chem. eng where are all the hot girls were and money were at.

Civil?

drewboy12 · 11-02-2011, 12:38 PM

90k by 30 isn't unrealistic even with out a university education. I am lazy have a bottom of the ladder job. Make a crap hourly wage. Yet with my stock options, 18 weeks of vacation I've made roughly 60k this year. When I was 19 I made 66k. I'm an uneducated bum.

Wormius · 11-02-2011, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chemgear

Civil?

No, electrical - in the electronics design realm.

On the bright side, I married another engineer so quality of life is comfortable, but it isn't geologist or petroleum engineer comfortable.

Ozy_Flame · 11-02-2011, 12:41 PM

That's just it - Finance/Accounting, Engineering, or Geology, all in O&G. If you're not in one of those fields, good luck with that $90k by 30 plan. It's a lot more difficult to do it. I'm in the IT industry as a consultant, and that would be nice to make (guaranteed, anyway).

It's not difficult, but to make that money in Calgary you pretty much have to stick to O&G.