<p>I found this quite interesting and provocative: “Ph.D. The median salary of inexperienced Ph.D. graduates was $85,000.” What I find noticeable about this is that most people in Ph.D. programs are there because they enjoy it and find a lot of freedom. I currently live with an Arabic professor from Morocco who is teaching a few classes here at the University and contests that he only works 3-4 hours a day and has the rest of the day free. He also added that his ability to inform and instruct people provides a lot of satisfaction. Most professors did not stumble upon their position by happenstance - most of them know what they are getting into and while many teachers would contest low wages in the educational system, teaching provides a very satisfying job. “The most dramatic rate of growth appears for new Ph.D.s, where those with 12 to 36 months of experience reported median starting salaries of $80,000, up 26% from 2010. Surprisingly, those with less experience pulled in a higher median salary—$85,000, a 13% increase over 2010—and those with more experience saw a drop of 3% in their median starting salaries, reportedly earning $84,000.” Also, I wasn’t able to find the sample size of those who were surveyed, but the sample size would be a huge indication of how valuable the results are - a low sample size would imply a much larger error and standard deviation. As I said before, if you look at just a BA in a chemistry related field, you will see a very low income - this is common for many degrees such as architects.</p>