You may be surprised to know that not all starting salaries for recent graduates are low-paying. In some industries, the entry level starting salary is considerably high – as much as $50,000 and upwards! You can forget about starting at the bottom of the corporate ladder and working your way up to better wages – with the following career options, you can earn a substantial amount of money from the word go!

Web Designer

Web designers create websites that can be seen by anyone with access to the internet. As a designer, you have the opportunity to project your visual message and functional webpage to the whole world. It is essential to earn a degree in web design, in order to learn the necessary software and design skills. The average starting income for web designers is $50,555, according to salary.com

Physician Assistant

Physician assistants (PAs) are formally trained medical personnel, who are responsible for providing diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventative care under the guidance of certified doctors. Generally speaking, the duration of physician assistant courses normally last at least two years. The average starting salary for entry level physician assistants is $69,517, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

Computer Software Engineer

Being a computer software engineer involves writing code, testing programs, troubleshooting and putting together user manuals that people can learn from. Students need to go to university to earn a degree that will teach them to be proficient in a number of program languages, such as C++ and Java. The National Association of Colleges and Employers reveals that first year graduates will receive a starting salary of $56,201.

Petroleum Engineer

The role of a petroleum engineer is to search for oil and gas reservoirs below the earth’s surface and to develop a safe way to extract these resources, through drilling and producing. First year petroleum engineering graduates can expect to start at $60,718.

Actuary

Actuaries must have strong mathematical skills, as their primary duty is to come up with policies and ideas to minimize the loss of finances to businesses and their clients. Actuaries must go to school to earn a degree and gain a comprehensive understanding of statistics, finance, and business. The starting income of new graduates is $53,754.

Economist

Economists study how communities allocate resources like land, labor, raw materials, and machinery, to manufacture goods. It is their job to recognize consumer trends and figure out the best possible way for businesses to maximize these. The median starting salary for economists is $53,449, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.