“Students’ expectations are even more off-base when it comes to mid-career earnings,” she writes. “The average mid-career salary is $98,647, but zoomers anticipate making $204,560 a decade after graduation.”
Young people don’t lack self-esteem: 70 percent say they’re harder working than classmates, and 64 percent think they’re smarter.
They also see a degree — but not experience — as critical to getting a good job, writes Dunaway-Seale.
Seventy-two percent think majoring in a high-demand field will guarantee them a job immediately after graduation; 61 percent think the degree alone will impress employers, so there’s no need to build a resume.