What is a good salary for a first job?

There is no single good number. Use the lower half of the local occupation range (often p10–p25) as context for graduate and junior roles, then confirm the employer’s level. A “good” first job also teaches skills that map toward p50 in three years. Run take-home and rent so a famous city does not erase the cash.

Should I negotiate my first salary?

You can ask, but campus and junior bands are often consistent across a class. Signing bonus, start date, and time-to-next-level are usually more movable than base. If cash sits far below local p10 for the real job family, ask whether the mapping or level is wrong before you push a frozen band.

Why is the average salary so much higher than graduate offers?

Averages and medians mix experienced workers into the same occupation code. They describe the field, not the starting rung. Comparing a graduate offer to p50 is how people feel underpaid on day one of a normal junior band.

How do I convert intern pay to a full-time equivalent?

Convert the intern rate with the hours you actually work, then stop. Only annualise if you have a full-time conversion offer. Do not multiply a summer hourly rate by 2,080 and call it your market salary. Ask for the full-time band in writing.

Is a lower salary in a cheaper city better for a first job?

Often on leftover cash, sometimes on career density. Run take-home and rent, then weigh whether the city has the employers and skills you need next. A slightly lower percentile in a cheaper city can fund savings; a higher percentile that is all rent cannot.

Pay by Role editorial · Updated August 25, 2026 · 12 min read

First-job and early-career pay

A nurse or software-engineer median includes people with ten years of scope. If you are taking a first role, that median is the shape of the occupation, not your year-one target. This guide is how to read first-job and early-career pay without anchoring on senior bands.

Why don’t occupation medians describe a first job?

They mix juniors and leads. Prefer the lower part of the published range as context. If a posting quotes the occupation median as the starting salary, treat it as ambitious until the level is confirmed. Title inflation at the bottom of the market is as common as at the top. How to read a salary range explains p10 vs p50.

How should you treat intern pay and conversions?

Intern pay is often hourly or monthly and is not comparable to a full-time median without converting hours actually worked. Use the hourly calculator, then annualise only if the conversion offer is full-time.

A high intern rate in an expensive city can still be a weak conversion salary. Ask for the full-time band before you plan around the intern cheque. Wide conversion offers in a cohort are usually leveling and team budget — ask what level you are being hired into.

What can you negotiate without a competing offer?

Start date, signing bonus, and the first review cycle. Base is often least flexible for campus and junior requisitions because the band is designed to be consistent across the class.

Ask: “What is the typical time to the next level, and what evidence do you look for?” If cash sits below local p10, check that you mapped the right job family. A “data” title that is operations support should be benchmarked as that work.

Why do benefits and city matter more when cash is small?

Employer healthcare, pension match, and paid study time can be a large share of total compensation at the low end of the cash range. A cheaper city with a modest offer can leave more surplus than a famous metro at the same percentile. Run take-home and a rent sketch anyway — early-career budgets break on housing first.

How should you plan the second job, not just the first cheque?

Use the occupation chart as a three-year picture: where p50 sits, and what skills the senior band implies. Your first role should teach those skills. When you have a year of proof, asking for a raise and what a competitive salary means become the right tools.

If you are switching countries for a first job, read relocating for a job before you sign. Visa and geo-tier surprises hurt most when you have no savings buffer.

Key takeaways

For year one, p10–p25 is a better neighbourhood than the occupation median.
Confirm junior level; do not assume the posting’s median is the start rate.
Intern rates are not conversion salaries until you see the full-time band.
When base is class-wide, negotiate timing, signing, and the ladder.
Housing and benefits can dominate a small cash difference.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good salary for a first job?: There is no single good number. Use the lower half of the local occupation range (often p10–p25) as context for graduate and junior roles, then confirm the employer’s level. A “good” first job also teaches skills that map toward p50 in three years. Run take-home and rent so a famous city does not erase the cash.
Should I negotiate my first salary?: You can ask, but campus and junior bands are often consistent across a class. Signing bonus, start date, and time-to-next-level are usually more movable than base. If cash sits far below local p10 for the real job family, ask whether the mapping or level is wrong before you push a frozen band.
Why is the average salary so much higher than graduate offers?: Averages and medians mix experienced workers into the same occupation code. They describe the field, not the starting rung. Comparing a graduate offer to p50 is how people feel underpaid on day one of a normal junior band.
How do I convert intern pay to a full-time equivalent?: Convert the intern rate with the hours you actually work, then stop. Only annualise if you have a full-time conversion offer. Do not multiply a summer hourly rate by 2,080 and call it your market salary. Ask for the full-time band in writing.
Is a lower salary in a cheaper city better for a first job?: Often on leftover cash, sometimes on career density. Run take-home and rent, then weigh whether the city has the employers and skills you need next. A slightly lower percentile in a cheaper city can fund savings; a higher percentile that is all rent cannot.

Next step

Read the chart as a ladder, not as an insult. Land a level that teaches, a city you can afford, and a review date you can point to.

Open an occupation and read the lower band →

Pair with take-home and a rent check before you accept.