Electrical engineer with Masters and I started with 76k out of college. 90k 3 years later. I've noticed others in my field start around 60-70k. I'm in Colorado
I feel like a lot of the non software engineering majors can start of low and the ceiling isn't as high though. It always seems like the software guys getting those 100k+ stating salary and stuff. But obviously there are software guys who start out really low as well.
Youre an outlier. Ive got a few friends who did engineering (mostly chemical. A few mechanical or civil) and some went back to school for their masters the others are underpaid.
The one friend whos doing the best makes about $80k a year and got his degree in psychology. He is a very smart person and basically my encyclopedia on human nature and behaviors lol. He does sales for a software development/cloud storage company.
Engineering and computer science is one of those field where you can make $60-$80k annually but its rare. For every other field that you can make $100k and over, you start around $30-$40k. Then again theres always exceptions to the rules and some oddballs that make $80k when they studied a subject that wont let you nail a shingle without going to grad school first.
Funny enough, the 3 people (friends dads) I know and have met who make $250k a year and live in a mansion, one works in sales for a medical equipment company and is super boss of the west coast, one is a high level exec for at&t, while the other was a cpa and worked on Wall Street. Ironic because those arent STEM degrees.
It's really not rare to be making like 60-80k starting out in an engineering degree...
I just think the ceiling is low for the non software engineers ---
Money can't buy you happiness, but it can buy you a yacht big enough to pull up right alongside it