By Claire Klieger
Ever wonder what happens to a typical Penn grad several years after they graduate? How many go on to graduate school? What are the average salaries? How many people end up working overseas or on the West Coast? Well, here’s your chance to find out. I recently updated our 5-year out alumni report so that you can get a sense of Penn alumni are doing and how they are fairing a few years after graduation. I’ve included some of the big takeaways below but check out the survey for lots of additional details (including salary by industry and job function, jobs by major, graduate degrees obtained, where geographically alumni are working and more!):
• Most Penn graduates from the College go on to graduate school within five years of graduation: Sixty‐seven percent of respondents had completed or were enrolled in graduate programs at the time of the survey. Penn alumni work in a variety of industries.
• In comparing first salaries and current salaries, the median and average salaries for Penn alumni almost double in that short period of time.
• Five years after graduation, Penn grads were working in a wide range of different industries, the most popular of which were law, medicine, finance/real estate/insurance, media/communications and education/higher education.
• Penn grads get around. Our data showed that Penn alumni were working in 13 different countries and 31 different states.
• Penn alumni also offered many pearls of wisdom for current graduates including taking more time to explore your interests and really doing what you love, networking, gaining professional experience and to stressing less!
