A Roundup of Salaries From New Industries

In May 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the average annual salary for all occupations in the United States was $43,460. This figure includes all types of professionals from any field or geographic location, with any type of education or training level. Of course, a variety of factors influence how much you will make, and a mean value of $43,460 comes from a large sample of reported salaries.

A person's salary is, above all, a measure of economic value. Just as supply & demand influence market prices, the same concepts orient your professional worth as well. While companies may try to get by with paying you as little as they can, you may demand more, and through the power of negotiation, you may find yourself at an income  level that is closer to where you'd like to be.

But how do you get there?

(1) Know your professional worth, and find a way to quantify what you have to offer and (2) be well-acquainted with industry standards.

In an ideal world, socially-conscious businesses would understand the value of staff-equity. Fair salaries attract and retain high quality talent and allow employees to maintain a comfortable living standard. As we know, however, staff equity is not always a principle that's valued industry-wide, especially when CEOs can out-earn their employees by more than 300 to 500 percent.  As much as you'd like your company to pay you more or give you a raise, it's up to you to be your own best advocate and to pursue your personal goals.

As we are well aware, the American economy is always changing. As we continue to evolve and specialize, we see a rise in new industries and markets. While entry-level job-seekers face entirely new career prospects, career-changers may find themselves unable to measure their professional worth. Take social media, for instance -- a relatively new field. What in the world should social media managers expect to make? Are they marketers, strategists, analysts, or something completely different?

Then, there are the nebulous titles in which professional value is less than self evident. Examples of these include associate, analyst, specialist, and technician. While a vague title might mean an expanded job function, in terms of salary, a vague title is just plain vague.

If you are job hunting, one resource to check out is SimplyHired's free salary calculator. This tool allows you to search for average salaries based on up-to-date job listings, no matter your industry. You can also specify your search by location since costs of living and pay rates vary regionally. Just keep in mind that some job postings won't post specific salaries, or they'll include a salary range at best. When you calculate average salaries, you are looking at a sample size that is much smaller than the population of all SimplyHired jobs. Also keep in mind that when you're searching by type of job, you're likely to see averages that don't factor years of experience or management level.

Regardless, a five-minute search can help you leaps and bounds when you're job hunting or negotiating a salary. At the very least, you'll be able to better-frame your job search.

Are you thinking of pursuing a career in a new industry? Check out these average salaries, calculated on October 30, 2010, from SimplyHired:

Freelance Writer: $56,000
Social Media Specialist: $55,000
Internet Marketing Analyst: $81,000
Data Analyst: $60,000
Programmer: $72,000
Special Education Teacher: $35,000
Child Care Teacher: $15,000
Research Associate: $55,000
Development Associate: $33,000
Public Health career: $49,000

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