Sample Careers and Starting Salaries

Career (Slider)	Example	Starting Income	Total College Cost
2
4
6
8
10

Assumptions

• Careers: Slider from 1 (English Major) to 10 (Medical Doctor); interpolated sample fields: Social Worker, Teacher, Engineer, Dentist, etc.
• Colleges: 1 = Community College (~$14k/yr all-in), 10 = Ivy League (~$83k/yr); intermediate values interpolate between national averages.
• Parent/Scholarship: Grants, scholarships, and family support, added as positive net value at college start and directly reduces student loan need.
• Years in college: 4 (slider 1), up to 8 (slider 10), linear interpolation.
• Student Loan Interest: 5% fixed, simple annual compounding.
• Repayment: 30% of gross income after college used to repay loan, minimum payment always applied. Payoff year marked 🏁.
• Income: Median starting salaries (BA: $58k; MD: $277k; others interpolated, see table).
• No inflation, no raises, no tax modeled, income shown gross.