College students and recent graduates
have high expectations of their earning potential. 52% of students
expect to be millionaires by the time they are 40 years old, according
to the results of a survey released by
JobTrak.com, the nation's
leading online job listing service for students and alumni.
More than 2,000 college students and recent graduates responded to the
question, "How old will you be when you make your first million?"
Never -- 29%
"With the American economy being bolstered by the e-commerce wave and
game shows giving it away, becoming a "millionaire" is a much more
obtainable goal than it was 15 years ago," said Carolyn Ford, Campus
Recruiter at Deloitte Consulting. "In the past, the main way for people
to make a lot of money was to pick the right stocks and have the cash to
invest in them. Now-a-days you just need to pick the right company,
start-up or technology and invest your time and effort in order to have
a chance at the big money."
James J. Tarbox, Associate Director, University of San Diego Career
Services commented, "The optimism that these results show, with over 50%
of the respondents reporting that they would make their first million by
age 40, tends to reflect the strong economy in which students find
themselves favorably positioned to secure jobs and internships."
Ken Ramberg, Co-founder of JobTrak.com commented, "During the past few
years, new college grads have been wooed by companies offering stock
options, signing bonuses, and high salaries. In addition they read
story after story about young people striking it rich at dot com firms.
It's no wonder that these graduates have such high expectations. I'd
counsel new grads, however, to find a profession that they enjoy and
find challenging first and foremost."
One job seeker said, "All you need is a dollar and a dream."
