The cost of college is skyrocketing and graduates risk being saddled with more debt than ever. What’s a smart solution when even state schools aren’t cheap? Earn more after you graduate.

Last week PayScale debuted its 2009-10 College Salary Report, which lists best schools for starting and mid-career salaries by regions of the country, party reputation, educational focus and more. It also sorts out the most lucrative majors. Wondering if this information is important? Just check the news.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) released their annual list of top 15 paying undergraduate majors yesterday.

They are a little late: We released the PayScale list of salary by major last week :-)

While the top level take away - starting pay is highest for engineering and other technical fields - the differences are an interesting look into how a survey is defined affects the results.

Are you being paid all you are worth? Spend 5 minutes completing the PayScale online salary evaluation survey and know.

From the guy in the lobby at your work to the gal scanning luggage at the airport, security officers surround us – even more than we know. Beside the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) folks in bright blue shirts at the airport, there are thousands of plainclothes security folks, like air marshals, secret service agents and security technology specialists, working to keep us safe.

Besides being brave, hip to current events and knowledgeable about weapons, can you guess what the coolest thing is that these folks all have in common? They are employed! Yes, they have jobs in this down economy. And, they’re likely to hold onto their jobs if they work for the federal government.

World at Work released the preliminary results for the 2010 salary budget survey.

While its predictions for next year are interesting, what is really fascinating is the difference between predictions and reality for this year.

Back in May 2008, employers looked at their budgets, and predicted raises for the coming year. This survey contains the actual raises given as of May 2009.

In this post, I'll take a quick look the World at Work preliminary data, what our PayScale data show, and take my guess at what the future holds.

A raise is made up of two parts: changes in your abilities and responsibilities, and general market forces. While the big picture market is bleak, is your employer recognizing all you are worth? Use the free PayScale Salary Survey to find out.

Name: Alissa 
Job Title: Hotel Property Manager
Where: Jasper, Alabama
Years of Experience: 3
Other Relevant Work Experience: Desk Clerk
Education: West Limestone High School graduate
Salary: Use PayScale’s Research Center to find the median hotel manager salary.

Hotel Careers - Hotel Manager Salary

“I clean anything that needs to be cleaned, fix anything that needs to be fixed, and I work non-stop from 8:00am until 11:00pm.” Managing a hotel is a tough job, but the reward of helping a diverse group of guests, and their kind words of appreciation, help offset long hours and often thankless work. In this Salary Story, an Alabama-based hotel manager shares an inside look at how challenging hotel careers can be. Learn why the most important qualifications to be a hotel manager might just be determination and a willingness to work 15-hour days. 

Name: Farieda 
Job Title: Secretary and Personal Assistant to the CEO
Where: KLG Architects, Rondebosch, SC, South Africa
Years of Experience: 14
Other Relevant Work Experience: I worked for eight years at Megalo Distributing Agency and managed the fort. I was also the sales rep and got La Vie Mineral Water and Pepsi in Pick N Pay and five top hotels in Cape Town. I then worked for Seeff Properties and managed six agents’ portfolios.
Education: Pat Kelly Bible College, Eschatology Degree; Modderdam Senior High School diploma. I’ve taken 18 computer courses plus training in bookkeeping and typing. I went to seminars presented by Dr. Brian Jude on how to answer a telephone. I learned that the receiver can “hear” your smile when you actually smile before answering the phone. I learned always to be polite no matter how you might feel. 
Salary: Use the PayScale Research Center to find the median Administrative Assistant Salary or Executive Secretary Hourly Wages. 

Secretarial Careers - Administrative Assistant Profile

“I am alive and love every minute of being alive and live it to the fullest!”  Farieda’s exuberance, love of challenge, diverse work responsibilities, and wonderful boss have made her secretarial career an emotionally rewarding one.  Learn how her positive attitude, love of learning, and fulfillment of a life-long dream are grounded in determination, attention to detail, and loyalty.

Today's post is a little more philosophical than usual. Some people get philosophical at New Year's; for me it is the 4th of July, probably because of a song lyric:

Today's the Fourth of July.
Another June has gone by,
and when they light up our town I just think
what a waste of gunpowder and sky. - Aimee Mann

Over the past couple of weeks, I have heard, read, or provided news reports of salaries, unemployment, mortgages, and "stuff." This got me wondering: does it take a Ph.D. to make personal finances work out?