By Bridget Quigg

Another season of the “The Bachelorette” is winding down after a dizzying display of alpha-male behavior and slurpy make-out sessions. Ashley barely wipes the make-up off her eyes from one romantic dinner before she’s whisked away on a motor scooter, her cheek resting on some guy’s brawny back.

Recently we released the 2011-2012 PayScale College Salary Report. There are dozens of different topics in this report: top schools for mid- or early career earnings, majors that pay, top state universities, schools that produce the highest fraction of CEOs, and the list goes on.

In this post, I'll look at some of the interesting facts and and trends behind the numbers. Are wages for college grads going up or down? Which schools top the list for 2011, and how do their graduates' earnings compare with a earnings last year and back in 2008, when we first did this annual report?

Whether you are a graduate of a top university or just an average one, what really matters is, are you earning what you are worth? Find out with a free PayScale salary report.

By Bridget Quigg

Does an aerospace engineer really earn more than a history major? Absolutely. An aerospace engineer’s typical starting salary ($60,700) practically matches what a history major earns, on average, after 15 years of working ($69,000). In fact, according to PayScale’s data, if you choose to pursue math, science or engineering disciplines, you are nearly guaranteed a lucrative career.

By Denene Brox

Google and Facebook are not your typical technology companies. They are innovators that have literally changed the way people all over the world interact online. Both companies had humble beginnings. Google was founded in 1996 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Stanford University PhD students. CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, launched the site in 2004 from a Harvard University dorm room.

By Rob DiGiacomo

With so-called “staycations” common in these sluggish economic times, Las Vegas, Miami and other tourism spots that cater to out-of-town visitors may not be the best bets for summer employment. Vegas and Miami rank among the worst places to find work, with seven people on average vying for every job opening, according to Daniel Greenberg, chief marketing officer of SimplyHired.com.

By Susan Johnston

For years, consumers have self-identified as Mac or a PC people, a label fueled in part by Apple’s Mac vs. PC ads. Some research about the two companies' customers was even done by Hunch.com and it showed that many of the stereotypes are true. Mac lovers are typically younger and more likely to live in urban centers, while PC enthusiasts tend to be more politically conservative and prefer Harley’s over Vespas.

By Bridget Quigg

It’s time that PayScale admits it. We have found out more glowing facts about Canada. After humbly complimenting our neighbors to the north when they won gold in men’s hockey (beating the US) back in 2010, and congratulating them on a great run in the NHL playoffs, we now have another achievement to recognize: rising wages.

With the release of the second quarter (Q2) 2011 PayScale Index, we added tracking of national pay trends for Canada. The striking difference is how much better Canadian wages have bounced back from the recession than in the United States.

In this blog post, we will look at Canadian trends in pay over the last 5 years, and see what the PayScale data about Canadian wages through the first six months of 2011 tell us about how the demand for workers is recovering.

Finally, we will look at other economic measures, like unemployment and gross domestic product (GDP) growth in Canada, and see if Canadian workers' wages are subject to the same supply and demand forces we have been seeing in the PayScale Index for the United States.

National pay trends are interesting, but are wages for your job trending up? Find out with a free PayScale salary report.

By Bridget Quigg

The job hunt. The interview. The salary negotiation. There are moments in your life when you have to be able to put a number on the skills and experience that you offer an employer. Where do you get started? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a list of salaries for careers to help you out?