According to a recent survey by a leading Germany salary comparison portal, a university degree is far from guaranteeing higher starting salaries. Even architects are among the low paid segments after graduation – shows the list of flop professions immediately after university graduation.

Word is that academics & highly qualified professionals can demand high salaries, but that does not hold true anymore. The Hamburg-based comparison portal, Gehalt.de has identified professions, based on a survey with 1720 responses, in which young professionals with a maximum of three years of full time professional experience should expect low starting salaries. Among the lowest are graduates working as receptionists or front office personnel; the average annual income is around € 27600. Sports therapists follow next at € 31800, followed by employees in cultural management with € 32300.

Among the low-earners are copywriters at €32672, architects at € 33226, sales assistants at € 33341 and graphic designers at € 33489. The Sales Assistant is a typical entry level position. Anyone who wants to build a career should go into specific marketing work and pursue a sales management track with quota carrying responsibility. Among the occupations with the lowest starting salaries for graduates include editors at € 33580, social workers at € 34387 and junior managers in retail at € 36034.

Low starting salaries are also industry-related.

With increasing experience to raise salaries, but in some occupations income remains for academics at a relatively low level.

says Philip Bierbach, CEO of Gehalt.de.

These occupations include graphic designers, receptionists or social workers. However, low salaries are also industry-related. In general, the hotel industry and the cultural sector are weaker  sectors in terms of salaries. The same applies to professions, such as social workers and sports therapists. Even the erstwhile prestigious profession – Architect is remunerated with relatively low annual starting salaries. The reason is that the market is saturated and salaried architects – many who now also freelance – work under worse salary conditions and contract time limitations as was the case a few years earlier.

Those that want to start with a high starting annual income should be sufficiently informed about the course of study and the choice of industries

Bierbach concluded.

At the low-paid are also graduates from the humanities and social sciences, and communication designers, as well as sports scientists and business students. Many graduates have indeed learned the important soft skills learned, but lack clear professional profiles, in contrast to, for example, engineers, lawyers or doctors. The lack of profile is reflected in the remuneration resistance:

The students of humanities and social sciences lack the necessary professional qualifications, which they learn through Internships and entry level positions

said Bierbach.

Moreover, the salary depends on supply and demand levels.

There are, for example, many graphic designers and web designers on the market, whereby corresponding vacancies are filled more quickly without lure with high salaries

said Bierbach.