A freidn of mine jumped out of Kent state into a $40k/yr job in Ft. Wayne ($40k there is like 60k in the civilized world). He did internships, extra programs, overseas stuff, etc. He busted his ass, scored well, and it paid off.
I.E. Top'o'the class people jump out and make good money, the other 80% don't.
I make about the same, but I'm 2 years older, and the cap in my feild is low. So, my 6 years work experience < 4 years of college, even if I make the same right now.....for now.
I've only been in my field for 3 years, but it took 5 years (started while in HS) grunt work to get into this.
Thread back on track: Support your local CR side-workers!