It is good grades that get you a higher salary in the business world. ‘It was an eye opener for me too,’ says Monique Bijker, who got her PhD from the Open University this week. She did labour market research among 4000 young economists and business studies graduates. She also interviewed 20 big employers. And what did she find? One and a half years after graduating, those with the highest average final grade had the highest starting salaries. ‘You get about 60 to 70 euros more per month for every half point,’ says Bijker. A year spent doing board work even seems to work against you. ‘That amazed me,’ says Bijker. ‘But that result is not significant, so I can’t say anything definite about that.’
High grades, high pay
Forget board work, internships abroad and other extra-curricular activities.