Ivy League student claims he got a job at NASA making $600K after graduation, friend questions his honesty: 'The highest paid position I've seen posted at NASA was $225K.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Jan 2, 2026 11:00 AM EST

22-year-olds love to tell tall tales about their postgrad salaries.

It's a well-known social rule not to ask people how much money they make. It's even frowned upon in many circles to tell people how much money you make unprompted! This rule is in place for a reason. Nobody wants to incur envy upon their family, and telling a friend exactly how much money you take home each year could make them covet your house. Similarly, nobody wants to put themselves in a position where their friends and neighbors are asking them for financial favors. Maybe you inherited a couple of hundred thousand dollars from your uncle's estate, but that doesn't mean you want to share it with everyone in your social circle. If you are being pressured to give money to everyone you know, and you give in, you won't have any left for yourself.

Depending on where you live and how old you are, it might be much more common for people to discuss financial matters openly. In NYC, people often ask others how much they pay in rent. It's a more subtle way to ask someone about their income, because someone paying $1900 in rent must be earning at least 40 times that amount to qualify for the apartment. I've also found that young people are more willing to discuss the details of their salaries than older people. Older people are more aware of the risks of revealing exactly how much money they make, and they know that it's socially advantageous for others to think they aren't rich.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • Graduate in academic dress and cap showing diploma and smiling education
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The college student in this story wants everyone to think that he is on the brink of being extremely wealthy. Instead of being honest about his postgrad salary, he's exaggerating the figures slightly. He's claiming he's going to earn a salary no postgrad has ever earned.

  • Is 500k+ out of undergrad in the aerospace industry possible?

    I have a friend from an Ivy League school in the US who claims he's gotten an offer from both NASA and Lockheed Martin for over 500k. He chose the NASA offer for around 600k. Not sure exactly what he does, but I'm pretty sure it's research-based and extremely specialized within their aerospace
    via u/Tragedyofthe
  • departments. He's a very smart dude, but I have extreme doubts, even if his position is based in California. Does this kind of salary sound remotely realistic for someone straight out of an engineering undergraduate degree?
    via u/Tragedyofthe
  • The NASA vehicle assembly building stands tall
    via Yuzhe Dong

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Strong_Kiwi_696 I would bet a lot that your friend is full of shit
    via u/Strong_Kiwi_696
  • OP Tragedyofthe I'm about to graduate and I feel a good bit of people I've been around have been a bit misleading about their salaries lol
    via u/Tragedyofthe
  • bobbybridges NASA is federal, they don't really pay above 180 and that's more manager or PhD, I doubt lockeed pays more than 200 for the vast majority of roles
    via u/bobbybridges
  • OP Tragedyofthe I figured that, and other than software or computer engineering roles, I haven't seen anything greater than 200k, even in the bay area
    via u/Tragedyofthe
  • bdp_jml Not realistic
    via u/bdp_jml
  • photoengineer Hahahaha. No. NASA is government on GS salary bands. You could look up his salary. They are no where near that level. I doubt the nasa administrator makes that much.
    via u/photoengineer
  • Fundus Amundus Full of shit, 100%. The highest paid position I've seen posted at NASA was $225,000. I saw one that required a PHD in physics and some other specialization, required publications, gave talks, essentially world renowned in your field (the verbiage implied this but I don't recall the exact posting), and it paid less than $200k.
    via u/FundusAmundus
  • -wayne-kerr Space pays shit, that's a well known fact in the aerospace industry. No way someone is getting 500k right out of college. This isn't law or medicine, the school you went to doesn't matter that much. Ivy League or not, I don't even see 200k happening right out of school.
    via u/-wayne-kerr
  • TheDuder19 600K or 60K?
    via u/TheDuder19
  • Purple Parking_4752 Lockheed I don't believe will pay more than 120k for entry level for anyone.
    via u/Purple_Parking_4752
  • A fighter jet sitting on top of an airport runway
    via Lincoln Holley

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Steve Allen_Inventor So are you going to confront your friend about lying? Please do and let us know how it went. Sounds entertaining.
    via u/Steve Allen_Inventor
  • OP Tragedyofthe I'll honestly just leave it be. I'll just tease him every now and then to humor me, but probably won't care enough to directly confront him about it
    via u/Tragedyofthe

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

salary nasa graduation job students friends lying outer space Ivy League money
Scroll Down For The Next Article