Remember when glorified cashier Ben Bernanke said that joining the military didn’t prepare service members for a lucrative career outside the service? Well, he was only half right.
Bernanke argued that joining the military straight out of high school would give military members no advantage in the job market. Attending a military academy, however, can actually help service members earn upwards of $75,000 a year.
Business Insider’s annual list of the 50 best colleges ranked by post-graduation starting salary placed the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the top three.
On average, students from West Point will earn a starting salary of $75,100 after graduation. At the Naval Academy, the number college in the country in terms of starting salary, students will earn an average $80,700.
Both of these prestigious institutions admit less than ten percent of applicants. If you are able to fulfill the academic and physical requirements to attend a military academy and tenacious enough to actually graduate, you’ve earned that $75k.