30-40k coming out of school is about reasonable to expect

How much you make over time largely depends on what you do, where you live, who you work for.

Per the 2005 AIA Compensation Survey, national medians are as follows:

Entry-level intern: $34,000
Second-year intern: $35,900
Third-year intern: $39,700
Architect I: $41,600
Architect II: $50,000
Architect III: $58,000
Senior Architect: $68,900
Project Manager: $73,000
Department Head: $85,600

each of these positions are tied to a definition of responsibility and capability -- those definitions are too long to reproduce here.

average compensation (including bonues, profit sharing and other incentives) for a senior partner / principal varies quite a lot, based on firm size -- as follows:

<10 staff.........$119,400
10 to 19..........$163,300
20 to 49..........$205,100
50 to 99..........$233,400
100 to 249.......$229,400
250 or more.....$321,800

All of these numbers are about 3-years old now ... to bring them current (more or less) inflate by about 10% - this escalation is based on the % change in the CPI since the end of 2004, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

NOTE: there are huge regional variations in compensation -- these are national figures -- there also are significant variations depending on firm size.

Most importantly, what an individual makes is not governed by the surveys -- it's determined by what that individual can contribute and how that contribution converts into earnings potential for the firm.

Hope you find this summary useful.

By the way, the AIA is preparing to conduct a new survey in January -- I would expect the results of that survey to be released at the convention next May in Boston.

gyo, see this thread also. the forbidden thread