What salary can I expect once I graduate?

[tstark]

I have been in this industry for a while and a lot of people will try and RIP you off offering you barely minimum wage etc. But if you are confident in your portfolio you need to hold out for more. You are worth more and there are good companies who will pay you what you are worth if you are smart and willing to work. There are also a lot of companies who will try and get away with what they can. Try to stay away from small businesses and freelance work, it is never worth it.

for all you freelancers this will seem all to familiar YouTube - The Vendor Client relationship - in real world situations

[Flying JJ]

Certs. get you to the interview. Most resumes are screened by HR looking for certain things to go to the top of the list. Agreed though most couldn't figure out the diffrence between their a** and the hole in a DVD.
Degrees in the computer field are outdated by the time you graduate with the technology evolving so quickly.
Look for a good internship for experiance and play on that if you have a degree. Be willing to start at the bottom and prove yourself a little. Don't sell yourself short either if they are trying to low-ball you with a salary. Be aware that in this economy there are alot of highly skilled people looking for work so don't go for the moon either.

[Rootstonian]

And that is why you went to college my friend with the awesome OSU avatar And IT is still a hot field (I know, I'm in it and I live in OH; not the hot bed of technology, but I do like the avatar!).

Get what you can, prove to them you're worth it and be happy you made it through college. It's not easy and you've earned the right to your salary. ENJOY!

P.S. Work Sucks