AITA for calling my friend’s salary expectations delusional?

A friend asked for job help, got an interview lined up, then rudely rejected the £22k offer and acted entitled toward the employer. When questioned, he confidently declared he was worth at least £35–40k starting because he has a finance degree. The person who helped couldn’t hold back and called his expectation “delusional.”

The argument escalated fast. The friend felt deeply insulted, and later his girlfriend texted blaming the helper for “not trying hard enough” and not recommending banking jobs. The whole situation leaves people wondering: is brutal honesty too harsh, or was this the wake-up call he desperately needed?

‘AITA for calling my friend’s salary expectations delusional?’

Then the company told me he rejected the offer – and was rude about it. I asked him what happened:

I couldn’t stay quiet. I laid out the reality of the UK graduate job market:

The core issue here is a massive gap between personal expectations and the actual graduate job market in the UK. This guy has a finance degree, zero work experience, no Russell Group university, and a 2:2 classification – all of which immediately disqualify him from most high-paying graduate schemes right from the start. A £22k offer is actually quite solid for a true entry-level role with no prior experience, especially outside of London and in the post-pandemic economy.

Some argue everyone should know their worth and never settle for “low” pay. But “knowing your worth” doesn’t mean demanding a salary that’s usually reserved for candidates with 3–5 years of experience, top-tier degrees, or internships at prestigious firms. Many recruiters automatically filter out 2:2s, and £30k+ starting salaries are mostly limited to Big 4 consultancies, investment banks, or hedge funds – places that receive thousands of applications and prioritize 2:1s or better, plus relevant connections and experience.

According to recent data from the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) and Glassdoor (2025 figures), average starting salaries for finance graduates in the UK range from roughly £27,000 to £38,000 – but the higher end is almost exclusively for London-based graduate programmes at elite firms and exceptional candidates. For non-Russell Group graduates with a 2:2, most genuine entry-level positions sit between £22k and £28k. Career experts at Prospects.ac.uk repeatedly stress: graduate recruitment is extremely competitive and places are few and far between. You have to start at the bottom, gain experience, and work your way up.

Practical advice? If he wants higher pay faster, he should focus on internships, professional certifications (like CFA Level 1), aggressive LinkedIn networking, or simply accept a £22k–£25k role to build 1–2 years of experience before jumping. The entitled attitude and rude rejection only damage his reputation – recruiters talk, and no one wants to risk their relationships with clients by recommending someone who burns bridges. Sometimes brutal honesty hurts, but it’s far kinder than letting someone chase an impossible dream for years.

Here’s the comments of Reddit users:

The internet overwhelmingly sided with the person who told the truth, seeing it as a necessary wake-up call:

This story highlights just how wide the gap can be between what new graduates expect and what the job market actually offers. Telling the harsh truth might sting, but the community largely agrees it’s kinder than letting someone stay lost in delusion.

What do you think? Is brutal honesty like this helpful or hurtful to friends? Should we let people learn the hard way, or give them the reality check early? Drop your own stories about salary expectations when you first graduated in the comments!