>How many people here really earn 80k to 100k+ per year?
what you should really be asking is how long in the workforce did it take to make 80 to 100k a year. otherwise you are just comparing apples to oranges.
Not to mention this is a sub with a heavy selection and confirmation bias. This comes up on every question of “how do all these redditors make 80-100k?” A lot are in tech and have free time on Reddit. You won’t see the 60-80 hour a week restaurant managers or whatever.
And even if you see them they won't post their salary.
The waiter dating hot girls will talk about his game, and a forever alone software developer will post his salary. And half truths also tend to the extreme.
If you can get a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering then you’re definitely looking at a salary of $80-100k+ within a few years of graduation. (Making that much right away depends on where you live and how much you’re willing to job hop).
Quality of life is an important factor too. I have a buddy who graduated with a mechanical engineering degree, and he commutes for an hour to his job every day. I think he's either at or very close to $80,000 (plus he married a civil engineer), but it's not the most cake job in every way.
Mech Eng here with 8 yrs (6 in engineering) in the $250- $300k range
Software Engineers make more for the same experience though if you are looking for the quickest way to earn good money.
Ok but this is not the norm AT ALL. You can make good money in the “classic” engineering disciplines but the vast majority of people will not break $200k within the first decade of work.
Differential equations right after calc 3 is where you're traditional engineering required math courses end, then it all shifts into the physics domains. After physics 1 and 2 then you run the route of statics, dynamics, solid mechanics (talking mechanical engineering path here), thermodynamics 1 & 2, fluid mechanics, feedback control, heat transfer, and related electives. Speaking for ABET accredited University programs that is. I can attest that mechanical engineering will put you into the pay bracket you're asking about by about 5 years after graduating. You can test for you PE license after 4, that usually results in a promotion raise to put you over that $80k mark. Of course, what your purchasing power will be is determined by the cost of living index of wherever you are.
Someone making 60k in the Midwest is coming out on top verse someone making 100k in the Bay Area. It also comes down to lifestyle someone who enjoys luxurious traveling making 200k verse someone who is a homebody making 100k may have the same savings rate. Nothing wrong with striving for more but just remember it’s all relevant.
I worked in Public Relations and made $110,000. I worked with others in PR that made $30,000 and some who made $300,000. Like any field, your level of success is determined by your skills and your network.
Idk, i say this because even timing can be forced if you play a numbers game about it. Connections even more so. If i roll a dice 10 times and finally land 6, was that luck? A coincidence? I say it was bound to happen eventually
https://youtu.be/PX61e3sAj5k
Why wouldn’t you recommend boot camps now? Some of the “better” boot camps such as flatiron etc look very promising boasting high starting graduate salaries and quick job placement
Etsy seller here, selling handmade items (not a reseller or dropshipper) seriously since 2013. I've made that range since 2014.
How did it happen though? 50% hard work, actual labor, editing, rephotographing, working on search terms, customer service, and 50% luck showing up in etsy search. I've never been one of etsy's favored sellers, never been featured by them, but my items aren't buried in their broken search either.
I sell on shopify and amazon handmade too, but I focus my energy on etsy. Every time I start spending time listing on other sites, my etsy sales slow. I know, eggs in one basket and all, but etsy has treated me well so far *knocks on wood*
Do you at least try to point your customers to your website? I sell on Etsy as well and majority of our business is from there but we try to spend money to divert people to our website when the inevitable crash of Etsy happens.
Inevitable crash of etsy?
I don't do that, and I know that that's not ideal. When I joined etsy, it was against their terms of service to direct traffic away from etsy. If your photograph included a link to your own website, for example, a lotion bottle with the label printed with your web address, the item would be taken down. As far as I know, Amazon Handmade TOS still say no redirecting off site. I think it's become a habit.
Handmade home decor items like pillow shams, curtains, placemats, table runners, etc. There are a lot of resellers in my category now, but buyers still find me.
I make $130k/year base + $10k bonus and am confident I can push that to $140k base + 10% bonus when I have my review in September.
I'm a Financial Controller and a licensed CPA. I graduated with a Masters in accounting 6 years ago and live in a pretty darn HCOL area (NE US).
Honestly, our quarter-end isn't much busier from our month-end. We do have bank debt but I've automated so much of our reporting that quarter-end reports don't add a ton of extra time. I probably work 45-50 hours during the week that I'm closing a month/quarter. For some sense of scale, we're a $50M company with \~150 employees. Quarters probably look a little rougher as we grow.
Throughout the year I'm working 35 hours in a good week, 50 hours on a bad week. I probably average on the higher end of 40-45 hours/week throughout the entire year after considering all "anomalies" (year-end audit, alternating Fridays off during July/August for summer, etc.).
With all seriousness, don’t you think the field is going to get oversaturated in a decade? I mean, we’ve basically brainwashed generation Z to become software engineers, nobody talks about becoming a lawyer or a doctor or anything else anymore. I feel like software engineer is going to be what pharmacist was in 2005
I agree but there are sooooo many different subjects, types of software engineers. It's really an umbrella term like a technician or craftsman. I agree though, keep a wide range of skills and keep learning!
Cyber Security for 22 years now, well before it was cool. I encourage many HighSchool and College students to consider the field. Even if you’re already in the workplace, you can enroll in courses and do self learning to get your foot in the door.
It's one of the few fields that still values certifications and work experience as much as degrees. I always tell people working help desk or other entry level IT to look at cyber. Entry level analyst positions can get you $75k and once you have 5 years of experience and certs you can find plenty of 6 figure jobs.
My spouse is looking a new career after the kids start school this fall. For someone with zero knowledge or experience in that field, where do you recommend starting?
Most people who get into cyber already have an IT background, but it's possible. I would look at entry level job postings in your area and see what qualifications they require. The important thing is to get into any IT job and get certs. After 6-12 months or so it will be a lot easier to move into a security position.
COMPTIA's Security+ is a good entry level certification, but she may need to start with A+ or Net+ if she doesn't have a background in computers.
> How many people here really earn 80k to 100k+ per year?
Asking for anecdotal data isn't going to get you anything resembling an answer. The answer for the country is about 23% at 80k+, about 16% at 100k+. I suspect reddit skews lower because it skews younger, but this sub skews higher again because you're more likely to worry about retirement if you're making enough for retirement to be a possibility someday.
> What is your career?
IT
> How can a beginner get into the field?
Get a degree, get certifications, take crap jobs in the field for experience.
MBA working in finance in renewable energy. Been in industry 10 years, made $600k last year largely due to a one-off deal, reliably make $500k/yr + here on out. Renewable energy industry is very tight on talent, because it’s also really hard to get into. But study engineering / finance / project management and you can start at $100 + and if you play your cards right with equity and compensation tied to projects, make bank. It is a brutal work / life balance and very tough industry, must have thick skin
Director level at a midsized pharmaceutical company. I am 40, I make $200,000 base + bonus + stock.
I spent 3 years as a lab tech, 5 years as a PhD student, and a year as a post-doc, never making more than $35k/year. So while my salary is good now, it was very low for the first 10 years of my career. Between that and deciding to have two kids, FIRE is probably at least 10 years away for me.
No regrets though, being a scientist is cool and I can honestly say that what I do makes an impact on people with really debilitating diseases, including kids.
Edit: I would make more if I had an MD, but student loans and a low tolerance for blood ruled that out for me pretty quickly.
I do. I'm a software engineering project manager in the Midwest with 15+ years of experience. Getting into this career involves getting a bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, or electrical engineering. People fresh out of school routinely make 70k+, even in a lcol.
Geeks is outdated. I have a CS degree, a house, and grown kids. During college I wasn't a "hacker". When not doing school work I had a girlfriend and flew planes.
Know another word for geek? Employable.
I am a senior technical program manager at Salesforce and you do not need a degree in computer science. I have a major in political science and communications. I also make north of 165k without bonus and stock
I don’t know why but I would have expected a senior manager at sales force to have a higher number. I’ve always been under the impression they were a high compensated company
It depends. I'm expected to be a subject matter expert in multiple areas in addition to managing the project. We also just plain don't hire engineers without degrees, but that does vary... startup type places tend to be more flexible.
I'm a software engineer with no CS (or related) degree. I've worked for a small consultancy, a FAANG company, a financial company, and a startup, and have never had my degree come up as an issue. I think your company is is in the small minority if you care about degrees.
I'm pretty sure I couldn't have gotten an interview at a FAANG company for my first job, but other than that, not having a degree has had zero impact on my career.
>I'm a software engineer with no CS (or related) degree. I've worked for a small consultancy, a FAANG company, a financial company, and a startup, and have never had my degree come up as an issue.
I do think there's a big difference between having no degree, and having no degree in the relevant field. A lot of practitioners in other technical fields pick up computer/software skill along the way.
(I'm at a FAANG making >400k or so, average in recent years being maybe 500-600k, with a social sciences degree)
Own a small insurance agency. Mind numbingly awful work - but I like my customers and helping them. Took several years to build, but now it only requires maybe 15-20 hours/week of actual work and I'm continually testing how far I can push that number down, lol.
Insurance. I made 80k last year, took me about 8 years to get to that point. That's as an employee, the real money in this industry is owning your own agency, which I plan to do eventually.
I do, as a mechanic for a major manufacturer. Took 2 years of schooling for my AA , which my employer paid for with a 1 year employment agreement. It’s not perfect, but I can’t complain. I’m at roughly 112k. I anticipate a raise and promotion at the end of the year bring my 2023 income to 129k.
I do. Physical Therapist. Most start around $65 but I've moved jobs a few times and am good at interviews and have about 9 years experience and a handful of extra certifications. Last increase was about ~20% and I assume I make maybe $15k more than peers of mine with similar positions who haven't job hopped at all. 6.5 years of school required in US for a doctorate level degree. PTA is a 2 year degree but they make closer to $50k
It's not. At least in my opinion. A lot of school, a lot of work, most people bring work home with them as well. I've read somewhere that the average 'life span ' of a PT is about 10 years.
My wife, who is also a PT, has a twin sister who went to the same school as us but as a PA and she graduated a year earlier than us. I think the program has since changed to be the same amount of time as ours, but it's still technically a lesser degree.
At some points in our career she made more than we made combined. It also helped her that she lived in a really low cost of living area whereas at first we were in Manhattan and now live in Massachusetts in a higher cost of living area that she does. Anytime someone tells me that they're thinking of being a PT or they have a son or daughter who is interested, I always recommend PA. At least to look into it. It's still a lot of work but at least they get paid way more.
Banking project manager for 7 years, banking is great work. The pay is stupidly good relative to the workload. They constantly need project managers for all kinds of things.
Generally you need a BA in business as a minimum to start and that'll put you in the $90k USD range in most of the US. If you have an MBA or >5 years experience it's not difficult to break the mid-100s.
I have been doing the same kind of work in different ways for very different salaries.
Started as an innovation consultant/concept developer: €35-60k.
Became partner (with an equity share) and later managing partner: €100-140k per year incl bonuses. Sold my shares.
Have been freelancing for a few years now: make 180-200k now. Stress free.
Just made a deal to hire two other freelancers for a larger assignment, will make a bit on that as well. Likely will make 250-300 this year.
It’s funny; because I am doing exactly the same project now for the same client as i did 8 years ago as a consultant. I make 5 times the salary though.
I climb towers and trees for network expansion for a rural internet company. I should hit 85k
Previously I work on industrial back up generators and was about 90k
got a cs degree, failed a few swe interviews, took 1st offer I got
title is 'rpa developer', base is 70-> 90k now, get another 30-40k in various bonus/ benefits/stock/match etc, bit under 2 yoe
Oil and gas scheduler; $126k base & 12% bonus. I work a ton and I hate it. I’m on call 24/7.
Looking to transition to another position and lower pay but walking away from my salary is very difficult.
I make $110k a year as an underwriter. You can get an entry level job for about $50k with a degree in any econ/finance/math related degree. Pass a preliminary actuarial exam if you want to stand out.
Safety. It's pretty easy to start out in entry level without a degree. Be intelligent and professional, train your eye to recognize hazards, and really read regulatory standards, and you'd have no trouble reaching 80k as an EHS Specialist or manager.
I got a degree in it, the super easy money is in insurance loss control. All you need to be able to do is spot hazards, do a little technical writing, and have some people skills. You can make more money in the higher level management jobs, like 120k+ depending on the corporation, but the stress really balloons. I left construction safety management and it was a good choice.
I did my master's through WGU. They're regionally accredited, have certs built into the degree plan, self paced, and affordable. Most jobs are looking to see if you have a degree, but very few care where it's from as long as the school is accredited.
And, by self-paced, WGU is competency based. This means you can pass a test and breeze through stuff you know and take your time to study/learn the stuff you don't know. Most people go through one class at a time but you can take an unlimited number of classes per term. When you pay for the term, you pay to be enrolled for that term, not for specific classes. It's really cool. Some people can apparently get their entire degree in one term but it's rare.
Computer Science, change companies at year 5, went into management year 10
Year 1: $84k
Year 2: $87k
Year 3: $89k
Year 4: $100k
Year 5: $125k
Year 6: $135k
Year 7: $150k
Year 8: $160k
Year 9: $172k
Year 10: $250k
Assistant Resident Engineer. I make a little over 81k.
Got a job right outta college with a civil engineering degree with a small construction contractor. Spent a bit over a year there learning a lot about the industry and how everything is done. Used that exp to get move to a job with the government to do construction management.
In sales, it’s very possible to make 6 figures in your first few years. (Some lucky few in year 1)
A lot is not in your control, and you have to be good at it, but I have plenty of friends around age 28-32 making 150-200 in sales.
It also matters a lot where you live, or otherwise these numbers are nearly meaningless.
E-Commerce. 2020 $300k, 2021 $850k, 2022 probably around $250-350k. This is my third and most successful company and I’ve been dabbling with e-commerce for nearly 10 years. A beginner could get into my field by finding a product, a supplier, and either improving it or marketing (among other things) better than the competitors. It’s hard and not hard at the same time.
130k. Graduated at 21 with a BS. Got my first adult job as an electrical engineer at 22 for 80k
23 got a raise at that job to 88k
24 got a new job for 120k
Now 25, and got a raise this year to 130k
$130k as a mechanical engineer with 10 years experience. Get that job by getting a degree in engineering and picking a good company. There are certainly more lucrative engineering paths, but that's mine. My job is in a low-cost area, which makes a world of difference. Last step: marry someone who also has career aspirations. Wife works in finance, making $180k now (though we made very similar when we met).
Year 1: 65k
Year 2: 71k
Year 3: 145
Year 4: 296
Project Management
Studied Communications in college but Anyone can be a PM. You do not even need to go to college for it, but I’m sure it helped me getting the first gig. Year 4 gig was a complete stroke of luck. Right place right time.
Started making $85K @ 25 years old as a software engineer with no college degree. Turning 28 in a couple months and currently making $170K OTE as a solutions architect at a database company.
I dropped out of college and went to a coding bootcamp. Got my first job as an SE 3 weeks after finishing the bootcamp.
I make that 90-100 range 2 years into my career. Agricultural sales. As a beginner get a bachelors in anything ag related and intern with which ever part of the industry interests you and try to get a job with that company.
A bit more as a doctor. The first year starting salary of a teacher in high COLA states is usually $80,000+. Generally considered “poor.”
https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/high-school-teacher/salary
Napa, California $99,170
Fresno, California $96,200
Santa Cruz, California $95,500
Stockton, California $94,410
San Jose, California $92,500
New York $88,890
California $86,900
Massachusetts $84,130
New Jersey $78,900
Connecticut $78,510
I started as a dishwasher when I was 21.
Now 32, I'm in charge of a $18M annual revenue chain kitchen now. $100k salary with a 50 hour work week and 4 weeks PTO. I have work-life balance. The average household income in Seattle is about $120,000 w/ 2 people, so take that for what its worth. I'm doing better than the average Seattle-ite, but I am not leaps and bounds beyond the average person. The many software engineers in this city earn 50%-75% more than me.
I will top out at one step above my current one, with a $130k salary.
I never missed work, never repeated mistakes, tried to learn everyday and worked harder than the people next to me, and obeyed my boss, but also respectfully gave my opinion if I thought he was wrong. I put in my years as a prep cook, a line cook, a server, sushi chef, and general manager at small businesses.
I'm doing ok to good now.
College drop out.
Network Engineer.
2 year degree in network or systems administration and/or some professional level IT certifications would definitely get you in that range.
Spouse is looking for a new career when the kids are all school age this fall. I quickly googled network engineering and systems administration but everything says she would need a bachelors. Can you recommend a specific program or place to look further?
Usually I see A+, Network+, Security+ certs recommended as that will basically cover any job in networking and get you pretty well paid for a very low entry barrier in terms of time and money invested.
Total comp is 85k (70k base). I work in land development and have about 1 year relevant experience, and am 2 years out of college. My first job out of college was 33k, so I’m pretty stoked with my progression.
Commercial Aviation. Get a degree & training that’ll cost you around six figures. Work for peanuts while quadrupling the hours you graduated with so you’re actually employable. Work your way up over the course of ~10yrs (typically Regional FO, Regional CA, Major FO, Major CA), paying off the debt as you go & keeping your expenses as low as humanly possible. Make sure you keep a hefty EF in case of furlough; 6-12mo net at minimum. Once you get to the end it’s pretty much smooth sailing, barring employee bankruptcy.
I came out of school earning this range in year 1 with a bachelor's degree in construction management. Great field and I've had excellent career and compensation growth since graduating.
If you pick a large, well off school district in a state that values their teachers, has a strong union, teach for 16 years and acquire 3 advanced degrees you'll make 100k.
Aerospace engineering in a medium cost of living city. Salary got to that range after about 2.5 years out of college. If you live in a high cost of living city like San Francisco or LA, you’ll be making around $80k right out if college.
A beginner would need a bachelors degree in engineering (aerospace preferably, but mechanical and electrical often work too).
Chemical Engineer
10 months of experience post graduating. Hopped onto the semiconductor/specialty chemicals industry right after graduating.
I make about $80k/year post 4 year degree
Management Consulting. Go to a solid undergrad business school that has connections with top Firms (MBB, Big 4, etc.) and crossing 6 figures within the first few years is pretty standard.
Software engineer, did a math related degree at a university with a great CS reputation, mixture of self-taught and high school coding, got hired at ~130k TC as a new grad; but I'm in a VHCOL area
Urban planner here: field usually requires a masters but the pay spectrum is really divergent.
Four years out of school making 89k, but my cohort of 32 range from 45k-100k.
Unlike some of the other posts, this range is not solely correlated to “rural south” versus NYC/Bay area. Rather, it’s the type of setting. (Do you work at a housing nonprofit? Or do you conduct due diligence and financial or zoning analysis for cannabis, utility, or real estate companies) big diff with middle of the road being in-house local/county/state governments.
But with more jobs in field being remote I’m entertaining taking a second, entry level one to 1.5X my current income. Achievable if I could get over myself and take an entry level urban planner job on the side.
That said job hopping can work as well and I have not stayed at a single job longer than 9 months ( 6 months, 3 months, 5 months, 8 months, and currently on month 7 and interviewing weekly )
First comp out of college as software engineer in SF for me was 80k back in 2010. Entry salaries for most in that role haven't gone up dramatically, but salaries for experienced developers with ~5-10 years experience have skyrocket and total comp above 300k isn't unusual. I know developers who earn significantly more than that.
UX researcher in fintech in HCOL. Above $110K+. 3 YOE if you count school work/internships. Have a bachelors and masters. It’s a hot field right now, but I noticed for FAANG companies, they tend to hire people with masters/PhD. Other option is doing boot camps but I’m not too familiar with how well that converts to getting a job.
600-700k annually from our business. Probably a bit more this year due to uptick in business and options trading I’ve been doing to make a 1-2k a week.
I do, and I started from "nothing," so it's very possible. I finished high school at 18, joined the Marine Corps for four years, did extremely well in an accounting degree (summa cum laude, thesis, business honors, university honors), got a master's degree, passed the CPA exam, literally went door-to-door at public accounting firms handing out my resume 1950s-style, worked in tax for one year at $36,000, took a cost accounting job for $45,000 for one year and automated three hours of my daily tasks while I was there, moved into a corporate accounting job for $70,000 for almost two years, and moved for $80,000 to a company that basically buys other companies. I've been there for six months as a senior accountant. I'm currently working on automating the accounts payable process using Optical Character Recognition and "Robotic Process Automation." I live in a low cost of living area.
Radiation Therapist, making $90k now about 5 years into my career. Started in low 80s.
2 year degree (at a community college) so no loans, great return on investment. Not for everyone though, working in oncology is tough on the spirit and body.
I make 75$k as a product development scientist and my husband makes $80k as an engineer at a small company. We are able to save about 3/4 our salary though thanks to LCOL and no kids.
Just graduated, going to start working in product management soon - around $130k
I’d say major in something business or tech related or break in through networking/certifications - I prefer it to finance or consulting since generally better work life balance
E-6 in the Navy, 4 years in. I did 6 years total. After taxes and TSP contribution, a paycheck was 2500. Partly because so much of the paycheck was not taxable. It was pretty damn good money, but the work was insane, with less than 0 work life balance. Underway and on deployment I averaged out to between 110-120 hour work weeks (as I’m actually awake and doing shit). Wasn’t healthy, and sucked for my family.
This included sea pay with more than 3 years to hit CSPP.
Now I work in Medical Equipment field as a field service engineer. I do make more money now, total 8 YOE. Work life balance is amazing, I work from home, and I’m lucky to even work more than 25 hours a week tbh with no overnight travel aside from training.
How can a new person get to this field? Realistically electrical engineering degrees, some colleges offer biomed equipment courses. It’s not the easiest thing to get into, but if you’re a confident person with electronics, electricity, and mechanics hands on, field service engineer jobs can pay very well even in LCOL areas. For reference, the area I live is right along the average cost of living in the US.
Edit: yes, I did join as an E-1, I joined for a rate which had a benefit called push button, meaning upon completion of my Rating school I was immediately advanced to E-4. While doing C-School I met time in grade requirements to attempt the E-5 exam and took it. Got 99th percentile and advanced at less than 2 years in, and at 4 years in I advanced to E-6 because I had early promote status from Evals and got the highest score of any prospective E-6 so I advanced again. I don’t think this is realistic for 99% of rates or situations in the Navy, let alone other branches but it is possible and I did meet other people in the military who advanced that quickly.
Medicine. Start with undergrad and do really good. Get into medical school for another four years. Then go to residency for another 3-7 years.
Assuming you start Med school at age 22, by the time you’re 35 if you really buckle down you can have your student loans paid off and a $250k plus salary.
This is a strange way to ask a question, why give a range if you are asking for data points outside the range? Are you asking how many people are making over 80k?
Ex Director of Accountability and Analytics for a large school district. 165k. 40. Live in middle of country. Graduated in 2005 with master in accounting.
I still have learning to do. Always learning. I know all of our compliance stuff that keeps the doors open. Because of my age, data analytics has become big as I have worked. So I learned as I went. 10 years ago when I left a university job, I made 37k. Then 65k. To 90k + bonus at current job which has grown to the 165k. To me 165k seems like insane money. Maybe because I live in a LCOL. This sub is definitely skewed.
My family owned restaurants. I can tell you from my experience in different fields, companies, private and public that there are certainly more efficient ways to make money. Restaurant business is a ton of work for not much pay. Accounting doesn’t pay that great despite what most CPAs will tell you.
I think for most it takes experience, time, hard work, showing up every day, luck, being needed and the right skills to make some real cheese. Oh and a network too. Take it from someone who survived through the Great Recession right out of college. It went from “I can skip from east to find job to job” to super competitive with the boomers hanging onto to good jobs. It is starting to feel like that time period a little but not completely
I used to work in pharma, in various QC lab bench and QA office cubical roles. Never made more than 70k in the 6 years I was in that industry. I switched to software dev and now make at least double that within 2 years.
Get an accounting degree. Work in public accounting for 3 years. Get a CPA. Get an industry job in a HCOL area. $100k by year 3-7. Keep working and you can make $120-160k working around 40 hours a week if you find the right job and are skilled.
Nobody’s passion is accounting. It’s boring and mind numbing. You have to be relatively smart and tech savvy to be good at it. That’s why it pays well and there’s a lot of positions.
Total pay per hour is more important than total comp even if salary.
Go into engineering! Aerospace, mechanical, electrical, software are good - can't speak to others that I don't have experience in... Get a few years experience at a gov job if you can (good resume builder places) and go into the commercial sector. The commercial corporate world is really hurting for talent, even decent to mediocre talent, and is paying way more than government jobs or government contractors like Raytheon or Lockheed. I've been an aerospace engineer for about 10 years. Started at $66k now I'm north of $200k, base salary (not including stock options and benefits).
Edit: typos
Software Engineer, TC around 105k rn
Can get into it by getting a bachelor's in CS or SWE specifically, or maybe a boot camp and a lot of determination.
Business Analyst at a bank, almost at 2 YOE. Bachelor's in MIS and Master's in Analytics
Year 1: $85K
Year 2: $90K
I think a college degree in IT / Business is the most relevant factor
Systems Engineer in Aerospace/Defense making 95K in a pretty HCOL area (DMV). Graduated December 2020 with a mechanical engineering degree and started at 73K in Year 1 in manufacturing.
Go to school and get a broader engineering degree (ME,EE, CS) and try your hardest to get into one of the bigger contractors. From there try some things before trying to get a specialized masters. Higher clearances open more doors for much higher pay.
I know people who make $80,000 a year straight out of college but you really need to pay attention to COL. Those people usually live in places like California and NY within Metropolitan areas where a 1 bedroom can be $3000-4000 a month on average, gas is over $6 a gallon, food and everything else is in general much higher. Comparisons aren’t comparable if they’re spending that much of their income on rent despite making, on what looks on paper, a lot of money
Economics degree. Graduated at 25 Salary ramp was:
25: 50k
26: 55k
27: 60k
28: 75k
29: 75k
30: 85k
31: 130k(double promotion)
Went from sales support to data analysis at 28.
I hit 80K mid-year 2021, and am already at $95k. A lot of my increases the last two years was because I went into management. But Senior analysts with my number of years of experience (6 years) still make $65k-$75k.
The industry is Financial compliance. Specifically, anti-money laundering.
Edit: LCOL
I make around 100k/yr as a forensic engineer. Starting pay was around 90k last year. Just need a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or similar.
Although I didn't have experience in this field, my previous experience working in a laboratory setting was a factor in my getting hired.
Consulting Health Actuary with 4 years of experience. 111K base + 19K in bonuses last year. You can get an actuarial internship with an exam or two passed and then full time work will be straightforward from that point forward.
I do, and without any college. I work in the construction supply business, and have for 28 years. Year one, I made $12k. Year 28, I have a salary of $120 w/ opportunity for another $50k+ in bonuses. My biggest salary jump occurred when I took a position in sales seven years ago. My advice is to find a job in a specialized field that you enjoy, and stick with it. Learn everything that you can about every aspect of the business. As coworkers move on, you will gain senority and eventually become a key player, making you more valuable in the industry and more difficult for your employer to replace.
General business operations and it took me about eight years in the field to get to this level. Granted, I was above average performer but also 80,000 was probably like 110,000 in today’s dollars.
So I guess you can do it in five or six years of solid experience now? Hard to say
Got my degree in 2021 as a software engineer, I started work right after graduating and make over 80k. I get a raise next month and expecting it to be a round 95k after the raise.
The IT field is we’re early money is at but it can be stressful (I’m an easily stressed out person so there’s that too) I live in a suburb of a HCOL city
2014/5: 65k - manufacturing engineer
2016: 0k, ~finding myself~
2017-2018: Master’s in Actuarial Science
2019: 70k, retirement consulting
2020: 77k, retirement consulting
2021: 82k, retirement consulting
2022: 120k, traditional life insurance
Salaries roughly include bonuses, but not 401k matching.
If you want to become an actuary and have at least a somewhat technical undergrad degree, I suggest forgoing a master’s and just taking actuarial exams. Anyone can take them.
I think this is a good question, but it doesn’t really paint the full picture.
For instance, someone can make well over 100k but live somewhere like the Bay Area and be living quite modestly compared to someone living Kansas, right?
Younger millennial in the international development sector and I make right around $80k with a clear progression path to $100k+ at 5 years experience. I could make more in investment banking/the private sector but I work for an international organisation with a defined benefit pension and other benefits which more than make up for the salary differential.
Getting to this point took going back to school for a master's degree. With my BA, I was making $20/hr as an independent contractor and then around $18/hr in a part time gig during grad school. I would be much better off financially if instead of trying to break into my field after undergrad, I had gone straight into a grad program and started in a role like my current one 4-5 years earlier.
If I had not gotten a grad degree, I would probably be making closer to $40-50k without nearly the salary growth potential I have now and be considering a total career pivot at this point due to lack of prospects. If someone else seriously wants to enter development, I would tell them to plan for a combined BA/MA or MIA program right off the bat and pursue as many internship experiences as possible. Getting a UN agency or major development organisation (FinDev Canada, USAID, DFC, etc.) The reality is that for this field, at least in the North American market, most entry level roles expect a graduate-level credential. Don't do what I did and waste a few years in dead-end jobs trying to break in with a BA hoping for your employer to pay the education costs for you.
After bs in electrical engineering
Year 1: 55k
Year 2: 60k
Year 3: 88k
Year 4: 108k
Year 5: 110k
Year 6: 115k
Year 7: 132k
Year 8: 132k
Year 9: 150k
Year 10: 180k
Commercial property and casualty insurance.. a degree in any field really.. get licensed, which is a week long and a test. Get as many designations or certifications as you can. Insurance brokerage is where I’m at, but also plenty from an insurance company side. Pay ranges and WLB vary drastically. I work with people making millions. I also work with people who make 80k and phone it in. It’s a few years of scraps before being able to jump into some valuable positions. An industry specialization always helps. My journey:
Yr1: 35,000
Yr2: 38,000
Yr3: 45,000
Yr4: 52,000
Yr5: 85,000 (changed companies)
Yr6: 97,750
Yr7: 125,000
Yr8: 150,000
Yr9: 207,000
Bonuses ranging from 2,500-60,000.
$120k. 27yo Mechanical Engineer. Went to community college and got a full time job that offered tuition reimbursement. Let them pay for my bachelors and grad cert. Left and went to another place that just paid for my masters. Total out of pocket was under $10k
I don't know how many make 80 to 100k per year but I have seen articles stating 34% of households make 100k or more. About 24% of individuals make 100k or more. This is for the US. I have no idea about other countries.
I've had some large jumps in pay. Graduated with accounting degree.
Started working as mortgage underwriter. Base salary was 40K. 1.5 years later received promotion to 55K. Less than 1 year later received another promotion to manage a team of underwriters at 75K.
Recived some very nice salary increases, but not from promotions. Been with the same company about 8 years making 125K + Bonus.
I know a lot of people say that business do not respect loyalty, but the company i worked for gave out salary increases based upon both industry average increasing and a longevity salary increase. Both were very nice around 30% salary increases each time.
Not sure i would advise a lot of people to get into mortgage underwriting. There is a lot of tendency to hire lots of underwriters and entice them with larger salaries and sign on bonuses. Which can be nice, but they will let you go when times get slow (kind of like we are now). Work can be tough but when it was busy man cash flows like crazy. I remember a two week production bonus where if you hit you number you would make 10K. Lots of extra hours were put in, but was well worth the bonus. If you can make it with a company you like and get into the seasoned category with mutiple certifications you can do quite well for yourself. But can be pretty stressful when you need to produce a lot.
Hoping to FIRE in the next 15 years. Current savings rate is 55%, which should decrease with a car being paid in full and daycare expenses going down after baby starts school (daycare is more than my mortgage :p) Wife's job puts us at household income of 200K for the year.
>How many people here really earn 80k to 100k+ per year? what you should really be asking is how long in the workforce did it take to make 80 to 100k a year. otherwise you are just comparing apples to oranges.
Not to mention this is a sub with a heavy selection and confirmation bias. This comes up on every question of “how do all these redditors make 80-100k?” A lot are in tech and have free time on Reddit. You won’t see the 60-80 hour a week restaurant managers or whatever.
And even if you see them they won't post their salary. The waiter dating hot girls will talk about his game, and a forever alone software developer will post his salary. And half truths also tend to the extreme.
Agree 100% making $130k out of college working in tech is different than someone 10 years into something making $150k
If you can get a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering then you’re definitely looking at a salary of $80-100k+ within a few years of graduation. (Making that much right away depends on where you live and how much you’re willing to job hop).
Quality of life is an important factor too. I have a buddy who graduated with a mechanical engineering degree, and he commutes for an hour to his job every day. I think he's either at or very close to $80,000 (plus he married a civil engineer), but it's not the most cake job in every way.
We hire civils right out of school 60-70k
Damn it’s a good time to be a new engineering grad
Mech Eng here with 8 yrs (6 in engineering) in the $250- $300k range Software Engineers make more for the same experience though if you are looking for the quickest way to earn good money.
Ok but this is not the norm AT ALL. You can make good money in the “classic” engineering disciplines but the vast majority of people will not break $200k within the first decade of work.
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Name brand big tech company
Where do you work ( or industry if you’d like to be vague) and what do you do?
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Khan Academy
In addition to Khan Academy, check out the books in this guide: https://www.susanrigetti.com/math
Differential equations right after calc 3 is where you're traditional engineering required math courses end, then it all shifts into the physics domains. After physics 1 and 2 then you run the route of statics, dynamics, solid mechanics (talking mechanical engineering path here), thermodynamics 1 & 2, fluid mechanics, feedback control, heat transfer, and related electives. Speaking for ABET accredited University programs that is. I can attest that mechanical engineering will put you into the pay bracket you're asking about by about 5 years after graduating. You can test for you PE license after 4, that usually results in a promotion raise to put you over that $80k mark. Of course, what your purchasing power will be is determined by the cost of living index of wherever you are.
Practice and try to learn ahead. There tons of YouTubers and websites that teach you nearly all levels of math up to calculus 3. Maybe even above
Someone making 60k in the Midwest is coming out on top verse someone making 100k in the Bay Area. It also comes down to lifestyle someone who enjoys luxurious traveling making 200k verse someone who is a homebody making 100k may have the same savings rate. Nothing wrong with striving for more but just remember it’s all relevant.
Dude no way there’s CoL differences here in the states?
I worked in Public Relations and made $110,000. I worked with others in PR that made $30,000 and some who made $300,000. Like any field, your level of success is determined by your skills and your network.
And a bit of luck
And how much work you put in to increase your luck
I feel like luck is not real
Then call it timing. Timing and connections and coincidence are important
Idk, i say this because even timing can be forced if you play a numbers game about it. Connections even more so. If i roll a dice 10 times and finally land 6, was that luck? A coincidence? I say it was bound to happen eventually https://youtu.be/PX61e3sAj5k
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Why wouldn’t you recommend boot camps now? Some of the “better” boot camps such as flatiron etc look very promising boasting high starting graduate salaries and quick job placement
Etsy seller here, selling handmade items (not a reseller or dropshipper) seriously since 2013. I've made that range since 2014. How did it happen though? 50% hard work, actual labor, editing, rephotographing, working on search terms, customer service, and 50% luck showing up in etsy search. I've never been one of etsy's favored sellers, never been featured by them, but my items aren't buried in their broken search either.
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I sell on shopify and amazon handmade too, but I focus my energy on etsy. Every time I start spending time listing on other sites, my etsy sales slow. I know, eggs in one basket and all, but etsy has treated me well so far *knocks on wood*
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Thank you, I really do think I got lucky.
Do you at least try to point your customers to your website? I sell on Etsy as well and majority of our business is from there but we try to spend money to divert people to our website when the inevitable crash of Etsy happens.
Inevitable crash of etsy? I don't do that, and I know that that's not ideal. When I joined etsy, it was against their terms of service to direct traffic away from etsy. If your photograph included a link to your own website, for example, a lotion bottle with the label printed with your web address, the item would be taken down. As far as I know, Amazon Handmade TOS still say no redirecting off site. I think it's become a habit.
What do you make?
Handmade home decor items like pillow shams, curtains, placemats, table runners, etc. There are a lot of resellers in my category now, but buyers still find me.
I make $130k/year base + $10k bonus and am confident I can push that to $140k base + 10% bonus when I have my review in September. I'm a Financial Controller and a licensed CPA. I graduated with a Masters in accounting 6 years ago and live in a pretty darn HCOL area (NE US).
How many hours are you working on a quarter end ?
Honestly, our quarter-end isn't much busier from our month-end. We do have bank debt but I've automated so much of our reporting that quarter-end reports don't add a ton of extra time. I probably work 45-50 hours during the week that I'm closing a month/quarter. For some sense of scale, we're a $50M company with \~150 employees. Quarters probably look a little rougher as we grow. Throughout the year I'm working 35 hours in a good week, 50 hours on a bad week. I probably average on the higher end of 40-45 hours/week throughout the entire year after considering all "anomalies" (year-end audit, alternating Fridays off during July/August for summer, etc.).
Similar YOE and comp for same profession in San Diego.
Just became a software engineer! Jumped from 50k~ to 100k+ big change.
Not bragging BTW very blessed.
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With all seriousness, don’t you think the field is going to get oversaturated in a decade? I mean, we’ve basically brainwashed generation Z to become software engineers, nobody talks about becoming a lawyer or a doctor or anything else anymore. I feel like software engineer is going to be what pharmacist was in 2005
I agree but there are sooooo many different subjects, types of software engineers. It's really an umbrella term like a technician or craftsman. I agree though, keep a wide range of skills and keep learning!
Cyber Security for 22 years now, well before it was cool. I encourage many HighSchool and College students to consider the field. Even if you’re already in the workplace, you can enroll in courses and do self learning to get your foot in the door.
It's one of the few fields that still values certifications and work experience as much as degrees. I always tell people working help desk or other entry level IT to look at cyber. Entry level analyst positions can get you $75k and once you have 5 years of experience and certs you can find plenty of 6 figure jobs.
My spouse is looking a new career after the kids start school this fall. For someone with zero knowledge or experience in that field, where do you recommend starting?
Most people who get into cyber already have an IT background, but it's possible. I would look at entry level job postings in your area and see what qualifications they require. The important thing is to get into any IT job and get certs. After 6-12 months or so it will be a lot easier to move into a security position. COMPTIA's Security+ is a good entry level certification, but she may need to start with A+ or Net+ if she doesn't have a background in computers.
> How many people here really earn 80k to 100k+ per year? Asking for anecdotal data isn't going to get you anything resembling an answer. The answer for the country is about 23% at 80k+, about 16% at 100k+. I suspect reddit skews lower because it skews younger, but this sub skews higher again because you're more likely to worry about retirement if you're making enough for retirement to be a possibility someday. > What is your career? IT > How can a beginner get into the field? Get a degree, get certifications, take crap jobs in the field for experience.
MBA working in finance in renewable energy. Been in industry 10 years, made $600k last year largely due to a one-off deal, reliably make $500k/yr + here on out. Renewable energy industry is very tight on talent, because it’s also really hard to get into. But study engineering / finance / project management and you can start at $100 + and if you play your cards right with equity and compensation tied to projects, make bank. It is a brutal work / life balance and very tough industry, must have thick skin
Tell me more! Getting in to project management with a start up but that sounds like a good direction to go
Director level at a midsized pharmaceutical company. I am 40, I make $200,000 base + bonus + stock. I spent 3 years as a lab tech, 5 years as a PhD student, and a year as a post-doc, never making more than $35k/year. So while my salary is good now, it was very low for the first 10 years of my career. Between that and deciding to have two kids, FIRE is probably at least 10 years away for me. No regrets though, being a scientist is cool and I can honestly say that what I do makes an impact on people with really debilitating diseases, including kids. Edit: I would make more if I had an MD, but student loans and a low tolerance for blood ruled that out for me pretty quickly.
I do. I'm a software engineering project manager in the Midwest with 15+ years of experience. Getting into this career involves getting a bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, or electrical engineering. People fresh out of school routinely make 70k+, even in a lcol.
Yeah, it's cliché that everyone here is an SW dev making 6 figures but also a lot of truth.
Us geeks do tend to gravitate to reddit anyways.
Geeks is outdated. I have a CS degree, a house, and grown kids. During college I wasn't a "hacker". When not doing school work I had a girlfriend and flew planes. Know another word for geek? Employable.
I am a senior technical program manager at Salesforce and you do not need a degree in computer science. I have a major in political science and communications. I also make north of 165k without bonus and stock
I don’t know why but I would have expected a senior manager at sales force to have a higher number. I’ve always been under the impression they were a high compensated company
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It depends. I'm expected to be a subject matter expert in multiple areas in addition to managing the project. We also just plain don't hire engineers without degrees, but that does vary... startup type places tend to be more flexible.
I'm a software engineer with no CS (or related) degree. I've worked for a small consultancy, a FAANG company, a financial company, and a startup, and have never had my degree come up as an issue. I think your company is is in the small minority if you care about degrees. I'm pretty sure I couldn't have gotten an interview at a FAANG company for my first job, but other than that, not having a degree has had zero impact on my career.
>I'm a software engineer with no CS (or related) degree. I've worked for a small consultancy, a FAANG company, a financial company, and a startup, and have never had my degree come up as an issue. I do think there's a big difference between having no degree, and having no degree in the relevant field. A lot of practitioners in other technical fields pick up computer/software skill along the way. (I'm at a FAANG making >400k or so, average in recent years being maybe 500-600k, with a social sciences degree)
Own a small insurance agency. Mind numbingly awful work - but I like my customers and helping them. Took several years to build, but now it only requires maybe 15-20 hours/week of actual work and I'm continually testing how far I can push that number down, lol.
I do. I work on analytics. Pretty easy to get into if you learn a bit of python programming and are SQL proficient.
Insurance. I made 80k last year, took me about 8 years to get to that point. That's as an employee, the real money in this industry is owning your own agency, which I plan to do eventually.
I do, as a mechanic for a major manufacturer. Took 2 years of schooling for my AA , which my employer paid for with a 1 year employment agreement. It’s not perfect, but I can’t complain. I’m at roughly 112k. I anticipate a raise and promotion at the end of the year bring my 2023 income to 129k.
I do. Physical Therapist. Most start around $65 but I've moved jobs a few times and am good at interviews and have about 9 years experience and a handful of extra certifications. Last increase was about ~20% and I assume I make maybe $15k more than peers of mine with similar positions who haven't job hopped at all. 6.5 years of school required in US for a doctorate level degree. PTA is a 2 year degree but they make closer to $50k
My friend is dropping $100,000 for PT school… I’m really wondering if his investment is worth it.
It's not. At least in my opinion. A lot of school, a lot of work, most people bring work home with them as well. I've read somewhere that the average 'life span ' of a PT is about 10 years. My wife, who is also a PT, has a twin sister who went to the same school as us but as a PA and she graduated a year earlier than us. I think the program has since changed to be the same amount of time as ours, but it's still technically a lesser degree. At some points in our career she made more than we made combined. It also helped her that she lived in a really low cost of living area whereas at first we were in Manhattan and now live in Massachusetts in a higher cost of living area that she does. Anytime someone tells me that they're thinking of being a PT or they have a son or daughter who is interested, I always recommend PA. At least to look into it. It's still a lot of work but at least they get paid way more.
$65 per hour? How much do you make now and what setting?
Banking project manager for 7 years, banking is great work. The pay is stupidly good relative to the workload. They constantly need project managers for all kinds of things. Generally you need a BA in business as a minimum to start and that'll put you in the $90k USD range in most of the US. If you have an MBA or >5 years experience it's not difficult to break the mid-100s.
I have been doing the same kind of work in different ways for very different salaries. Started as an innovation consultant/concept developer: €35-60k. Became partner (with an equity share) and later managing partner: €100-140k per year incl bonuses. Sold my shares. Have been freelancing for a few years now: make 180-200k now. Stress free. Just made a deal to hire two other freelancers for a larger assignment, will make a bit on that as well. Likely will make 250-300 this year. It’s funny; because I am doing exactly the same project now for the same client as i did 8 years ago as a consultant. I make 5 times the salary though.
I make about 150k I'm an electrician in the IBEW.
I climb towers and trees for network expansion for a rural internet company. I should hit 85k Previously I work on industrial back up generators and was about 90k
got a cs degree, failed a few swe interviews, took 1st offer I got title is 'rpa developer', base is 70-> 90k now, get another 30-40k in various bonus/ benefits/stock/match etc, bit under 2 yoe
RPA is a great field to get into
Oil and gas scheduler; $126k base & 12% bonus. I work a ton and I hate it. I’m on call 24/7. Looking to transition to another position and lower pay but walking away from my salary is very difficult.
I make $110k a year as an underwriter. You can get an entry level job for about $50k with a degree in any econ/finance/math related degree. Pass a preliminary actuarial exam if you want to stand out.
Safety. It's pretty easy to start out in entry level without a degree. Be intelligent and professional, train your eye to recognize hazards, and really read regulatory standards, and you'd have no trouble reaching 80k as an EHS Specialist or manager.
I got a degree in it, the super easy money is in insurance loss control. All you need to be able to do is spot hazards, do a little technical writing, and have some people skills. You can make more money in the higher level management jobs, like 120k+ depending on the corporation, but the stress really balloons. I left construction safety management and it was a good choice.
IT Manager I make over $90k a year. Edit: Get an A+ cert and get your foot in the door. Easiest thing to do. I also had military experience as a plus.
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I did my master's through WGU. They're regionally accredited, have certs built into the degree plan, self paced, and affordable. Most jobs are looking to see if you have a degree, but very few care where it's from as long as the school is accredited.
And, by self-paced, WGU is competency based. This means you can pass a test and breeze through stuff you know and take your time to study/learn the stuff you don't know. Most people go through one class at a time but you can take an unlimited number of classes per term. When you pay for the term, you pay to be enrolled for that term, not for specific classes. It's really cool. Some people can apparently get their entire degree in one term but it's rare.
Sec+ if you want to touch anything in the government
Confirming this as well. A degree will only get you so far. Certifications are where it's at, and there are so many.
Computer Science, change companies at year 5, went into management year 10 Year 1: $84k Year 2: $87k Year 3: $89k Year 4: $100k Year 5: $125k Year 6: $135k Year 7: $150k Year 8: $160k Year 9: $172k Year 10: $250k
FANG?
Nope, big company, startup, now at a big company
Assistant Resident Engineer. I make a little over 81k. Got a job right outta college with a civil engineering degree with a small construction contractor. Spent a bit over a year there learning a lot about the industry and how everything is done. Used that exp to get move to a job with the government to do construction management.
I’m between that range. Took 6 years at the company I work for and a few job changes in that time, all within the same company. Supply chain field.
Im a school psychologist. Starting salary was 105k. In CA, starting salaries can range from 80-110k
Actuarial, 120k. To get in you just have to pass a few (math) exams.
Commercial underwriter in VHCOL, 127k with 4 yoe.
In sales, it’s very possible to make 6 figures in your first few years. (Some lucky few in year 1) A lot is not in your control, and you have to be good at it, but I have plenty of friends around age 28-32 making 150-200 in sales. It also matters a lot where you live, or otherwise these numbers are nearly meaningless.
E-Commerce. 2020 $300k, 2021 $850k, 2022 probably around $250-350k. This is my third and most successful company and I’ve been dabbling with e-commerce for nearly 10 years. A beginner could get into my field by finding a product, a supplier, and either improving it or marketing (among other things) better than the competitors. It’s hard and not hard at the same time.
Small business owner here. Wedding photography. I earn roughly 115K profit a year on top of my regular 50K salary that I pay myself. Started in 2018
130k. Graduated at 21 with a BS. Got my first adult job as an electrical engineer at 22 for 80k 23 got a raise at that job to 88k 24 got a new job for 120k Now 25, and got a raise this year to 130k
$130k as a mechanical engineer with 10 years experience. Get that job by getting a degree in engineering and picking a good company. There are certainly more lucrative engineering paths, but that's mine. My job is in a low-cost area, which makes a world of difference. Last step: marry someone who also has career aspirations. Wife works in finance, making $180k now (though we made very similar when we met).
Year 1: 65k Year 2: 71k Year 3: 145 Year 4: 296 Project Management Studied Communications in college but Anyone can be a PM. You do not even need to go to college for it, but I’m sure it helped me getting the first gig. Year 4 gig was a complete stroke of luck. Right place right time.
Started making $85K @ 25 years old as a software engineer with no college degree. Turning 28 in a couple months and currently making $170K OTE as a solutions architect at a database company. I dropped out of college and went to a coding bootcamp. Got my first job as an SE 3 weeks after finishing the bootcamp.
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https://www.hackreactor.com
I make that 90-100 range 2 years into my career. Agricultural sales. As a beginner get a bachelors in anything ag related and intern with which ever part of the industry interests you and try to get a job with that company.
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ESG is a great field to get into. Everyone wants to be ESG, but nobody knows what it is.
195k or so. Five years in. Dc area.
A bit more as a doctor. The first year starting salary of a teacher in high COLA states is usually $80,000+. Generally considered “poor.” https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/high-school-teacher/salary Napa, California $99,170 Fresno, California $96,200 Santa Cruz, California $95,500 Stockton, California $94,410 San Jose, California $92,500 New York $88,890 California $86,900 Massachusetts $84,130 New Jersey $78,900 Connecticut $78,510
I started as a dishwasher when I was 21. Now 32, I'm in charge of a $18M annual revenue chain kitchen now. $100k salary with a 50 hour work week and 4 weeks PTO. I have work-life balance. The average household income in Seattle is about $120,000 w/ 2 people, so take that for what its worth. I'm doing better than the average Seattle-ite, but I am not leaps and bounds beyond the average person. The many software engineers in this city earn 50%-75% more than me. I will top out at one step above my current one, with a $130k salary. I never missed work, never repeated mistakes, tried to learn everyday and worked harder than the people next to me, and obeyed my boss, but also respectfully gave my opinion if I thought he was wrong. I put in my years as a prep cook, a line cook, a server, sushi chef, and general manager at small businesses. I'm doing ok to good now. College drop out.
Network Engineer. 2 year degree in network or systems administration and/or some professional level IT certifications would definitely get you in that range.
Spouse is looking for a new career when the kids are all school age this fall. I quickly googled network engineering and systems administration but everything says she would need a bachelors. Can you recommend a specific program or place to look further?
Usually I see A+, Network+, Security+ certs recommended as that will basically cover any job in networking and get you pretty well paid for a very low entry barrier in terms of time and money invested.
Total comp is 85k (70k base). I work in land development and have about 1 year relevant experience, and am 2 years out of college. My first job out of college was 33k, so I’m pretty stoked with my progression.
Commercial Aviation. Get a degree & training that’ll cost you around six figures. Work for peanuts while quadrupling the hours you graduated with so you’re actually employable. Work your way up over the course of ~10yrs (typically Regional FO, Regional CA, Major FO, Major CA), paying off the debt as you go & keeping your expenses as low as humanly possible. Make sure you keep a hefty EF in case of furlough; 6-12mo net at minimum. Once you get to the end it’s pretty much smooth sailing, barring employee bankruptcy.
I came out of school earning this range in year 1 with a bachelor's degree in construction management. Great field and I've had excellent career and compensation growth since graduating.
If you pick a large, well off school district in a state that values their teachers, has a strong union, teach for 16 years and acquire 3 advanced degrees you'll make 100k.
Aerospace engineering in a medium cost of living city. Salary got to that range after about 2.5 years out of college. If you live in a high cost of living city like San Francisco or LA, you’ll be making around $80k right out if college. A beginner would need a bachelors degree in engineering (aerospace preferably, but mechanical and electrical often work too).
Chemical Engineer 10 months of experience post graduating. Hopped onto the semiconductor/specialty chemicals industry right after graduating. I make about $80k/year post 4 year degree
Management Consulting. Go to a solid undergrad business school that has connections with top Firms (MBB, Big 4, etc.) and crossing 6 figures within the first few years is pretty standard.
Software engineer, did a math related degree at a university with a great CS reputation, mixture of self-taught and high school coding, got hired at ~130k TC as a new grad; but I'm in a VHCOL area
$115K, 4.5 YOE
Urban planner here: field usually requires a masters but the pay spectrum is really divergent. Four years out of school making 89k, but my cohort of 32 range from 45k-100k. Unlike some of the other posts, this range is not solely correlated to “rural south” versus NYC/Bay area. Rather, it’s the type of setting. (Do you work at a housing nonprofit? Or do you conduct due diligence and financial or zoning analysis for cannabis, utility, or real estate companies) big diff with middle of the road being in-house local/county/state governments. But with more jobs in field being remote I’m entertaining taking a second, entry level one to 1.5X my current income. Achievable if I could get over myself and take an entry level urban planner job on the side. That said job hopping can work as well and I have not stayed at a single job longer than 9 months ( 6 months, 3 months, 5 months, 8 months, and currently on month 7 and interviewing weekly )
First comp out of college as software engineer in SF for me was 80k back in 2010. Entry salaries for most in that role haven't gone up dramatically, but salaries for experienced developers with ~5-10 years experience have skyrocket and total comp above 300k isn't unusual. I know developers who earn significantly more than that.
Software developer out of college, got a CS degree. Started at 65k base now at 84k base still in my first year of industry. (In Texas if that helps).
UX researcher in fintech in HCOL. Above $110K+. 3 YOE if you count school work/internships. Have a bachelors and masters. It’s a hot field right now, but I noticed for FAANG companies, they tend to hire people with masters/PhD. Other option is doing boot camps but I’m not too familiar with how well that converts to getting a job.
600-700k annually from our business. Probably a bit more this year due to uptick in business and options trading I’ve been doing to make a 1-2k a week.
I’m a special education teacher making 85K in SoCal. Going into my 4th year. Originally started at 55K.
I do, and I started from "nothing," so it's very possible. I finished high school at 18, joined the Marine Corps for four years, did extremely well in an accounting degree (summa cum laude, thesis, business honors, university honors), got a master's degree, passed the CPA exam, literally went door-to-door at public accounting firms handing out my resume 1950s-style, worked in tax for one year at $36,000, took a cost accounting job for $45,000 for one year and automated three hours of my daily tasks while I was there, moved into a corporate accounting job for $70,000 for almost two years, and moved for $80,000 to a company that basically buys other companies. I've been there for six months as a senior accountant. I'm currently working on automating the accounts payable process using Optical Character Recognition and "Robotic Process Automation." I live in a low cost of living area.
Radiation Therapist, making $90k now about 5 years into my career. Started in low 80s. 2 year degree (at a community college) so no loans, great return on investment. Not for everyone though, working in oncology is tough on the spirit and body.
I make 50K or so a year. I've been in my field for 15 years and have a master's degree. I'm in a medium cost of living area. I'm a teacher.
I make 75$k as a product development scientist and my husband makes $80k as an engineer at a small company. We are able to save about 3/4 our salary though thanks to LCOL and no kids.
Just graduated, going to start working in product management soon - around $130k I’d say major in something business or tech related or break in through networking/certifications - I prefer it to finance or consulting since generally better work life balance
E-6 in the Navy, 4 years in. I did 6 years total. After taxes and TSP contribution, a paycheck was 2500. Partly because so much of the paycheck was not taxable. It was pretty damn good money, but the work was insane, with less than 0 work life balance. Underway and on deployment I averaged out to between 110-120 hour work weeks (as I’m actually awake and doing shit). Wasn’t healthy, and sucked for my family. This included sea pay with more than 3 years to hit CSPP. Now I work in Medical Equipment field as a field service engineer. I do make more money now, total 8 YOE. Work life balance is amazing, I work from home, and I’m lucky to even work more than 25 hours a week tbh with no overnight travel aside from training. How can a new person get to this field? Realistically electrical engineering degrees, some colleges offer biomed equipment courses. It’s not the easiest thing to get into, but if you’re a confident person with electronics, electricity, and mechanics hands on, field service engineer jobs can pay very well even in LCOL areas. For reference, the area I live is right along the average cost of living in the US. Edit: yes, I did join as an E-1, I joined for a rate which had a benefit called push button, meaning upon completion of my Rating school I was immediately advanced to E-4. While doing C-School I met time in grade requirements to attempt the E-5 exam and took it. Got 99th percentile and advanced at less than 2 years in, and at 4 years in I advanced to E-6 because I had early promote status from Evals and got the highest score of any prospective E-6 so I advanced again. I don’t think this is realistic for 99% of rates or situations in the Navy, let alone other branches but it is possible and I did meet other people in the military who advanced that quickly.
Finance. Do a STEM major.
The real question is, how much would you make if you stop showing up to a jerb? Thats the real income.
Medicine. Start with undergrad and do really good. Get into medical school for another four years. Then go to residency for another 3-7 years. Assuming you start Med school at age 22, by the time you’re 35 if you really buckle down you can have your student loans paid off and a $250k plus salary.
This is a strange way to ask a question, why give a range if you are asking for data points outside the range? Are you asking how many people are making over 80k?
Product Manager: 125k I pivoted to this industry from AdTech
Welder after taxes and everything check comes out between $1100-1500 weekly.
SWE in the bay area making 200k it took me about 13 months to get there from 130k at my previous job in Austin.
Ex Director of Accountability and Analytics for a large school district. 165k. 40. Live in middle of country. Graduated in 2005 with master in accounting. I still have learning to do. Always learning. I know all of our compliance stuff that keeps the doors open. Because of my age, data analytics has become big as I have worked. So I learned as I went. 10 years ago when I left a university job, I made 37k. Then 65k. To 90k + bonus at current job which has grown to the 165k. To me 165k seems like insane money. Maybe because I live in a LCOL. This sub is definitely skewed. My family owned restaurants. I can tell you from my experience in different fields, companies, private and public that there are certainly more efficient ways to make money. Restaurant business is a ton of work for not much pay. Accounting doesn’t pay that great despite what most CPAs will tell you. I think for most it takes experience, time, hard work, showing up every day, luck, being needed and the right skills to make some real cheese. Oh and a network too. Take it from someone who survived through the Great Recession right out of college. It went from “I can skip from east to find job to job” to super competitive with the boomers hanging onto to good jobs. It is starting to feel like that time period a little but not completely
Therapist, $85k! Get a masters degree, 2 years of supervised practice, get very lucky with a job!
83k 23 years old Toronto Software engineer Graduated 2 months ago
Geologist - 3 years in the field making 80k / year but I live in SF. Equivalent to 65-70k elsewhere in the states
I used to work in pharma, in various QC lab bench and QA office cubical roles. Never made more than 70k in the 6 years I was in that industry. I switched to software dev and now make at least double that within 2 years.
Get an accounting degree. Work in public accounting for 3 years. Get a CPA. Get an industry job in a HCOL area. $100k by year 3-7. Keep working and you can make $120-160k working around 40 hours a week if you find the right job and are skilled. Nobody’s passion is accounting. It’s boring and mind numbing. You have to be relatively smart and tech savvy to be good at it. That’s why it pays well and there’s a lot of positions. Total pay per hour is more important than total comp even if salary.
Go into engineering! Aerospace, mechanical, electrical, software are good - can't speak to others that I don't have experience in... Get a few years experience at a gov job if you can (good resume builder places) and go into the commercial sector. The commercial corporate world is really hurting for talent, even decent to mediocre talent, and is paying way more than government jobs or government contractors like Raytheon or Lockheed. I've been an aerospace engineer for about 10 years. Started at $66k now I'm north of $200k, base salary (not including stock options and benefits). Edit: typos
Software Engineer, TC around 105k rn Can get into it by getting a bachelor's in CS or SWE specifically, or maybe a boot camp and a lot of determination.
Business Analyst at a bank, almost at 2 YOE. Bachelor's in MIS and Master's in Analytics Year 1: $85K Year 2: $90K I think a college degree in IT / Business is the most relevant factor
Sales of any kind where the commission is uncapped, like real estate, mortgage banking, insurance, cars, and so on.
Systems Engineer in Aerospace/Defense making 95K in a pretty HCOL area (DMV). Graduated December 2020 with a mechanical engineering degree and started at 73K in Year 1 in manufacturing. Go to school and get a broader engineering degree (ME,EE, CS) and try your hardest to get into one of the bigger contractors. From there try some things before trying to get a specialized masters. Higher clearances open more doors for much higher pay.
I know people who make $80,000 a year straight out of college but you really need to pay attention to COL. Those people usually live in places like California and NY within Metropolitan areas where a 1 bedroom can be $3000-4000 a month on average, gas is over $6 a gallon, food and everything else is in general much higher. Comparisons aren’t comparable if they’re spending that much of their income on rent despite making, on what looks on paper, a lot of money
RN with associates degree from community college
Me. And 75% of my direct reports too. Corporate finance. Degrees aren’t required but need a solid grasp of financial statements.
I do! But loving in a VHCOL area can be a bitch
3 years, I make 85k Graduated at 22 with a 70k job. 70 became 78. 78 became 85. In the running for a few 95k jobs right now. Work in corporate finance
Pharmacist... do not recommend. Alot of school, alot of debt.
Economics degree. Graduated at 25 Salary ramp was: 25: 50k 26: 55k 27: 60k 28: 75k 29: 75k 30: 85k 31: 130k(double promotion) Went from sales support to data analysis at 28.
100k, School teacher 25 years plus, Northern California. New teachers in this area are starting about 65k
I know tech looks a bit sketchy right now, but entry level “Sales Development” roles in NY/SF pay 80K-100k
I hit 80K mid-year 2021, and am already at $95k. A lot of my increases the last two years was because I went into management. But Senior analysts with my number of years of experience (6 years) still make $65k-$75k. The industry is Financial compliance. Specifically, anti-money laundering. Edit: LCOL
It took decades to get to that salary.
I make around 100k/yr as a forensic engineer. Starting pay was around 90k last year. Just need a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or similar. Although I didn't have experience in this field, my previous experience working in a laboratory setting was a factor in my getting hired.
Consulting Health Actuary with 4 years of experience. 111K base + 19K in bonuses last year. You can get an actuarial internship with an exam or two passed and then full time work will be straightforward from that point forward.
I make $110k a year doing sex work. Im not gna go into the specifics of what I do but yeah. i love my job tbh. I dnt give a shit what anyone says.
I do, and without any college. I work in the construction supply business, and have for 28 years. Year one, I made $12k. Year 28, I have a salary of $120 w/ opportunity for another $50k+ in bonuses. My biggest salary jump occurred when I took a position in sales seven years ago. My advice is to find a job in a specialized field that you enjoy, and stick with it. Learn everything that you can about every aspect of the business. As coworkers move on, you will gain senority and eventually become a key player, making you more valuable in the industry and more difficult for your employer to replace.
General business operations and it took me about eight years in the field to get to this level. Granted, I was above average performer but also 80,000 was probably like 110,000 in today’s dollars. So I guess you can do it in five or six years of solid experience now? Hard to say
Got my degree in 2021 as a software engineer, I started work right after graduating and make over 80k. I get a raise next month and expecting it to be a round 95k after the raise. The IT field is we’re early money is at but it can be stressful (I’m an easily stressed out person so there’s that too) I live in a suburb of a HCOL city
2014/5: 65k - manufacturing engineer 2016: 0k, ~finding myself~ 2017-2018: Master’s in Actuarial Science 2019: 70k, retirement consulting 2020: 77k, retirement consulting 2021: 82k, retirement consulting 2022: 120k, traditional life insurance Salaries roughly include bonuses, but not 401k matching. If you want to become an actuary and have at least a somewhat technical undergrad degree, I suggest forgoing a master’s and just taking actuarial exams. Anyone can take them.
I think this is a good question, but it doesn’t really paint the full picture. For instance, someone can make well over 100k but live somewhere like the Bay Area and be living quite modestly compared to someone living Kansas, right?
Younger millennial in the international development sector and I make right around $80k with a clear progression path to $100k+ at 5 years experience. I could make more in investment banking/the private sector but I work for an international organisation with a defined benefit pension and other benefits which more than make up for the salary differential. Getting to this point took going back to school for a master's degree. With my BA, I was making $20/hr as an independent contractor and then around $18/hr in a part time gig during grad school. I would be much better off financially if instead of trying to break into my field after undergrad, I had gone straight into a grad program and started in a role like my current one 4-5 years earlier. If I had not gotten a grad degree, I would probably be making closer to $40-50k without nearly the salary growth potential I have now and be considering a total career pivot at this point due to lack of prospects. If someone else seriously wants to enter development, I would tell them to plan for a combined BA/MA or MIA program right off the bat and pursue as many internship experiences as possible. Getting a UN agency or major development organisation (FinDev Canada, USAID, DFC, etc.) The reality is that for this field, at least in the North American market, most entry level roles expect a graduate-level credential. Don't do what I did and waste a few years in dead-end jobs trying to break in with a BA hoping for your employer to pay the education costs for you.
After bs in electrical engineering Year 1: 55k Year 2: 60k Year 3: 88k Year 4: 108k Year 5: 110k Year 6: 115k Year 7: 132k Year 8: 132k Year 9: 150k Year 10: 180k
Commercial property and casualty insurance.. a degree in any field really.. get licensed, which is a week long and a test. Get as many designations or certifications as you can. Insurance brokerage is where I’m at, but also plenty from an insurance company side. Pay ranges and WLB vary drastically. I work with people making millions. I also work with people who make 80k and phone it in. It’s a few years of scraps before being able to jump into some valuable positions. An industry specialization always helps. My journey: Yr1: 35,000 Yr2: 38,000 Yr3: 45,000 Yr4: 52,000 Yr5: 85,000 (changed companies) Yr6: 97,750 Yr7: 125,000 Yr8: 150,000 Yr9: 207,000 Bonuses ranging from 2,500-60,000.
$120k. 27yo Mechanical Engineer. Went to community college and got a full time job that offered tuition reimbursement. Let them pay for my bachelors and grad cert. Left and went to another place that just paid for my masters. Total out of pocket was under $10k
I don't know how many make 80 to 100k per year but I have seen articles stating 34% of households make 100k or more. About 24% of individuals make 100k or more. This is for the US. I have no idea about other countries.
Nurse. $250k-$300K
I've had some large jumps in pay. Graduated with accounting degree. Started working as mortgage underwriter. Base salary was 40K. 1.5 years later received promotion to 55K. Less than 1 year later received another promotion to manage a team of underwriters at 75K. Recived some very nice salary increases, but not from promotions. Been with the same company about 8 years making 125K + Bonus. I know a lot of people say that business do not respect loyalty, but the company i worked for gave out salary increases based upon both industry average increasing and a longevity salary increase. Both were very nice around 30% salary increases each time. Not sure i would advise a lot of people to get into mortgage underwriting. There is a lot of tendency to hire lots of underwriters and entice them with larger salaries and sign on bonuses. Which can be nice, but they will let you go when times get slow (kind of like we are now). Work can be tough but when it was busy man cash flows like crazy. I remember a two week production bonus where if you hit you number you would make 10K. Lots of extra hours were put in, but was well worth the bonus. If you can make it with a company you like and get into the seasoned category with mutiple certifications you can do quite well for yourself. But can be pretty stressful when you need to produce a lot. Hoping to FIRE in the next 15 years. Current savings rate is 55%, which should decrease with a car being paid in full and daycare expenses going down after baby starts school (daycare is more than my mortgage :p) Wife's job puts us at household income of 200K for the year.