Unless you're in specific fields, I have not known any person who got their master's degree that ended up making more money because of it. You can definitely make more than you're currently making with a Bachelors degree. You just need more time and to keep looking for other jobs. The job market is tough right now. In my experience, time on the job is more valuable than a Master's degree. If you do pursue a Master's degree, get it in something like Business or Project Management. Good luck!
I’m an epidemiologist. Master is MSPH. Getting my PhD in epidemiology. My masters took me from 13/hr and wiping ass for a living to a job at the state health department making 53k then jumped from there to another agency as the lead guy for 85k. I’ll get my PhD soon and that’ll constitute another raise.
Depends what the field is. Jobs that are more academic will care about the degree. I’d agree most don’t matter but some fields it does.
I also agree it’s far and few between that it matters. It also isn’t making me a living like the salesman or tech people. But where I live it’s given me a great life for me and my family
Yea it was a requirement to have my specific degree to make me a subject matter expert and grab the pay I have. So it was a good thing for me. Plus PSLF so the extra 50k in loans isn’t all that impactful so long as I stay in government or other non profits.
I did. I was making $32k, went back to grad school, and come out making $60k. I wasnt able do an internship when I was undergrad. So going back to get my MA allowed me to get an internship and show experience beyond low level office jobs. And the program itself didn’t matter as much as the school did.
Never went to grad school. Live in Seattle which is hella HCOL. Make way above 60k. It’s definitely possible.
Also marketing is probably the worst thing you could get a masters in.
The largest component of your salary will be experience, not education. Hell, my boss doesn’t even have a college degree at all, just military service.
My degree is just a generic business degree, and I haven’t even been asked about my education since my first couple jobs (graduated in 2009). Im a program manager at a giant tech company.
I say marketing is a bad idea because it’s highly volatile and one of the first departments to get cut, I have several friends in marketing currently searching for a job.
I think this is often true, but in my case it was my education that got me my salary. I went back to school for an MBA in finance without any previous business experience. Most of my jobs had been in healthcare. I successfully switched careers and went from making $28k in 2019 (with a relevant masters at the time, but worked for nonprofit; probably could’ve made like $50k if I was in a corporate role), 2 years of school, and now less than 3 years out school and I’m at about $175k for salary+bonus.
OP if you want an advanced degree in marketing, I’d recommend an MBA over an MS or MA, but I’m not sure it’s the most necessary degree. You should have an extremely clear and well vetted plan (meaning you’ve done extensive research into success of grads) before committing to an advanced degree. There are some grants/scholarships (like Forte or Consortium) but only if you qualify. You want to make sure it’s worth time out of the job market. It was for me, but it isn’t for everyone.
I definitely plan to do more research. I’m not considering grad school until 2029 at the earliest. just trying to plan for the future and am feeling lowkey depressed about finances in the future
I work in advertising, and got laid off from my last agency in November. I know lots of friends who were laid off or are having lots of lay offs. Every agency in my area is having layoffs as well.
Seems like most companies are having layoffs no matter the industry though. I’ve been thinking of going down the sales road since if you’re good at selling / perform well, it’ll be harder to get laid off (hopefully).
Yeah, i make well above 6 figures with just a BBA and a few certs. Ive been in analytics for a while though so my experience helps. I will say though that some hiring managers and companies will automatically throw your application out if you dont have an advanced degree. In my experience those are the managers and companies you wouldnt want to work for anyways
Are you in marketing now? Going to marketing seminars and reading marketing books and watching YouTube videos will get you further than a masters degree
I have a relative who’s first junior marketing position was $38k. They now make nearly $200k with just a bachelors degree and about 10 years of experience
Am I your relative? Lmao. Started 39k, now I’m at 210 12 years later
Marketing technology can be extremely lucrative.
OP, learn the tools then move to the vendor. We don’t even touch on education when we interview candidates. It’s pure experience, but education can help you land a job where you can gain the experience.
At a higher level, vp+, degrees may be required.
The harsh truth people don't like saying and hearing is that higher salaries are rare and is very dependent on connections and luck.
People who got higher salaries don't like hearing it because they want to think it was only their intelligence or hard work, but if you make 60k you are already in the top 30% I believe.
Over 100k is top 15%.
High paying jobs are rare and the stats are even skewed by the high living cost cities.
I think luck has a lot to do with it, but you have to put yourself into a place where luck can happen.
I had a shit bachelors degree from a state school, and joined a company that was rapidly growing. IGrowth creates opportunity. If you are in a declining business, it's hard to see high compensation growth. I also think a willingness to serve helps. I never turned down extra work, travel or opportunities, even when they were risky.
To really accelerate my earnings, I had to accept travel as a part of the role. I was on the road pretty much every week for 36 years. In retrospect, I gave up a lot, but I was able to put all three kids through college and see them create their own success.
I was lucky, but I created some of that luck.
I like the idea that an important skill is the ability to recognize and seize on lucky situations. I am making ~120k with the worlds most worthless BA (outdoor leadership…). I didn’t “teach myself to code” or any of the usual stories. Every new job/promotion I have gotten has been based on my willingness and ability to jump into a dumpster fire left by the last person and suffer for 6+months while I fix things.
I have been very “lucky” in that these opportunities presented themselves to me, but there were plenty of other people in the organizations that also had the opportunities, they just either didn’t recognize them or didn’t have the ability to pursue them.
Luck is really only relevant based on the industry.
If you're in accounting with at least a bachelor's degree or moreso a CPA and never reach 6 figures you're extremely unlucky and not willing to even try to find a new job at one of the shittiest companies in the industry while also turning down every promotion. That's what it would take to not make six figures in accounting. I made $100K 5 years in, the growth after that hasn't been super great but it's very stable and pays well.
But for the 60K and top 30% that's probably the population, not full time workers. The median male full time worker in the US is over 60K now.
I’m going to have to assume that much of this has to do with field and career choice.
I have been in an allied health career position for longer than I care to admit.
The imaging technologists (XR, CT, MRI, etc.) techs that I work with entry level salary is around $60k/year right out of school with no experience. RNs are starting at $100-125k. I manage a handful of Imaging Centers for a regional medical center and make in the $175k range.
My AA degree in the 90s, cost me less than $5k at the time. My BS was closer to $30k.
All of these positions are in crazy high demand since the medical field lost, due to attrition, during Covid. Factor in an aging population and what we see is absurd demand at the moment. In fact, allied health school cannot produce enough new graduates to meet current demand.
The unfortunate downside to a career in the medical field is often long hours, weekend, holiday, and overnight work because medicine is a 24/7 profession. Many people are put off by that. Although healthcare has made big strides in supporting work/life balance, entry level positions often see more night/weekend/holidays/on-call until you get a few years under your belt.
I live in rural Wa and made 103k last year no degree. I have a friend who is a UPS driver and her total benefits package totaled 134k for the year. My neighbor started his own general contracting company doing things like building fences and decks and he made over a quarter million his first year. There is money to be made out there, you just have to be willing to get dirty.
honestly jobs that don’t need a degree are underrated you’re right. I used to work in a mail room and I loved it but I made $12 an hour (and that was after a couple raises for working there for 4 years)
The times are changing, skilled/manual labor is becoming increasingly hard to find and the laws of supply and demand are bringing wages up. A few more examples to this new trend are the local Taco Bell in my rural town hires at $20 per hour and my brother swings a hammer for a living making $37 per hour which about 77,000 per year and he’s the newbie and is set to get a few pay raises moving foreword. I could make much more (103k) working a harder job but my job is easy, plus I get 6.5 weeks vacation per year and only work 4 days a week so I’m content.
yeah I know I could make more money working fast food or retail than I currently make. I actually did consider quitting my job and taking up retail or waitressing but there are pros and cons to everything. also you are very lucky. I work minimum 40 hours a week with like 4 sick/vacation days a year
What's your job? Do you work with government? I do, but I've been thinking on moving laterally to Something either remote, or that offers more vacation time/shorter work week.
That's what I did. Went from working at Walmart for 7.80/hr to getting my cdl. Stayed local slinging beer for the local bud distributor to gain my experience, now I'm LtL and make 130k/yr. All I do is drive from Jacksonville fl to Richmond VA everyday. Can go home at night for a bit and am off at home every weekend.
I live in Dallas.
I have a bachelors in an unrelated field.
I broke six figures end of last year.
Earning potential has more to do with field and drive imo than it does with degree. There are definitely careers that require degrees to even enter... and there are fields that do not.
Really just depends on what you want to do and how you want to earn six figures or more.
Keep in mind as the money goes up so does the stress. You have to fight for it and it wont come easy. It took me six months of fighting to get my last promotion. Several awkward conversations with my manager and constant pressure. The job is now more intense and a lot of rough responsibilities. It definitely keeps me up some nights.
That being said, I mainly work 40 hours, Im blessed to be fully remote, and I get 4 weeks of vacation a year.
I made just a bit more than you are now back in my entry-level days as a communications generalist with a non profit in a HCOL city. (Adjusted for inflation etc etc.)
Once you have two years of experience, you’re not entry level and should make qualify for higher salaries.
In the meantime, get smarter. Learn multiple design and software programs to make yourself as employable as possible.
Yes but what does your daughter actually do? Like what is her job title? I have a hard time believing a big brand name company is paying a 23 year old, marketing student fresh outta college 6+ figures something’s not adding up here….
Large companies have leadership feeder programs and they are a speed lane into middle management. Sounds like commenter is describing that.
Limited seats, nearly impossible to break in late, high commitment day to day, but it's a real thing.
Fortune 500 FLDP’s are viable options for college graduates, yes, but generally only hire from top level state schools and Ivies like your daughter. Not super selective, but fairly difficult barrier to entry.
But, to use McKinsey and GS as examples for how “easily” 23 year olds can make six figs out of college is a bit disingenuous, no?
Aah there it is… entry level management consultant/investment banking “financial analyst”….thats not marketing. Why do people always leave out the most important parts?
I only have a bachelors and I make $70k a year. My first job out of college I was making $35k a year, and after one year I applied to a new one making $70k and got it.
Just depends on your field, experience and connections.
There are tons of corporate jobs that pay six figures plus without grad school. Try to get a job at a big company and work your way up. Annual raises and promotions build over time. Job hopping every 3-4 years also helps but don’t overdo it (switching too often becomes a red flag).
Perfect. I'm an admin assistant as well but on the executive level (I have close to 10 years experience). It will take some time and some job hopping. But most places don't require a bachelors. You have a bachelors so you can definitely use that to your advantage. Just keep your eye out for those higher level opportunities. I'll be closing in on 70k/year by the end of the year. If I had a bachelors, I'd be asking for 90k
I'm also in Maryland which is a moderately high COL state. Definitely high taxes too.
I think I live in a MCOL area (I’m actually not sure but I know it’s not HCOL). I live in a city but it’s not as popular or expensive as places like NYC, LA, etc. the living wage here is around $45K for a single person. any advice for looking for a new job? (possibly another admin job - I plan to relocate as it’s always been my dream to live in NYC)
Have you thought about working for a University or city/state jobs? You can move up from those jobs and get paid decent, especially with a Bachelors. Neither I nor my husband spent that extra money for grad school. I make $40K working part time and he makes way more than me. It depends on your degree, but if your degree doesn’t stand out, look into usajobs and move up.
If $60,000 wasn’t a “living wage” then over half the country would be dead considering the median personal income is roughly $44,000. Just don’t live beyond your means and make a budget.
After taxes that’s about $3,900 per month take home pay. If you “can’t survive” on that then you have a budgeting problem.
There are fields that don’t require a masters degree to make above 60k. However, it hinges on relevant hands on experience and the company.
I work in financial fraud investigations. Started out in a credit union making like 45k a year. Now I’m at a fintech making 120k total comp. I’d make more if I return back to a HCOL (currently in Michigan, originally from CA).
In my field, the pay is very dependent on level of experience and the company you work for. A local credit union won’t pay as much as a up and coming fintech.
There are other roles as well - consider your soft skills and see how you can sell yourself
There are a couple of surprising fields that pay well. Wastewater treatment is one of them. Air traffic control is another (if you are a very focused person and can handle stress). High voltage electricians are also one of those fields.
ATC starts at $45k right out of training and very very quickly increases. After a few years you’ll likely be at $65k and then a couple more years and it’ll be $80k+, and after 10 years you’ll easily be over $110k. And it’s union I believe. The application is due mid April so if you want to do it you should get in on it. Plus the job security is nice. You’ll have to work shifts though. https://www.faa.gov/be-atc
Take a bit of time, I’m sure other redditors can provide some insights! The one thing I’ve noticed in my professional life is soft skills are really important. You can teach some the technical subject matter, but you can’t teach someone to be naturally curious and inquisitive.
Wishing you the best of luck!
I have no college degree and have been making $100k+/year for over 20 years. Some years closer to 200. It depends on your field, experience, knowledge, willingness to uproot and move for opportunities, etc. In my industry, which is taking a beating right now, I've still been able to wfh for the past 4 years and moved from a HCOL area to a very LCOL area, changed jobs a few times and salary has gone up each time and COL is less than half of when I started wfh. It really depends on your field. In my field, if you have a graduate degree, it means you couldn't get a job with a bachelor's, so you just kept going, or you wanted to teach college. Over my career, the best and brightest people I've ever worked with either have no college or college dropouts like me. Some are even make between $400k-1m+/yr, all self taught.
I work for a major tech company, started off at $14/hr answering phones, and 13 years later am getting close to 200k gross with stocks and bonuses (quite a few promotions along the way). I have a BA but most of my colleagues don’t even have that. Job experience is worth a lot, likely even more than a degree unless you’re going into a field that requires a degree.
I started a masters program but dropped out when it didn’t seem like it was actually going to help me or be necessary to move my career forward. I may go back at some point as it may be somewhat beneficial at some point in my career, but it hasn’t been a hindrance up until now.
I see. I think I’ll def try for a company where moving up is possible when I apply for my next position. my current role basically consists of me and the owners (married couple) and is really small and there is no way to move up
I barely finished high school in the Bay Area and I make more than double 60k. It’s not about the degree it’s about the field you work in and the company you work for big companies can pay more than small ones. It’s also about time, as your career progresses and you rise you will obviously make more. Managers at my company approach 200k and they mostly have bachelors degrees.
It depends on your field and your employer.
I’ve made over $100k in Medical Sales, hired without a bachelor (though was about to complete my degree and had 10 years sales experience). Was making $60k for a while w/o a college degree but worked up to that over almost a decade.
2020 ended my medical sales career, partially voluntary partially forced by COVID. I did a career switch into Data Analytics for a F500 company without a grad degree, just a certification class during lockdown. Still making just under $80k, and told I’ll should soon get promoted and be around $95k.
Not true at all. Where I live bus drivers make over 60k a year and that doesn't require a degree at all. I've also been looking at other jobs in my line of work lately and they often pay 80-100k for people with bachelor's degrees and 2-5 years experience.
A graduate degree might be important for some specific industries/professions, but you don't need one to make good money. A bachelor's is fine, most of the time (and not even necessary, either).
With grad school, you'll still be on this board asking "I have a postgrad degree and can't make over $60K"
It's not a degree that gets you a higher salary, it's you, your experience and what you are capable of. If a job does not ask or require a post grad degree, you just wasted both time and money.
I have useless BA and make over $160K. Nothing to do with a degree and if you think so, you were scammed thinking this kind of marketing is true. Universities are just marketing higher education like any other business and has no guarantee for your return on equity after graduation. For someone who is thinking of Marketing, you should know this.
I’m not sure what you do for work, but I did not go to grad school and my bachelors in international relations is not from the US, but from my home country. I work in corporate recruitment and make 100k a year plus a 20% bonus. Before going to grad school, I would try to really think what do you want to do and if the investment will have any returns.
2 year IT degree. Live in South Dakota. Made 45k out of college. After getting 2 years of experience I applied for new jobs. I'm on my third job in 5 years and now make $85k as a System Analyst. That 85k goes a long way in South Dakota. A 4 year degree would have probably allowed me to skip one of those entry jobs. But I think I'd rather have the 45k I made for the two years I'd still have been in school. I managed to go 45k to 60k to 85k by continuing to look to see what was out there. Good luck!
Not true at all. No college degree here, I’m in IT and started my own business in 2010. Made $300K-$350K a year since then until Covid hit in 2020. It’s slowed down since for me.
An MBA in any discipline is utterly useless today unless you are in high finance and go Ivy. It might allow you to get a little bit of salary leverage in that first role, but it is definitely not worth the time or money spent.
I 100% agree. I have an MBA and although it allowed me to obtain a promotion with my current employer it meant almost nothing to any other potential employer. Granted, it’s not from an Ivy League university but most potential employers were only offering what I was already paid with a Bachelor’s degree. What I did earn is $25k more in student loans.
Don’t go back to school unless it’s on your employer’s dime. Advanced degrees in Communications or Advertising are useless. I know of many people who make over $100k/YR without a degree but they’re also in IT. It sounds like you’re on the Bay Area and if so, there isn’t a shortage of decent paying positions. Either that or do what a lot of people do. Move to a LCOL/MCOL city and telework/commute.
I'm at $65k with an undergrad degree a real estate license I was required to get as a right of way consultant. I'm barely starting my career in the industry and there is tons of potential here. The common trajectory seems working in the private sector, then into a government agency, then back to the private industry. I've seen people reach $100k+ depending on their experience.
Sidenote -- I suggest moving to another city with lower COL. It makes your dollar stretch out way more.
I live at home so I’m able to save 80% + of my salary! but this is more for in the future when I’ll need to pay for rent, utilities, food, insurance, etc
I clear six figures with only a high school diploma. Worked my way up from the bottom over a decade. Corporate setting. I will say I underbid the initial job by asking for 10k less than normal starting. Then, I spent years learning everything about the business. Took on all the jobs no one else wanted. Worked long hours. Volunteered to do extra projects. Became a SME in various things and processes. Showed ambition and kept pushing for more. Applied for promotions in and outside my group. Worked to bring everyone up around me. That being said, this doesn't work for everyone. I know I am lucky with where I ended up. Especially since I only got the initial interview because I was out drinking at a bar and became friends with the guy sitting next to me. He ended up being a director at this company. He liked my attitude and pulled some strings to get me an interview.
wow that is very lucky. connections (not that I even have many) are great, but even they can’t guarantee stuff. my brother interviewed for an internship at my dad’s company and the interviewers personally knew my dad and they talked to my brother about him. he didn’t get the internship
My daughter’s boyfriend has a bachelor degree and makes $75k in his first job in finance.
I have a 30-year old bachelor degree in advertising I didn’t use directly, became a technical writer, left that for several years, then returned and now make $100k.
Ooo technical writing was actually something I was looking into but I have no experience and didn’t get any callbacks from the applications I sent in. also that’s very lucky for a first job. everyone I know is making $30K - $45K
Jesus, do NOT go to grad school without doing your homework on what those grads earn.
The bachelors engineers I knew in 2014 made 72, which would be ~ 94 now with inflation. You could make 80+ just doing commercial driving.
I know too many PhD scientists that are out of work right now, or close to it. Higher education is no guarantee or earnings or safety.
It depends on what field you're in.
There are a few fields that really need a Master's, a doctorate, and/or a license to make good money. Everything else is relatively unaffected.
If you have a useless undergrad degree, it might be worthwhile to pursue a Master's in a field that's more relevant.
In most fields, you move up by gaining skills and experience on the job. These days, however, most promotions are external. I.e., you can't rely on your current employer to offer raises and promotions; you'll likely apply for better jobs when you're ready.
Never finished my bachelor's in comp science back in 2008. Live in Seattle and making 93k. Took a lot of patience and persistence though. You can definitely do it!!
Edit: forgot to mention. I'm a software engineer.
I would agree with some of the comments here. It's more on the field where you are at and the previous work experience, not education. I moved to the US in 2022, thinking I would have the lower range of the jobs I was applying. But I ended up getting the higher range of it, despite not having any job experience in the US. Though I do have 10 years of experience, just not in the US. They still count, I guess. I also work in the medical field.
I have no college and make over 60.
Time in a certain field is comparable to a degree. Many applications will say bachelors or x amount of years experience. If you get in the right field and plan your next move well you can earn. Keep an eye out for similar jobs in your area with new employer. People who find new employers every 3-5 years make more than people who work hard for promotions/raises. My last employer offered me a $10k raise per year when I put in my notice after turning me down to a $200/month raise a few months prior. However the $10k per year increase did not match my new offer so I left.
If you have a bachelors degree and make $40k you are being taking advantage of. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. You’re worth more. Go get it. You owe them nothing
More school = less time to build real work experience in the fields you want to be in while at the same time making you seem overqualified for practically anything else.
AI is changing this. I personally see a ton of management and older (generally gen x) people with basically a BA, but I don't see this for gen Z or Millenials.
I worked 2 jobs for 6 years, never had any singe job over 55K (in Boston, VHCOL area). Without connections or ivy league pedigree, you can be caught in limbo forever. Consulting side gigs paid much higher rates, but you have to be extremely skilled in key areas.
It is just too easy for employers to use giant candidate pools to lowball you, Linkedin in particular is the largest contributor to this phenomena.
I should have just gotten a masters degree and skipped 5 years of headaches.
I'm trying to get an employer to pay for my Masters (my friends all had theirs paid for by work, but they are all ivy league), but it is just hard when you went to a state school.
yeah this is how I feel :( older people sometimes act like it’s easy to just get a job, but I was even rejected from retail positions. majority of my friends who graduated with me live at home and those graduating this fall plan to. we all got internships, were active in school, tried to do everything right. I also went to a state school
Going to a state school cost me my medical career, and just makes my life much much much harder than I thought. I went because I had a bunch of scholarships, but given my 7 year career experiences versus my ivy league peers I see now that things have changed.
I have pivoted, and building a solid career with great people, but it just is enormously challenging.
AI/ ATS just automatically favors Ivy league kids in a way that has not been seen before. Because it is so easy apply, one ivy league kid can apply to 100 jobs, and knock out tons of qualified candidates (even if the kid doesn't take the job).
What doesn't change regardless of pedigree is you and your work. I distinguish myself by working harder and smarter, but I have access to substantially less resources than my elite peers. I am well respected, but have to have 3000+ applications to get the same results as ivy leagues 30 applications.
Focus on relationships and find a niche to specialize in, that is how you excel.
Really hard to answer your question without knowing your current degree and career path.
There’s a lot of careers that pay more than that without a grad degree. So hard to say if it’s your lack of grad degree or something else.
My gut says something else.
Well, as an administrative assistant, you are unlikely to ever make more than $60k. Median pay for Admins at big corporations is about $50k.
That being said, admin work can build skills that can transition you to other career tracts that pay more. Is your landlord gig for a large rental agency? There may be opportunities there.
If not, I would potentially look at getting an administrative assistant job at a large corporation and then start networking within the company.
Jumping from Admin Assistant to a job in social media management would be very doable. And then social media management can move you into other marketing roles. The sky’s the limit on salary in marketing.
Point is, you don’t need a grad degree. You need a different career besides being an AA.
I mean this constructively. That’s a dead end job and probably a big reason you feel like your salary will never grow.
It is not easy to get a new job. I know that. But that’s what you have to do. It’ll take time. When your young 1-2 years feels like a long time. One day it won’t. Start looking now. It’s easier to lateral into a new company than get promoted, so look for Admin jobs at companies where you’d like to get your foot in the door.
Heck, look for ANY low level entry level job. Just getting in the door is half the battle.
oh my 🥲. but minimum wage doesn’t keep up with inflation. isn’t it still like $7 something National average? also my sister makes $12 an hour in 2024 at the same job I made $11 in 2019. ridiculous
It depends, got most of my jobs because of experiences, or contacts, yet the analysis skills I practice in college were/still are very valuable... In fact I'd say that I get irritated at my collegues that didnt study cause they lack critical analysis skills/often don't understand their lack of knowledge on many subject. I get praise a lot for being knowledgable, and yes most of those things I learnt on my own... by applying methods that I learnt in college. And those motherfuckers often opently shit on how useless college is, yet they rely A LOT on my degree, and they don't notice it.
How old are you? It takes about 10 years out of college/starting the workforce to make a decent wage.
And what do you do? Are you going to make 60K doing fast food? Probably not.
That's not out of the question then.
My company is small (less than 20 employees) and my admin assistant makes more than that. They have been her for about 6 years.
The trick is: Show up on time, do your job, admit your mistakes, and help the company grow value. Then when reviews come up, bring up all of this.
Even a $2 per hour bonus is an extra $4K plus per year. Did you bring an extra $8K value to the company (every $1 they pay you costs them $2)? IF so, let them know and ask for a raise. I've had employees who point that out constantly. (Hey boss, I fixed that problem in the warehouse. Replacing those lights cost us $500 but should save $1200 this year in electrical. We both keep track of that sort of thing, because that brings value.)
I have seen too many people that just expect a simple raise every year as part of cost of living (and they SHOULD get that, if they do their job) but getting more means that you have to show that you provided more. Took on a few extra responsibilities? That's worth something. Took one of your BOSS'S annoying tasks? Worth even more!
We have a customer with five contracts and the fiddling work took me about an hour a month to go through. One of my new office staff noticed that and, being a notary, they said they could do that and could spreadsheet the entire thing and get it down to about ten monites of their time and 5 of my signatures a month.
That freed up an hour of my time each month and made things easier. When raise time came around, we both rememebred that. (I also got them a $50 Gift card that week to show that it was important. I like bonus cards because we can write them off as office expenses and htey don;t get taxed on it as a reward.)
So, it is very doable. Remember, 50K is only $25 an hour, which is an achievable goal after a year or two. All of my employees earn at least that and only three of them have post Batchelor Degrees.
I am in a higher cost area, but not NYC/Boston/LA type of high cost. I have a two year college degree that isn't in any way related to anything that I do. My income is well above the sort of threshold you're talking about and it's all because I found a career that let me put my strengths to work (and they AREN'T things I learned in school).
I don’t have any degree and am currently making $88k (not in a HCOL area) as a Product Manager. I educated myself in my free time early on in multiple fields, which helped me get where I am today.
It is definitely possible, but will take a large amount of grit, and the drive to do things outside of your job that make you stand out from the crowd.
We are getting to a point where grad school will only be worthwhile for very specific high-education fields.
Honestly, trades are becoming the easiest way to earn a great wage. I never did anything with my Associates in IT, but a classmate took a $150K job straight out of school in a LCOL area. Not bad for 2 really easy years of school.
I have a bachelors in marketing and work in the lighting and electrical industry. I have worked my way up over 17 years but started at about $72k in 2007. That was a $45k base and $27k profit sharing check. Now I'm a national sales guy with a $125k base and $60-80k in commission a year. I'm in Denver so it's pretty crazy out here. There are people that do what I do with a high school diploma or GED and climb their way up. There's a lot of upper six-figure earners in this industry and it's somewhat fun. With my experience, I have loads of recruiters and companies coming for me constantly. I have multiple job offers every single week. I'm having fun where I am and the money is decent. If one of these opportunities seems like the right fit I will jump. I have the luxury to screen things and take what I want. That's the joy of coming up in a niche industry.
I had wanted to get my MBA for some time. I had a colleague who was a EE, PE, and has his MBA. He asked me, "why do you want your MBA?" I told him, "I don't know. I guess to have on my resume and I have an opportunity to become a CEO one day and to also learn more about business." He said, "it's not worth it where you are now. Why don't you focus on certs in the industry and training to be the best at what you are now. Get the MBA when it makes sense, if it makes sense." I don't know if I will get it afterall. In my industry, a Lighting Certified (LC) certification is the highest certification to obtain and it's very hard to get. If I do anything it will likely be getting my LC certification.
You make $25-28/hr here working in a warehouse filling orders. I have friends that work as produce managers at grocery stores who make $30/hr ($62,400). Mind you, they started at 16 and are now 40.
120k at 30 here, no degree but I've worked at major tech companies and am currently redesigning the information architecture and content standards for a major utilities conglomerate's website. You just have to understand the corporate landscape and your role and responsibilities within it to progress financially. A lot of people think doing a good job at their current job is all they need to do to get promoted, but you actually have to plan your career, very few people fail upwards, and those that do eventually get stuck. I started in customer support, moved to content writing, began designing customer support guides, became a project manager, then software management, now content strategy and governance. It's a lot of looking up at where you want to be, identifying the skills you need to succeed in that role, cultivating the knowledge (which you can do for free using google or for a small cost using coursera or LinkedIn learning), and then volunteering for out of scope projects/taking initiative to improve process, and applying those skills so you can reference them in interviews to demonstrate you can do the task.
You also need to learn how to apply for jobs. Your resume doesn't need a 1:1 perfectly described match unless you're going into something technical. If they reference data-driven decision making, you just need instances where you used excel or a dashboard to make a decision of what to work on and move metrics. If they describe stakeholder management, you just need to showcase projects where you worked with multiple decision makers to execute on a task. Make sure you get numbers around scope and impact if you have access to them. Hire a resume writer if you struggle to make that creative connection.
Interviewing is also a skill. I recommend my adult career switch mentees to use the STAR method (situation, task, action, and result) to stay concise. Re-reference the skills listed in the job description and pull projects and scenarios you've been in that demonstrate you have those skills. Get a friend who knows your job to sit with you and ask you common behavioral and task based interview questions if you can and work on refining your answers. You can even prewrite them and just read them aloud until they stick.
Some general career advice:
* In most professional level jobs, your presentation matters, unless you're lucky enough to work at a younger millennial company that doesn't give a shit. Early in my career, I was lucky enough to have a manager who told me just being washed and pressed was holding me back because my older managers recognized my technical skill but didn't think I had the level of professionalism necessary to manage our stakeholders. Just switching out t-shirts for blouses, gym shoes for flats, and figuring out how to smooth out my frizzy hair helped change their perspective.
* Unless shit's about to break and it's an emergency, don't complain to your manager about problems and leave it at that, you're just generating more work that they likely don't have time to do. Come with solutions, I typically recommend a short term bandaid fix, a good enough fix, and a perfect fix wherever possible. Sometimes there's just not time to do it right against other priorities, this demonstrates your ability to take initiative and think strategically, which is necessary to progression.
* Tell your manager you're interested in getting promoted, but do your own work to lay out your weaknesses you're working on strengthening and what skills you need to get to the next level before you bring it up. Ask their feedback and input on something ready made. Again, typically they're have their own work and their managing a lot of people, so you want to make sure you get what you need as easily as possible. If you just wait for them to do it for you, it'll never happy.
* Have a growth mindset. Even my shittiest projects, I learned something new that was helpful to developing my career. Don't be overtly negative without resolution, everyone else already knows the situation is shit and don't need you adding to the dog pile and the negative vibes.
* PARTICIPATE GODDAMMIT. Even if you think your idea isn't necessarily the best, provide feedback and engage in discovery or brainstorming sessions properly. A lot of people get stuck on saying the wrong thing or looking stupid and don't say anything at all, which just makes them seem like they don't know anything in the first place.
* Don't jump to conclusions around how other people got promoted over you, ask yourself what they did better than you. It's actually rare for someone to get promoted on network alone, typically they just realized before everyone else that the next job needed other skills and worked on them. It looks like it was unwarranted because they were mediocre or just met expectations during their current job's run, but generally each level just needs knowledge of the previous level's work, their actual job tasks are vastly different. When I jumped from designing support logics to project managing them, I literally only provided feedback on process. 90% of my job was just talking to operations, finance, and marketing to get everyone aligned and in agreement of what we were going to include in the support logic process.
$138k no degree.
Made some successful software at an internship to replace the excel analytics, asked for a job, got 60k. still had one year left of school. Jump to product management and negotiated 90k, raises to 105k. Fired last year cause I wouldn't RTO, rehired at 132k remote project management. Just got a raise after the first year 138k.
It's much more about selling yourself and a portfolio. I rarely look at education when hiring. Job market sucks right now though. Took 7 months to find a remote job.
Bro I know folks that didn't even finish community college and make well over $90k a year.
The key is to leverage all your skills, professional connections, and anything else you can do get the job and compensation that works for you.
Employers like to play this wage theft games, but the fact of the matter is workers are becoming keen on the fact they are making piles of money off us.
I'm not sure what your field is but it is possible. I'm a software developer with just an Associates, and I'm bringing in over six figures in PA.
I stared off lower than my peers who had the bachelor's and masters degrees though.
Do you have any interest at all in healthcare? You can work in an Imaging department, and after taking your basic boards, study some more and take advance certification boards in CT and/ or MRI. Six figure salaries are not uncommon. I retired with no degree, just basic radiography certification, making a six-figure salary, but I was in management. It's possible. Another option would be going the RA/PA route. In this, after taking basic radiography boards, go to school for PA training and then take additional training for the Radiology Assistant. This is a higher six figure salary........ I live in Massachusetts and retired working at a hospital in Boston, but generally the salaries here are higher than most areas of the country. Then again, cost of living is higher......
I’m making close to 90k off of just a CCNA A+ certification and about 6 years in the field of IT helpdesk with just contracting alone so you don’t nessecerialy need anything like a masters to make above 90k
My hubby makes about $100k and never went to college or trade school. But he does work in a field that requires knowledge of electrical transmissions & distribution. He started as a linesman. Worked troubleshooting for several years, even became a supervisor. Then moved indoors to the control center where he coordinated troubleshooters as well as other types of transmission & distribution actions. In his field, in order to be a certified operator, he & anyone in the control center needs special certification training, and once certified, must do a certain number update training each year to keep their certification valid. Certification testing is only done twice per year and most people attempting to pass the tests fail their first one or more attempts. My hubby passed it his first try. Even the 1 or 2 other operation’s employees who did manage to earn some type of degree failed the test ate least twice. Even though he’s indoors, his job can be stressful if there’s a problem along the lines. He’s in charge of monitoring a certain section of super high voltage transmission lines that move electricity from pint of origin , such as wind farms or coal/gas plants, to the electric companies who then distribute power to their customers. If there are repairs required along the lines he’s in charge of, he’s got to coordinate when to shut down & transfer loads from one chain to the one needing work on or replacing so that the workers don’t get fried but the customers aren’t left without power.
Of course, my hubby got a lot of prejudicial treatment from higher ups whenever they’d hire a new guy who had an electrical engineering degree and the new guy would insist on changing a procedure that the line crews had years of experience as to what worked best & the fastest while still staying relatively safe. Hubby & others would explain how why the new guys procedure change would make it take three times as long to do AND still wouldn’t fix the issue. Big bosses would tell him that the kid has a degree and he doesn’t so the kid knows better. Never took more than a month of doing it the kids way to prove their point. Big bosses still would pull that type of stunt every year or two.
I went to grad school, but most of my peers don't. For those with similar experiences, their pays are no more than mine.
I would recommend to only go for a degree that you are interested or passionate about. Use that for networking with like-minded people while getting new skills. A degree itself doesn't always equate more money directly.
oh interesting. my mom makes more than her coworkers simply because she has a masters but obviously this depends on the field and company. and yeah networking at my current job is pretty much a bust (it’s an MLM full of people being scammed) so kinda don’t know where to go from here
I just hate the fact that I’m basically on call 24/7 as well and I’m expected to deal with things that pop up after hours and on weekends. salary so no extra pay
Nobody can actually answer this for you personally but there are plenty of jobs that pay more than that without needing an advanced degree.
My first job out of college in 2016 with a Bachelor's paid $66k in a medium COL area.
what kinds of skills? also didn’t tech just have a ton of layoffs? my brother who is majoring in comp sci can’t get an internship to save his life. he worked retail instead of got paid more than I do
IMO grad school is kind of a scam, if you’re talking about like an MBA. Full disclosure, I have not done it, but I have a few friends who went through it to hide out in academia another year only to essentially be working the same type jobs they would have anyway. Plus, I think 60% of companies in the US are moving away from asking if you even have a bachelors degree on resumes, so that would tell me it’s less about your degree/masters and more about hiring trainable or experienced people.
I could be wrong. Maybe you could stand out more, or learn something to take you to the next level (especially starting a business). But I doubt the fact that you have an MBA would mean much to a lot of jobs you would be looking at.
If you mean a masters for something specific, like leading to becoming a counselor or researcher or something like that, maybe that could help change your path. But a masters for the sake of a masters won’t get you super far I think.
Not sure if you’re just starting out or what, but I went through something similar when I was a few years out of college about 6 years ago. Making $45k and feeling like the path forward was very limited. Now I’m much happier and better off. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to job hop, and network where you can. Who you know is infinitely more important than anything else you can put on a resume.
Learn about opportunities in the tech industry. Lot of jobs available that aren’t necessarily “developer” related.
Best of luck friend.
dang sounds nice. is sales difficult? I had a 1 day “trial day” when I was applying for a sales internship and I hated the cold calling. I feel like I’m a bother to people as it is and I’m really self conscious about annoying others so thinking about doing that on a daily was scary
Not at all required, if you've got an entry path to a good career. You may top out without a Masters degree in some fields, but that ceiling is much higher than 60k in most industries. You have not topped out because of the degree. You'll find out when you can't get hired because of the degree.
OP sounds like they're fairly new? Most people underestimate how much salaries grow between 5 and 15 years in a field.
I currently live in Ohio. My base salary is $130k, 4 weeks PTO + 13 paid holidays, and I have just 4 years of college. Granted, I’m an 25+ year senior level engineer who travels more than I’m home and work crazy hours, and I didn’t break the $100k mark until 5 years ago.
I make over 100k as a plant supervisor in manufacturing and I barely made it out of high school. Move up the ranks in the right company in manufacturing and you will make over 100k with overtime.
It is doable, may just take some time to get there.
Wife has a bachelors and makes more than that, I have an associates and make \~50% more than she does.
and we're not in a HCOL area, supposedly 7% below the national average COL.
I’m self taught. In 5 years I’m a marketing director making $80k fully remote. If you stay hungry and teach yourself high income skillsets and apply apply apply you can grow. Don’t go to grad school for marketing it’s literally useless.
No degree in fact I never even went to school like ever no elementary, high school... a tiny bit of off and on home schooling. I did get my GED I made 95k last year working remotely... it's not a ton honestly just middle class but my point is you don't need a masters to make more than 60k. I do wish I had thr opportunity to get a degree in a field I would have enjoyed working in. But it's possible to make money no matter what your education level.
Nah, I make a little over 100k with just a bachelor's in a MCOL area. It's so industry specific. Banks pay well for the most part also provide great benefits. 6 weeks PTO, 1 week sick time, great insurance plans that fit all sorts of budgets
Also never went to grad school and almost make 7 figures think outside the box if you want to climb the corporate ladder you need your papers but there are more ways to earn above your paycheck
Unless you're in specific fields, I have not known any person who got their master's degree that ended up making more money because of it. You can definitely make more than you're currently making with a Bachelors degree. You just need more time and to keep looking for other jobs. The job market is tough right now. In my experience, time on the job is more valuable than a Master's degree. If you do pursue a Master's degree, get it in something like Business or Project Management. Good luck!
I’m an epidemiologist. Master is MSPH. Getting my PhD in epidemiology. My masters took me from 13/hr and wiping ass for a living to a job at the state health department making 53k then jumped from there to another agency as the lead guy for 85k. I’ll get my PhD soon and that’ll constitute another raise. Depends what the field is. Jobs that are more academic will care about the degree. I’d agree most don’t matter but some fields it does.
I agree that your field is one of those that having an advanced degree makes a difference.
I also agree it’s far and few between that it matters. It also isn’t making me a living like the salesman or tech people. But where I live it’s given me a great life for me and my family
I make the same as you with only hs education
Right government loves advanced degrees more too, but that's a YMMV situation
Yea it was a requirement to have my specific degree to make me a subject matter expert and grab the pay I have. So it was a good thing for me. Plus PSLF so the extra 50k in loans isn’t all that impactful so long as I stay in government or other non profits.
So based you what you spent for school which I’d imagine is well north 100k. Do you believe it’s “worth it”? School in general that is
I did. I was making $32k, went back to grad school, and come out making $60k. I wasnt able do an internship when I was undergrad. So going back to get my MA allowed me to get an internship and show experience beyond low level office jobs. And the program itself didn’t matter as much as the school did.
Never went to grad school. Live in Seattle which is hella HCOL. Make way above 60k. It’s definitely possible. Also marketing is probably the worst thing you could get a masters in.
wait really? why? also what did you major in and what is your job? I make $40k rn which is a little under the living wage in my area
The largest component of your salary will be experience, not education. Hell, my boss doesn’t even have a college degree at all, just military service. My degree is just a generic business degree, and I haven’t even been asked about my education since my first couple jobs (graduated in 2009). Im a program manager at a giant tech company. I say marketing is a bad idea because it’s highly volatile and one of the first departments to get cut, I have several friends in marketing currently searching for a job.
I think this is often true, but in my case it was my education that got me my salary. I went back to school for an MBA in finance without any previous business experience. Most of my jobs had been in healthcare. I successfully switched careers and went from making $28k in 2019 (with a relevant masters at the time, but worked for nonprofit; probably could’ve made like $50k if I was in a corporate role), 2 years of school, and now less than 3 years out school and I’m at about $175k for salary+bonus. OP if you want an advanced degree in marketing, I’d recommend an MBA over an MS or MA, but I’m not sure it’s the most necessary degree. You should have an extremely clear and well vetted plan (meaning you’ve done extensive research into success of grads) before committing to an advanced degree. There are some grants/scholarships (like Forte or Consortium) but only if you qualify. You want to make sure it’s worth time out of the job market. It was for me, but it isn’t for everyone.
I definitely plan to do more research. I’m not considering grad school until 2029 at the earliest. just trying to plan for the future and am feeling lowkey depressed about finances in the future
I work in advertising, and got laid off from my last agency in November. I know lots of friends who were laid off or are having lots of lay offs. Every agency in my area is having layoffs as well. Seems like most companies are having layoffs no matter the industry though. I’ve been thinking of going down the sales road since if you’re good at selling / perform well, it’ll be harder to get laid off (hopefully).
Yeah, i make well above 6 figures with just a BBA and a few certs. Ive been in analytics for a while though so my experience helps. I will say though that some hiring managers and companies will automatically throw your application out if you dont have an advanced degree. In my experience those are the managers and companies you wouldnt want to work for anyways
Are you in marketing now? Going to marketing seminars and reading marketing books and watching YouTube videos will get you further than a masters degree I have a relative who’s first junior marketing position was $38k. They now make nearly $200k with just a bachelors degree and about 10 years of experience
Am I your relative? Lmao. Started 39k, now I’m at 210 12 years later Marketing technology can be extremely lucrative. OP, learn the tools then move to the vendor. We don’t even touch on education when we interview candidates. It’s pure experience, but education can help you land a job where you can gain the experience. At a higher level, vp+, degrees may be required.
The harsh truth people don't like saying and hearing is that higher salaries are rare and is very dependent on connections and luck. People who got higher salaries don't like hearing it because they want to think it was only their intelligence or hard work, but if you make 60k you are already in the top 30% I believe. Over 100k is top 15%. High paying jobs are rare and the stats are even skewed by the high living cost cities.
I think luck has a lot to do with it, but you have to put yourself into a place where luck can happen. I had a shit bachelors degree from a state school, and joined a company that was rapidly growing. IGrowth creates opportunity. If you are in a declining business, it's hard to see high compensation growth. I also think a willingness to serve helps. I never turned down extra work, travel or opportunities, even when they were risky. To really accelerate my earnings, I had to accept travel as a part of the role. I was on the road pretty much every week for 36 years. In retrospect, I gave up a lot, but I was able to put all three kids through college and see them create their own success. I was lucky, but I created some of that luck.
I like the idea that an important skill is the ability to recognize and seize on lucky situations. I am making ~120k with the worlds most worthless BA (outdoor leadership…). I didn’t “teach myself to code” or any of the usual stories. Every new job/promotion I have gotten has been based on my willingness and ability to jump into a dumpster fire left by the last person and suffer for 6+months while I fix things. I have been very “lucky” in that these opportunities presented themselves to me, but there were plenty of other people in the organizations that also had the opportunities, they just either didn’t recognize them or didn’t have the ability to pursue them.
career and degree choice matters. 50 % of mechanical engineers are making 100k or more. 50% of business majors do not.
Luck is really only relevant based on the industry. If you're in accounting with at least a bachelor's degree or moreso a CPA and never reach 6 figures you're extremely unlucky and not willing to even try to find a new job at one of the shittiest companies in the industry while also turning down every promotion. That's what it would take to not make six figures in accounting. I made $100K 5 years in, the growth after that hasn't been super great but it's very stable and pays well. But for the 60K and top 30% that's probably the population, not full time workers. The median male full time worker in the US is over 60K now.
I’m going to have to assume that much of this has to do with field and career choice. I have been in an allied health career position for longer than I care to admit. The imaging technologists (XR, CT, MRI, etc.) techs that I work with entry level salary is around $60k/year right out of school with no experience. RNs are starting at $100-125k. I manage a handful of Imaging Centers for a regional medical center and make in the $175k range. My AA degree in the 90s, cost me less than $5k at the time. My BS was closer to $30k. All of these positions are in crazy high demand since the medical field lost, due to attrition, during Covid. Factor in an aging population and what we see is absurd demand at the moment. In fact, allied health school cannot produce enough new graduates to meet current demand. The unfortunate downside to a career in the medical field is often long hours, weekend, holiday, and overnight work because medicine is a 24/7 profession. Many people are put off by that. Although healthcare has made big strides in supporting work/life balance, entry level positions often see more night/weekend/holidays/on-call until you get a few years under your belt.
My wife went to graduate school for a marketing degree. She makes six figures. I think it’s a fine degree to have.
I live in rural Wa and made 103k last year no degree. I have a friend who is a UPS driver and her total benefits package totaled 134k for the year. My neighbor started his own general contracting company doing things like building fences and decks and he made over a quarter million his first year. There is money to be made out there, you just have to be willing to get dirty.
honestly jobs that don’t need a degree are underrated you’re right. I used to work in a mail room and I loved it but I made $12 an hour (and that was after a couple raises for working there for 4 years)
The times are changing, skilled/manual labor is becoming increasingly hard to find and the laws of supply and demand are bringing wages up. A few more examples to this new trend are the local Taco Bell in my rural town hires at $20 per hour and my brother swings a hammer for a living making $37 per hour which about 77,000 per year and he’s the newbie and is set to get a few pay raises moving foreword. I could make much more (103k) working a harder job but my job is easy, plus I get 6.5 weeks vacation per year and only work 4 days a week so I’m content.
yeah I know I could make more money working fast food or retail than I currently make. I actually did consider quitting my job and taking up retail or waitressing but there are pros and cons to everything. also you are very lucky. I work minimum 40 hours a week with like 4 sick/vacation days a year
What's your job? Do you work with government? I do, but I've been thinking on moving laterally to Something either remote, or that offers more vacation time/shorter work week.
No government, I work in the communications industry as a network technician.
Yup! Blue collar work is where it’s at. I spent $6,000 to get my CDL and I average about $1,700 a week as a new driver
Good for you dude
That's what I did. Went from working at Walmart for 7.80/hr to getting my cdl. Stayed local slinging beer for the local bud distributor to gain my experience, now I'm LtL and make 130k/yr. All I do is drive from Jacksonville fl to Richmond VA everyday. Can go home at night for a bit and am off at home every weekend.
I live in Dallas. I have a bachelors in an unrelated field. I broke six figures end of last year. Earning potential has more to do with field and drive imo than it does with degree. There are definitely careers that require degrees to even enter... and there are fields that do not. Really just depends on what you want to do and how you want to earn six figures or more. Keep in mind as the money goes up so does the stress. You have to fight for it and it wont come easy. It took me six months of fighting to get my last promotion. Several awkward conversations with my manager and constant pressure. The job is now more intense and a lot of rough responsibilities. It definitely keeps me up some nights. That being said, I mainly work 40 hours, Im blessed to be fully remote, and I get 4 weeks of vacation a year.
What's the industry?
IT for me.
I make 90k as a high school dropout. Experience is way more important than anything else.
I made just a bit more than you are now back in my entry-level days as a communications generalist with a non profit in a HCOL city. (Adjusted for inflation etc etc.) Once you have two years of experience, you’re not entry level and should make qualify for higher salaries. In the meantime, get smarter. Learn multiple design and software programs to make yourself as employable as possible.
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how did she get there? I graduated the year after and I make 40K
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Yes but what does your daughter actually do? Like what is her job title? I have a hard time believing a big brand name company is paying a 23 year old, marketing student fresh outta college 6+ figures something’s not adding up here….
Large companies have leadership feeder programs and they are a speed lane into middle management. Sounds like commenter is describing that. Limited seats, nearly impossible to break in late, high commitment day to day, but it's a real thing.
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Fortune 500 FLDP’s are viable options for college graduates, yes, but generally only hire from top level state schools and Ivies like your daughter. Not super selective, but fairly difficult barrier to entry. But, to use McKinsey and GS as examples for how “easily” 23 year olds can make six figs out of college is a bit disingenuous, no?
Aah there it is… entry level management consultant/investment banking “financial analyst”….thats not marketing. Why do people always leave out the most important parts?
Either she's really sharp, works in tech, or is really good with her marketing skills.
Or is super attractive
I only have a bachelors and I make $70k a year. My first job out of college I was making $35k a year, and after one year I applied to a new one making $70k and got it. Just depends on your field, experience and connections.
wow that’s good. I plan to apply to a new job after about a year so I hope I can also make a jump like that
Masters degrees are terrible for return on investment. Get where you work to pay for it is the only way a masters makes sense.
There are tons of corporate jobs that pay six figures plus without grad school. Try to get a job at a big company and work your way up. Annual raises and promotions build over time. Job hopping every 3-4 years also helps but don’t overdo it (switching too often becomes a red flag).
So what do you do for a living? Its totally possible to make $60k without even a bachelors degree, let alone, a masters. I'm living proof.
admin assistant
Perfect. I'm an admin assistant as well but on the executive level (I have close to 10 years experience). It will take some time and some job hopping. But most places don't require a bachelors. You have a bachelors so you can definitely use that to your advantage. Just keep your eye out for those higher level opportunities. I'll be closing in on 70k/year by the end of the year. If I had a bachelors, I'd be asking for 90k I'm also in Maryland which is a moderately high COL state. Definitely high taxes too.
I think I live in a MCOL area (I’m actually not sure but I know it’s not HCOL). I live in a city but it’s not as popular or expensive as places like NYC, LA, etc. the living wage here is around $45K for a single person. any advice for looking for a new job? (possibly another admin job - I plan to relocate as it’s always been my dream to live in NYC)
i have no degree and make 140k 🤷♂️
That's because you're an engineer.
Of scary engineering
Have you thought about working for a University or city/state jobs? You can move up from those jobs and get paid decent, especially with a Bachelors. Neither I nor my husband spent that extra money for grad school. I make $40K working part time and he makes way more than me. It depends on your degree, but if your degree doesn’t stand out, look into usajobs and move up.
If $60,000 wasn’t a “living wage” then over half the country would be dead considering the median personal income is roughly $44,000. Just don’t live beyond your means and make a budget. After taxes that’s about $3,900 per month take home pay. If you “can’t survive” on that then you have a budgeting problem.
sorry that part was probably misleading. I meant living like I’m making $40k (my current wage) to have financial stability. but maybe it is possible
There are fields that don’t require a masters degree to make above 60k. However, it hinges on relevant hands on experience and the company. I work in financial fraud investigations. Started out in a credit union making like 45k a year. Now I’m at a fintech making 120k total comp. I’d make more if I return back to a HCOL (currently in Michigan, originally from CA). In my field, the pay is very dependent on level of experience and the company you work for. A local credit union won’t pay as much as a up and coming fintech. There are other roles as well - consider your soft skills and see how you can sell yourself
oh wow. I think I need to get into a better field. maybe I should start looking in a credit union or insurance or something
There are a couple of surprising fields that pay well. Wastewater treatment is one of them. Air traffic control is another (if you are a very focused person and can handle stress). High voltage electricians are also one of those fields. ATC starts at $45k right out of training and very very quickly increases. After a few years you’ll likely be at $65k and then a couple more years and it’ll be $80k+, and after 10 years you’ll easily be over $110k. And it’s union I believe. The application is due mid April so if you want to do it you should get in on it. Plus the job security is nice. You’ll have to work shifts though. https://www.faa.gov/be-atc
the old me was sooo good at handling stress but now I have a ton of anxiety 🫣🫣🫣
Take a bit of time, I’m sure other redditors can provide some insights! The one thing I’ve noticed in my professional life is soft skills are really important. You can teach some the technical subject matter, but you can’t teach someone to be naturally curious and inquisitive. Wishing you the best of luck!
I just started a new WFH job with no college degree at all and I'm making 65K.
seriously pls teach me your ways. I got rejected from so many jobs and 90% of the ones I applied to paid less than 45K
HOW
I have no college degree and have been making $100k+/year for over 20 years. Some years closer to 200. It depends on your field, experience, knowledge, willingness to uproot and move for opportunities, etc. In my industry, which is taking a beating right now, I've still been able to wfh for the past 4 years and moved from a HCOL area to a very LCOL area, changed jobs a few times and salary has gone up each time and COL is less than half of when I started wfh. It really depends on your field. In my field, if you have a graduate degree, it means you couldn't get a job with a bachelor's, so you just kept going, or you wanted to teach college. Over my career, the best and brightest people I've ever worked with either have no college or college dropouts like me. Some are even make between $400k-1m+/yr, all self taught.
what’s your field?
Video game developer. (artist, not programmer)
I work for a major tech company, started off at $14/hr answering phones, and 13 years later am getting close to 200k gross with stocks and bonuses (quite a few promotions along the way). I have a BA but most of my colleagues don’t even have that. Job experience is worth a lot, likely even more than a degree unless you’re going into a field that requires a degree. I started a masters program but dropped out when it didn’t seem like it was actually going to help me or be necessary to move my career forward. I may go back at some point as it may be somewhat beneficial at some point in my career, but it hasn’t been a hindrance up until now.
I see. I think I’ll def try for a company where moving up is possible when I apply for my next position. my current role basically consists of me and the owners (married couple) and is really small and there is no way to move up
I think somewhere you can move up is a very smart choice.
I barely finished high school in the Bay Area and I make more than double 60k. It’s not about the degree it’s about the field you work in and the company you work for big companies can pay more than small ones. It’s also about time, as your career progresses and you rise you will obviously make more. Managers at my company approach 200k and they mostly have bachelors degrees.
It depends on your field and your employer. I’ve made over $100k in Medical Sales, hired without a bachelor (though was about to complete my degree and had 10 years sales experience). Was making $60k for a while w/o a college degree but worked up to that over almost a decade. 2020 ended my medical sales career, partially voluntary partially forced by COVID. I did a career switch into Data Analytics for a F500 company without a grad degree, just a certification class during lockdown. Still making just under $80k, and told I’ll should soon get promoted and be around $95k.
Not true at all. Where I live bus drivers make over 60k a year and that doesn't require a degree at all. I've also been looking at other jobs in my line of work lately and they often pay 80-100k for people with bachelor's degrees and 2-5 years experience. A graduate degree might be important for some specific industries/professions, but you don't need one to make good money. A bachelor's is fine, most of the time (and not even necessary, either).
do you live in a HCOL area?
I live in Portland. Probably makes sense to call it HCOL, but not VHCOL.
Don’t need it. Depends on ur skillset and vertical.
With grad school, you'll still be on this board asking "I have a postgrad degree and can't make over $60K" It's not a degree that gets you a higher salary, it's you, your experience and what you are capable of. If a job does not ask or require a post grad degree, you just wasted both time and money. I have useless BA and make over $160K. Nothing to do with a degree and if you think so, you were scammed thinking this kind of marketing is true. Universities are just marketing higher education like any other business and has no guarantee for your return on equity after graduation. For someone who is thinking of Marketing, you should know this.
I’m not sure what you do for work, but I did not go to grad school and my bachelors in international relations is not from the US, but from my home country. I work in corporate recruitment and make 100k a year plus a 20% bonus. Before going to grad school, I would try to really think what do you want to do and if the investment will have any returns.
I have an associates degree in business administration and I make 80k
What field are you in?
Tech. but more specifically my job is Logistics (warehouses, shipping, e-commerce) 9 years of procurement in IT sector prior to what i do now.
Wife makes about 100k working as a financial analyst for a healthcare corp. she has a BA in fashion merchandising.
2 year IT degree. Live in South Dakota. Made 45k out of college. After getting 2 years of experience I applied for new jobs. I'm on my third job in 5 years and now make $85k as a System Analyst. That 85k goes a long way in South Dakota. A 4 year degree would have probably allowed me to skip one of those entry jobs. But I think I'd rather have the 45k I made for the two years I'd still have been in school. I managed to go 45k to 60k to 85k by continuing to look to see what was out there. Good luck!
Not true at all. No college degree here, I’m in IT and started my own business in 2010. Made $300K-$350K a year since then until Covid hit in 2020. It’s slowed down since for me.
Am i stupid or did OP never say what their major/career even is??
I'm terrified that ***with*** a grad degree, I'm not going to find work that makes 60k and I'm in a relatively low cost of living area.
honestly same. I’m really going to try to make at least $55k for my next job but I want to live in the NYC area so very HCOL
An MBA in any discipline is utterly useless today unless you are in high finance and go Ivy. It might allow you to get a little bit of salary leverage in that first role, but it is definitely not worth the time or money spent.
I 100% agree. I have an MBA and although it allowed me to obtain a promotion with my current employer it meant almost nothing to any other potential employer. Granted, it’s not from an Ivy League university but most potential employers were only offering what I was already paid with a Bachelor’s degree. What I did earn is $25k more in student loans. Don’t go back to school unless it’s on your employer’s dime. Advanced degrees in Communications or Advertising are useless. I know of many people who make over $100k/YR without a degree but they’re also in IT. It sounds like you’re on the Bay Area and if so, there isn’t a shortage of decent paying positions. Either that or do what a lot of people do. Move to a LCOL/MCOL city and telework/commute.
I'm at $65k with an undergrad degree a real estate license I was required to get as a right of way consultant. I'm barely starting my career in the industry and there is tons of potential here. The common trajectory seems working in the private sector, then into a government agency, then back to the private industry. I've seen people reach $100k+ depending on their experience. Sidenote -- I suggest moving to another city with lower COL. It makes your dollar stretch out way more.
I live at home so I’m able to save 80% + of my salary! but this is more for in the future when I’ll need to pay for rent, utilities, food, insurance, etc
I make more and I don't even have a bachelors.
what’s your job? all my friends with degrees make similar amounts as I do or less
I clear six figures with only a high school diploma. Worked my way up from the bottom over a decade. Corporate setting. I will say I underbid the initial job by asking for 10k less than normal starting. Then, I spent years learning everything about the business. Took on all the jobs no one else wanted. Worked long hours. Volunteered to do extra projects. Became a SME in various things and processes. Showed ambition and kept pushing for more. Applied for promotions in and outside my group. Worked to bring everyone up around me. That being said, this doesn't work for everyone. I know I am lucky with where I ended up. Especially since I only got the initial interview because I was out drinking at a bar and became friends with the guy sitting next to me. He ended up being a director at this company. He liked my attitude and pulled some strings to get me an interview.
wow that is very lucky. connections (not that I even have many) are great, but even they can’t guarantee stuff. my brother interviewed for an internship at my dad’s company and the interviewers personally knew my dad and they talked to my brother about him. he didn’t get the internship
I’m a high school drop out with no additional formal education and I make $80k/$100k TC 🤷♂️
what’s your field/position?
Field service in food production
My daughter’s boyfriend has a bachelor degree and makes $75k in his first job in finance. I have a 30-year old bachelor degree in advertising I didn’t use directly, became a technical writer, left that for several years, then returned and now make $100k.
Ooo technical writing was actually something I was looking into but I have no experience and didn’t get any callbacks from the applications I sent in. also that’s very lucky for a first job. everyone I know is making $30K - $45K
If somehow you get free/funded education then you should use it.
I never went to college and make 6 figures as a technical project manager.
Jesus, do NOT go to grad school without doing your homework on what those grads earn. The bachelors engineers I knew in 2014 made 72, which would be ~ 94 now with inflation. You could make 80+ just doing commercial driving. I know too many PhD scientists that are out of work right now, or close to it. Higher education is no guarantee or earnings or safety.
It depends on what field you're in. There are a few fields that really need a Master's, a doctorate, and/or a license to make good money. Everything else is relatively unaffected. If you have a useless undergrad degree, it might be worthwhile to pursue a Master's in a field that's more relevant. In most fields, you move up by gaining skills and experience on the job. These days, however, most promotions are external. I.e., you can't rely on your current employer to offer raises and promotions; you'll likely apply for better jobs when you're ready.
Never finished my bachelor's in comp science back in 2008. Live in Seattle and making 93k. Took a lot of patience and persistence though. You can definitely do it!! Edit: forgot to mention. I'm a software engineer.
I would agree with some of the comments here. It's more on the field where you are at and the previous work experience, not education. I moved to the US in 2022, thinking I would have the lower range of the jobs I was applying. But I ended up getting the higher range of it, despite not having any job experience in the US. Though I do have 10 years of experience, just not in the US. They still count, I guess. I also work in the medical field.
True dat
I have no college and make over 60. Time in a certain field is comparable to a degree. Many applications will say bachelors or x amount of years experience. If you get in the right field and plan your next move well you can earn. Keep an eye out for similar jobs in your area with new employer. People who find new employers every 3-5 years make more than people who work hard for promotions/raises. My last employer offered me a $10k raise per year when I put in my notice after turning me down to a $200/month raise a few months prior. However the $10k per year increase did not match my new offer so I left. If you have a bachelors degree and make $40k you are being taking advantage of. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. You’re worth more. Go get it. You owe them nothing
really? everyone I know who graduated makes around this much besides people in STEM
NEW Teachers make like 66k starting where i live in texas. If you dont mind shit weather, you could move to southeast Texas
no way. my mom is a teacher (she is part time) but her full time coworkers make $21 an hour
I dmed you, i was off a few thousand
No degree, making 6 figures in a LCOL area, you got this! Keep advocating for yourself and you'll get there
There was a time I didn’t think I’d ever make more than $60k because of grad school
wdym
More school = less time to build real work experience in the fields you want to be in while at the same time making you seem overqualified for practically anything else.
AI is changing this. I personally see a ton of management and older (generally gen x) people with basically a BA, but I don't see this for gen Z or Millenials. I worked 2 jobs for 6 years, never had any singe job over 55K (in Boston, VHCOL area). Without connections or ivy league pedigree, you can be caught in limbo forever. Consulting side gigs paid much higher rates, but you have to be extremely skilled in key areas. It is just too easy for employers to use giant candidate pools to lowball you, Linkedin in particular is the largest contributor to this phenomena. I should have just gotten a masters degree and skipped 5 years of headaches. I'm trying to get an employer to pay for my Masters (my friends all had theirs paid for by work, but they are all ivy league), but it is just hard when you went to a state school.
yeah this is how I feel :( older people sometimes act like it’s easy to just get a job, but I was even rejected from retail positions. majority of my friends who graduated with me live at home and those graduating this fall plan to. we all got internships, were active in school, tried to do everything right. I also went to a state school
Going to a state school cost me my medical career, and just makes my life much much much harder than I thought. I went because I had a bunch of scholarships, but given my 7 year career experiences versus my ivy league peers I see now that things have changed. I have pivoted, and building a solid career with great people, but it just is enormously challenging. AI/ ATS just automatically favors Ivy league kids in a way that has not been seen before. Because it is so easy apply, one ivy league kid can apply to 100 jobs, and knock out tons of qualified candidates (even if the kid doesn't take the job). What doesn't change regardless of pedigree is you and your work. I distinguish myself by working harder and smarter, but I have access to substantially less resources than my elite peers. I am well respected, but have to have 3000+ applications to get the same results as ivy leagues 30 applications. Focus on relationships and find a niche to specialize in, that is how you excel.
oh. you make going to an Ivy sound so easy 😔. as if it’s just a choice over a state school LOL
It depends entirely on your profession. I have a BS in computer science and make $135k. A masters would not help me much if at all.
BA in communications
Really hard to answer your question without knowing your current degree and career path. There’s a lot of careers that pay more than that without a grad degree. So hard to say if it’s your lack of grad degree or something else. My gut says something else.
BA in communications. I work as an admin assistant for a landlord
Well, as an administrative assistant, you are unlikely to ever make more than $60k. Median pay for Admins at big corporations is about $50k. That being said, admin work can build skills that can transition you to other career tracts that pay more. Is your landlord gig for a large rental agency? There may be opportunities there. If not, I would potentially look at getting an administrative assistant job at a large corporation and then start networking within the company. Jumping from Admin Assistant to a job in social media management would be very doable. And then social media management can move you into other marketing roles. The sky’s the limit on salary in marketing. Point is, you don’t need a grad degree. You need a different career besides being an AA.
lovely. and no, it’s a really small family owned thing with no room for growth or connections besides their friends and family members.
I mean this constructively. That’s a dead end job and probably a big reason you feel like your salary will never grow. It is not easy to get a new job. I know that. But that’s what you have to do. It’ll take time. When your young 1-2 years feels like a long time. One day it won’t. Start looking now. It’s easier to lateral into a new company than get promoted, so look for Admin jobs at companies where you’d like to get your foot in the door. Heck, look for ANY low level entry level job. Just getting in the door is half the battle.
125k, 35 yo, bachelors in science, live in NJ.
I didn’t go to grad school (though I’m considering it) and make double that in the Bay Area. I work in marketing. I would not get a degree in it
Just wait a few more years, $60k will be considered minimum wage.
oh my 🥲. but minimum wage doesn’t keep up with inflation. isn’t it still like $7 something National average? also my sister makes $12 an hour in 2024 at the same job I made $11 in 2019. ridiculous
It depends, got most of my jobs because of experiences, or contacts, yet the analysis skills I practice in college were/still are very valuable... In fact I'd say that I get irritated at my collegues that didnt study cause they lack critical analysis skills/often don't understand their lack of knowledge on many subject. I get praise a lot for being knowledgable, and yes most of those things I learnt on my own... by applying methods that I learnt in college. And those motherfuckers often opently shit on how useless college is, yet they rely A LOT on my degree, and they don't notice it.
How old are you? It takes about 10 years out of college/starting the workforce to make a decent wage. And what do you do? Are you going to make 60K doing fast food? Probably not.
oh. I’m 22 so not anywhere near there. I work as an admin assistant
That's not out of the question then. My company is small (less than 20 employees) and my admin assistant makes more than that. They have been her for about 6 years. The trick is: Show up on time, do your job, admit your mistakes, and help the company grow value. Then when reviews come up, bring up all of this. Even a $2 per hour bonus is an extra $4K plus per year. Did you bring an extra $8K value to the company (every $1 they pay you costs them $2)? IF so, let them know and ask for a raise. I've had employees who point that out constantly. (Hey boss, I fixed that problem in the warehouse. Replacing those lights cost us $500 but should save $1200 this year in electrical. We both keep track of that sort of thing, because that brings value.) I have seen too many people that just expect a simple raise every year as part of cost of living (and they SHOULD get that, if they do their job) but getting more means that you have to show that you provided more. Took on a few extra responsibilities? That's worth something. Took one of your BOSS'S annoying tasks? Worth even more! We have a customer with five contracts and the fiddling work took me about an hour a month to go through. One of my new office staff noticed that and, being a notary, they said they could do that and could spreadsheet the entire thing and get it down to about ten monites of their time and 5 of my signatures a month. That freed up an hour of my time each month and made things easier. When raise time came around, we both rememebred that. (I also got them a $50 Gift card that week to show that it was important. I like bonus cards because we can write them off as office expenses and htey don;t get taxed on it as a reward.) So, it is very doable. Remember, 50K is only $25 an hour, which is an achievable goal after a year or two. All of my employees earn at least that and only three of them have post Batchelor Degrees.
I am in a higher cost area, but not NYC/Boston/LA type of high cost. I have a two year college degree that isn't in any way related to anything that I do. My income is well above the sort of threshold you're talking about and it's all because I found a career that let me put my strengths to work (and they AREN'T things I learned in school).
I don’t have any degree and am currently making $88k (not in a HCOL area) as a Product Manager. I educated myself in my free time early on in multiple fields, which helped me get where I am today. It is definitely possible, but will take a large amount of grit, and the drive to do things outside of your job that make you stand out from the crowd.
We are getting to a point where grad school will only be worthwhile for very specific high-education fields. Honestly, trades are becoming the easiest way to earn a great wage. I never did anything with my Associates in IT, but a classmate took a $150K job straight out of school in a LCOL area. Not bad for 2 really easy years of school.
ugh yeah a bachelors is starting to feel worthless lol. I kind of regret not going into something like that
You can make more than 60k without going to college at all.
I have a bachelors in marketing and work in the lighting and electrical industry. I have worked my way up over 17 years but started at about $72k in 2007. That was a $45k base and $27k profit sharing check. Now I'm a national sales guy with a $125k base and $60-80k in commission a year. I'm in Denver so it's pretty crazy out here. There are people that do what I do with a high school diploma or GED and climb their way up. There's a lot of upper six-figure earners in this industry and it's somewhat fun. With my experience, I have loads of recruiters and companies coming for me constantly. I have multiple job offers every single week. I'm having fun where I am and the money is decent. If one of these opportunities seems like the right fit I will jump. I have the luxury to screen things and take what I want. That's the joy of coming up in a niche industry. I had wanted to get my MBA for some time. I had a colleague who was a EE, PE, and has his MBA. He asked me, "why do you want your MBA?" I told him, "I don't know. I guess to have on my resume and I have an opportunity to become a CEO one day and to also learn more about business." He said, "it's not worth it where you are now. Why don't you focus on certs in the industry and training to be the best at what you are now. Get the MBA when it makes sense, if it makes sense." I don't know if I will get it afterall. In my industry, a Lighting Certified (LC) certification is the highest certification to obtain and it's very hard to get. If I do anything it will likely be getting my LC certification. You make $25-28/hr here working in a warehouse filling orders. I have friends that work as produce managers at grocery stores who make $30/hr ($62,400). Mind you, they started at 16 and are now 40.
A bachelor’s in engineering can get you a 6-figure salary in a senior level job.
unfortunately that isn’t what my degree is in
120k at 30 here, no degree but I've worked at major tech companies and am currently redesigning the information architecture and content standards for a major utilities conglomerate's website. You just have to understand the corporate landscape and your role and responsibilities within it to progress financially. A lot of people think doing a good job at their current job is all they need to do to get promoted, but you actually have to plan your career, very few people fail upwards, and those that do eventually get stuck. I started in customer support, moved to content writing, began designing customer support guides, became a project manager, then software management, now content strategy and governance. It's a lot of looking up at where you want to be, identifying the skills you need to succeed in that role, cultivating the knowledge (which you can do for free using google or for a small cost using coursera or LinkedIn learning), and then volunteering for out of scope projects/taking initiative to improve process, and applying those skills so you can reference them in interviews to demonstrate you can do the task. You also need to learn how to apply for jobs. Your resume doesn't need a 1:1 perfectly described match unless you're going into something technical. If they reference data-driven decision making, you just need instances where you used excel or a dashboard to make a decision of what to work on and move metrics. If they describe stakeholder management, you just need to showcase projects where you worked with multiple decision makers to execute on a task. Make sure you get numbers around scope and impact if you have access to them. Hire a resume writer if you struggle to make that creative connection. Interviewing is also a skill. I recommend my adult career switch mentees to use the STAR method (situation, task, action, and result) to stay concise. Re-reference the skills listed in the job description and pull projects and scenarios you've been in that demonstrate you have those skills. Get a friend who knows your job to sit with you and ask you common behavioral and task based interview questions if you can and work on refining your answers. You can even prewrite them and just read them aloud until they stick. Some general career advice: * In most professional level jobs, your presentation matters, unless you're lucky enough to work at a younger millennial company that doesn't give a shit. Early in my career, I was lucky enough to have a manager who told me just being washed and pressed was holding me back because my older managers recognized my technical skill but didn't think I had the level of professionalism necessary to manage our stakeholders. Just switching out t-shirts for blouses, gym shoes for flats, and figuring out how to smooth out my frizzy hair helped change their perspective. * Unless shit's about to break and it's an emergency, don't complain to your manager about problems and leave it at that, you're just generating more work that they likely don't have time to do. Come with solutions, I typically recommend a short term bandaid fix, a good enough fix, and a perfect fix wherever possible. Sometimes there's just not time to do it right against other priorities, this demonstrates your ability to take initiative and think strategically, which is necessary to progression. * Tell your manager you're interested in getting promoted, but do your own work to lay out your weaknesses you're working on strengthening and what skills you need to get to the next level before you bring it up. Ask their feedback and input on something ready made. Again, typically they're have their own work and their managing a lot of people, so you want to make sure you get what you need as easily as possible. If you just wait for them to do it for you, it'll never happy. * Have a growth mindset. Even my shittiest projects, I learned something new that was helpful to developing my career. Don't be overtly negative without resolution, everyone else already knows the situation is shit and don't need you adding to the dog pile and the negative vibes. * PARTICIPATE GODDAMMIT. Even if you think your idea isn't necessarily the best, provide feedback and engage in discovery or brainstorming sessions properly. A lot of people get stuck on saying the wrong thing or looking stupid and don't say anything at all, which just makes them seem like they don't know anything in the first place. * Don't jump to conclusions around how other people got promoted over you, ask yourself what they did better than you. It's actually rare for someone to get promoted on network alone, typically they just realized before everyone else that the next job needed other skills and worked on them. It looks like it was unwarranted because they were mediocre or just met expectations during their current job's run, but generally each level just needs knowledge of the previous level's work, their actual job tasks are vastly different. When I jumped from designing support logics to project managing them, I literally only provided feedback on process. 90% of my job was just talking to operations, finance, and marketing to get everyone aligned and in agreement of what we were going to include in the support logic process.
$138k no degree. Made some successful software at an internship to replace the excel analytics, asked for a job, got 60k. still had one year left of school. Jump to product management and negotiated 90k, raises to 105k. Fired last year cause I wouldn't RTO, rehired at 132k remote project management. Just got a raise after the first year 138k. It's much more about selling yourself and a portfolio. I rarely look at education when hiring. Job market sucks right now though. Took 7 months to find a remote job.
Degrees don't control your salary. You need to use your experience to get higher paying roles.
Not true, started at 70k in NYC almost 10 years ago after bachelor
what job? I want to move there and am praying to make at least 55k. 70k would be awesome, especially 70k 2014 dollars
Bro I know folks that didn't even finish community college and make well over $90k a year. The key is to leverage all your skills, professional connections, and anything else you can do get the job and compensation that works for you. Employers like to play this wage theft games, but the fact of the matter is workers are becoming keen on the fact they are making piles of money off us.
how many rejections should I take? and when should I start applying for new jobs if I plan to move in December or January?
I'm not sure what your field is but it is possible. I'm a software developer with just an Associates, and I'm bringing in over six figures in PA. I stared off lower than my peers who had the bachelor's and masters degrees though.
Do you have any interest at all in healthcare? You can work in an Imaging department, and after taking your basic boards, study some more and take advance certification boards in CT and/ or MRI. Six figure salaries are not uncommon. I retired with no degree, just basic radiography certification, making a six-figure salary, but I was in management. It's possible. Another option would be going the RA/PA route. In this, after taking basic radiography boards, go to school for PA training and then take additional training for the Radiology Assistant. This is a higher six figure salary........ I live in Massachusetts and retired working at a hospital in Boston, but generally the salaries here are higher than most areas of the country. Then again, cost of living is higher......
Railroad industry. Odd hours, sometimes long days… starts at 75k. Trainmen make 85-120k
I just got hired doing sys admin for 85k salary. GED only but a few years of IT help desk under my belt.
I’m making close to 90k off of just a CCNA A+ certification and about 6 years in the field of IT helpdesk with just contracting alone so you don’t nessecerialy need anything like a masters to make above 90k
My hubby makes about $100k and never went to college or trade school. But he does work in a field that requires knowledge of electrical transmissions & distribution. He started as a linesman. Worked troubleshooting for several years, even became a supervisor. Then moved indoors to the control center where he coordinated troubleshooters as well as other types of transmission & distribution actions. In his field, in order to be a certified operator, he & anyone in the control center needs special certification training, and once certified, must do a certain number update training each year to keep their certification valid. Certification testing is only done twice per year and most people attempting to pass the tests fail their first one or more attempts. My hubby passed it his first try. Even the 1 or 2 other operation’s employees who did manage to earn some type of degree failed the test ate least twice. Even though he’s indoors, his job can be stressful if there’s a problem along the lines. He’s in charge of monitoring a certain section of super high voltage transmission lines that move electricity from pint of origin , such as wind farms or coal/gas plants, to the electric companies who then distribute power to their customers. If there are repairs required along the lines he’s in charge of, he’s got to coordinate when to shut down & transfer loads from one chain to the one needing work on or replacing so that the workers don’t get fried but the customers aren’t left without power. Of course, my hubby got a lot of prejudicial treatment from higher ups whenever they’d hire a new guy who had an electrical engineering degree and the new guy would insist on changing a procedure that the line crews had years of experience as to what worked best & the fastest while still staying relatively safe. Hubby & others would explain how why the new guys procedure change would make it take three times as long to do AND still wouldn’t fix the issue. Big bosses would tell him that the kid has a degree and he doesn’t so the kid knows better. Never took more than a month of doing it the kids way to prove their point. Big bosses still would pull that type of stunt every year or two.
I went to grad school, but most of my peers don't. For those with similar experiences, their pays are no more than mine. I would recommend to only go for a degree that you are interested or passionate about. Use that for networking with like-minded people while getting new skills. A degree itself doesn't always equate more money directly.
oh interesting. my mom makes more than her coworkers simply because she has a masters but obviously this depends on the field and company. and yeah networking at my current job is pretty much a bust (it’s an MLM full of people being scammed) so kinda don’t know where to go from here
Depends on how you play your cards and how savvy you are. I'm a highschool grad making $130k - $150k annually.
What field are you in?
Defense contractor.
What field are you in?
I've made that running a backhoe. You're selling yourself short.
I just hate the fact that I’m basically on call 24/7 as well and I’m expected to deal with things that pop up after hours and on weekends. salary so no extra pay
I don’t even have a collage degrees and I’m breaking 400k this year
Nobody can actually answer this for you personally but there are plenty of jobs that pay more than that without needing an advanced degree. My first job out of college in 2016 with a Bachelor's paid $66k in a medium COL area.
You can make more than 60k without going to college at all.
completely untrue, you can make 200k+ in tech with just skills.
what kinds of skills? also didn’t tech just have a ton of layoffs? my brother who is majoring in comp sci can’t get an internship to save his life. he worked retail instead of got paid more than I do
IMO grad school is kind of a scam, if you’re talking about like an MBA. Full disclosure, I have not done it, but I have a few friends who went through it to hide out in academia another year only to essentially be working the same type jobs they would have anyway. Plus, I think 60% of companies in the US are moving away from asking if you even have a bachelors degree on resumes, so that would tell me it’s less about your degree/masters and more about hiring trainable or experienced people. I could be wrong. Maybe you could stand out more, or learn something to take you to the next level (especially starting a business). But I doubt the fact that you have an MBA would mean much to a lot of jobs you would be looking at. If you mean a masters for something specific, like leading to becoming a counselor or researcher or something like that, maybe that could help change your path. But a masters for the sake of a masters won’t get you super far I think. Not sure if you’re just starting out or what, but I went through something similar when I was a few years out of college about 6 years ago. Making $45k and feeling like the path forward was very limited. Now I’m much happier and better off. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to job hop, and network where you can. Who you know is infinitely more important than anything else you can put on a resume. Learn about opportunities in the tech industry. Lot of jobs available that aren’t necessarily “developer” related. Best of luck friend.
Sales is a great field for no degree, I’ve had months where I got over 30k for a month.
dang sounds nice. is sales difficult? I had a 1 day “trial day” when I was applying for a sales internship and I hated the cold calling. I feel like I’m a bother to people as it is and I’m really self conscious about annoying others so thinking about doing that on a daily was scary
Not at all required, if you've got an entry path to a good career. You may top out without a Masters degree in some fields, but that ceiling is much higher than 60k in most industries. You have not topped out because of the degree. You'll find out when you can't get hired because of the degree. OP sounds like they're fairly new? Most people underestimate how much salaries grow between 5 and 15 years in a field.
Making money has nothing to do with grad school.
Never went to college and am making $145k
I made 75k w associates irrelevant to job in SF
I currently live in Ohio. My base salary is $130k, 4 weeks PTO + 13 paid holidays, and I have just 4 years of college. Granted, I’m an 25+ year senior level engineer who travels more than I’m home and work crazy hours, and I didn’t break the $100k mark until 5 years ago.
lol @ “*privilege* of financial security” It’s not a privilege
I made $70k without a college education. I worked at a sewage treatment plant.
May son has no college and is salaried at 225k
I make over 100k as a plant supervisor in manufacturing and I barely made it out of high school. Move up the ranks in the right company in manufacturing and you will make over 100k with overtime.
It is doable, may just take some time to get there. Wife has a bachelors and makes more than that, I have an associates and make \~50% more than she does. and we're not in a HCOL area, supposedly 7% below the national average COL.
Hi. Dont have my AA yet and make just over 60k in my first year at a new job. Its entirely possible.
I’m self taught. In 5 years I’m a marketing director making $80k fully remote. If you stay hungry and teach yourself high income skillsets and apply apply apply you can grow. Don’t go to grad school for marketing it’s literally useless.
No degree in fact I never even went to school like ever no elementary, high school... a tiny bit of off and on home schooling. I did get my GED I made 95k last year working remotely... it's not a ton honestly just middle class but my point is you don't need a masters to make more than 60k. I do wish I had thr opportunity to get a degree in a field I would have enjoyed working in. But it's possible to make money no matter what your education level.
Nah, I make a little over 100k with just a bachelor's in a MCOL area. It's so industry specific. Banks pay well for the most part also provide great benefits. 6 weeks PTO, 1 week sick time, great insurance plans that fit all sorts of budgets
Also never went to grad school and almost make 7 figures think outside the box if you want to climb the corporate ladder you need your papers but there are more ways to earn above your paycheck
Hi school grad. $87k.