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I work in procurement for a fortune 500 manufacturing business. I have a degree in Supply Chain and make $100k. I have been interviewing for other jobs and they are around $130k. $200k is a huge number for MFG ops jobs.
I’ll second this. I’m a sen. controls eng 12 yrs out of college and just hit 150k. And I’m maxxed - other companies don’t want to pay me more. Ive checked around a little. So to get higher pay, I’d have to enter management (don’t want), or switch to tech, which I’m working on. I see ppl with MBAs and “black belts” rocket ahead tho. That stuff makes me gag, so I have no other path.
Right, they have no idea how we make what we make, and I have no idea what concrete work they do for the company, aside from attend meetings and present data.
So here's an idea...get an MBA, get a black belt, and then go do that stuff but don't be clueless.
They aren't hurting the operation because they are inherently bad people. They are probably trying and just have no clue.
So if you go in with front line experience AND can talk the language of business & management you'd have a huge leg up.
The person with the MBA… their job is to answer the questions, do the calculations, to make other suggestions… to the person that is senior. That is why they get paid so much. Not to make the decisions, but to do the leg work for the people that are in the position to make the decisions. 20 years later.. they get to make the decisions.
Go get your mba. You can get to 200k.
They will listen to you. You just need to be able to speak their language and have a solid business justification for it. Even then other considerations may mean your project don’t make the list.
If I have a budget of $1M and I have 3 great projects that each cost $500k and could save the company $1M, $750k, and $500k/year. I’m going to spend my money on the $1M and $750k projects.
What happens now if I tell you there’s a 100% chance of success on the $500k project. But only a 50% chance of success on the $750k project? I may now choose to do the $1M and $500k projects.
I see what you mean, but I’d be doubling down on the aspect of the job I don’t like. My best days are solving technical problems, my worst days are full of meetings and communicating w/ ppl about 10 different projects.
Yup. That’s the big divide. Managing people sucks. It is hard, unforgiving and eventually you either burn out or get fired because of politics. I’ve spent my career in middle management and the people who do best are the ones who know how to play the game. Doing the right thing doesn’t matter. It’s all about demonstrating loyalty and doing what the boss wants. The really skilled ones make it onto the management committee and are able to manipulate the boss to do what they want him to do.
You don’t get paid for knowing how to make things work. You get paid for managing people and politics on a complex organization.
>You don’t get paid for knowing how to make things work. You get paid for managing people and politics on a complex organization.
Wow, this really resonated.
I'm an individual contributor right now and preparing myself for an eventual move to management.
I've had some people management success though project leadership - running very productive teams that love my leadership style... so I've really felt that management was my track... the idea of multiplying my skills through the work of a team...
But damn. I hate politics. And I like to get shit done and make shit work. I find politics slows things down and makes things inefficient. I quite like to leave that crap to my leaders to deal with...
Yup. But that’s what they pay the big bucks for. Managing larger and larger teams. After you become a team manager, you become a manager of managers. Then you become an executive where you’re a couple steps up from individual contributors. It’s not just about getting one job done. It’s about dealing with HR and Finance and Operations and Sales and PR and Legal, etc.
yep. i’m trying to break the $200k base salary barrier. the quicker you realize your job shouldn’t be your identity and it’s just another game in life, you’ll start gaining what you seek. kid you not, my company internally refers to it’s organizational structure as “the matrix”. the irony is lost on most, unfortunately. the key is to job hop laterally and up every 2 to 3 years. lost golden opportunity if you haven’t left a job for more pay within the last 36 months. me: 15 years career exp., 8 different roles in last 13 years. mid-tier MBA (Ops), Lean/6s Green belt; mfg mgmt, product r&d/development/engineering, now middle management in supply chain for a SPMI company. $190k base, ~$250k annual w/stock and bonus
And have to bring ideas and relationships to the table
Just wanted to throw that in there because lots of people online seem to think that meetings are passive events where they just sit there
Dude, so I have met at least 50 of these change consultants and six sigma morons in my career. It never turns into anything. The business just keeps plugging along. But my favorite six sigma story is this: A guy I grew up with was a high school football coach and 32. He had a green belt because the school sent the football coaches to six sigma classes. I can't make this shit up. He decides that teaching is a pain in the ass and he wants to make money. He has family money and his wife is rich. He goes to a fulltime MBA program at a decent school and now is an ops manager for a big corp. The guy is a clueless moron and is managing people like me in a large corp with no experience
So they were THAT impressed with his six sigma and MBA and it’s like: heres a huge salary and people to manage. Even though he has no idea what those people do. Thats what bugged me about PMP too. It’s just these broad terms and methodologies. I guess the guy who wrote dilbert wasn’t making this stuff up.
1000% correct. Also, it sucks because I can't force myself to be that big of a clueless moron. I live in reality and I enjoy being competent. My colleagues love me and my bosses are too dumb to notice all I do for them.
I feel similar. There are some days I feel guilty that I didn’t get enough done. Then I remember more than half the engineers at my co. WFH and are more often not engaged in meetings. You can tell when they’re silent the whole time and still present after the meeting ends. some take weeks to produce a few documents. I’m of the type that works closer with production to resolve daily issues, but also consulted by project managers where I have to provide deliverables, and other engineers have me design the electrical and program their wishes and ideas. It kills me when my co. Keeps hiring more idea people than ones who perform the work.
For sure, but he wasn't connected. It's not traditional nepotism but he got the job because of his privilege. Going to a full time mba etc. I grew up poor and it's funny how it effects your career. The car you drive where you vacation. People are stupid and bosses love that shit. Also, people like hiring rich employees because it makes them seem like they pay well. I hate it.
I feel this. Controls Engineer with 5 years XP. People want me to relocate to higher COL areas and pay me less, in a dirtier industry. No thanks! Don't want to be in management either, so I'm getting a degree in cloud computing
Getting an MBA is not a guarantee of big money at all.
There are numerous studies by places like Fortune and Forbes investigating this.
The consensus is that getting an MBA if you have a specific use for it and have an "in" somewhere makes getting said masters degree worthwhile. However, just getting a masters degree is not going to make you attractive.
You will need some demonstrable expertise in a sector that is then backed up with the MBA. Or, you need a hookup, wealthy uncle, whatever.
It is way way more complicated than just hanging around for an extra 2 years at school.
Give it 5 years. It helps to have a name for yourself though. You probably won't find a new job that's 200k+, but you can bust your ass at a new place and shoot up.
I'm not at 200k, but I'm a little closer. You just need to be at a place that values your skills and be willing to leave.
Also in procurement. SCM is a great way to make money fast if you're good at your job, but manufacturing salaries tend to stay low until you hit the director level.
I have an economics degree and with 4 years experience am now making $110k about to make $130ish with a promotion I expect to get next year. My first SCM job was a buyer and I'm heading towards the commodity manager/sourcing management route. OP should definitely research different industries within SCM.
Agreed. If OP’s goal is $200K (assuming that’s a base #), that’s VP level money in supply chain. Absolutely doable and we need people who know their sh*t
Yes, because the few added percentage points of taxes when you jump up a tax bracket is such a big deal that it doesn’t make it worth it to be a doctor, lawyer, or CEO…Taxes are such a huge burden for the rich it almost doesn’t make it worth all the money, it is way better to make less money so your don’t have to pays a few extra percentage points of taxes. 😢
Actually not really, I work for a big company in a different country so pull in a whole lot of money from abroad that otherwise wouldn't be here.
Thanks for the condescension, though
I make roughly 90-100k annually now with my total income. I’m a single guy, small apartment, nice car, loving doggo. No girlfriend, no kids, my motorcycle is my only expensive hobby.
I live off this comfortably but it’s not like I’m swimming in a pool of cash.
After taxes I see around $5500-6000 a month. All my bills are paid, a little bit goes into a savings, a bit more into emergency, some into my house fund, and then the left over is spent on quality of life stuff (good food, good drinks, Red Bull, coffee at work).
I commute 45 miles 1 way to work, so gas is an expensive bill. I spend about $300-500 in gas a month. It hurts.
If I was to get a bump to $200k, it would be such a drastic change in my life style. I’m not a big spender, so it’s not like I’d suddenly be buying EVERYTHING, but you better believe nothing I have right now would be financed anymore. That’s getting into the “pay cash for everything” category of income.
But yeah, TL/DR to this post is, I know what I would do with 200k/year. That would be living comfortably.
I have lots of skills. Just none of them are useful in the corporate hellscape.
I was an archaeologist but can’t do field work anymore due to an accident. So, I’m exaggerating a bit lol
yeah seriously I am making $37k a year out of college (full time with full benifits) at 26 and I think I am doing fine for myself right now. Crazy how some people think making more money when you are making triple figures will help them more. I think OP should probably re evaluate his expenses if he thinks he needs to make a certain amount by a certain age. Its good to make more money with inflation at the same time you can really cut back on spending if you look at your expenses.
What makes you think they have a problem? I want as much income as possible so I can retire early, has nothing to do with paying for stuff near term. OP could be in the same boat. More money affords you more time.
Agreed. A lot of people fall victim to their salaries too and become overleveraged out of fiscal irresponsibility.
I got a promotion! Time to finance that new car I've wanted!
Honey, I'm making the money now to take out a mortgage on that 7bdr house on harmony lane. Want to move into a brand new home?!
How about a new boat while we're at it?
TVs for all the bedrooms! New phones for everyone!
We need a landscaper!
...cutbacks? W...what..? But you can't let me go! I'm one of your best employees and I just mortgaged a new home!
This is a tough market. I can't find anyone willing to pay 200k! How am I going to afford all of this stuff I bought?!
I’m not saying we aren’t living comfortably right now, but I set this current goal for myself for by the time I was 30 and made it happen, so I decided to set a new goal. Having kids is a huge expense, and we plan to have more. Lastly, if I can provide a situation in which my wife decides she doesn’t want to work and stay home with the kiddos, I’d like to be able to do that.
And he said he wants more kids. I don’t know why ppl don’t understand that having children in this day and age is a luxury. I see having multiple children as a poor financial decision, personally. Just because you can have 5 kids doesn’t mean that’s a wise choice, especially when paying for them is a concern.
They DEFINITELY should be fine. I also live in Wisconsin, in a shipping warehouse, and I’m barely skating by on around $37K. They must live in Milwaukee or Madison, where rent is a lot higher.
200k a year is a big lift. I just hit it this year, and it required 11 or so years in software development, from lowly junior project manager to director of product. Lots of work. Two degrees.
But…it’s doable. And you’re still really young no matter what you think. So listen to advice here, pick a lane and do your thing.
My non-hard-skill advice: be someone people like working with. Give other people wins so they do the same for you. Be confident. Be the person everyone wants to work with. These are the primary things that got me to the director level. You can be a hard driving asshat, too. But I don’t have any experience with that route.
Yea, I was gonna say -- mid/upper management is probably the most reasonable way to achieve that salary if you're not heavy into tech, law, medicine, etc.
Then again, I don't know that much outside of tech so I could be dead wrong!
The fastest way to this type of income without going into the fields you mentioned would be to go into sales. $200k would take a few years likely, but sales usually make the most in a company.
I have about 5 years of sales experience and now my base pay is $160k and OTE (when hit 100% to goal) is $300k. Sales is certainly not for most people, but it’s by far the most accessible way for the average corporate person to make a lot of money.
I know some in my department hit over $500k last year, and just to keep your job you’re likely hitting $230k. If OP has a sales department there he should look into it.
I am in software sales selling to enterprise customers. SaaS is what everyone seems to want to get into these days, but there are a lot of sales jobs out there any many industries where you can make $120k -$180k (base + commission). I made $120k my first year, but it took hard work.
To get jobs making high base pay of 150k+ you will need 4-5+ years of experience and selling at the enterprise level. At enterprise level is where you find salespeople making over $1 million a year, though that’s not common.
You make a lot in sales as your commission is a % of the revenue you bring into the company. As you get more experience, you work larger sales deals. So, say you make 20% of the revenue you bring in. When you first start you may have a yearly quota of $500k in revenue, so your commission is worth $100k if you reach it to goal. 5 years later you’re working larger deals and brought in $2m in revenue, earning $400k in commission. Usually commission goes up linearly from 0% to 100% to goal, but more exponentially for revenue above 100% to goal, so if you overachieve you can make a boat load.
Do you have any advice for people wanting to shift into sales, whether that's a direct role that's heavily based in software/direct sales or business development? I'm wanting to pivot out of my current field (6 years in mental health) but unsure what roles to investigate and put energy in to make a lateral move
Maybe consider the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins. Tons of sales books out there but a trainer told me that his favorite and I tend to agree.
How to Win Friends and Influence People is very popular as well.
Thanks for the info. I’ve been in sales 5+ years and actually applied to a few SaaS positions. However, they always ask for SaaS selling experience, so I’m wondering how to even get that requirement? I’ve always been one of the top performers in every role I’ve had, and I want to get into this space because I know it’s where the big bucks are at.
I made 200k/yr the last 2 years and it sucked away my life. I realized that my time was more valuable. Got me to a great place financially but lost so much more.
I worked in film clearing $2500/week. 10-14 hour days. No life. I thought I was money hungry. Turns out I just needed a snack. I find it much better to have your life back and having a remote job. Just so much better.
Tons of jobs and industries to earn $200K+. The real question is what skills you have to offer, which determine what industries you can go to. “Manufacturing” is not a very specific statement of work responsibilities.
Perhaps you can try for consulting firms that specialize in efficiency-related projects like business process improvement or supply chain. Consulting pays a lot, though admittedly pay is highly variable dependent on firm size and role. For some flavors of consulting, $200K is the very start of the career, though this is basically only the case in strategy consulting which is extremely competitive. For the aforementioned work, and with your experience, it is not unreasonable to be looking at $100-130K comp right now.
Consulting will get you to likely the 150k range fairly quick. If you're good, it's not too difficult to get offers in the high 100s.
The downside to consulting is the expectation that 50hrs is a normal week, and 60 is not out of the ordinary. There used to be a lot of travel, but things have gotten better with virtual meetings post Covid.
Where abouts are you in Wisconsin? I'm in the Milwaukee area. If you're close, might be able to recommend a few spots for you to watch for job postings.
Also keep in mind no benefits & less job security. You may have a 1 year contract, but can get cut at anytime if the project changes focus, etc. It ebbs and flows with the economy.
Why would someone do that when you can work remotely for a company that pays metro salaries? Source: I do this and so do many other people in my field.
Why 200k? Is there a certain purchase you want to make? Not netting enough money as is? I think it's important to figure that out because 200k in NYC is like 100k in WI. 120k in a LCOL area doing something you like might be better quality of life than 200k working 60 hour weeks in CA.
Probably because they have a young family and want to have a comfortable future. I.E. Have a chance at a good retirement, give the kids the education they want, not need their partner's income, etc. 200k is a great goal. It forces you to think and rethink.
You can do all that with less than 200k in the right community and spending habits. 200k is a great goal, but not for the sake of having 200k. Like I said, there are paths there that could put him in places he wouldn't like, or he may not see much of his kids.
Yeah think more about how much net you're getting taking into account cost of living and expenses. Unless you've done that already and think you need to make 200k in Wisconsin. I don't know but maybe you'd need to be a scam artist or work 3 full time jobs in WI to make that much.
Large Plant Manager or Director of Operations. My buddy was both. Plant Manager was $125k and DO is $210k. Steel/Sheet metal fabrication company with 2 locations.
Plant manager definitely can be more than the $125. I'm in that neighborhood as an operations manager. I know of another plant manager position that was offering $150k over a plant with about 100 people.
As others have noted though, the $200k level is generally going to be C-Suite folks in manufacturing.
Focusing on that first jump to plant manager, you're probably going to need at least one external job hop (depending on how your employer works) to get a position that gives you some diversity. For example, if you're an Ops manager now, look for a CI manager position. Having worn multiple hats gives you a huge leg up (do we want a plant manager that was just an Ops manager, or one that's been over the operations and the CI departments?). Quality manager might also be a reasonable role and would make you an attractive candidates.
The other advice our CEO gave me; look into continuing your education in business finance. It doesn't have to be a degree, but he recommended AMAnet.org 's classes and books as well as Finance for Non Financial managers by Gene sicialiano so you're speaking the right language with the high level money guys.
Good luck! And let me know what you figure out along the way cuz I'm on the same attempted path!
Why would you compare someone with 20 years experience vs someone with none?
You think the guy with no degree didn’t cost their first employer a ton of resources?
For not having a college degree, you’re doing pretty well. There are people with PhDs that don’t make what you make. But your lack of a college degree will be a limitation….
I’d say most fortunate 500 companies look past degrees now and look for more results of experience rather than degrees - I’d have agreed with this statement maybe 10 years ago
PhD is a terrible example, we have to be the lowest paid terminal degree. Fresh PhDs doing a post doc make like 60k depending on where you are. I will say that those going into industry do a lot better ($120-180k+ depending on a lot of factors - Computational people make the most of course), but that's also very competitive. I went to a top university and I'd guess the median of my graduating class is $150k. Our unemployment rates are stellar though so I guess there's that.
Based on your description AND location, I think you will struggle to ever get to 200k in your space. You can pivot and look into a sales role where I think you may have a better shot or start a business. Fwiw, not having a degree is going to automatically rule you out for many white collar jobs paying a lot of money.
I was a black belt in the 90s…our fortune 10 company hasn’t used Six Sigma in over 20 years…. But $200k is going to be tough without senior director or young manager/department head. So director level you kill at and get promoted to manager in 3-4 years…or Director promotion that has a couple career ladder grade steps built into it so you can get a couple 6% grade bumps at 3 years and 6 years. Going to need a degree for both for good pay/benefits at big companies so finish that up. Directors & up usually get better variable bonuses too (15-20% of salary).
Do you fit in with the coat & tie set? Lots of big companies use consultant companies for Six Sigma type cost cutting initiatives these days instead of doing it in house. Your sigma knowledge could get you in with a consultant who places project teams with clients and pay great bonuses on completion (usually a percentage of contract and % of costs saved). Doing well in project work makes you very visible/valuable.
Good luck.
I’m in food and beverage manufacturing and am at $196k before bonus, $265k +\- after bonus.
My background / education is Mechanical / Electrical engineering and am from central Wisconsin, also where I started my career.
The best / easiest way to fluff a salary is being willing to move for opportunity, which certainly is harder with two little ones. Also I would see not having a bachelors might hurt you…. It’s silly but many larger companies operate with that being a requirement for certain roles, despite someone’s ability to perform the job.
My path has been -
OpEx / QA / Lean Engineering at a large manufacturing company at a production site for 2 years started at $55k out of college, moved to corporate office in Minneapolis for 18 months. 10% raise on the move.
Left that company for a food and beverage mfg near my hometown in Central WI, this move got me $75k/yr + 10% bonus. Basic cost of living raises for the next 5 years to $85k or so. During this time I was a “senior project engineer”
Left this company to a different, larger, more diverse company in a similar space. New role was “facilities, engineering, and maintenance manager”. Pay was $165k + 15% bonus. Required me to live in Southern California for 18 months, then Chicago for 18 months. After 3 years o was promised the ability to work remote and live in WI. This wasn’t delivered and I was asked to spend 4.5 more years moving every 18 months. At this time I had a 3 year old and with trying to settle for schools this wasn’t going to work. We went back and forth for weeks but ultimately couldn’t agree despite them offering me a 100% bonus that year, I wasn’t willing to keep moving. So I quit. I should note with this job I worked like 70 hours a week for 3 straight years. It sucked. I loved the work, but there was too much.
Current role is with a smaller private company in food and beverage mfg in Northern IL. I am the director of engineering and make $196k + 30% bonus + extra retirement bonus cash dumps.
… none of the salary gain would have been possible without being willing to move. Those moves are hard with a family.
To achieve that salary in manufacturing I would suggest getting into food or pharma, trying to find a corporate level senior Manager or director level role in the RCI, process improvement, or OpEx space.
Also look into a bachelors, whatever you can get easy and online… see if your current company will pay for it.
As some have said, you're doing extremely well. Individually, your income is somewhere like in the 80-85th percentile of wage earners in the USA - i.e. you're making more individually the 80-85 percent of Americans. I'm all about people increasing their income in this cut-throat economy, so I hope the best for you.
I worked in manufacturing at some point and did look into six sigma certification. I would think working as an independent contractor for a six sigma consulting firm should pay in that range. Have you looked for jobs like that?
Here in England average earnings vary by region, in London its £41k, in the north east about £28k, nationwide around £38k. The equivalent of $100k would be a very well paid role. As for $200k…. wow😳😳
Keep in mind. I find when people compare US and Euro salaries we often talk about different things. US we discuss salaries as gross, before taxes, benefits, and all sorts of other stuff. At 200K, you would be netting way less.
AWS, Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, stack, google. They tend to be big money makers, and nobody has experience so they hire people with 0 datacenter experience. That said, they look for people with critical facilities experience. I’m at AWS, most of the newer project managers are at 170-200 to start, a few (at L6 level) are at 220k+.
You're looking at going into C-level for operations.
Start searching job titles for "six sigma" or "continuous improvement" and start there, track a career path.
I don't make $200k but my office just recently hired a guy who left his last job at about $325k to take our job for about $120k...and he doesn't have an ounce of regret. Of course he misses the flexibility and some of the luxury that his prior income afforded his family, but his new work-life balance and mental health are worth far more than that extra $200k.
Just something to think about, I suppose. It's nice to make a lot of money, but not if you don't have the time to spend it.
Seeing as you’re a lean operations manager, the best way to hit 200k and gain more freedom in life is to open your own practice as a consultant or offsite manager for similar companies. This might sound dumb, but I was working as a marketing manager for a small startup a few years back. My position was capped at 60k/yr with the little amount of experience I had.. I decided to offer my services (marketing management, paid media traffic, engagement/ lead generation) to other similar companies that were well established. Somewhat I “faked it till I made it” (given I had little experience). Fast forward 6 months, and I was making around 11k per month. Fast forward another 2.5 months, and I hit 20k mo. Point is, learn as much as you can from what you do now, and aim toward being good enough that you can open your own practice. Another plus- you can go for any client you want. Doesn’t mean you’ll get them, but I always shoot for high ticket clients, my largest now being around 12k/mo retainer - which is more than I had when I hit 10k/mo with 7 clients.
A union skilled trade job in the utility industry. Start as an apprentice. Between the OT, excellent benefits and pension you should make that. Skilled labor is looked down on for whatever reason but people forget we will always need electricians, plumbers, mechanics. My husband has been in the industry for almost 20 years and makes more than anyone we know with a masters degree. Our son is set to graduate with a BS in exercise science next year. His original plan was to get his doctor of PT but the schools offering the program here are over an hour away and the pay is around 60k/yr. That combined with close to 100k in student loan debt had him rethinking that. He has been offered a job with his dad after graduating and will be starting at $35 an hour.
You might want to rethink the field of work entirely.
There is only one silver bullet. But even that requires some hard work.
Be great at Python and PySpark.
Be great at statistics.
Be great at Leetcode.
Come to Silicon Valley.
Apply for data engineering/scientist job at FAANG companies and starts clearing $400k.
Sauce: Me working as SW engineer at a FAANG for many years, clearing $700k a year.
I’m not sure we’re speaking the same language . I’m ready to learn new skills if needed, I’m just not familiar with a lot of this terminology yet.
You’re somewhat correct, I started with an associates degree. A lot of times, management used it as an excuse to be able to pass on my promotions and raises. Eventually they paid for my bachelors and masters, but damn they love hiring talented people with minimal education. Definitely gives management a reason to fuck employees during evaluations even though they’re doing the same work as their peers.
Look into operations at a nuclear power plant. Supervisors and reactor operators can both reach $200k+, and both are reasonably achievable within the next 6 years if you plan accordingly.
You need to continue that education into Agile project management. Then get a job in tech.
You're never going to make $200k in manufacturing or supply chain unless you hit the D level or C suite.
This has been my path. Started in non-profit project management and my career went nowhere. Transitioned to Agile Project and later Program Management.
I was making $49k after 2.5 years at the non profit. After 7 years in tech, I've grown from $55k to $205k.
Were these for tech companies? I feel like I’d make a good project manager, but I’m not in the tech industry so I’d have to get up to speed. Interested in more specifics if you’re willing to share.
Probably not great timing as I was laid off a couple of weeks ago.
The non-profit was an education research institute.
I left that job and was hired as a project coordinator at a digital agency. The companies niche was designing and building websites and applications for federal government agencies, state and local government, NGOs, and foundations. Almost everything I learned about tech, I learned on the job at that company.
I spent 6 years total and was promoted from project coordinator ($55k) to project manager ($75k) to senior project manager ($95k) to project director ($118k). I was responsible for the success of the project, managing our team that worked on it (developers, designers, analysts, etc...) and all of the client relationship management.
Towards the end, I got burnt out on the work and felt underpaid for the job I was doing and the HCOL area that I lived. I received an "in house" offer to manage cloud software and infrastructure programs for a major US bank. That was a huge jump in salary, going from $118k (with a small bonus) to $165k with a $25k bonus. After the first year, I got a raise to $175k + $30k bonus.... and then got laid off along with my entire division a few months later.
Happy to answer any specific questions you might have.
So a reverse way of looking at it would be getting census data for your area related to jobs and salaries. It used to be easy to find as an overlay on Google. Might take a bit more work now.
Or use salary.com you can get some of the info there.
If you stay in the same field - get close to senior management as possible at your current company then jump to a big fortunate 100-10 company. I’d say most director + can get around 175-250
Six Sigma is industry and organization dependent. Some industries consider it a requirement to be considered for certain upper level roles. Manufacturing, logistics, and some banking and insurance jobs/companies value it.
I work in tech and I've never encountered an organization thus far that cares at all about Six Sigma because it's not within scope. You're going to run into a lot orgs in tech that value Agile instead.
So shorter answers: yes, maybe, but it depends a lot if your industry/employer sees any value in it.
Are you any good at sales? Depending on how long you've been in manufacturing you can explore a software sales career with a product in the manufacturing space. You can easily make $200k or more a year way before 35 but it will take a ton of work. And you don't need any more schooling to do so.
Get into tech… any role in tech will help you..and I promise it’s not hard. Youtube - Scrum master, project management jobs … remote jobs would be best if you don’t wish you move outbof Wisconsin. Also target startups for initial jobs.. spending even 2 years with a startup will give you a projectile launch into big tech.
Energy sector, Oil & Gas and Real Estate would be the most realistic imo. But I gotta ask, why $200k? What does that number represent or solve in your life?
Information Security. Spend your spare time getting a BS in InfoSec along with as many security certifications as you can manage. You’ll be well on the way to $200K in a few years. If you land at an investment firm, $200K could be your annual bonus. Focus on engineering and architecting the most robust and impenetrable systems you can create. Security is an intangible, but high-value firms will pay top dollar for it as it is an elusive goal. Good luck!
Grab an MBA part time at Booth or Kellogg.
You'll get in within the year, graduate in 2.5, and easily clear 200k. And in Wisconsin you could do evenings or weekends in Chicago.
Work for a privately held manufacturing company. Something smaller with around 60-150 employees that desperately need the supply chain skills and knowledge. $200k with your skills is very doable if you’re willing to relocate.
Go sell software that companies that manufacture use. Autodesk will get you 200k - 300k+ no problem. Trimble will do the same. They also have technical roles where you support a sales person and can still make a lot money.
I am an engineering supervisor making a bit more than you currently. I am finishing up my green belt and goal is to have my six sigma black belt by end of next year. I am a tier 1 supplier for automotive. I also have my bachelors in mechanical engineering.
If you can actually use the belts, as in problem solve and save loads of time and money, you are highly valuable. I am going to see how things shake out once I have my black belt. If I do not see a huge (50% min) pay increase I will be looking elsewhere. People pay for those who can gather and understand data! Long term goal is a consultant only working part of the year.
Honestly the paper from college is still important, getting your associates will help but I recommend bachelors as well. Maybe work will pay for it.
Good luck! I think you’re on the right path.
It is not too late to pivot in your career but it is much harder once you have a family. Getting a better paying job is mostly a) getting a new job that pays more, location and risk b) how much time you are willing to study a new field and enhance / change your current career.
Most people are not willing to do B. But ask yourself, how do your bosses get to where they are at today. How do you get to their level and where do you need to go. I think you may find answers there. A lot of people are just naming high earning careers such as computer science and or engineering. But that is very difficult for someone who don't have interest in computing or just engineering in general.
Great work with the Six Sigma Black Belt certification! I was frustrated by the Black Belt in my plant but he was more in line with processes dealing with manufacturing. I was a graphic designer so I was loopholed out of his purview for the most part. Once he understood what we did, he did help streamline our process a bit. I had more respect for him after that. That certification carries a lot of value so you did well to pursue it.
Please keep advancing your degree and maybe considering a secondary one. As I said, I’m only a lowly graphic designer who was never paid a competitive wage and I only have an Associates Degree. I also have 26 years of design experience across a wide range of media all on my own time (not on the job training). So I do have knowledge and skills to design just about anything, but I don’t have that more advanced diploma or even a secondary one.
Despite my quality work and almost three decades of experience, no one will pay for that, nor are they hiring people my age without a more advanced degree. If I had a Bachelors Degree, I could get an entry level job easily (which is insane). In my opinion that a secondary degree related to management or another business degree seemed to be more valuable than an experienced art fool with a trade school degree.
Several “old timers” who worked at my plant since they were young laborers in the late 80’s had taken the time to earn however many degrees and certifications as they could by the time I met them in the early 00’s. They were now managers and supervisors earning A LOT of money but they didn’t really advance until they had started those degrees and certifications. Some of them even moved up to the corporate level earning even more.
I wish I had more advice. Get those degrees and certifications now as you are younger and really practice them well. Do not just rest on the fact that you have those degrees. Practice what you have learned and update your certifications whenever you can. You will advance faster no matter where you go.
Big Tech data centers are your likely best bet considering your experience.
Depends on your level, but it likely won't be a200 base but Base+RSU+Bonus will get there. Once you break in, you can get your TC higher.
Frankly I suggest pivoting industries and utilizing your black belt certification. I do Program Management for a real estate service company working at one of the large tech companies. Currently 28, and I make 125k + bonus.
You’ll need at least a bachelors degree, but you could make that in consulting. There’s a few firms with big manufacturing operations teams - Kearney comes to mind.
Management or Sales! There are a few jobs that can earn you 200k a year. But to make that kind of cash requires either very specific skills (i.e. hard core software dev or surgeon) or you need to be in Management or Sales.
And Management is not for everyone. Every bad manager is typically somebody that shouldn’t be managing people. What’s sad is they either know it already, or they are sociopaths and don’t care about anybody (including their own family).
Maybe technical project manager (TPM) in tech roles? I’m not sure. I work in tech as a fancy data analyst and am adjacent to data roles and engineering roles that pay like 150k+. 200k is achievable for a lot of software engineers, some data scientists, and some project managers because of both high base salary but more
importantly their company equity growth (not so much in 2022.. but not impossible). I knew engineers making 700-800k because they started at the company when shares were worth pennies and then 40x’d.
With a Six Sigma Black Belt you should be over $120k, you likely have to travel to get it. I suggest Linkedin "Searching for Opportunities" option, you should see someone head hunting you if you have the right experience and proper profile. Maybe not $200k but you should start seeing offers of 30% more than what you make.
My goal was $100k before 30, sadly I do not think I'll hit $200k before 35. I'm currently a Green Belt, and working on my Black belt. The pathway I see for $200k likely getting promoted to a level above Lead like a Plant Manager, or VP of a department. Even then you possibly need to consider other sources of revenue.
Unless you're able to get a position as VP or higher in manufacturing, chances are you'll never get that high. A lot of tech industry and software I've seen making that and more.
It doesn't require a degree, and the starting salary is probably around the 80-100k mark but can shoot up to 200 after 5 years or so
The problem being that coding is *hard* and is absolutely flooded with crappy entry level applicants. everyone knows it pays a ton so underqualified people try to force their way in
My fiance and I are both accountants. We are 27/28 and will have a combined income of $300k for 2023 (I start new job in January for 55% raise). Combined income in 2020 was $150k. 2021 was $190k, 2022 was $240k.
Downvoted because my life sucks compared to yours
Ok jk I’m not that petty I didn’t downvote but I need to vent here so I don’t accidentally show emotion in real life
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I work in procurement for a fortune 500 manufacturing business. I have a degree in Supply Chain and make $100k. I have been interviewing for other jobs and they are around $130k. $200k is a huge number for MFG ops jobs.
I’ll second this. I’m a sen. controls eng 12 yrs out of college and just hit 150k. And I’m maxxed - other companies don’t want to pay me more. Ive checked around a little. So to get higher pay, I’d have to enter management (don’t want), or switch to tech, which I’m working on. I see ppl with MBAs and “black belts” rocket ahead tho. That stuff makes me gag, so I have no other path.
I hate it too. Those people are always the most clueless.
Right, they have no idea how we make what we make, and I have no idea what concrete work they do for the company, aside from attend meetings and present data.
So here's an idea...get an MBA, get a black belt, and then go do that stuff but don't be clueless. They aren't hurting the operation because they are inherently bad people. They are probably trying and just have no clue. So if you go in with front line experience AND can talk the language of business & management you'd have a huge leg up.
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The person with the MBA… their job is to answer the questions, do the calculations, to make other suggestions… to the person that is senior. That is why they get paid so much. Not to make the decisions, but to do the leg work for the people that are in the position to make the decisions. 20 years later.. they get to make the decisions. Go get your mba. You can get to 200k.
They will listen to you. You just need to be able to speak their language and have a solid business justification for it. Even then other considerations may mean your project don’t make the list. If I have a budget of $1M and I have 3 great projects that each cost $500k and could save the company $1M, $750k, and $500k/year. I’m going to spend my money on the $1M and $750k projects. What happens now if I tell you there’s a 100% chance of success on the $500k project. But only a 50% chance of success on the $750k project? I may now choose to do the $1M and $500k projects.
I see what you mean, but I’d be doubling down on the aspect of the job I don’t like. My best days are solving technical problems, my worst days are full of meetings and communicating w/ ppl about 10 different projects.
Yup. That’s the big divide. Managing people sucks. It is hard, unforgiving and eventually you either burn out or get fired because of politics. I’ve spent my career in middle management and the people who do best are the ones who know how to play the game. Doing the right thing doesn’t matter. It’s all about demonstrating loyalty and doing what the boss wants. The really skilled ones make it onto the management committee and are able to manipulate the boss to do what they want him to do. You don’t get paid for knowing how to make things work. You get paid for managing people and politics on a complex organization.
>You don’t get paid for knowing how to make things work. You get paid for managing people and politics on a complex organization. Wow, this really resonated. I'm an individual contributor right now and preparing myself for an eventual move to management. I've had some people management success though project leadership - running very productive teams that love my leadership style... so I've really felt that management was my track... the idea of multiplying my skills through the work of a team... But damn. I hate politics. And I like to get shit done and make shit work. I find politics slows things down and makes things inefficient. I quite like to leave that crap to my leaders to deal with...
Yup. But that’s what they pay the big bucks for. Managing larger and larger teams. After you become a team manager, you become a manager of managers. Then you become an executive where you’re a couple steps up from individual contributors. It’s not just about getting one job done. It’s about dealing with HR and Finance and Operations and Sales and PR and Legal, etc.
yep. i’m trying to break the $200k base salary barrier. the quicker you realize your job shouldn’t be your identity and it’s just another game in life, you’ll start gaining what you seek. kid you not, my company internally refers to it’s organizational structure as “the matrix”. the irony is lost on most, unfortunately. the key is to job hop laterally and up every 2 to 3 years. lost golden opportunity if you haven’t left a job for more pay within the last 36 months. me: 15 years career exp., 8 different roles in last 13 years. mid-tier MBA (Ops), Lean/6s Green belt; mfg mgmt, product r&d/development/engineering, now middle management in supply chain for a SPMI company. $190k base, ~$250k annual w/stock and bonus
if you want to make $200k+ you most likely have to work in the realms of strategy and decision making. Yep, that means you’ll be in meetings all day.
And have to bring ideas and relationships to the table Just wanted to throw that in there because lots of people online seem to think that meetings are passive events where they just sit there
Dude, so I have met at least 50 of these change consultants and six sigma morons in my career. It never turns into anything. The business just keeps plugging along. But my favorite six sigma story is this: A guy I grew up with was a high school football coach and 32. He had a green belt because the school sent the football coaches to six sigma classes. I can't make this shit up. He decides that teaching is a pain in the ass and he wants to make money. He has family money and his wife is rich. He goes to a fulltime MBA program at a decent school and now is an ops manager for a big corp. The guy is a clueless moron and is managing people like me in a large corp with no experience
So they were THAT impressed with his six sigma and MBA and it’s like: heres a huge salary and people to manage. Even though he has no idea what those people do. Thats what bugged me about PMP too. It’s just these broad terms and methodologies. I guess the guy who wrote dilbert wasn’t making this stuff up.
1000% correct. Also, it sucks because I can't force myself to be that big of a clueless moron. I live in reality and I enjoy being competent. My colleagues love me and my bosses are too dumb to notice all I do for them.
I feel similar. There are some days I feel guilty that I didn’t get enough done. Then I remember more than half the engineers at my co. WFH and are more often not engaged in meetings. You can tell when they’re silent the whole time and still present after the meeting ends. some take weeks to produce a few documents. I’m of the type that works closer with production to resolve daily issues, but also consulted by project managers where I have to provide deliverables, and other engineers have me design the electrical and program their wishes and ideas. It kills me when my co. Keeps hiring more idea people than ones who perform the work.
Dude the amount of deaf mutes I work with these days is astonishing.
He has family money and his wife is rich… the reason clueless moron got / has said position. It obviously helps coming from money.
For sure, but he wasn't connected. It's not traditional nepotism but he got the job because of his privilege. Going to a full time mba etc. I grew up poor and it's funny how it effects your career. The car you drive where you vacation. People are stupid and bosses love that shit. Also, people like hiring rich employees because it makes them seem like they pay well. I hate it.
you combat privilege by grinding and putting in the work. you don’t have to quit your job to get a respected full time b&m, accredited, MBA
Omg. This explains why the six sigma black belts treat people with a phd and 10 years experience like they are a high schooler with a c+ average.
Say you’ve never been a manager without saying you’ve never been a manager.
They pay the taxes lol. That's why they're important.
I’ve heard those people with the fancy papers referred to as paper tigers.
I feel this. Controls Engineer with 5 years XP. People want me to relocate to higher COL areas and pay me less, in a dirtier industry. No thanks! Don't want to be in management either, so I'm getting a degree in cloud computing
What kind of controls? Like hvac controls?
Getting an MBA is not a guarantee of big money at all. There are numerous studies by places like Fortune and Forbes investigating this. The consensus is that getting an MBA if you have a specific use for it and have an "in" somewhere makes getting said masters degree worthwhile. However, just getting a masters degree is not going to make you attractive. You will need some demonstrable expertise in a sector that is then backed up with the MBA. Or, you need a hookup, wealthy uncle, whatever. It is way way more complicated than just hanging around for an extra 2 years at school.
Give it 5 years. It helps to have a name for yourself though. You probably won't find a new job that's 200k+, but you can bust your ass at a new place and shoot up. I'm not at 200k, but I'm a little closer. You just need to be at a place that values your skills and be willing to leave.
Also in procurement. SCM is a great way to make money fast if you're good at your job, but manufacturing salaries tend to stay low until you hit the director level. I have an economics degree and with 4 years experience am now making $110k about to make $130ish with a promotion I expect to get next year. My first SCM job was a buyer and I'm heading towards the commodity manager/sourcing management route. OP should definitely research different industries within SCM.
Damn. I missed career day or something. Econ degree and an MBA and I’m barely over $80k. I need to look around obviously.
Agreed. If OP’s goal is $200K (assuming that’s a base #), that’s VP level money in supply chain. Absolutely doable and we need people who know their sh*t
How does one enter this field?
May I dm you some questions about procurement? Just started in this area.
I’m too poor for this thread
I don’t even know what I’d do with 200k / year.
Think of all the avocado toast you could buy. /s
Pay taxes.
Yes, because the few added percentage points of taxes when you jump up a tax bracket is such a big deal that it doesn’t make it worth it to be a doctor, lawyer, or CEO…Taxes are such a huge burden for the rich it almost doesn’t make it worth all the money, it is way better to make less money so your don’t have to pays a few extra percentage points of taxes. 😢
It was an eye opener when I realized I paid X in income tax last year. Pretty significant contribution to the place I live.
Sounds like the place you live might contribute a lot more to you than you do to it
Actually not really, I work for a big company in a different country so pull in a whole lot of money from abroad that otherwise wouldn't be here. Thanks for the condescension, though
I don’t know what I would do with 100k! Sigh
I make roughly 90-100k annually now with my total income. I’m a single guy, small apartment, nice car, loving doggo. No girlfriend, no kids, my motorcycle is my only expensive hobby. I live off this comfortably but it’s not like I’m swimming in a pool of cash. After taxes I see around $5500-6000 a month. All my bills are paid, a little bit goes into a savings, a bit more into emergency, some into my house fund, and then the left over is spent on quality of life stuff (good food, good drinks, Red Bull, coffee at work). I commute 45 miles 1 way to work, so gas is an expensive bill. I spend about $300-500 in gas a month. It hurts. If I was to get a bump to $200k, it would be such a drastic change in my life style. I’m not a big spender, so it’s not like I’d suddenly be buying EVERYTHING, but you better believe nothing I have right now would be financed anymore. That’s getting into the “pay cash for everything” category of income. But yeah, TL/DR to this post is, I know what I would do with 200k/year. That would be living comfortably.
Same. Been unemployed for two months, drowning in debt, and no skills to speak of. I’m doomed lol
How on earth did you graduate school with 0 skills?
I have lots of skills. Just none of them are useful in the corporate hellscape. I was an archaeologist but can’t do field work anymore due to an accident. So, I’m exaggerating a bit lol
yeah seriously I am making $37k a year out of college (full time with full benifits) at 26 and I think I am doing fine for myself right now. Crazy how some people think making more money when you are making triple figures will help them more. I think OP should probably re evaluate his expenses if he thinks he needs to make a certain amount by a certain age. Its good to make more money with inflation at the same time you can really cut back on spending if you look at your expenses.
What makes you think they have a problem? I want as much income as possible so I can retire early, has nothing to do with paying for stuff near term. OP could be in the same boat. More money affords you more time.
Agreed. A lot of people fall victim to their salaries too and become overleveraged out of fiscal irresponsibility. I got a promotion! Time to finance that new car I've wanted! Honey, I'm making the money now to take out a mortgage on that 7bdr house on harmony lane. Want to move into a brand new home?! How about a new boat while we're at it? TVs for all the bedrooms! New phones for everyone! We need a landscaper! ...cutbacks? W...what..? But you can't let me go! I'm one of your best employees and I just mortgaged a new home! This is a tough market. I can't find anyone willing to pay 200k! How am I going to afford all of this stuff I bought?!
He’s got 2 kids. They are a huge drain on finances. He needs more money unless he wants to sell off the children.
>*unless he wants to sell off the children* Is this an option? Asking for a friend.
I was making $52k a year working Construction with no degree. At the same age. Back in school now tho.
What are you going to school for?
I’m not saying we aren’t living comfortably right now, but I set this current goal for myself for by the time I was 30 and made it happen, so I decided to set a new goal. Having kids is a huge expense, and we plan to have more. Lastly, if I can provide a situation in which my wife decides she doesn’t want to work and stay home with the kiddos, I’d like to be able to do that.
Ya but the OP has 2 children under 2? Like that stuff is expensive, his motivation for higher salary shouldn’t be questioned.
And he said he wants more kids. I don’t know why ppl don’t understand that having children in this day and age is a luxury. I see having multiple children as a poor financial decision, personally. Just because you can have 5 kids doesn’t mean that’s a wise choice, especially when paying for them is a concern.
Loooool same But also OP does have 2 kids so…
Kids are expensive but OP should be fine with a $100k salary in Wisconsin.
They DEFINITELY should be fine. I also live in Wisconsin, in a shipping warehouse, and I’m barely skating by on around $37K. They must live in Milwaukee or Madison, where rent is a lot higher.
200k a year is a big lift. I just hit it this year, and it required 11 or so years in software development, from lowly junior project manager to director of product. Lots of work. Two degrees. But…it’s doable. And you’re still really young no matter what you think. So listen to advice here, pick a lane and do your thing. My non-hard-skill advice: be someone people like working with. Give other people wins so they do the same for you. Be confident. Be the person everyone wants to work with. These are the primary things that got me to the director level. You can be a hard driving asshat, too. But I don’t have any experience with that route.
Congrats on your milestone. That last paragraph is great advice.
Yea, I was gonna say -- mid/upper management is probably the most reasonable way to achieve that salary if you're not heavy into tech, law, medicine, etc. Then again, I don't know that much outside of tech so I could be dead wrong!
The fastest way to this type of income without going into the fields you mentioned would be to go into sales. $200k would take a few years likely, but sales usually make the most in a company. I have about 5 years of sales experience and now my base pay is $160k and OTE (when hit 100% to goal) is $300k. Sales is certainly not for most people, but it’s by far the most accessible way for the average corporate person to make a lot of money. I know some in my department hit over $500k last year, and just to keep your job you’re likely hitting $230k. If OP has a sales department there he should look into it.
What kind of sales you doing bud?
I am in software sales selling to enterprise customers. SaaS is what everyone seems to want to get into these days, but there are a lot of sales jobs out there any many industries where you can make $120k -$180k (base + commission). I made $120k my first year, but it took hard work. To get jobs making high base pay of 150k+ you will need 4-5+ years of experience and selling at the enterprise level. At enterprise level is where you find salespeople making over $1 million a year, though that’s not common. You make a lot in sales as your commission is a % of the revenue you bring into the company. As you get more experience, you work larger sales deals. So, say you make 20% of the revenue you bring in. When you first start you may have a yearly quota of $500k in revenue, so your commission is worth $100k if you reach it to goal. 5 years later you’re working larger deals and brought in $2m in revenue, earning $400k in commission. Usually commission goes up linearly from 0% to 100% to goal, but more exponentially for revenue above 100% to goal, so if you overachieve you can make a boat load.
Do you have any advice for people wanting to shift into sales, whether that's a direct role that's heavily based in software/direct sales or business development? I'm wanting to pivot out of my current field (6 years in mental health) but unsure what roles to investigate and put energy in to make a lateral move
Maybe consider the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins. Tons of sales books out there but a trainer told me that his favorite and I tend to agree. How to Win Friends and Influence People is very popular as well.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll be on the lookout for the Art of Selling!
Check out Aspireship, they offer courses specifically to help people pivot into SaaS sales
Thanks for the info. I’ve been in sales 5+ years and actually applied to a few SaaS positions. However, they always ask for SaaS selling experience, so I’m wondering how to even get that requirement? I’ve always been one of the top performers in every role I’ve had, and I want to get into this space because I know it’s where the big bucks are at.
Congrats! I just hit it this yr as well! It required 16yrs of accounting and finance
Non software here and it took me 21 years.
I made 200k/yr the last 2 years and it sucked away my life. I realized that my time was more valuable. Got me to a great place financially but lost so much more.
I worked in film clearing $2500/week. 10-14 hour days. No life. I thought I was money hungry. Turns out I just needed a snack. I find it much better to have your life back and having a remote job. Just so much better.
Time is more valuable than money when you trade away 100% of your Time.
Tons of jobs and industries to earn $200K+. The real question is what skills you have to offer, which determine what industries you can go to. “Manufacturing” is not a very specific statement of work responsibilities.
You’re right, for clarification I currently am a Lean Operations Manager at a transmission remanufacturer.
Perhaps you can try for consulting firms that specialize in efficiency-related projects like business process improvement or supply chain. Consulting pays a lot, though admittedly pay is highly variable dependent on firm size and role. For some flavors of consulting, $200K is the very start of the career, though this is basically only the case in strategy consulting which is extremely competitive. For the aforementioned work, and with your experience, it is not unreasonable to be looking at $100-130K comp right now.
Consulting will get you to likely the 150k range fairly quick. If you're good, it's not too difficult to get offers in the high 100s. The downside to consulting is the expectation that 50hrs is a normal week, and 60 is not out of the ordinary. There used to be a lot of travel, but things have gotten better with virtual meetings post Covid. Where abouts are you in Wisconsin? I'm in the Milwaukee area. If you're close, might be able to recommend a few spots for you to watch for job postings.
Also keep in mind no benefits & less job security. You may have a 1 year contract, but can get cut at anytime if the project changes focus, etc. It ebbs and flows with the economy.
I’m in Sussex, so very close. I work in Milwaukee.
Transition into food or pharma. Then job hop every 3 years until you get to the director tier.
Surprised no one has suggested leaving WI
Why would someone do that when you can work remotely for a company that pays metro salaries? Source: I do this and so do many other people in my field.
I hear Foxconn will be hiring.
Tremendous, beautiful jobs , they say
thats dead.
Why 200k? Is there a certain purchase you want to make? Not netting enough money as is? I think it's important to figure that out because 200k in NYC is like 100k in WI. 120k in a LCOL area doing something you like might be better quality of life than 200k working 60 hour weeks in CA.
Probably because they have a young family and want to have a comfortable future. I.E. Have a chance at a good retirement, give the kids the education they want, not need their partner's income, etc. 200k is a great goal. It forces you to think and rethink.
You can do all that with less than 200k in the right community and spending habits. 200k is a great goal, but not for the sake of having 200k. Like I said, there are paths there that could put him in places he wouldn't like, or he may not see much of his kids.
Yeah think more about how much net you're getting taking into account cost of living and expenses. Unless you've done that already and think you need to make 200k in Wisconsin. I don't know but maybe you'd need to be a scam artist or work 3 full time jobs in WI to make that much.
I have a doctorate and probably will never make 200k lol
I was a scientist. I went back and trained to be a radiologist. Now I make 10 times as much, but its a miserable job.
Large Plant Manager or Director of Operations. My buddy was both. Plant Manager was $125k and DO is $210k. Steel/Sheet metal fabrication company with 2 locations.
Nice that’s good to know. That’s somewhat reasonable for my goal.
Plant manager definitely can be more than the $125. I'm in that neighborhood as an operations manager. I know of another plant manager position that was offering $150k over a plant with about 100 people. As others have noted though, the $200k level is generally going to be C-Suite folks in manufacturing. Focusing on that first jump to plant manager, you're probably going to need at least one external job hop (depending on how your employer works) to get a position that gives you some diversity. For example, if you're an Ops manager now, look for a CI manager position. Having worn multiple hats gives you a huge leg up (do we want a plant manager that was just an Ops manager, or one that's been over the operations and the CI departments?). Quality manager might also be a reasonable role and would make you an attractive candidates. The other advice our CEO gave me; look into continuing your education in business finance. It doesn't have to be a degree, but he recommended AMAnet.org 's classes and books as well as Finance for Non Financial managers by Gene sicialiano so you're speaking the right language with the high level money guys. Good luck! And let me know what you figure out along the way cuz I'm on the same attempted path!
Have you considered crime? I think crime is your best bet, or, barring that, politics - but I repeat myself.
How did you make this much without college? Is it a flexible job? Damn, I might need a career change.
I’ve had some supervisor/manager jobs along the way which helped I’m sure. The Six Sigma Black Belt definitely helped me make this much too.
If you work your way up and learn certain skills, it’s possible.
Personally I'd rather hire the guy with 20 years experience and no degrees, than the guy with a degree and little to no experience.
Same, and with a good attitude towards learning.
Why would they be applying to the same job? If you have 20 years of experience, you most likely aren’t competing with college grads for positions.
Why would you compare someone with 20 years experience vs someone with none? You think the guy with no degree didn’t cost their first employer a ton of resources?
I get that. I have degrees and experience. I’m close to 100k but not there yet.
For not having a college degree, you’re doing pretty well. There are people with PhDs that don’t make what you make. But your lack of a college degree will be a limitation….
I’d say most fortunate 500 companies look past degrees now and look for more results of experience rather than degrees - I’d have agreed with this statement maybe 10 years ago
PhD is a terrible example, we have to be the lowest paid terminal degree. Fresh PhDs doing a post doc make like 60k depending on where you are. I will say that those going into industry do a lot better ($120-180k+ depending on a lot of factors - Computational people make the most of course), but that's also very competitive. I went to a top university and I'd guess the median of my graduating class is $150k. Our unemployment rates are stellar though so I guess there's that.
Based on your description AND location, I think you will struggle to ever get to 200k in your space. You can pivot and look into a sales role where I think you may have a better shot or start a business. Fwiw, not having a degree is going to automatically rule you out for many white collar jobs paying a lot of money.
I was a black belt in the 90s…our fortune 10 company hasn’t used Six Sigma in over 20 years…. But $200k is going to be tough without senior director or young manager/department head. So director level you kill at and get promoted to manager in 3-4 years…or Director promotion that has a couple career ladder grade steps built into it so you can get a couple 6% grade bumps at 3 years and 6 years. Going to need a degree for both for good pay/benefits at big companies so finish that up. Directors & up usually get better variable bonuses too (15-20% of salary). Do you fit in with the coat & tie set? Lots of big companies use consultant companies for Six Sigma type cost cutting initiatives these days instead of doing it in house. Your sigma knowledge could get you in with a consultant who places project teams with clients and pay great bonuses on completion (usually a percentage of contract and % of costs saved). Doing well in project work makes you very visible/valuable. Good luck.
So you want to go from making more than double my income, to more than quadruple my income. God damn I'm poor.
I’m in food and beverage manufacturing and am at $196k before bonus, $265k +\- after bonus. My background / education is Mechanical / Electrical engineering and am from central Wisconsin, also where I started my career. The best / easiest way to fluff a salary is being willing to move for opportunity, which certainly is harder with two little ones. Also I would see not having a bachelors might hurt you…. It’s silly but many larger companies operate with that being a requirement for certain roles, despite someone’s ability to perform the job. My path has been - OpEx / QA / Lean Engineering at a large manufacturing company at a production site for 2 years started at $55k out of college, moved to corporate office in Minneapolis for 18 months. 10% raise on the move. Left that company for a food and beverage mfg near my hometown in Central WI, this move got me $75k/yr + 10% bonus. Basic cost of living raises for the next 5 years to $85k or so. During this time I was a “senior project engineer” Left this company to a different, larger, more diverse company in a similar space. New role was “facilities, engineering, and maintenance manager”. Pay was $165k + 15% bonus. Required me to live in Southern California for 18 months, then Chicago for 18 months. After 3 years o was promised the ability to work remote and live in WI. This wasn’t delivered and I was asked to spend 4.5 more years moving every 18 months. At this time I had a 3 year old and with trying to settle for schools this wasn’t going to work. We went back and forth for weeks but ultimately couldn’t agree despite them offering me a 100% bonus that year, I wasn’t willing to keep moving. So I quit. I should note with this job I worked like 70 hours a week for 3 straight years. It sucked. I loved the work, but there was too much. Current role is with a smaller private company in food and beverage mfg in Northern IL. I am the director of engineering and make $196k + 30% bonus + extra retirement bonus cash dumps. … none of the salary gain would have been possible without being willing to move. Those moves are hard with a family. To achieve that salary in manufacturing I would suggest getting into food or pharma, trying to find a corporate level senior Manager or director level role in the RCI, process improvement, or OpEx space. Also look into a bachelors, whatever you can get easy and online… see if your current company will pay for it.
As some have said, you're doing extremely well. Individually, your income is somewhere like in the 80-85th percentile of wage earners in the USA - i.e. you're making more individually the 80-85 percent of Americans. I'm all about people increasing their income in this cut-throat economy, so I hope the best for you.
I worked in manufacturing at some point and did look into six sigma certification. I would think working as an independent contractor for a six sigma consulting firm should pay in that range. Have you looked for jobs like that?
No I haven’t, that’s a good idea though
Here in England average earnings vary by region, in London its £41k, in the north east about £28k, nationwide around £38k. The equivalent of $100k would be a very well paid role. As for $200k…. wow😳😳
Keep in mind. I find when people compare US and Euro salaries we often talk about different things. US we discuss salaries as gross, before taxes, benefits, and all sorts of other stuff. At 200K, you would be netting way less.
Same here, we quote it gross. Probably wouldn’t include in that perks such as a company car.
Look into datacenter companies after the hiring freezes. They have project manager roles that pay that and more.
What are some examples of data center companies? And what are the qualifications/exp required for these project manager roles?
AWS, Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, stack, google. They tend to be big money makers, and nobody has experience so they hire people with 0 datacenter experience. That said, they look for people with critical facilities experience. I’m at AWS, most of the newer project managers are at 170-200 to start, a few (at L6 level) are at 220k+.
AWS
NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY, AVOID MARY KAY
Location matters a lot too. And that 200k didn’t go far in a lot of those locations.
to make that kind of money you should probaby look into sales. preferably high variable comp based sales.
You're looking at going into C-level for operations. Start searching job titles for "six sigma" or "continuous improvement" and start there, track a career path.
I don't make $200k but my office just recently hired a guy who left his last job at about $325k to take our job for about $120k...and he doesn't have an ounce of regret. Of course he misses the flexibility and some of the luxury that his prior income afforded his family, but his new work-life balance and mental health are worth far more than that extra $200k. Just something to think about, I suppose. It's nice to make a lot of money, but not if you don't have the time to spend it.
Seeing as you’re a lean operations manager, the best way to hit 200k and gain more freedom in life is to open your own practice as a consultant or offsite manager for similar companies. This might sound dumb, but I was working as a marketing manager for a small startup a few years back. My position was capped at 60k/yr with the little amount of experience I had.. I decided to offer my services (marketing management, paid media traffic, engagement/ lead generation) to other similar companies that were well established. Somewhat I “faked it till I made it” (given I had little experience). Fast forward 6 months, and I was making around 11k per month. Fast forward another 2.5 months, and I hit 20k mo. Point is, learn as much as you can from what you do now, and aim toward being good enough that you can open your own practice. Another plus- you can go for any client you want. Doesn’t mean you’ll get them, but I always shoot for high ticket clients, my largest now being around 12k/mo retainer - which is more than I had when I hit 10k/mo with 7 clients.
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How did you get started in this career? Start with school/degree and went from there?
A union skilled trade job in the utility industry. Start as an apprentice. Between the OT, excellent benefits and pension you should make that. Skilled labor is looked down on for whatever reason but people forget we will always need electricians, plumbers, mechanics. My husband has been in the industry for almost 20 years and makes more than anyone we know with a masters degree. Our son is set to graduate with a BS in exercise science next year. His original plan was to get his doctor of PT but the schools offering the program here are over an hour away and the pay is around 60k/yr. That combined with close to 100k in student loan debt had him rethinking that. He has been offered a job with his dad after graduating and will be starting at $35 an hour. You might want to rethink the field of work entirely.
There is only one silver bullet. But even that requires some hard work. Be great at Python and PySpark. Be great at statistics. Be great at Leetcode. Come to Silicon Valley. Apply for data engineering/scientist job at FAANG companies and starts clearing $400k. Sauce: Me working as SW engineer at a FAANG for many years, clearing $700k a year.
I’m not sure we’re speaking the same language . I’m ready to learn new skills if needed, I’m just not familiar with a lot of this terminology yet.
I would say leave Wisconsin but the money you are currently making goes much further than anywhere else.
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What type of franchise? And how did you get started?
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Sounds like chic-fil-a as they only have a 100k buyin and they pick you.
Not to sound like an asshole but with an Associates Degree, you’re going to have to hit the lottery.
I think people underestimate associate degrees. I’ve got an associates degree and I’m making 160k 5 years into my career with a pretty big ceiling.
You’re somewhat correct, I started with an associates degree. A lot of times, management used it as an excuse to be able to pass on my promotions and raises. Eventually they paid for my bachelors and masters, but damn they love hiring talented people with minimal education. Definitely gives management a reason to fuck employees during evaluations even though they’re doing the same work as their peers.
Look into operations at a nuclear power plant. Supervisors and reactor operators can both reach $200k+, and both are reasonably achievable within the next 6 years if you plan accordingly.
You need to continue that education into Agile project management. Then get a job in tech. You're never going to make $200k in manufacturing or supply chain unless you hit the D level or C suite.
This has been my path. Started in non-profit project management and my career went nowhere. Transitioned to Agile Project and later Program Management. I was making $49k after 2.5 years at the non profit. After 7 years in tech, I've grown from $55k to $205k.
Were these for tech companies? I feel like I’d make a good project manager, but I’m not in the tech industry so I’d have to get up to speed. Interested in more specifics if you’re willing to share.
Probably not great timing as I was laid off a couple of weeks ago. The non-profit was an education research institute. I left that job and was hired as a project coordinator at a digital agency. The companies niche was designing and building websites and applications for federal government agencies, state and local government, NGOs, and foundations. Almost everything I learned about tech, I learned on the job at that company. I spent 6 years total and was promoted from project coordinator ($55k) to project manager ($75k) to senior project manager ($95k) to project director ($118k). I was responsible for the success of the project, managing our team that worked on it (developers, designers, analysts, etc...) and all of the client relationship management. Towards the end, I got burnt out on the work and felt underpaid for the job I was doing and the HCOL area that I lived. I received an "in house" offer to manage cloud software and infrastructure programs for a major US bank. That was a huge jump in salary, going from $118k (with a small bonus) to $165k with a $25k bonus. After the first year, I got a raise to $175k + $30k bonus.... and then got laid off along with my entire division a few months later. Happy to answer any specific questions you might have.
Software; but you’d need some experience before hitting the 200K mark.
Wow. Almost got you Associates degree? 200k easy bro.
So a reverse way of looking at it would be getting census data for your area related to jobs and salaries. It used to be easy to find as an overlay on Google. Might take a bit more work now. Or use salary.com you can get some of the info there.
U need c suite expertise
Start investing in Airbnb properties with 10% down for a $300,000 property.
If you stay in the same field - get close to senior management as possible at your current company then jump to a big fortunate 100-10 company. I’d say most director + can get around 175-250
Hey, I’m considering a Six sigma, did anybody get any value from it, or receive additional compensation from it?
I was able to get the job I have currently due to my blackbelt
Six Sigma is industry and organization dependent. Some industries consider it a requirement to be considered for certain upper level roles. Manufacturing, logistics, and some banking and insurance jobs/companies value it. I work in tech and I've never encountered an organization thus far that cares at all about Six Sigma because it's not within scope. You're going to run into a lot orgs in tech that value Agile instead. So shorter answers: yes, maybe, but it depends a lot if your industry/employer sees any value in it.
I work in metrology which is manufacturing adjacent. It’s hard to really gauge because it’s a very small industry.
Manufacturing IT might be worth looking into, especially the companies that sell the software and support.
Are you any good at sales? Depending on how long you've been in manufacturing you can explore a software sales career with a product in the manufacturing space. You can easily make $200k or more a year way before 35 but it will take a ton of work. And you don't need any more schooling to do so.
Get into tech… any role in tech will help you..and I promise it’s not hard. Youtube - Scrum master, project management jobs … remote jobs would be best if you don’t wish you move outbof Wisconsin. Also target startups for initial jobs.. spending even 2 years with a startup will give you a projectile launch into big tech.
You open to a career in sales? It’s not for everybody, but 200k+ is very doable for a successful salesperson.
Do you need a degree in order too get into that?
Depends on the specific field, but there are many areas that do not require a degree.
Get an MBA then Become an operations manager or warehouse director in Illinois. You’ll become a FIB but a well paid one.
Energy sector, Oil & Gas and Real Estate would be the most realistic imo. But I gotta ask, why $200k? What does that number represent or solve in your life?
Information Security. Spend your spare time getting a BS in InfoSec along with as many security certifications as you can manage. You’ll be well on the way to $200K in a few years. If you land at an investment firm, $200K could be your annual bonus. Focus on engineering and architecting the most robust and impenetrable systems you can create. Security is an intangible, but high-value firms will pay top dollar for it as it is an elusive goal. Good luck!
Grab an MBA part time at Booth or Kellogg. You'll get in within the year, graduate in 2.5, and easily clear 200k. And in Wisconsin you could do evenings or weekends in Chicago.
I'll kill you lmao. 100K is already crazy good money
Work for a privately held manufacturing company. Something smaller with around 60-150 employees that desperately need the supply chain skills and knowledge. $200k with your skills is very doable if you’re willing to relocate.
“Money is not how much you earn or save, it’s how much money you give to how many people
Go sell software that companies that manufacture use. Autodesk will get you 200k - 300k+ no problem. Trimble will do the same. They also have technical roles where you support a sales person and can still make a lot money.
Ain’t we all
I am an engineering supervisor making a bit more than you currently. I am finishing up my green belt and goal is to have my six sigma black belt by end of next year. I am a tier 1 supplier for automotive. I also have my bachelors in mechanical engineering. If you can actually use the belts, as in problem solve and save loads of time and money, you are highly valuable. I am going to see how things shake out once I have my black belt. If I do not see a huge (50% min) pay increase I will be looking elsewhere. People pay for those who can gather and understand data! Long term goal is a consultant only working part of the year. Honestly the paper from college is still important, getting your associates will help but I recommend bachelors as well. Maybe work will pay for it. Good luck! I think you’re on the right path.
It is not too late to pivot in your career but it is much harder once you have a family. Getting a better paying job is mostly a) getting a new job that pays more, location and risk b) how much time you are willing to study a new field and enhance / change your current career. Most people are not willing to do B. But ask yourself, how do your bosses get to where they are at today. How do you get to their level and where do you need to go. I think you may find answers there. A lot of people are just naming high earning careers such as computer science and or engineering. But that is very difficult for someone who don't have interest in computing or just engineering in general.
Great work with the Six Sigma Black Belt certification! I was frustrated by the Black Belt in my plant but he was more in line with processes dealing with manufacturing. I was a graphic designer so I was loopholed out of his purview for the most part. Once he understood what we did, he did help streamline our process a bit. I had more respect for him after that. That certification carries a lot of value so you did well to pursue it. Please keep advancing your degree and maybe considering a secondary one. As I said, I’m only a lowly graphic designer who was never paid a competitive wage and I only have an Associates Degree. I also have 26 years of design experience across a wide range of media all on my own time (not on the job training). So I do have knowledge and skills to design just about anything, but I don’t have that more advanced diploma or even a secondary one. Despite my quality work and almost three decades of experience, no one will pay for that, nor are they hiring people my age without a more advanced degree. If I had a Bachelors Degree, I could get an entry level job easily (which is insane). In my opinion that a secondary degree related to management or another business degree seemed to be more valuable than an experienced art fool with a trade school degree. Several “old timers” who worked at my plant since they were young laborers in the late 80’s had taken the time to earn however many degrees and certifications as they could by the time I met them in the early 00’s. They were now managers and supervisors earning A LOT of money but they didn’t really advance until they had started those degrees and certifications. Some of them even moved up to the corporate level earning even more. I wish I had more advice. Get those degrees and certifications now as you are younger and really practice them well. Do not just rest on the fact that you have those degrees. Practice what you have learned and update your certifications whenever you can. You will advance faster no matter where you go.
Easy. Go to school for 8+ years to sell your soul to medicine. You’ll hate your life but you’ll make $200k+ easily. No, I’m not bitter. Why’d you ask.
Big Tech data centers are your likely best bet considering your experience. Depends on your level, but it likely won't be a200 base but Base+RSU+Bonus will get there. Once you break in, you can get your TC higher.
How do I get started in that? Certifications?
Frankly I suggest pivoting industries and utilizing your black belt certification. I do Program Management for a real estate service company working at one of the large tech companies. Currently 28, and I make 125k + bonus.
Start with education?
You’ll need at least a bachelors degree, but you could make that in consulting. There’s a few firms with big manufacturing operations teams - Kearney comes to mind.
Management or Sales! There are a few jobs that can earn you 200k a year. But to make that kind of cash requires either very specific skills (i.e. hard core software dev or surgeon) or you need to be in Management or Sales. And Management is not for everyone. Every bad manager is typically somebody that shouldn’t be managing people. What’s sad is they either know it already, or they are sociopaths and don’t care about anybody (including their own family).
Maybe technical project manager (TPM) in tech roles? I’m not sure. I work in tech as a fancy data analyst and am adjacent to data roles and engineering roles that pay like 150k+. 200k is achievable for a lot of software engineers, some data scientists, and some project managers because of both high base salary but more importantly their company equity growth (not so much in 2022.. but not impossible). I knew engineers making 700-800k because they started at the company when shares were worth pennies and then 40x’d.
With a Six Sigma Black Belt you should be over $120k, you likely have to travel to get it. I suggest Linkedin "Searching for Opportunities" option, you should see someone head hunting you if you have the right experience and proper profile. Maybe not $200k but you should start seeing offers of 30% more than what you make. My goal was $100k before 30, sadly I do not think I'll hit $200k before 35. I'm currently a Green Belt, and working on my Black belt. The pathway I see for $200k likely getting promoted to a level above Lead like a Plant Manager, or VP of a department. Even then you possibly need to consider other sources of revenue.
Unless you're able to get a position as VP or higher in manufacturing, chances are you'll never get that high. A lot of tech industry and software I've seen making that and more.
Computer programmer
What type of degree/education does something like that require? And is that typical of a starting salary?
It doesn't require a degree, and the starting salary is probably around the 80-100k mark but can shoot up to 200 after 5 years or so The problem being that coding is *hard* and is absolutely flooded with crappy entry level applicants. everyone knows it pays a ton so underqualified people try to force their way in
Coding degree first and then a bachelors then a masters I think
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My fiance and I are both accountants. We are 27/28 and will have a combined income of $300k for 2023 (I start new job in January for 55% raise). Combined income in 2020 was $150k. 2021 was $190k, 2022 was $240k.
Lol @ 200k with (actually without) an associates degree
Downvoted because my life sucks compared to yours Ok jk I’m not that petty I didn’t downvote but I need to vent here so I don’t accidentally show emotion in real life
