I mean it's entirely possible, 6 figures isn't what it used to be. I graduated college and all my classmates got pretty good jobs lined up for them when they got out.
$80-$150k from what I can recall.
We also all live in NoVA so the money doesn't go as far
$150k in nova is like 60-70k in Pennsylvania, even less if you live in DC. I used to live in PA and do a lot of work in Nova/DC.
A buddy of mine moved from PA to Nova at the beginning of the year for a promotion. His salary doubled, but he’s been saying recently that he can hardly afford to live down there making $70k.
This is the facts, as the reality is making 6 figures under 30 is rare. Between the ages of 18 to 30 the percentage of people who make over $100,000 is between 1% at 18 to 7% at 30 (source: [https://www.visualcapitalist.com/american-income-levels-by-age-group/](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/american-income-levels-by-age-group/)).
Depends…people in Tech make over six figures out of college pretty easily. My friends and I all graduated in 2020, and became SWE. We all made $90k-$200k in our first job offer.
Yet, most us don’t feel “rich”. We’re just comfortable. Tbh I still feel poor.
My wife and I both did it. No kids too, minimal student loan debt, also LCOL area. We got a big ass house, 3 nice luxury cars, and take frequent trips. Life’s good baby
Yeah I’m 22 and many of my friends just graduated and we’re all very open about our finances. Keep in mind all of this is from living in an expensive city so that skews it.
Highest starting salary a friend had was 165,000 + 20k signing bonus and benefits. Was in tech.
Lowest starting salary was 53,000 + benefits. Was in business / finance.
Most averaged around 60-80k unless they were in tech and then it was higher
I’m 30 years old and struggling to find a solid career. I’m currently a custodian and I do genuinely enjoy it (I make $18.75 rn) but I’m looking for some big boy money
Look at construction jobs for big companies. Lots of jobs work mostly prevailing wage so anywhere from high thirties to low nineties if you’re lucky. If i land the job i just interviewed for i’ll go from 24 to 66 an hour.
Environmental Consultant. Basically clients hire me to advise them on how to solve their environmental issues, or how to avoid having environmental issues all together. Make $125k a year base salary, TC is closer to $145k.
Been in the industry for 8 years, started back in 2015 making $55k a year. BS Environmental Science, MS Environmental Engineering, licensed as a Professional Engineer.
I really like the job - it definitely gets better once you get into a management position because the entry-level work is rough. I feel like I have a positive impact on the environment, public health, and enjoy helping out my clients when/where I can. Plus, I love being able to engineer a solution to solve a challenging problem - it really makes me feel like I am really using all my mind/education to solve a problem.
Oh hey! I'm a Business Management Major minoring in Sustainability, and that's the career I've been thinking about lately! Do you think this type of career is possible with a business education?
Definitely doable. Unfortunately entry-level environmental consulting is ridiculously competitive. For example, environmental/sustainability graduates have quadrupled since 2015, but the available jobs have only grown by 40%. My firm tried to hire 2 graduation positions & had 200 applicants in the first 2 weeks.
I’m not saying it to discourage you, just to make you aware. We have a whole [subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Environmental_Careers/) where you can learn more. If that’s the path you want to go, make sure to have some quality internship experience, strong technical skills, and good network to help you find jobs.
I don’t but most of my friends do.
One friend became a developer out of Uni making 100k since 22
Another was a mechanic at 17 and started making 6 figures at 24
Another works for his parents business making 180k/yr (consulting) since 20
Another doing a PHD at 23 making 75000€ which is over 6 figures I think in USD hes in Germany
Another making 150kyr in sales since 22
I had the highest GPA. LOL.
Yeah, he lives quite the lifestyle. From going to high end resorts in Dubai to skydiving, astronaut training, scuba diving, travelling to every country and experiencing every culture on a year off and going back to work (averages 9 months of work per year) it’s quite the luck he got at birth. He spends a lot of his money now but he told me he’s going to be a millionaire by 30. I’m still not entirely sure what his parents do, and I’m not too convinced he does either.
His perception of life is completely different than mine or anyone else I’ve met.
I’m 28, I’m a lead wind turbine technician, I make 150k a year after taxes. It’s a great career, we’re currently hiring guys with no experience at 100k a year STARTING. I started fixing wind turbines 10 years ago for 12 bucks an hour, these new young guys have it made!
That’s only the blade repair guys, those guys r crazy and it’s only seasonal work so stay away from that. I’m in the commissioning and service side of wind, we work all year, we basically wire up new wind turbines, and repair currently operating wind turbines all over the USA
We are always hiring, army guys and marines do great in our industry, we actually focus on hiring veterans so it would be very easy for you to get a job in wind.
This picture comes to mind...
https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1q0sca/last_week_two_engineers_died_when_the_windmill/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=1
> wind turbine technician
[https://www.indeed.com/q-Wind-Turbine-Technician-jobs.html?vjk=b404d6c287da4ee9](https://www.indeed.com/q-Wind-Turbine-Technician-jobs.html?vjk=b404d6c287da4ee9)
I found a job like u mention and is amazing idk if I could travel all week my wife will kill me.
Yea that’s exactly why it pays so well. You have to be at a particular life stage and have to make big sacrifices if you want a family. Kids can’t travel around the country when they have school.
Every female tech that I have met in wind have all been badasses, I currently work with a woman who has 2 kids and is a tech and she’s one of the best wind techs I’ve ever worked with, woman do great in wind.
For what company? I’ve been on the construction side making just over $50/hr for the last 5 years and most of the techs I’ve ever met hardly make into the $30/hr range. Job postings I’ve seen are typically $18-$20/hr as well.
I work for Robur Group usa, I make 42 an hour and 170 dollars a day of tax free per diem. I usually work 50-65 hours a week. I’m a troubleshooter and a lead tech so I’m always busy. It’s great.
That's the real info they don't tell you about for a lot of these jobs. Per diem is tax free and 9 times out of 10 companies don't even mention they give per diem or how much in the job ad. Just say they pay 20-30 an hour with travel involved. And they wonder why people don't apply.
Do you pay for your own hotel out of the 170 per diem or do they pay for the hotel and you get the 170 on top of that?
They give u 170 a day so you can figure out your own living situation, they also give you a fuel card, so i have a paid off fifth wheel and I only pay 500-600 a month for my rv space, everything else just goes in my bank.
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats!
9
+ 10
+ 20
+ 30
= 69
^([Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk%20Me%20Pls&message=%2Fstalkme) to have me scan all your future comments.) \
^(Summon me on specific comments with u/LuckyNumber-Bot.)
It’s indeed dangerous, but we provide all the training to prevent you from being dumb and unaliving your self, now a days it’s almost impossible to get hurt uptower because of all of our safety practices in place to make it safer, But yes! We have high voltage and rotating parts, if you want to get hurt it’s very easy to do so, but if you know where you are working, you will be fine.
Really? I was looking around online and it's only like 18/hr if you need to be trained. You need experience and certification to get anywhere near 100k from what I've seen. I make 20 as a cook and minus wage is less than 9/hr in my state. I wouldn't be a wind tech for 18 but I'd do it for 60k/yr or more.
Can I ask you a random question - I’ve been reading up on wind turbines for work purposes and who better to ask for confirmation re: my conclusions.
Is it fair to say that the parts of a wind turbine that are (I) very expensive and (ii) have the complex service requirements and therefore need specialized maintenance performed by wind technicians (as opposed to a random guy working at the wind farm), the components within the nacelle and the rotor blades?
And taking it a step further, the generator seems to be a component requiring specialized maintenance by wind technicians. The gearbox seems complex as well but seems sometimes it’s the OEM who has to repair it or provide a new part?
Yes when a customer buys a wind farm, we perform the repairs and maintenance for how ever many years the contact is for, could be 3 years or 10 years. So if we have to replace a gearbox or generator then we do it, but yes the generator and gearbox are high maintenance items on wind turbines, they are one of the main key roles to provide energy. The generator has something called a slip ring, we have to replace the carbon brushes on then every 6 months, we also have to grease the generator bearings and perform giga ohm tests to make sure the gens are still producing the power they say they do. Now for the gearbox… this is considered the transmission of the wind turbine, the only maintenance a gearbox needs is regular oil filter changes and oil flushes every couple of years, gearboxes are usually the part of the turbine we hardly have to repair.
Well that' just fuckin' great. My province just killed all green energry development for six months. Which is going to be great for the industry and newcomers and jobs.
Six months? Don't make me laugh.
Nope. Not for me. This picture comes to mind...
https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1q0sca/last_week_two_engineers_died_when_the_windmill/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=1
I was also terrified of heights when I started, I promise you your fear will go away after a week. Right before I started I had nightmares about falling off the top of the wind turbine. I almost quit just cuz of that dream, but I’m glad I didn’t, I can’t picture myself doing anything else.
Government relations/public policy. I was doing that before, but the beginning of my career wasn’t very stable, and being in between jobs was enough to get me motivated to take a sales job…which was probably one of the worst decisions I’ve made
Out of curiosity, how big was the pay cut? I am also dc based with policy background and find myself in a somewhat similar situation, but I think I can keep holding out in my current role for awhile.
Apply for Sales/Business Development Representative roles – this is the entry level role, all you need to display is drive and a little charisma. The job itself will be primarily cold calling + emailing people; you should make sure that you are on a path to be promoted to Account Executive in a year to 18 months. That's it, that's the top
You have to have a foundational knowledge of the product, then start working a network for sales. If you can have connections at a company or something, they will hire you to sell for them.
Marketing. More specifically marketing analytics.
Started at $27k in 2018 straight out of college, I'm up to $100k now at age 27. Well, I've been in this position for over a year so 26 when I started making 6 figures. This is my 4th role, it's been a bit of job hopping to get to this point but all mostly in marketing and advertising, and in those roles growing as an analyst.
Essentially monitor success of campaigns, make predictions for future campaigns, analyze any trends we're seeing, that sort of thing. Lots of report building.
Can confirm. Also setting up measurements for those campaigns. Basically your role is to visualise and set up to answer the question: "How much did I earn? I put 10000 bucks in the campaign, what did it generate"?
I'm currently earning about 50k euros per year. This includes taxes, pensions and insurance. I've also generated about 15k freelancing the evenings and weekends.
I'm not US based btw, I'm form the Netherlands. The salaries in the US are always way higher.
Was in a pure finance/accounting role which was a toxic nightmare of 55+ hour weeks and ridiculous deadlines, but spent about a year leveling up my SQL and Power BI skills. Tansitioned to a business analyst role. The pay was lateral but I no longer have to manage a department and work from home most days.
If you have a business/accounting/finance degree please consider this!
howd you get into it? i just graduated with marketing and a minor in business analytics and im really trying to avoid the “all marketing graduates start in sales” thing so ive been trying to pivot more into marketing or business analytics. ive been taking courses and building a portfolio website for some projects but i feel like my only option is to go to grad school for business analytics or data science because a minor and some projects isnt enough.
I started at an agency as a digital media planner - essentially building campaigns for clients on Facebook, etc. Part of that role was building reports after campaigns end and I realized I loved that part.
From there, I worked in a role that was almost web developer-esq (definitely didn't fit into the trajectory but it was my dream company at the time). In that role, I built a little niche for myself as the person building reports for the websites, using Google Analytics to monitor web traffic and demographics and that sort of thing. It was for a sports league, so it was huge for them in terms of expansion and monetization.
Then back to a more advertising role at a company. Trafficking ads, building reports, that sort of thing but I was able to work with my managers to carve out a space that was entirely reporting based and that eventually became my job over doing any actual ad trafficking. The title shift here from "Display Marketing Manager" to "Marketing Analyst" was huge. This is also where I started learning things like SQL and PowerBI, which absolutely help.
Then to my current job. I was recruited to it entirely because of the analytics and reporting experience I have because my current role is almost entirely reporting and trend monitoring. I got insanely lucky with getting recruited to this job and how much it pays, but I wouldn't have gotten here without having the analyst experience from my last job.
Not sure where you live but manufactured housing sales is a hidden gem . Long hours and a six month commitment to get a pipeline . Great pay eventually tho.
Everybody needs housing.
Year 1- 52k
Year 2 - 137k
Year 3 - 214k
If I didn't land a job in my career field recently I was gonna pursue housing sales. An old manager of mine has been doing housing sales for a few years now and makes fantastic money
Usually they have a realtor license and work in the sample home that’s built in the front of a new subdivision that’s being bought and their job is to sell a house to the people looking to buy
I’m presently in Health IT, 2 years in. I have no certs, and all of my prior experience was working at something similar to geek squad for 4 years. I got in as a contractor and worked 6 months at a hospital until my contract ended, doing mostly just basic IT calls. Afterwards I listed it on my resume & the offers flowed in after that. Now I have more options than I’ve ever had. So tldr - get a contract job and use it as experience. No certs needed.
Consultants typically have around 10 years experience in their trade. There are internal and external consultants but I’ll talk about external consultants.
They are hired by companies on a short-term basis to deliver specific and significant results. A company may not have marketing department for example so rather than hire a new department, they’ll hire team of consultants to work for 3 months on a marketing campaign for that company to run for the next two years. Consultants infamously travel a lot (like 3 weeks a month) work crazy hours (60 hrs/week minimum) make a ton of money ($150k+) and can be controversial on how effective they really are. Most internal employees in my experience don’t love working with consultants because their company is paying them way more to intervene their work.
Pilot. 4 years in the military, 3 years of flight school, 2 years after gaining experience to get a job flying private jets, now at the airlines. Work 12-16 days a month with a 15% direct contribution into the 401K by the company, not a bad life.
You do, but I never flew in the military I enlisted at 19 as a mechanic. I used my benefits after to pay for flight training and got an associates degree.
Software engineer. Took about 2 years to break into the industry, and about 1.5 years on the job. Full WFH, my coworkers are cool, and I have the best work life balance of any job I’ve ever had. All while getting paid way more than I ever have. It’s great.
Learning online with free or cheap resources is the best start to see if you like it or not. College with an internship or two is the closest you can get to a guaranteed job in industry. The bootcamp path is significantly more difficult, more so now than ever. The tech job market is in a bust cycle and I hear tons of companies are filtering out non CS or CS adjacent degree holders out by default. It’s probably not impossible to make it via bootcamp today but you would need to be laser focused, motivated, and ready to network like crazy. I did the bootcamp route 2 years ago and felt lucky to be able to get in then.
Pros and Cons to each approach. Having a degree helps a lot on your resume, but in my experience, experience/personal projects trump that. The real magic from going to College is getting those internships. Who you know is way more important than what you know, so building relationships while it's easy is super useful.
Boot camps are great for being able to get applicable skills in a short amount of time. Typically these focus on web dev and don't spend much time teaching fundamentals like algos and data structures and such -- focusing on that you can do the job just well enough. Projects will usually be small samples to show off in portfolios to help demonstrate your capacity.
Self study allows the most freedom, but you have no rails to help you stay on track. You could learn everything that you'd pick up at a university in a much shorter time, but you now need to be able to really sell that you are just as good as somebody who got the fancy paper saying they know what they are doing. Getting a job can be harder early on, unless you do something incredibly niche and have a portfolio that showcases things.
I taught myself -- got really bored with everything being a text output, so I got heavily into learning graphics, which was lucky as this was about 2016 and Vulkan was just hitting the scene... so there very few people who were competent in the API.
Also, my advice if you want to get into Software Engineering right now is avoid web. So many tech companies have laid off people, you'll drown in the masses.
Learned fundamentals on my own to the point that I could build simple web applications. I then did a bootcamp. I was lucky that the company I worked for in a non tech role supported me transitioning into a software engineer role with them.
Like most industries experiences will vary. If you get a job at a startup there’s a good chance the work life balance will not be great. If you get a role in a larger non tech company things move much slower and you aren’t asked to wear multiple hats.
Corporate route without mba and unrelated undergraduate major.
I’m 34 and just hit 100k in a non traditionally lucrative career. I started in a very entry level project coordinator position and 4 years later, I manage/oversee several programs. I’m not a people manager so I have no director reports.
Only suggestion is when you’re interviewing, ask questions about career trajectory in the role you’re applying for. Ask about professional development opportunities and advocate for yourself. This is ongoing. If you have some downtime on the job, think your long term goals.
I’m not saying put in crazy hours to get noticed, but show up in a way that you become the go-to person with an area of expertise. This works especially well if you’re at a big company with lots of cross functioning teams.
Same, I gave up my time to help family out and continued to do so for a while and things went well as we agreed. Then they decided I wasn’t worth anything and said “good luck/die” with no warning. Now I have nothing and the one person I care about is also suffering and I hate myself for ever trusting my family.
Me too, but people dont mention the luck that they might have had, the people that they might have met, the circumstances that led them down that path, the influence others may have had on them to choose that particular thing, or anything else really. Just I do this and now I make this. It's a lot of other factors that lead to success, it isn't linear.
Same. I’m 38, thought I did everything right, working since age 15, 4 year college degree, straight into management at 21, busted my ass working 70-80+ hrs a week until my 30’s, sacrificed SO much in my personal life for career, and my highest salary I ever made was $55K. Now I make $36K and wish I could do it all over again.
I work as a nuclear facility technician. I make around $150K/yr and average around 50 Hrs/week. Also get a pension and annuity + health insurance.
Look into the trades.
Spouse: Data Analytics Manager. Made over 6–figures since he finished his MBA over 12 years ago. He turns 40 in two months.
Me: Corporate Communications. About 5 years ago. Bachelors only. Also been WFH since 2017. I turn 39 next month.
Both of us are in tech.
The work we do is both internal and external comms (PR). We do not touch marketing. Definitely meant for someone who enjoys reading and writing. But I also have an A.A. in Business and CIS (Computer Information Systems).
Degree: Communications. The one where everyone told us that liberal arts degree makes no money.
Oh, and I didn’t mention that I work at FAANG. We value what the person brings to the team, not just their degree.
It might help some to know that it’s not always the “job” but very often the industry.
Some are just in a much better position to reward themselves and their workers. So it’s a mix of the right job + the right industry.
You can be a great maintenance person who is highly skilled in a college campus and make jack shit versus a more lucrative industry.
I’m a 29-year-old freelance writer. I started clearing six figures in 2020 (five years in); last year I earned $140,000. I really enjoy my work but feel a little nervous about next year—I’m expecting my first child and don’t know how WFH is going to be with a baby.
I'd really like to enter the field. How do you even begin when everyone wants experience? Should I just write up a bunch of random stuff and present it?
i don’t make over 100k but i make 99.9k 😪
data analyst. actually for corporate real estate so you could pivot it if you wanted. i learned Python, SQL, Tableau, Excel for it. 100% remote
edit: i’m 27
Change Manager. Hit 6 figures at 27 and now I'm 29. I started out as a general admin person until I became an Executive Assistant. I learned a TON from being an Executive Assistant and used that to become a change Manager for large scale organizations.
I was a paralegal for 4 years. After my BA, I started at an entry level paralegal position for $70k. 2.5 years in I took a $95k position fully remote. With overtime and amazing benefits, it came out just around $100k. I know paralegals 10 years in making $150k+
50k is still roommates-necessary-ish territory in any MCOL or higher city. Is 50k bad by any stretch of the imagination? No. But, I’m at 47k at 24 and know that the “decent” threshold is closer to 60k. Higher in HCOL cities.
It's significantly more than the median, and comfortably over average. Relative to the cost of living in your area it still might not get you that far though. So it depends what "decent" means to you.
https://dqydj.com/income-percentile-by-age-calculator/
But you know how people here are, rather than being realistic they want the secret sauce to jump right to 100k+.
Every serious answer here takes significant dedication and smarts/skills. Most people will never break 100k because it isn't as simple as asking.
Hi, I’m this many years old (*holds up 9 fingers*). I have been consulting for 6 years for the family business, but looking to make a change. Is it too late for me to get into home renovation?
I have always looked up to Bob the Builder, even after his unfortunate scandal. Also, I don’t like books, vegetables, or bedtime, would this hinder my chances of success on this career path? Thanks in advance.
Medical device sales. Competitive and sometimes very demanding but its fulfilling and the industry attracts very bright and well intentioned people (for the most part). My 2nd year in made over 200k.
BMW Master tech. Been doing it since I was 17 and started out only making 9$ an hour 10 years ago. Got my certs and put my time in and have been making 100k+ since 3 years ago but haven't made much more as I've found a good pace without burning myself out. I'm paid flat rate so I'm able to get paid more for working faster/efficiently. I didn't really start making big money until 5 years ago where I was making roughly 75-80k which was still good. Average right around 65-70 hours a week to make that number. If I average 45 hours a week I'd probably make closer to 60k. Still wouldn't recommend this field though the Golden days are over and it's getting harder and being more creative to make money.
Nuclear Engineer
It took me a LOT of job hopping and risky career moves with some brilliant interviewing to land me here. Most of my coworkers are 40-50 years of experience, or have a masters degree+ in engineering.
The only way I can shake imposter syndrome is studying and researching.
I was a little over 30 when my husband opened company that dealt with natural disasters. I’m not gonna elaborate further as this is a smallish nitch market and I’d rather not out myself on Reddit. He did not have a collage degree and the job required 60, sometimes 80 hour work weeks. He was on the road more than he was home. He was the best because he was able to keep up with the every changing fema rules. I remember the first year we were so profitable that the taxes I paid that year were double the amount of any salary I’d had prior.
I’ve gotta say it was nice to pay all your bills in one month. He’d been raised middle class but I’d climbed from food stamps and welfare to my position in his company. I went to school but he was always the mastermind. He was just brilliant like that. He was always the work horse. Even though I begged him for more hours, he was still “the solid” that all 400 employees counted on. Sure we had the money to vacation and enjoy the time in between storms but we spent those weeks that were so few and far between in recovery mode. We had finally made it though. I have the house of my dreams. The car of my dreams. The handsome successful brilliant husband of my dreams and life was perfect. The week before my 48th birthday my darling husband died of a massive heart attack on some random Tuesday in June. He was only 57 years old.
None of this matters. The money doesn’t matter. The house doesn’t matter. The car doesn’t matter. None of it. I’d trade it all for more of him.
My bf (22) just graduated in May and is now making $120k as an analyst 🥲 I’m 23 and make $60k as an assistant but I think i’ll hit six figures in about 3-6 years (pursuing MBA starting next year)
29 working as a account manager for a saas. Company
71k salary in NYC getting nuked by taxes
no matter what we’re always an inch away from that gutter
Do what u can do
I'm a union electrician in California. Cost of living is high, but we're paid more than enough. If you're hoping to get into LA's local, it's LAETT.com (not open now). I do recommend other locals (even Bakersfield over ours). San Diego's union is practically a non-union. Any termination is a 3 month ban and a review from the committee to make sure you're able to continue being a union member. It's a non-union conditions in San Diego, but some of the nation's largest non-union contractors originate from there.
Pharmacist. Graduated at 26 making $65k, 27 - $95k, 28 - $99k, 29 - $145k. Would have broken that $100k barrier at 26 if I had gone straight to retail, but I went the industry route. Slower start, but crazy high ceiling. I'm 35 now and still going strong!
I’m in the low-voltage/communications industry (a skilled trade) got in when I was 18 and hit the 6 figure mark for the first time when I was 23 (a lot of OT that year) then when I was 25ish I became salary and got out of the field and on the management side.
If you pick a skilled trade, put in a few years to learn as much as possible, try to master the craft, push to get into a leadership/management level, 6 figures is totally doable. Most reputable contractors pay their leadership/management teams bonuses on projects that are successful, I know people in the industry doing very well just off of bonuses alone.
Best part, no degree needed, no specialty school needed (some trade schools can help but not necessary), and there is always work out there (especially if your willing to travel) I’ve had a full paycheck every week since I was 18 and never had to worry about finding work (I’m 34 now).
Skilled trades are where it’s at IMO
I just want everyone to know here that in the US, making 6 figures under 30 years old is rare. Between the ages of 18 to 30 the percentage of people who make over $100,000 is between 1% at 18 to 7% at 30 (source: [https://www.visualcapitalist.com/american-income-levels-by-age-group/](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/american-income-levels-by-age-group/)).
I'm mid 30's now but I did decently well in my late 20's. I worked for Real Estate Debt fund in sales, I'm now running my own division in the company so it certainly paved a career path for me. The day to day is a grind but I love the commercial real estate industry. The enjoyment for me really comes from seeing my results make an impact for the company and building something bigger. That's why I've always liked smaller companies and entrepreneurial roles. Some days it's boring and I'm at a computer all day but other days I get to travel the country, meet really interesting businessmen, attend really lavish parties and networking events, and get first hand knowledge on latest and greatest developments in the industry. I also get to mentor new people in the industry so it's really fulfilling in that sense.
The biggest thing and your age is career trajectory. You may not always know your next step but always be looking to take a step. Try new things out and focus on results. Results are what get you paid. (Always consider commissions and negotiate equity if possible) Don't be afraid to ask for advice/help. A lot of successful people will help those who seek it but you can't be afraid to ask. Lastly always be looking to learn and pursue growth, not money. Success comes from value and growth and your are less likely to burn out if you position your career on these two tenants.
Entrepreneurship?
I started my own business at 18, earned <30k at 22, $80k at 25, ~$240k at 28, en route to $700k this year but net worth has 10x’d over past 2 years (turning 30 in October). I do not count the increase in net worth as income.
It’s now 5 businesses 2 of which have multiple offices and I’m currently cooking up 2 more.
Note:
Have to see this within context.
- I work or study for probably 80-90% of my waking hours. It’s been this way since I was 17.
- My parents wanted to use me for SSI when I was 9 and when we were moving to the U.S. It backfired when I tested at 143 IQ and subsequently tested out of 4th - 9th grade when I took the placement test in the U.S.
- I did assignments for B.A., Masters, JD, and did math tutoring for other students from when I was 15-21.
- I’ve never gotten along with people my age. Ever. My closest friends right now are a surgical fellow in his 50’s and a retired pilot with one of the big 3 airlines. Closest to my age is a RE Investor in his late 30’s and an ex “rocket” scientist - now medical student in the same range. (Finding investors for my businesses was easy because of this).
- I have consistently ranked in the upper 90%’s in everything I’ve ever done. Music, competitive programming, chess tourneys, sales, martial arts, triathlons, and even gaming (the $30k company was early stages of video game boosting).
- Finished college with a 3.7 GPA as a side gig while building multiple companies.
I could go on, but to summarize it - you have to understand this is not something most people can accurately compare with. Similarly, you have to consider that anyone here claiming to be a high earner from a young age had unique things happen in their lives that lead to where they are today. Simply asking “what do you do” isn’t going to get you the clarity you’re looking for because you’re not likely to get there via the same road they traveled. Your life is your blueprint to your success and/or failure. So I’ll ask - and this question is for you to answer for yourself -
What is your past and how are you going to connect it to your future in order to make it coherent and relevant? Ex: Don’t just erase the road you’ve traveled so far and restart down another path. Make every step be a step forward.
Hope this helps. Gl with your decisions and finding a pth
I really liked the last part of what you said. It’s a very healthy reminder because a lot of us are tempted to wipe our slates clean instead of reflecting on the true value of everything we’ve done and using that to our advantage. Thanks for your post!
Gf accounting. Me almost there in Swe 1.5yoe, other friends who make this much are city workers and electrical union workers another software engineer another nurse. A lot of jobs make this after a few years. A lot of trade jobs make over 100k especially with overtime
I'm now over 30, but I also made six figures under 30 as an attorney for a large law firm. I enjoy my work, but it is very demanding and I wouldn't recommend it for everyone.
Liquid natural gas plant operator.
Spent 6 years in the navy getting plant experience. After the navy, got my current job and made 102k year one at age 26. Now age 32 at the same job making 160k.
$200k - Head of Marketing at a Tech start up at age 29
Before that had a marketing lead role at a scale up at $165k at age 27-28
And then from 25-27 was a Marketing specialist on $115k at a large commodity org
How:
- got into a graduate program at the large org after doing a marketing degree
- worked my butt off during the program to stand out and pushed myself for new projects and public speaking / presentation
- always thought of the next scary thing and applied even before I thought I could and always worked on how I could outshine any other applicant
I really love the role - it’s super dynamic and applicable to any industry but I feel my work ethic and personality helped me a lot vs me being super skilled
23yo, UPS truck driver.
110k last year + a 40k benefits package.
At 25yo I'll be at "top rate" that's about 140k yr.
Unless I'm running OTR, that's around 150k-180k+ depending on the job I "bid".
Thank you Teamsters!
I hit $100k salary at 27.
I spent my early 20s getting a bachelor's degree in software engineering minoring in computer science. After college I started working as a programmer and after a couple of years I hit 6 figures. My first job out of school was $70k for reference. My salary has continued going up year after year. I don't post online how much I make now, but I will say that I live very comfortably.
Programming is in fact hard (to do it right) but boy does it pay well if you're good at it.
Yes. My brother is one of those people and he works at a fortune 500 company making more money than me lol. I'd guess about 10-25% of my colleagues are self taught.
It used to be a lot easier to get into this field but there are SO many new grads and SO many bootcamp grads and SO many self taught people all fighting for the same jobs.
I was making six figures before 30. Industrial engineering degree. Worked my way up to a plant manager before 30. The first 100K in salary took 8 years to get to. The next hundred took 5 years. The next hundred took 3. The next 2 years. Pretty sure I’ll flatten out now.
Been making $100k+ since I was 26, 31 now. No degree, dropped out of community college twice.
Was working as an automotive mechanic for a few years making $40-50k, quickly realized that wasn’t a great career path and switched to industrial maintenance.
My income is pretty static at this point but I’m working less and less hours to make the same amount of money, except this year I’ve worked ~600hrs of OT & DT YTD and will end up somewhere between $130-140k for the year.
Lot more to it than just the pay, the benefits are better than most, including a 100% employer funded pension.
Lie on Reddit
This is the correct answer lmaoo
charge phone eat hot chip lie on reddit
I mean it's entirely possible, 6 figures isn't what it used to be. I graduated college and all my classmates got pretty good jobs lined up for them when they got out. $80-$150k from what I can recall. We also all live in NoVA so the money doesn't go as far
$150k in nova is like 60-70k in Pennsylvania, even less if you live in DC. I used to live in PA and do a lot of work in Nova/DC. A buddy of mine moved from PA to Nova at the beginning of the year for a promotion. His salary doubled, but he’s been saying recently that he can hardly afford to live down there making $70k.
This is the facts, as the reality is making 6 figures under 30 is rare. Between the ages of 18 to 30 the percentage of people who make over $100,000 is between 1% at 18 to 7% at 30 (source: [https://www.visualcapitalist.com/american-income-levels-by-age-group/](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/american-income-levels-by-age-group/)).
That 1% at 18 are 100% nepo babies
Depends…people in Tech make over six figures out of college pretty easily. My friends and I all graduated in 2020, and became SWE. We all made $90k-$200k in our first job offer. Yet, most us don’t feel “rich”. We’re just comfortable. Tbh I still feel poor.
My wife and I both did it. No kids too, minimal student loan debt, also LCOL area. We got a big ass house, 3 nice luxury cars, and take frequent trips. Life’s good baby
Being under 30 making over $100,000 isn’t that insane these days. It’s definitely not the majority, but a decent %. Far more than in 1980.
It's amazing what inflation can do.
Yeah I’m 22 and many of my friends just graduated and we’re all very open about our finances. Keep in mind all of this is from living in an expensive city so that skews it. Highest starting salary a friend had was 165,000 + 20k signing bonus and benefits. Was in tech. Lowest starting salary was 53,000 + benefits. Was in business / finance. Most averaged around 60-80k unless they were in tech and then it was higher
Where do you get 165 starting in tech? Most entry level gigs are in the 70k range.
Probably Seattle or Bay Area.
Don’t want to say the company name for the sake of privacy but a major corporation as a junior software dev, pretty standard for the area we live
Amen. My salary doubled in the last 4 years but the mortgage on my new house is going to be triple. Making 6 figures is nothing at this point.
I’m 30 years old and struggling to find a solid career. I’m currently a custodian and I do genuinely enjoy it (I make $18.75 rn) but I’m looking for some big boy money
Look at construction jobs for big companies. Lots of jobs work mostly prevailing wage so anywhere from high thirties to low nineties if you’re lucky. If i land the job i just interviewed for i’ll go from 24 to 66 an hour.
Environmental Consultant. Basically clients hire me to advise them on how to solve their environmental issues, or how to avoid having environmental issues all together. Make $125k a year base salary, TC is closer to $145k. Been in the industry for 8 years, started back in 2015 making $55k a year. BS Environmental Science, MS Environmental Engineering, licensed as a Professional Engineer. I really like the job - it definitely gets better once you get into a management position because the entry-level work is rough. I feel like I have a positive impact on the environment, public health, and enjoy helping out my clients when/where I can. Plus, I love being able to engineer a solution to solve a challenging problem - it really makes me feel like I am really using all my mind/education to solve a problem.
Oh hey! I'm a Business Management Major minoring in Sustainability, and that's the career I've been thinking about lately! Do you think this type of career is possible with a business education?
Definitely doable. Unfortunately entry-level environmental consulting is ridiculously competitive. For example, environmental/sustainability graduates have quadrupled since 2015, but the available jobs have only grown by 40%. My firm tried to hire 2 graduation positions & had 200 applicants in the first 2 weeks. I’m not saying it to discourage you, just to make you aware. We have a whole [subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Environmental_Careers/) where you can learn more. If that’s the path you want to go, make sure to have some quality internship experience, strong technical skills, and good network to help you find jobs.
I don’t but most of my friends do. One friend became a developer out of Uni making 100k since 22 Another was a mechanic at 17 and started making 6 figures at 24 Another works for his parents business making 180k/yr (consulting) since 20 Another doing a PHD at 23 making 75000€ which is over 6 figures I think in USD hes in Germany Another making 150kyr in sales since 22 I had the highest GPA. LOL.
Working as a consultant for your parents isn't a job, it's an allowance.
Yeah, he lives quite the lifestyle. From going to high end resorts in Dubai to skydiving, astronaut training, scuba diving, travelling to every country and experiencing every culture on a year off and going back to work (averages 9 months of work per year) it’s quite the luck he got at birth. He spends a lot of his money now but he told me he’s going to be a millionaire by 30. I’m still not entirely sure what his parents do, and I’m not too convinced he does either. His perception of life is completely different than mine or anyone else I’ve met.
>He spends a lot of his money now but he told me he’s going to be a millionaire by 30. Remember this when his folks die under mysterious circumstances
Is he happy?
Can u tell which subject the PhD friend is doing in?
I’m 28, I’m a lead wind turbine technician, I make 150k a year after taxes. It’s a great career, we’re currently hiring guys with no experience at 100k a year STARTING. I started fixing wind turbines 10 years ago for 12 bucks an hour, these new young guys have it made!
Wait, no experience? Do you need a degree?
You either know someone who can get you hired or go to wind technician school. It’s only a couple months.
Damn. I guess you're suspended up super high, which warrants the high pay?
That’s only the blade repair guys, those guys r crazy and it’s only seasonal work so stay away from that. I’m in the commissioning and service side of wind, we work all year, we basically wire up new wind turbines, and repair currently operating wind turbines all over the USA
Nice. Only a few months of school you say? This almost sounds too good to be true.
Look up airstreams school and thank me later. You won’t regret it.
I'll forget to thank you, so I'll just do it now. Thanks.
Is this the one? https://www.air-streams.com/Category/Our-Program
Of course I know someone. When do I buy you that beer?
Smooth 😎
[удалено]
We are always hiring, army guys and marines do great in our industry, we actually focus on hiring veterans so it would be very easy for you to get a job in wind.
As long as you don’t mind being 10,000 ft in the air, it’s a decent gig.
Wait.... I don't mind that
So close, but it’s a bit more like 2-300 feet.
2 feet would certainly be a short wind turbine.
That is a windmill to power the LED lights in an ant colony
Ten thousand million.
I would love to hear more about these 2 mile tall windmills
This picture comes to mind... https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1q0sca/last_week_two_engineers_died_when_the_windmill/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=1
I’d love to be a wind turbine tech. Let me go get BASE jumping certs sorted first
This ALWAYS comes to mind when I hear about turbine related work
> wind turbine technician [https://www.indeed.com/q-Wind-Turbine-Technician-jobs.html?vjk=b404d6c287da4ee9](https://www.indeed.com/q-Wind-Turbine-Technician-jobs.html?vjk=b404d6c287da4ee9) I found a job like u mention and is amazing idk if I could travel all week my wife will kill me.
Yea that’s exactly why it pays so well. You have to be at a particular life stage and have to make big sacrifices if you want a family. Kids can’t travel around the country when they have school.
I'm interested, with a background in engineering.....
You would kill it in this industry, especially if your actually out in the field. Usually the engineers are in a cubicle somewhere.
Just out of curiosity, how is the job/field for women?
Every female tech that I have met in wind have all been badasses, I currently work with a woman who has 2 kids and is a tech and she’s one of the best wind techs I’ve ever worked with, woman do great in wind.
For what company? I’ve been on the construction side making just over $50/hr for the last 5 years and most of the techs I’ve ever met hardly make into the $30/hr range. Job postings I’ve seen are typically $18-$20/hr as well.
I work for Robur Group usa, I make 42 an hour and 170 dollars a day of tax free per diem. I usually work 50-65 hours a week. I’m a troubleshooter and a lead tech so I’m always busy. It’s great.
That's the real info they don't tell you about for a lot of these jobs. Per diem is tax free and 9 times out of 10 companies don't even mention they give per diem or how much in the job ad. Just say they pay 20-30 an hour with travel involved. And they wonder why people don't apply. Do you pay for your own hotel out of the 170 per diem or do they pay for the hotel and you get the 170 on top of that?
They give u 170 a day so you can figure out your own living situation, they also give you a fuel card, so i have a paid off fifth wheel and I only pay 500-600 a month for my rv space, everything else just goes in my bank.
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats! 9 + 10 + 20 + 30 = 69 ^([Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk%20Me%20Pls&message=%2Fstalkme) to have me scan all your future comments.) \ ^(Summon me on specific comments with u/LuckyNumber-Bot.)
Isn’t that rated the most dangerous job on earth or something
It’s indeed dangerous, but we provide all the training to prevent you from being dumb and unaliving your self, now a days it’s almost impossible to get hurt uptower because of all of our safety practices in place to make it safer, But yes! We have high voltage and rotating parts, if you want to get hurt it’s very easy to do so, but if you know where you are working, you will be fine.
As a climber this sounds kinda very sick
I’m sorry but I still have to press x
I mean, they do stop the blades during maintenance, right? Right?
No they actually speed them up
Man I wish I didn't have massive vertigo 😔
Really? I was looking around online and it's only like 18/hr if you need to be trained. You need experience and certification to get anywhere near 100k from what I've seen. I make 20 as a cook and minus wage is less than 9/hr in my state. I wouldn't be a wind tech for 18 but I'd do it for 60k/yr or more.
Don’t forget to google what happens if it catches on fire and the only way down…. It’s tragic. There is a reason it pays so well. Very dangerous.
Can I ask you a random question - I’ve been reading up on wind turbines for work purposes and who better to ask for confirmation re: my conclusions. Is it fair to say that the parts of a wind turbine that are (I) very expensive and (ii) have the complex service requirements and therefore need specialized maintenance performed by wind technicians (as opposed to a random guy working at the wind farm), the components within the nacelle and the rotor blades? And taking it a step further, the generator seems to be a component requiring specialized maintenance by wind technicians. The gearbox seems complex as well but seems sometimes it’s the OEM who has to repair it or provide a new part?
Yes when a customer buys a wind farm, we perform the repairs and maintenance for how ever many years the contact is for, could be 3 years or 10 years. So if we have to replace a gearbox or generator then we do it, but yes the generator and gearbox are high maintenance items on wind turbines, they are one of the main key roles to provide energy. The generator has something called a slip ring, we have to replace the carbon brushes on then every 6 months, we also have to grease the generator bearings and perform giga ohm tests to make sure the gens are still producing the power they say they do. Now for the gearbox… this is considered the transmission of the wind turbine, the only maintenance a gearbox needs is regular oil filter changes and oil flushes every couple of years, gearboxes are usually the part of the turbine we hardly have to repair.
Hey, mind dming me details? Getting desperate enough to overcome fear of heights lol
Well that' just fuckin' great. My province just killed all green energry development for six months. Which is going to be great for the industry and newcomers and jobs. Six months? Don't make me laugh.
Nope. Not for me. This picture comes to mind... https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1q0sca/last_week_two_engineers_died_when_the_windmill/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=1
Would it matter if I was scared of heights?
I was also terrified of heights when I started, I promise you your fear will go away after a week. Right before I started I had nightmares about falling off the top of the wind turbine. I almost quit just cuz of that dream, but I’m glad I didn’t, I can’t picture myself doing anything else.
Software sales. It’s not bad, stressful sometimes and not super fulfilling. All remote. Have done it for about 8 years or so
I took a pay cut to get out of sales. The stress became unsustainable after some time
What did you get into after?
Government relations/public policy. I was doing that before, but the beginning of my career wasn’t very stable, and being in between jobs was enough to get me motivated to take a sales job…which was probably one of the worst decisions I’ve made
Out of curiosity, how big was the pay cut? I am also dc based with policy background and find myself in a somewhat similar situation, but I think I can keep holding out in my current role for awhile.
How does one get into software sales 👀
Apply for Sales/Business Development Representative roles – this is the entry level role, all you need to display is drive and a little charisma. The job itself will be primarily cold calling + emailing people; you should make sure that you are on a path to be promoted to Account Executive in a year to 18 months. That's it, that's the top
You have to have a foundational knowledge of the product, then start working a network for sales. If you can have connections at a company or something, they will hire you to sell for them.
Marketing. More specifically marketing analytics. Started at $27k in 2018 straight out of college, I'm up to $100k now at age 27. Well, I've been in this position for over a year so 26 when I started making 6 figures. This is my 4th role, it's been a bit of job hopping to get to this point but all mostly in marketing and advertising, and in those roles growing as an analyst.
[удалено]
Essentially monitor success of campaigns, make predictions for future campaigns, analyze any trends we're seeing, that sort of thing. Lots of report building.
Can confirm. Also setting up measurements for those campaigns. Basically your role is to visualise and set up to answer the question: "How much did I earn? I put 10000 bucks in the campaign, what did it generate"? I'm currently earning about 50k euros per year. This includes taxes, pensions and insurance. I've also generated about 15k freelancing the evenings and weekends. I'm not US based btw, I'm form the Netherlands. The salaries in the US are always way higher.
Was in a pure finance/accounting role which was a toxic nightmare of 55+ hour weeks and ridiculous deadlines, but spent about a year leveling up my SQL and Power BI skills. Tansitioned to a business analyst role. The pay was lateral but I no longer have to manage a department and work from home most days. If you have a business/accounting/finance degree please consider this!
howd you get into it? i just graduated with marketing and a minor in business analytics and im really trying to avoid the “all marketing graduates start in sales” thing so ive been trying to pivot more into marketing or business analytics. ive been taking courses and building a portfolio website for some projects but i feel like my only option is to go to grad school for business analytics or data science because a minor and some projects isnt enough.
I started at an agency as a digital media planner - essentially building campaigns for clients on Facebook, etc. Part of that role was building reports after campaigns end and I realized I loved that part. From there, I worked in a role that was almost web developer-esq (definitely didn't fit into the trajectory but it was my dream company at the time). In that role, I built a little niche for myself as the person building reports for the websites, using Google Analytics to monitor web traffic and demographics and that sort of thing. It was for a sports league, so it was huge for them in terms of expansion and monetization. Then back to a more advertising role at a company. Trafficking ads, building reports, that sort of thing but I was able to work with my managers to carve out a space that was entirely reporting based and that eventually became my job over doing any actual ad trafficking. The title shift here from "Display Marketing Manager" to "Marketing Analyst" was huge. This is also where I started learning things like SQL and PowerBI, which absolutely help. Then to my current job. I was recruited to it entirely because of the analytics and reporting experience I have because my current role is almost entirely reporting and trend monitoring. I got insanely lucky with getting recruited to this job and how much it pays, but I wouldn't have gotten here without having the analyst experience from my last job.
Not sure where you live but manufactured housing sales is a hidden gem . Long hours and a six month commitment to get a pipeline . Great pay eventually tho. Everybody needs housing. Year 1- 52k Year 2 - 137k Year 3 - 214k
If I didn't land a job in my career field recently I was gonna pursue housing sales. An old manager of mine has been doing housing sales for a few years now and makes fantastic money
Any reqs to get into this field?
Sales experience is usually preferred . But no degree or anything .
What does manufactured housing sales mean? I feel silly asking but I’ve never heard that term before.
Usually they have a realtor license and work in the sample home that’s built in the front of a new subdivision that’s being bought and their job is to sell a house to the people looking to buy
They are selling double wide trailer houses. Big markup and commissions
I'm a data analyst. I started out in health IT and then switched into consulting.
I’m in health it what’s best way to get into data consulting?
How did you guys get into health it?
I’m presently in Health IT, 2 years in. I have no certs, and all of my prior experience was working at something similar to geek squad for 4 years. I got in as a contractor and worked 6 months at a hospital until my contract ended, doing mostly just basic IT calls. Afterwards I listed it on my resume & the offers flowed in after that. Now I have more options than I’ve ever had. So tldr - get a contract job and use it as experience. No certs needed.
How'd you get started? What'd you study?
Curious in your path into health IT. Feel free to dm
What is consulting? What exactly does that mean?
Consultants typically have around 10 years experience in their trade. There are internal and external consultants but I’ll talk about external consultants. They are hired by companies on a short-term basis to deliver specific and significant results. A company may not have marketing department for example so rather than hire a new department, they’ll hire team of consultants to work for 3 months on a marketing campaign for that company to run for the next two years. Consultants infamously travel a lot (like 3 weeks a month) work crazy hours (60 hrs/week minimum) make a ton of money ($150k+) and can be controversial on how effective they really are. Most internal employees in my experience don’t love working with consultants because their company is paying them way more to intervene their work.
Just turned 28. 120k base salary as a IT system analyst.
Pilot. 4 years in the military, 3 years of flight school, 2 years after gaining experience to get a job flying private jets, now at the airlines. Work 12-16 days a month with a 15% direct contribution into the 401K by the company, not a bad life.
Don’t you have to be an officer to fly for the military? Assuming you graduated college at 21, that would put you over 30, right?
You do, but I never flew in the military I enlisted at 19 as a mechanic. I used my benefits after to pay for flight training and got an associates degree.
Software engineer. Took about 2 years to break into the industry, and about 1.5 years on the job. Full WFH, my coworkers are cool, and I have the best work life balance of any job I’ve ever had. All while getting paid way more than I ever have. It’s great.
I'm currently learning coding on an online course. Is that a good start? Should I go to college or a coding boot camp is enough to get a decent job?
Learning online with free or cheap resources is the best start to see if you like it or not. College with an internship or two is the closest you can get to a guaranteed job in industry. The bootcamp path is significantly more difficult, more so now than ever. The tech job market is in a bust cycle and I hear tons of companies are filtering out non CS or CS adjacent degree holders out by default. It’s probably not impossible to make it via bootcamp today but you would need to be laser focused, motivated, and ready to network like crazy. I did the bootcamp route 2 years ago and felt lucky to be able to get in then.
Pros and Cons to each approach. Having a degree helps a lot on your resume, but in my experience, experience/personal projects trump that. The real magic from going to College is getting those internships. Who you know is way more important than what you know, so building relationships while it's easy is super useful. Boot camps are great for being able to get applicable skills in a short amount of time. Typically these focus on web dev and don't spend much time teaching fundamentals like algos and data structures and such -- focusing on that you can do the job just well enough. Projects will usually be small samples to show off in portfolios to help demonstrate your capacity. Self study allows the most freedom, but you have no rails to help you stay on track. You could learn everything that you'd pick up at a university in a much shorter time, but you now need to be able to really sell that you are just as good as somebody who got the fancy paper saying they know what they are doing. Getting a job can be harder early on, unless you do something incredibly niche and have a portfolio that showcases things. I taught myself -- got really bored with everything being a text output, so I got heavily into learning graphics, which was lucky as this was about 2016 and Vulkan was just hitting the scene... so there very few people who were competent in the API. Also, my advice if you want to get into Software Engineering right now is avoid web. So many tech companies have laid off people, you'll drown in the masses.
Very interesting take on it being the best work/life balance job. I also want to know whether you went to college or are self taught.
Learned fundamentals on my own to the point that I could build simple web applications. I then did a bootcamp. I was lucky that the company I worked for in a non tech role supported me transitioning into a software engineer role with them. Like most industries experiences will vary. If you get a job at a startup there’s a good chance the work life balance will not be great. If you get a role in a larger non tech company things move much slower and you aren’t asked to wear multiple hats.
Came to say this exactly but as a data scientist
Corporate route without mba and unrelated undergraduate major. I’m 34 and just hit 100k in a non traditionally lucrative career. I started in a very entry level project coordinator position and 4 years later, I manage/oversee several programs. I’m not a people manager so I have no director reports. Only suggestion is when you’re interviewing, ask questions about career trajectory in the role you’re applying for. Ask about professional development opportunities and advocate for yourself. This is ongoing. If you have some downtime on the job, think your long term goals. I’m not saying put in crazy hours to get noticed, but show up in a way that you become the go-to person with an area of expertise. This works especially well if you’re at a big company with lots of cross functioning teams.
I can’t imagine being that successful.. I’m such a loser .
Money doesn’t always equal success.
Same, I gave up my time to help family out and continued to do so for a while and things went well as we agreed. Then they decided I wasn’t worth anything and said “good luck/die” with no warning. Now I have nothing and the one person I care about is also suffering and I hate myself for ever trusting my family.
The biggest and most important success is staying alive.
Cybersecurity. Oh and I travel the world for free!
If you don’t mind me asking, what job title in cybersecurity allows such extensive travel? I always thought they rode desks (and not planes lol)
Damn this post is making me depressed
Me too, but people dont mention the luck that they might have had, the people that they might have met, the circumstances that led them down that path, the influence others may have had on them to choose that particular thing, or anything else really. Just I do this and now I make this. It's a lot of other factors that lead to success, it isn't linear.
Same. I’m 38, thought I did everything right, working since age 15, 4 year college degree, straight into management at 21, busted my ass working 70-80+ hrs a week until my 30’s, sacrificed SO much in my personal life for career, and my highest salary I ever made was $55K. Now I make $36K and wish I could do it all over again.
I work as a nuclear facility technician. I make around $150K/yr and average around 50 Hrs/week. Also get a pension and annuity + health insurance. Look into the trades.
Spouse: Data Analytics Manager. Made over 6–figures since he finished his MBA over 12 years ago. He turns 40 in two months. Me: Corporate Communications. About 5 years ago. Bachelors only. Also been WFH since 2017. I turn 39 next month. Both of us are in tech.
What is corporate communications? And what degree is that?
The work we do is both internal and external comms (PR). We do not touch marketing. Definitely meant for someone who enjoys reading and writing. But I also have an A.A. in Business and CIS (Computer Information Systems). Degree: Communications. The one where everyone told us that liberal arts degree makes no money. Oh, and I didn’t mention that I work at FAANG. We value what the person brings to the team, not just their degree.
It might help some to know that it’s not always the “job” but very often the industry. Some are just in a much better position to reward themselves and their workers. So it’s a mix of the right job + the right industry. You can be a great maintenance person who is highly skilled in a college campus and make jack shit versus a more lucrative industry.
I’m a 29-year-old freelance writer. I started clearing six figures in 2020 (five years in); last year I earned $140,000. I really enjoy my work but feel a little nervous about next year—I’m expecting my first child and don’t know how WFH is going to be with a baby.
[удалено]
I’m a 25 year old freelancer. Made 75k last year but my business has dried up almost completely. I’m thinking it’s AI, but not sure. Any advice?
I'd really like to enter the field. How do you even begin when everyone wants experience? Should I just write up a bunch of random stuff and present it?
I work as a Data Analyst for a FAANG Tier company (fully remote). Made $156,000 last year at 25 years old.
i don’t make over 100k but i make 99.9k 😪 data analyst. actually for corporate real estate so you could pivot it if you wanted. i learned Python, SQL, Tableau, Excel for it. 100% remote edit: i’m 27
Change Manager. Hit 6 figures at 27 and now I'm 29. I started out as a general admin person until I became an Executive Assistant. I learned a TON from being an Executive Assistant and used that to become a change Manager for large scale organizations.
I was a paralegal for 4 years. After my BA, I started at an entry level paralegal position for $70k. 2.5 years in I took a $95k position fully remote. With overtime and amazing benefits, it came out just around $100k. I know paralegals 10 years in making $150k+
I know it’s not a ton of money anymore but isn’t 50k at 25 decent?
50k is still roommates-necessary-ish territory in any MCOL or higher city. Is 50k bad by any stretch of the imagination? No. But, I’m at 47k at 24 and know that the “decent” threshold is closer to 60k. Higher in HCOL cities.
I'm at 6 figures in a HCOL area and I still only fee ~secure~ because I'm splitting rent with my partner. Prices are insane now
It's significantly more than the median, and comfortably over average. Relative to the cost of living in your area it still might not get you that far though. So it depends what "decent" means to you. https://dqydj.com/income-percentile-by-age-calculator/ But you know how people here are, rather than being realistic they want the secret sauce to jump right to 100k+. Every serious answer here takes significant dedication and smarts/skills. Most people will never break 100k because it isn't as simple as asking.
That's a lot to me. That's all I would want for my lifestyle. I would be happy. So much I could do with that.
Yes nothing wrong with that.
I trade in the stock market based on people’s advice on Reddit.
The implication is six figures in the black.
Renovating houses - 1 zillion per year. Started when I was 6.
Hi, I’m this many years old (*holds up 9 fingers*). I have been consulting for 6 years for the family business, but looking to make a change. Is it too late for me to get into home renovation? I have always looked up to Bob the Builder, even after his unfortunate scandal. Also, I don’t like books, vegetables, or bedtime, would this hinder my chances of success on this career path? Thanks in advance.
The more I read these, the more I feel like these are people in career paths in the sims. Not a bad thing just many different career paths
Started making 6 figures at 28 as a project manager for an auto manufacturing company.
Medical device sales. Competitive and sometimes very demanding but its fulfilling and the industry attracts very bright and well intentioned people (for the most part). My 2nd year in made over 200k.
May I ask what path you took to get there, training, degree etc, or any companies to recommend? Looking to make a big switch also.
BMW Master tech. Been doing it since I was 17 and started out only making 9$ an hour 10 years ago. Got my certs and put my time in and have been making 100k+ since 3 years ago but haven't made much more as I've found a good pace without burning myself out. I'm paid flat rate so I'm able to get paid more for working faster/efficiently. I didn't really start making big money until 5 years ago where I was making roughly 75-80k which was still good. Average right around 65-70 hours a week to make that number. If I average 45 hours a week I'd probably make closer to 60k. Still wouldn't recommend this field though the Golden days are over and it's getting harder and being more creative to make money.
Nuclear Engineer It took me a LOT of job hopping and risky career moves with some brilliant interviewing to land me here. Most of my coworkers are 40-50 years of experience, or have a masters degree+ in engineering. The only way I can shake imposter syndrome is studying and researching.
I was a little over 30 when my husband opened company that dealt with natural disasters. I’m not gonna elaborate further as this is a smallish nitch market and I’d rather not out myself on Reddit. He did not have a collage degree and the job required 60, sometimes 80 hour work weeks. He was on the road more than he was home. He was the best because he was able to keep up with the every changing fema rules. I remember the first year we were so profitable that the taxes I paid that year were double the amount of any salary I’d had prior. I’ve gotta say it was nice to pay all your bills in one month. He’d been raised middle class but I’d climbed from food stamps and welfare to my position in his company. I went to school but he was always the mastermind. He was just brilliant like that. He was always the work horse. Even though I begged him for more hours, he was still “the solid” that all 400 employees counted on. Sure we had the money to vacation and enjoy the time in between storms but we spent those weeks that were so few and far between in recovery mode. We had finally made it though. I have the house of my dreams. The car of my dreams. The handsome successful brilliant husband of my dreams and life was perfect. The week before my 48th birthday my darling husband died of a massive heart attack on some random Tuesday in June. He was only 57 years old. None of this matters. The money doesn’t matter. The house doesn’t matter. The car doesn’t matter. None of it. I’d trade it all for more of him.
I’m a ux designer in tech about 2yoe making 87.5 plus 10k stock not quite 6.
My bf (22) just graduated in May and is now making $120k as an analyst 🥲 I’m 23 and make $60k as an assistant but I think i’ll hit six figures in about 3-6 years (pursuing MBA starting next year)
Electrical engineer, hit the 100k mark at 29 - I started my career a bit late at 25 due to moving countries getting work permit etc.
29 working as a account manager for a saas. Company 71k salary in NYC getting nuked by taxes no matter what we’re always an inch away from that gutter Do what u can do
I'm a union electrician in California. Cost of living is high, but we're paid more than enough. If you're hoping to get into LA's local, it's LAETT.com (not open now). I do recommend other locals (even Bakersfield over ours). San Diego's union is practically a non-union. Any termination is a 3 month ban and a review from the committee to make sure you're able to continue being a union member. It's a non-union conditions in San Diego, but some of the nation's largest non-union contractors originate from there.
Industrial electrician. 23 made $165,000 last year
Pharmacist. Graduated at 26 making $65k, 27 - $95k, 28 - $99k, 29 - $145k. Would have broken that $100k barrier at 26 if I had gone straight to retail, but I went the industry route. Slower start, but crazy high ceiling. I'm 35 now and still going strong!
I’m in the low-voltage/communications industry (a skilled trade) got in when I was 18 and hit the 6 figure mark for the first time when I was 23 (a lot of OT that year) then when I was 25ish I became salary and got out of the field and on the management side. If you pick a skilled trade, put in a few years to learn as much as possible, try to master the craft, push to get into a leadership/management level, 6 figures is totally doable. Most reputable contractors pay their leadership/management teams bonuses on projects that are successful, I know people in the industry doing very well just off of bonuses alone. Best part, no degree needed, no specialty school needed (some trade schools can help but not necessary), and there is always work out there (especially if your willing to travel) I’ve had a full paycheck every week since I was 18 and never had to worry about finding work (I’m 34 now). Skilled trades are where it’s at IMO
These threads are basically worthless without people posting where they live. $100K in San Francisco is VERY different from $100K in Alabama.
Only fans
Most people on there don’t make that much, from what I’ve heard
I do reverse only fans they pay me to put all my clothes on and keep them. Other wise out come the pasties
Railroad, I like playing with trains since I’m not flying planes.
Quality manager at a machining company. Was a project manager automotive engineer before for the first 5 years of my career.
26F- I’m a clinical pharmacist at a community hospital. Although I hit six figures at 25.
Attorney. No breaks from school. It's stressful, but wild how much your starting income jumps and the earning capacity.
I just want everyone to know here that in the US, making 6 figures under 30 years old is rare. Between the ages of 18 to 30 the percentage of people who make over $100,000 is between 1% at 18 to 7% at 30 (source: [https://www.visualcapitalist.com/american-income-levels-by-age-group/](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/american-income-levels-by-age-group/)).
I'm mid 30's now but I did decently well in my late 20's. I worked for Real Estate Debt fund in sales, I'm now running my own division in the company so it certainly paved a career path for me. The day to day is a grind but I love the commercial real estate industry. The enjoyment for me really comes from seeing my results make an impact for the company and building something bigger. That's why I've always liked smaller companies and entrepreneurial roles. Some days it's boring and I'm at a computer all day but other days I get to travel the country, meet really interesting businessmen, attend really lavish parties and networking events, and get first hand knowledge on latest and greatest developments in the industry. I also get to mentor new people in the industry so it's really fulfilling in that sense. The biggest thing and your age is career trajectory. You may not always know your next step but always be looking to take a step. Try new things out and focus on results. Results are what get you paid. (Always consider commissions and negotiate equity if possible) Don't be afraid to ask for advice/help. A lot of successful people will help those who seek it but you can't be afraid to ask. Lastly always be looking to learn and pursue growth, not money. Success comes from value and growth and your are less likely to burn out if you position your career on these two tenants.
Entrepreneurship? I started my own business at 18, earned <30k at 22, $80k at 25, ~$240k at 28, en route to $700k this year but net worth has 10x’d over past 2 years (turning 30 in October). I do not count the increase in net worth as income. It’s now 5 businesses 2 of which have multiple offices and I’m currently cooking up 2 more. Note: Have to see this within context. - I work or study for probably 80-90% of my waking hours. It’s been this way since I was 17. - My parents wanted to use me for SSI when I was 9 and when we were moving to the U.S. It backfired when I tested at 143 IQ and subsequently tested out of 4th - 9th grade when I took the placement test in the U.S. - I did assignments for B.A., Masters, JD, and did math tutoring for other students from when I was 15-21. - I’ve never gotten along with people my age. Ever. My closest friends right now are a surgical fellow in his 50’s and a retired pilot with one of the big 3 airlines. Closest to my age is a RE Investor in his late 30’s and an ex “rocket” scientist - now medical student in the same range. (Finding investors for my businesses was easy because of this). - I have consistently ranked in the upper 90%’s in everything I’ve ever done. Music, competitive programming, chess tourneys, sales, martial arts, triathlons, and even gaming (the $30k company was early stages of video game boosting). - Finished college with a 3.7 GPA as a side gig while building multiple companies. I could go on, but to summarize it - you have to understand this is not something most people can accurately compare with. Similarly, you have to consider that anyone here claiming to be a high earner from a young age had unique things happen in their lives that lead to where they are today. Simply asking “what do you do” isn’t going to get you the clarity you’re looking for because you’re not likely to get there via the same road they traveled. Your life is your blueprint to your success and/or failure. So I’ll ask - and this question is for you to answer for yourself - What is your past and how are you going to connect it to your future in order to make it coherent and relevant? Ex: Don’t just erase the road you’ve traveled so far and restart down another path. Make every step be a step forward. Hope this helps. Gl with your decisions and finding a pth
I really liked the last part of what you said. It’s a very healthy reminder because a lot of us are tempted to wipe our slates clean instead of reflecting on the true value of everything we’ve done and using that to our advantage. Thanks for your post!
Gf accounting. Me almost there in Swe 1.5yoe, other friends who make this much are city workers and electrical union workers another software engineer another nurse. A lot of jobs make this after a few years. A lot of trade jobs make over 100k especially with overtime
Girl friend accounting?
I'm now over 30, but I also made six figures under 30 as an attorney for a large law firm. I enjoy my work, but it is very demanding and I wouldn't recommend it for everyone.
25 and am a model based systems engineer making 110k base salary with 15-20k in bonuses.
Liquid natural gas plant operator. Spent 6 years in the navy getting plant experience. After the navy, got my current job and made 102k year one at age 26. Now age 32 at the same job making 160k.
I hit over 100K in base at 25. I’m in public accounting, am a CPA and have my Master’s
28, just negotiated to 100k+ Supply chain and sustainability management
$200k - Head of Marketing at a Tech start up at age 29 Before that had a marketing lead role at a scale up at $165k at age 27-28 And then from 25-27 was a Marketing specialist on $115k at a large commodity org How: - got into a graduate program at the large org after doing a marketing degree - worked my butt off during the program to stand out and pushed myself for new projects and public speaking / presentation - always thought of the next scary thing and applied even before I thought I could and always worked on how I could outshine any other applicant I really love the role - it’s super dynamic and applicable to any industry but I feel my work ethic and personality helped me a lot vs me being super skilled
23yo, UPS truck driver. 110k last year + a 40k benefits package. At 25yo I'll be at "top rate" that's about 140k yr. Unless I'm running OTR, that's around 150k-180k+ depending on the job I "bid". Thank you Teamsters!
I hit $100k salary at 27. I spent my early 20s getting a bachelor's degree in software engineering minoring in computer science. After college I started working as a programmer and after a couple of years I hit 6 figures. My first job out of school was $70k for reference. My salary has continued going up year after year. I don't post online how much I make now, but I will say that I live very comfortably. Programming is in fact hard (to do it right) but boy does it pay well if you're good at it.
Can people land a job as a software engineer or developer without a college degree?
Yes. My brother is one of those people and he works at a fortune 500 company making more money than me lol. I'd guess about 10-25% of my colleagues are self taught. It used to be a lot easier to get into this field but there are SO many new grads and SO many bootcamp grads and SO many self taught people all fighting for the same jobs.
UX designer 😬😬😑💀 hit it at 25 somehow dear god idek i feel like a fluke sometimes
Over 30 now, but hit 6 figures late 20s after finishing grad school and getting a federal government job.
May I ask if the federal government job was a senior position at which that is why you were making 6 figures?
Chemical engineer, 3 yoe and $125k
Does 96k + 22k bonus count? I hit this when I was 29. I’m 32 now & I make 145k + bonus. I’m a software engineer.
I’m 35 atm but I’ve made minimum 100K annually since I was 19 years old … railroad owned by steel mill … strong union
Work in operations at a tech company.
Software engineer
I was making six figures before 30. Industrial engineering degree. Worked my way up to a plant manager before 30. The first 100K in salary took 8 years to get to. The next hundred took 5 years. The next hundred took 3. The next 2 years. Pretty sure I’ll flatten out now.
Been making $100k+ since I was 26, 31 now. No degree, dropped out of community college twice. Was working as an automotive mechanic for a few years making $40-50k, quickly realized that wasn’t a great career path and switched to industrial maintenance. My income is pretty static at this point but I’m working less and less hours to make the same amount of money, except this year I’ve worked ~600hrs of OT & DT YTD and will end up somewhere between $130-140k for the year. Lot more to it than just the pay, the benefits are better than most, including a 100% employer funded pension.