With the global economy being… whatever the hell it is, we all know that a dollar doesn’t stretch as far as it used to.
1.
“Flavor chemist here. $200k plus a bit more in profit sharing into the 401k. I only have a BS in biochemistry. The flavor/fragrance industry is mostly learned on the job. My first job out of college 10 years ago paid $37k, but was a foot in the door, and I made the most out of i.t”
2.
“I am a silversmith and metalsmith and have my own business. I was very lucky when I started in 2008/2009. I started on Etsy and had some luck selling. I am pretty good on social media, so that helped a lot, making small videos and just making a ton of things until you sell. I now sell on Etsy, eBay, Amazon, and my own sites. I have a local co-op shop too, and some things I sell right away over social media when I post. But it’s a lot — and I mean A LOT — of work (10-12 hr days).”
—u/nicilaskin
3.
“It’s shocking how much money can be made in the car business on the sale side with only a high school diploma. Not here to debate the ethics of it, but I work for a family-owned dealership and I know of at least four people in sales that made $200k last year in various positions.”
5.
“I’m a Geologist (environmental remediation and compliance). I work for a public agency assisting with construction and development. With about 15 years of experience, I hold a master’s in applied geology and a bachelor’s in geophysics. In general, I’d suggest working as a consultant long enough to make contacts in industry and then jump ship asap. More money and less travel.”
6.
“I’m a clinical psychologist who works primarily as a therapist. My fee is $300 per session, and my sessions last 50 minutes. I have about 15 sessions per week, half of them take place in an office I sublet, and the other half are over Zoom from home. I have very, very low overhead, so it’s a very high profit margin. Total dream career.”
–u/Greymeade
7.
“Wife and I are airline pilots, we make just over $600k combined. My wife works 9 days a month, and I work 16. We graduated from college in 2009/2010. We have worked extremely hard and are very grateful to be where we are.”
8.
“I’m a union plumber working in commercial/industrial construction. Five years of trade school and countless hours working on my torch skills to stand out from the rest. I do a lot of high-tech and medical work. I make foreman scale, which is about $71 an hour with occasional overtime, and then benefits, which include full family medical and a solid pension as well. I’ve already made a little over $85k this year, and that’s with taking about two weeks off.”
—u/MistaDuMa
9.
“My wife and I both work in sales. I sell and rent industrial equipment, my wife is in medical sales. I’m not quite to $200k yet, but she is. Not trying to simplify our jobs because they are complex at times, but half of it is just showing up and asking for the customer’s business.”
10.
“I read other people’s emails and argue about what’s in them. (Litigation attorney at a big firm).”
—u/defensiblespace
11.
“Owner of multiple small businesses here. That’s how it’s done. Start your own thing. You would be amazed how much people are willing to pay for menial/undesirable tasks to be completed. I won’t give specifics of what my service businesses are, but the ideas are not hard to find. Examples: My local Facebook groups are always looking for dryer vent cleaners and handymen (those aren’t my niches). I always look into opportunities when presented. Both can clear $100-200 an hour easily.
12.
“I’m a product marketer in big tech. Basically any role in big tech in the US is over $200k.”
—u/VanillaLifestyle
13.
“Wife and I are about $415k combined. I’m a public health dentist, and she is a hospital director over several different departments.”
14.
“Licensed senior reactor operator at a nuclear power plant here. Pay is $200k-$300k after bonuses and built-in overtime. Last year I made more than what I paid for my house lol.
15.
“Systems Engineer, aerospace. I have one of those ‘read a couple documents, go to a couple meetings, send a couple emails’ kind of jobs.
—u/der_innkeeper
16.
“I control live graphics in TV and film.”
17.
“My wife makes $200k, and she is a civil engineer. Without revealing too much, she is the chief engineer at a state government office. She would make much more at a consultant office, but she doesn’t want work to become her life.”
—[deleted]
18.
“Technical writer in the pharmaceutical industry.”
19.
“Retired now but made £500k+, in UK construction, building infrastructure, major roads, railways, power stations, military bases. Now lose £200k as a farmer.”
20.
“I make $237k a year and I’m a Machine Learning Solutions Engineer (mostly Google Cloud but other platforms as well). I learned on the job, btw, and did a lot of certification work on Google Cloud, so this job does not need a degree (only about 1/3 of my colleagues have degrees). It’s a good area for those without degrees, pays well, and hours are not crazy.”
—u/InternalStrong7820
21.
“My close relative’s wife is an anesthesiologist. First job base salary: $200k. Some serious responsibilities. Good thing she loves her job.”
22.
“My best friend is the manager of a parts supply store selling to companies working in the oil fields. Pipes, valves, clamps, just about everything you might need on a frac site. He gets a nice fat salary plus a monthly bonus based on their sales each month.
23.
“My husband and I are aircraft mechanics, making around $375-$400 combined with minimal/a bit of overtime. Work is tough on the body and mind, but it took us both 18 months of school (cost $10k each) to get our licenses. We get seven and a half weeks paid vacation a year and will get more as we stay with the company longer.
24.
“I lead a marketing team. Worked my way up, but also got lucky with a couple of promotions.”
–[deleted]
25.
“For 35 years, I’ve sold forklifts. I have ADHD and have never gotten bored of seeing how everything gets manufactured and distributed to the point where we purchase it. I handle two accounts that represent pretty much everything you eat or drink. I’m paid handsomely.”
26.
“I’m a lawyer, work in a mid-sized city, and make $400k-$700k annually at the top end of the scale. “
—u/EvolutionCreek
27.
“I’m an ER doc. I make $400-$500k. Most days, I try to mop up the mess that is our healthcare system while dealing with very ungrateful, low-functioning, and entitled humans who see me as a gatekeeper.
