I think it’s safe to say that most people out there want to make more money.
I guess you’d just call it human nature to want a little bit more than you already have so you could be just a little bit more comfortable.
So how did the folks who are making the big bucks end up where they are?
Folks who make more than $150,000 per year talked about their careers on AskReddit.
1. Wow.
“High Voltage Lineman.
Made over 300k in 2020. LOTS of overtime. Base pay is 105k. Even with that I turned down 1 in 6 OT opportunities and took my vacation and sick time.
It can be dangerous, you work rotating shifts, you’re out in bitter cold, wet or hot weather. You work at extreme heights and underground enclosures.
Its very satisfying though.
Call your local electrical union hall and or electric utility.”
2. Good job.
“Programmer.
Went and got a masters in software engineering.
Love my job! And it happens to pay well.”
3. Worked like a dog.
“Patent lawyer.
Was willing to go into massive educational debt (~$120K in the early ’90s. Chump change now, but back then that was a lot for a mid-western, no private schools or anything special, undergrad and then law school education). Volunteered at a law firm for a year and a half while still in school. Worked like a dog and got hired.
Then worked like a dog for the next 4 years until I made partner. Worked a tad less for a couple of years, then quit and joined a firm that paid me more to work far less.”
4. Crazy.
“I play poker.
I just grew up playing lots of card games and discovered poker is one you can make a lot of money playing. I set a goal in college that of my hourly from playing online would equate to a 50k/yr job I’d keep at it instead of looking for a real job.
Moved to Vegas after college and am now making over 150k/yr playing live games.”
5. Loving it.
“Nuclear Power.
I spent years in engineering and now working in operations. You’d be surprised how many people at one plant make over $150k.
It’s an awesome industry and I love working in it.”
6. Pretty cool.
“Work as a Porsche Technician and manage the mechanic side of a Ferrari GT race car
The team has a few cars and I am assigned to one to make sure race/practice goes smooth.
GED, tech school, brand specific training, luck.”
7. Far from easy.
“CEO of a small 10 person corp.
Started in the industry as a warehouse worker when I was 22 and convinced them to put me in sales after a year of hard work (college drop out here btw). Worked harder than anyone else in sales for 5 years, always top 5 seller, and got promoted to manager.
Ran a 20 person team for 3 years and after 1 year of that I realized my 6% take off all my reps wasn’t s**t for the work I was doing and I was making the owners stupid rich and I was burning myself out.
Spent the next 2 years picking every persons brain at every position and started taking night classes at the local community college to learn bookkeepping and accounting. Started my own corp in 2009 and have never looked back.
16-18 hour days for the 1st 5-6 years. Now Im down to 10-12 hour days 12 years later.
I changed the structure of the biz and now pay the highest % to sales reps of any competitor in my field and I give profit sharing to every employee. Rising tide lifts all ships in my company.
It ain’t easy by any means. Far from easy but it can be done.”
8. The right place.
“Move to SF Bay Area where if you work your a** off and dont stop building skills in the tech field, a 150k job will fall into your lap.
Took me 3 years to go from 0 to 150, but that was a 3 years Ill never want to do again.”
9. A solid gig.
“My husband: 30 years at UPS.
He also has 8 weeks paid vacation, full medical and dental, 401k and stock options. It’s a hard physical job but great if you don’t have a degree or trade skill.
Walk up and down your driveway 200 times carrying a heavy box. If you can imagine doing that 5-6 days a week then I definitely recommend it as a career.”
10. Academia.
“Professor at a Research University.
You do it by getting a PhD (5-7 years) and Postdoc (3-5 years) and hopefully get super lucky.
I work 40-50 hours a week, but I think about my work constantly… that’s what brings in the money.”
11. Sounds rough.
“Lawyer. Here’s a quick how-to:
Decide you’ve got a spare decade to try out that job that looks big and important on TV.
Go to law school where you will learn how to be a professional sociopath who is anxious and angry 24/7 and thinks this is normal.
Develop a series of addictions and compulsive behaviors that you keep in check just enough to not affect your school work and internships. Be oddly proud of this fact.
Spend six glorious months with little oversight or structure studying for the bar exam and nursing a vague worry about what will happen if you fail.
Begin practicing law. Have a closet full of blue and gray suits. Learn that you will never ever get out from under the impending pile of urgent s**t falling on you every day. Hardwire your nervous system to expect, crave, and seek out anxiety. Watch the joy drain out of your life. Lose friendships, relationships. As your burnout increases, tighten your grip on how Big and Important your job is.
Burn all the way out. Quit everything. Realize the years you just lost are some of the most prime years of your life and they are gone forever, utterly wasted. Look around at your friends without Big, Important jobs and realize they are happier, healthier, and less in debt than you.
Find a way back to being a person again. Work for yourself using the skills and connections you’ve made over the years. Stop caring about the money or the prestige as long as your bills are paid. Be fine with mediocrity. See your friends all the time.
Find new loves. Develop hobbies. Feel joy again. Feel the sun on your face. Do good things for people. Be happy. Somewhere along the way the money started coming in but you barely noticed.”
How about you?
What do you do for a living and how did you get there?
Talk to us in the comments! Thanks!
