r/Money • u/RaneIsSuperior • 10d ago
People making $150,000 and above, what do you do for a living?
I’m a 25M, currently a respiratory therapist but looking to further my education and elevate financially in the future. I’ve looked at various career changes, and seeing that I’ve just started mine last year, I’m assessing my options for routes I can potentially take.
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u/Desperate-Office4006 1d ago
I’m at $180K as director of my company, but it’s taken me 35 years of clawing my way to get here. Joined the military at 17, BS and MS degrees earned during nights and weekends. It is baffling to me how we hire 23 year old software engineers and coders for $200K right out of college. Some of our senior engineers are $350K+, and they work for me, who gets paid $180K. I guess I should have went to coding school LOL! No complaints though. Life isn’t fair, as I always tell my kids! Deal with it!
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u/VOTE_FOR_PEDRO 6d ago
Magma tech DS 450k/remote
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u/waterbelowsoluphigh 6d ago
Uhm, what? A magma tech. Go on....
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u/eddieengstrom 7d ago
Tech sales for a AI startup. Base pay and commission is around 185,000. Pretty easy to get into at a young age right after college
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u/Saugeen-Uwo 7d ago
Chartered Accountant. Run 2 oversight teams at a large Insurance Co. 36M, will make $190K total comp including $7K at my small tax side hustle.
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u/VersatileTrades 7d ago
passport bro
edit: oh, thought it said what I do in my life lol. i day trade qqq 0dte
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u/Severe_Mango1571 7d ago
Carpenter in my local union I work all over Alaska , I currently work on the north slope, we work about 100 hours a week. It's not easy work but it pays the bills.
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u/godofwolves_7 7d ago
software engineer. Was at 250k also started my own business launched an ecomm site, side hustle started to grow, left my full time job. It grossed 450k or so. Was netting more previously but my cash flow is high and I’m finally building something that’s mine and not working for somebody else.
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u/Huge_Janus_Returns 7d ago
Went back to school in my late 20s for IT. Rounding my 4th year in the field. Make 164 + 12/13 in bennys.
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u/agg1012 7d ago
You could be a Med Device sales rep. On my good years, I used to pull in $250k-$300k, it was demanding though. As I got older, I transitioned into device sales training and now make around $160k. Pulmonary device companies are often very willing to look at RTs to hire. Good luck!
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u/Unable_Apartment6104 7d ago
Workers comp insurance sales. When I was 26 I made 150k and made 160k at 27. Get up around 200k total with stock trading (~30k/year) and sports betting (~15k/year). I work about 35 hours a week.
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u/SaberIsPower 7d ago
I’m a HRM. Don’t follow the money, follow your passion, become a specialist in your field, earn credentials and don’t stay at a job for more than 5 years.
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u/Slinkweasel1 7d ago
I work in the power industry at a power plant as a control systems technician. Look for jobs with utilities. power distribution or generation. I go to conferences and the main concern is everyone is getting ready to retire. There is a lot of opportunity right now. I have a degree but didn't need it most if the people I work with just did and apprenciship.
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u/Sorrywrongnumba69 8d ago
Not quite 150 but 144K and I my bonus should be more than 6K this year. I work as a security specialist, I am not passionate about it, but I can put forth limited effort and I work less than 40 hours a week. I have thought about doing doordash or working part time at Costco in the evenings to get me close to that 175 mark, I am also studying for CAPM and later the PMP that should get me into the 200K range, the money will go further since I don't have children and I am not married and I try to live on 60K or less a year.
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u/Fragrant-Doctor1528 8d ago
Internal medicine Dr. 240k base plus bonuses ,so 300k+. 7 days on 7days off.
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u/Swamp_Donkey_7 8d ago edited 8d ago
Mechanical Engineer. Moved to the management/business side of things and pay went up. I'm over $200K with bonuses and RSU's. Wife makes over $100K as a teacher.
I enjoy it. Interesting subject matter for sure. Good work/life balance. Hoping to squirrel enough away to retire at 55 and do something related to one of my hobbies. Reef Aquarium design or something like that.
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u/EnvironmentalVideo48 8d ago
Union ... they pay for your education, amazing pension and annuity, and health benefits. My entire family and husband all work for the elevator union.. making well over 200k. My cousin is 25, almost a mechanic, after 4 years of school, made over 145k this year...
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u/BaneSilvermoon 8d ago
Not quite at $150k yet, need about 4% more in raises. Currently on a Release Engineering team, though my job title is technically Sr. Software Engineer. I feel like what I do is more of a Project Manager role than anything.
Background in various DevOps positions. SRE, Cloud Engineering, TechOps.
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u/Sufficient_Brain_250 8d ago
When I was a little kid my life goal was to claw my way to middle management.
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u/ComfortLeft117 8d ago
Freelance writer and marketing consultant for SaaS tech businesses. I made 163k last year, I’ve been making around that number ever since I started 5 years ago but there is definitely some wild variance in income with that job title lol.
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u/Astrolander97 8d ago
Saaaaaalllleess. Happiness is completely dependent on team and product. Took me ten years of ups and downs to find the spot that seemed to fit best.
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u/Status-Writing1123 8d ago
Build house, or my carpenter makes 200k, my plumber makes about 400k dips out to play golf while his workers do the work, electrician 250k cos he works when he feels like it (2-3 days a week) Bricklayers take home $1200 cash a day 600 bricks at $2 a brick good bricklayer can do 800 bricks with a Laberor
Who makes the most money? The developer, council, tax, and the bank
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u/GMVexst 8d ago
https://transparentcalifornia.com/salaries/search/?a=oakland&q=Police+Officer+&y=2022
Police Officer - 350k
The link is included for those who don't believe me.
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u/Z_Pops 8d ago
Me studying Engineering not seeing any engineers ;( , not ready for the peasant life.
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u/stormshout 8d ago
Yeah... Corporations think software developers are the engineers now. They take all our salary. Still don't know what half the devs where I work do... Engineering is cool though. Glad I didn't go into it for the money, I definitely wouldn't want to do anything else. 28 at ~100k after bonuses. So it's definitely lucrative just not going to see 150k until your 3rd or 4th time moving between companies. At 2-3 years minimum at each company. So mid-late 30s I hope to be there.
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u/ComfortableVehicle79 8d ago edited 8d ago
45 M, semi retired, used to be a software engineer, quit couple years ago, now doing Part time real estate and restaurant investor with flexible schedule maybe 20 hours a week.
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u/TheUnusualSuspect82 8d ago
Sales in one of the branches of the financial services sector. Got my license in 2005. $75k in my mid 20s. $125k+ in my 30s. Last year for the first time hit 3x that last figure. Got lucky too. Sales is sales.
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u/Witty-Business6399 8d ago
Become a landlord. I make 100K at my job and bring in about 90k from my rentals. I'll be retiring soon and just moving forward with rentals. I'm 42.
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u/maidenofcheese 8d ago
Commercial insurance underwriting 39Female, 17 yrs experience, California, total compensation around $240k. Insurance is a great field.
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u/chadbrochill343 8d ago
Accountant, CPA 250k annually. Between age 30-40. Not a high cost of living area.
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u/anonymous053119 8d ago
Own a company in the healthcare industry and private consulting. I was lucky, right people right time and I work alll the time. Love every second though.
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u/frustratednutsmasher 8d ago edited 8d ago
Licensed Senior Reactor Operator, I supervise people that operate a nuclear power plant, perform risk reviews, schedule maintenance windows, authorize work performed, and operate the plant through all modes of operation. High school diploma, 6 years of ops experience (or an engineering degree) is all it takes to become an SRO. Including about 3 years of paid education earning 100k a year while in school. Last year, I made 253k, and I am the lowest paid sro at my plant since I don't work much overtime (36 to 40 hours a week), and I'm not on rotating shift. 95 nuclear plants in the USA, go find one near you and have fun being Homer Simpson!
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u/toxicandy 8d ago
Software engineering working for a company that does government consultancy for the DoD. Small team of about 2 (8 devs and the rest support staff)
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u/rolosan87 8d ago
Get your CDL my guy. Get 1-2yrs experience under your belt and you'll have a good shot at landing a union job with good benefits and pay. Made 105k last year going on my 5th year with the company
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u/POPholdinitdahn 8d ago
How many hours do you work per week? How often are you home?
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u/rolosan87 8d ago
I work in ready mix so it's all weather dependent. So hrs vary. On average during the slow season (winter/ spring) anywhere between 25-40hrs/ week. Busy season (summer-end of year) 40-55hrs/week. Home every night.
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u/MamaAYL 8d ago
Project Manager.. $175k
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u/Optimistic-Coloradan 8d ago
Nice! What kind please? I’m a project manager too but nowhere near that number 🙁
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u/Far_Egg2721 8d ago
Professional Engineer here - managing other engineers, architects, and construction managers.
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u/bryceburk7 8d ago
Outside Sales/Account Management
I sell security to banks. Think alarms, cameras, access control doors, safes, fire systems, etc. Sales gets a bad rep, but I enjoy it, although it can be stressful. I like earning a base salary plus commission. Work harder and sell more shit = make more money
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u/ai-service-agent 9d ago
Software executive. 20 years of leadership experience to get to the top at a real company. I crossed $150k at the Director level about 10 years ago.
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u/Fun_Hornet_9129 9d ago
Learn how to sell and use that skill and your vocation to elevate your career
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u/Cheap-Draw-9809 9d ago
Finance + 2 rental properties. Always have multiple streams of income no matter what you do
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u/Silent-Sir7779 9d ago
As a respiratory therapist the money is definitely out there, I knew a coworker who made 18k in a month. Just gotta hustle and you don’t need to travel out of state, jobs can be 3 to 4 hrs away
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u/BoredDevBO 9d ago
Software developer, 150k$/yr in my job, 30-40k$/yr in consultancies and 50-100k$/yr in a small freelance company I manage.
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u/beersnbitches 9d ago
I’m 25 in home remodeling sales making over $200k annually 30k salary + commission. it’s juice. i never would’ve thought id be so passionate about it… try new things brother, and whichever could you go to make sure there is upward mobility. maybe find a newer business with lots of room to grow and not the big corporations that pass high positions down to family. you got it bro!
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u/PC_load_lettr 9d ago
Electrical construction with the caveat that I work usually 6 days a week 10-11 hour days. Made just under 200k. Im tired, probably not worth it
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u/Gunthr8 9d ago
I’m in insurance industry. Commercial property and casualty. Typically low stress. 9-5-ish hours are super flexible. Lots of remote positions too.
My advice(from a GenXer FWIW) leverage your current professional relationships by going into medical sales or medical malpractice insurance sales. You’ll be able to work remotely and set your own hours. It’s feasible to make $150K salary with an additional $150K in bonuses. Or more.
Both industries are inelastic and mostly recession proof.
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u/Adorable-Raisin-8643 9d ago
My husband drives a big rig cross country for a major shipping company and makes 160k with 100% free health insurance. The trade off is he isn't home very much. Has to live out of the truck.
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u/Guns_n_Vinyl_351 9d ago
Software Engineer. Right out of college you can make $75k-85k, be at 100k+ in 5 ish years, $140k+ in 10 years, and 200k by 20 years. This assumes you do minimal company jumping. If you stay at one company, salary growth is slower, jumping around it’s much faster.
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u/ElTigrePalma 9d ago
I currently make 220K, and I work in the refineries all over the U.S. as a contractor. My kids are all grown up and living their lives. It's just me and my wife living on the road together.
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u/No_Camera_9386 9d ago
You’re going about this all wrong. You’re paid more for your level of responsibility and irreplaceability. You should be doing something you love to do. Getting paid at the $150k level for anything you don’t love to do will feel like torture
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u/theshonufff 9d ago
I deliver packages for UPS. Top pay, best medical benefits, good pension.
25 years and I'm out. Currently on year 11.
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u/Virtual-Call-8004 9d ago
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. It’s the only next step past RN that elevates your lifestyle and carries you to an incredible level of expertise after critical care experience. Completely the best decision I’ve ever made
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u/kvothe000 9d ago
Chemistry technician for a power plant. Cleared 150k once but worked almost 1000 hours of overtime. Would not recommend.
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u/Confident-Key-5171 9d ago
Unrelated to the post. My dad also speaks to the lungs about their problems. Pretty cool.
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u/Mahomie1515 9d ago
Poker for 16 years (absolutely would not recommend today), transitioned into a short term rental company a few years back.
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u/Late-Tax-1936 9d ago
RN 180k , in the Bay Area though . Too expensive to live here . There was nurse who made 1 million through overtime in Kaiser during height of COVID LOL …. Basicly living at the hospital at that point
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u/Chicken_Savings 9d ago
I do operational design and improvement, in undesirable places around the world where most people really don't want to work. Clocking in around $400k.
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u/Pr0cougJ 9d ago
I run my own mobile mechanic business (single employee being me) and average $200k a year billing at $100/hr. When I get my shop built, I'll be doing what I really want to do which is building race cars, fast street cars, restomods, etc at $200+/hr and should be making close to half a million a year.
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u/Dalminster 9d ago
I fell ass backwards into a TV gig back in the 1980s and have lived off of the residuals ever since; the minor name I made for myself also allowed me to turn it into a teaching gig for a few years, and I have pensions and retirement savings that I also derive income from.
My taxable income was just shy of $1.2 million (CAD) this past year.
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u/YahMahn25 9d ago
I produce pornographic content as a male performer/producer. No employees and I make a lot of great female friends in the industry. Last year I made $2.7 million from subscriptions, $212,000 from custom content and $40,000 from private in person performances. On track to be 10-15% higher this year. It can be tiring work at times and it’s a weird feeling to have sex with 2-3 beautiful women on camera each week (and usually 2-5 times off) and try to not get emotionally attached. Myself and one of my costars (she makes way more than me) have made a pact that we will quit February 14, 2026 and get engaged, living off investments (I own ten apartment buildings of varying quality for a total of 170 apartments).
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u/FlyTesla 9d ago
Airline Pilot. $400k to $600k, 10-16 days off a month depending on much I want to make.
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u/YahMahn25 9d ago
Also, if you’re gonna share salary please share account and routing number for verification purposes 😊
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u/Zealousideal-Wrap394 9d ago
Asset owner . Buy rental properties , increase value and sell them. Was a multi multi millionaire till rates went up now hanging on by a thread to keep the debts paid as cashflow sinks to all time lows, made 1m a year off 4 businesses now down to just enough to pay my personal bills and keep the ship running. Shit can change FAST. Nothing safe in entrepreneurship. That’s a fact. Word to the wise, when times are good save, times won’t always be good, the savings may end up one day saving you from total loss and getting past the bad times.
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u/micropuppytooth 9d ago
Financial advisor.
I enjoy the work, enjoy the people, and I enjoy the fact that the entire FIRE movement exists to talk shit about me 😅
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u/cammeyRN23 9d ago
I do about 115k and mental health nurse in a unit that’s pretty chill ! Looking to move up the chain tho some point , I work nights , I watch a lot of movies and tv 🤣🤣🤣
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u/No-Outlandishness512 9d ago
You can very easily make 150k a year as a respiratory therapist! I made more than that last year
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u/No_Contract2996 9d ago
A cyber security engineer here. I absolutely hate my job. Currently planning my exit.
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u/gradient_gal 9d ago
can i ask what you hate about it? cyber security seemed interesting to me but i haven’t gone too far into it
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u/No_Contract2996 7d ago
I'm just tired of IT. Technology no longer excites me like it used to. I'm thankful for getting into the field when I did. It has been fruitful and has allowed me to save up for early retirement.
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u/itzcoatl82 6h ago edited 6h ago
Product owner, technology consulting 165K (comp plus bonus)
Took a decade and a half to get here. Started out making 15/hr doing data entry.
Got an MS in Business Analytics (aka data science lite for the kids who weren’t cool enough to start their career as software developers).
Transitioned from doing reporting and data analysis to writing SQL and prototyping data warehouses
Then got various Agile certifications
And here i am now