Making 6-figures—$100,000 or more—isn't as uncommon or mean as much as it used to.
Corporate executives that made those salaries now are now in the 9-figure—$1,000,000 or more—range.
But even with some salaries exploding, people are still curious what people do to earn 6-figures.
Reddit user spicy_tuna_maki asked:
"Those making $100,000+, what do you do?"
Financial Analyst
"I stare at Excel and cry."
~ benjamming124
"Currently having a mental breakdown myself while also staring at an Excel workbook and making $120k+/year."
~ The3obaFett
Doorman
"I am a Doorman at a Luxury Residential Building in NYC."
"I make $110-$120k a year. My friends and most of you probably won't believe me and sometimes I can't believe it myself, but it's the easiest and best job I've ever had."
~ Brief-Ad2053
Donuts
"Own a donut shop."
"I had a friend that had another friend whose family was selling their donut shop. I had nothing to lose and gave it a try."
"I didn't even know how to make donuts when I bought the shop, but luckily I was taught a little bit before they left me on my own and the bakers that were with the shop stayed for a while."
"Now I'm pretty good at making them, but it took longer than I would expect."
~ SDoNUT1715
Perfusionist
"Professional heart stopper… I also restart them later when the operation is over."
"Perfusionist."
"Stopping is a much smoother and more enjoyable process."
~ BrandEnlightened
Nuclear Inspector
"Nuclear inspector, quality control inspector not with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
"I inspect various components and assemblies to be used at various nuke plants."
"Show up and perform NDE inspections. Some days I am going like hell all day. Some days I sit there all day and wait for quitting time."
"Mostly boring, but it pays well."
~ ConfusionFederal6971
Sanitation
"I drive a garbage truck."
~ Jaybeltran805
"Dang, at least one person who actually deserves to make $100k."
~ imsorryken
"The waste/recycle industry is WAY underrated as a career path. I run a garbage company and most of my employees make around $100k a year."
"It’s not an easy job but with most residential routes getting picked up with Automated Side Load (ASL) trucks now, it’s less physically strenuous (just more mentally draining). I wish more people knew this was a career option."
~ RiggsFTW
Physician
"Physician (Family Medicine)."
"Luckily a lot of the non-medical paperwork and dealing with insurance companies is taken off my plate since I work for a large HMO."
"Still, not enough time for each of my patients and the follow-up work that follows. Overall still no regrets!"
~ partofthisnow
Lawyer
"Lawyer—but it sucks, don't do it."
~ Tracy_Turnblad
"I haven't met a single lawyer who's actually happy."
~ Remarkable_Air_769
"Am a lawyer, have deliberately chosen to sacrifice the biggest bucks for good work life balance. I make well over $100k, but way less than I could if I was willing to make rich people richer and work stupid hours, but..."
"No one lies on their deathbed wishing they'd spent more time at the office."
"In 20 years, the only people who will remember you working long hours will be your children."
"I've made my choice. Very comfortable with it."
~ TedTyro
Office Manager
"I am an office manager."
"I order supplies, pay bills, arrange security cards, put things away, make sure we have enough coffee, and keep track of all our vendors."
"I make 125k."
~ buddaslovehandles
Engineer
"Nothing really at an engineering company. $140k."
"Defense company, life long contracts, 2-4 hrs of real work a day."
"It's not all rainbows, but not bad at all."
~ Tomy_Matry
Plumber
"My brother-in-law just got his master plumber's license."
"He’s been making $150k for 6-8 years now. Just started his own company, and he’ll be a millionaire before the end of next year."
"Early 30’s. Took on $80k in debt to get an aviation mechanic degree and ended up being a plumber to pay the bills. Hired into a company ran by a few guys doing commercial plumbing and stayed for a decade."
"If you have a decent work ethic (like showing up and doing your job) then you’ll go really far. Most guys hire in with zero work ethic and get fired or just stop showing up. He ended up leading the crews in the field and became indispensable."
~ Sierra419
Escape Rooms
"I design, build and own escape rooms."
"Uncharted is my favorite video game and is what inspired me to start the business."
"I built a jungle temple with a shrinking ceiling, and tons of secret tunnels. It was a great room, but after 3 years, the fire department said we had to close that room because of safety concerns."
~ HumbleRutabaga580
Cancer Scientist
"Cancer scientist, $140k."
"Aunty passed away from a brain tumor when I was a child, and she was like a mom to me. Seeing this situation tear my family apart woke something in me. Now, I'm trying to be a part of the solution."
"To clarify my career and how I got here (31 male), I went to a 4-year university and got my Degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology. I got my Masters's Degree soon after and started at the bottom at a biotech company. I started out making $12 an hour, after college, can you imagine?"
"I was definitely a little distraught at the time (about nine years ago), but I held in there and remembered why I was doing what I was doing. I actually was able to climb the ladder through being a genuinely pleasant person to everyone I met, and taking the work, studying, and projects very seriously."
"I asked a lot of questions and tried to be a positive influence to everyone. I have to say, being nice and respectful will get you farther than you think. Be the person that everyone smiles when they see. I switched companies multiple times, taking huge pay increases each time as my skills and knowledge increased."
"Then, I landed at my dream location. Sometimes it’s about putting your ego to the side and starting at the freaking bottom. You can do it."
"To clarify a bit about my motivation and why I do what I do, losing my aunty shattered my entire f*cking world. She was my everything at the time. I was only 6 years old. My family was super tight-knit, and loved one another so much, so this had lasting effects on everyone."
"I developed a severe anxiety disorder, and sitting around and not doing anything about it just kind of ate away at me through my young age. That 'positive' anger has gotten me through college and beyond. A bit of advice that I give to people now that go through trauma, to be honest, is just to let yourself get f*cking angry."
"I started getting pissed the f*ck off, and I figured out how to channel that energy into something she'd be proud of. It's why I wake up in the morning now. I implore everyone who has a passion and who has a motivation to find some way to implement it into your lives."
"It doesn't always have to be your career either.. And ALSO don't forget to have time for your hobbies and friends. I definitely have developed an obsession for video games because it helps me escape from reality. A fast-paced life needs balance."
Cancer is a b*tch. It's all one big puzzle, and we're trying to figure this out one piece at a time. I have high hopes for treatments, but cures are probably a little bit out of the scope right now. It's almost impossible to cure because of how it works."
"Treatments are groundbreaking and there are some amazing things coming. I hope everyone who has suffered through this f*cking piece of sh*t disease heals, and gets through it in any way possible."
~ Westykins
Entrepreneur
"If 10,000 of you send me $10, I'll tell you."
~ 0000000000000007
While $100,000 doesn't go as far as it used to, it's still a decent wage.
Do you have a 6-figure job?
