re: How to make 100k a year?

I commend you for wanting to take action to improve your situation. Sounds like a little extra $$ would go a long way for your lifestyle.

My one piece of advice is to not assume more money means more happiness. If anything, it means more responsibility which results in higher stress and potentially decreased quality of life.

I am your age and make ~200k a year which sounds great, but the reality is I work 24/7 and am under a tremendous amount of pressure/scrutiny on a daily basis.

Wish you all the best.

I’ve worked myself up from $50K out of undergrad to the six figures and there is a ton of marginal benefit for every $10K more he earns right now. Once you hit the $150K+ range, I think the marginal benefit flattens pretty dramatically (especially for a single guy).

Short answer is to either go do something that provides career progression opportunities or go find something that pays you the same but doesn’t require a lot of hours. Right now, you have the negatives on either of those equations without the positives.

Do you have any analytical skills? Being an analyst can restart your career making $50K or so and you would have headroom to grow into six figures at a larger company.

quote:

---

Just looking for some advice. I’m stuck in a shitty job. I’m 32 years old. Make 50k a year. Have a degree in political science. The company I’m with has no room for advancement. I’m miserable. I love paycheck to paycheck. I just want a job with some room for advancement and growth. Scared I’m going to be like this forever. I go on job boards and don’t know where to begin. Any ideas on a career path? Going back to school is not an option because of my mortgage.

---

So you are coming to the realization you were lied to and wasted money and time on that poli-science degree.

Any idiot that can swing a hammer or open and close valves can make 100 grand, get outside and sweat.

Join Army go to OCS

quote:

---

I used to be in your shoes. I made between $24,000-$45,000 working full time from the time I got out of LSU with a fricking humanities degree until this year when I decided to FINALLY take a leap of faith while holding my nose and went out on my own. I am in the financial services industry and always worked for someone else, juggling my schedule around their mandated schedule, getting sick often from stress and burn out. I went from job to job thinking something was wrong with me. Once I went out on my own and started working for myself my stress level is much lower, I don't think burn out is even possible at this point, and as long as I continue on the pace I've been at I'm on track to gross $120,000-$140,000 a year. I also work half as much as I did before.


Maybe you just need to start something yourself instead of continuing to fund someone else's lifestyle.

---

Your answer is in here somewhere. Print it out and put it on your bathroom mirror. Impossible to recommend the specific remedy for your specific situation and your level of personal resolve. That's a deeply personal thing.

There is much to be said for "Once I went out on my own and started working for myself...." If and when you do take the leap of faith, there will be no immediate or automatic reward. Prepare for rough seas. When you encounter them, acknowledge them for what they are, forge ahead, and keep your head up. Important to allow ample time (3 years?) to get where you want to be. I understand and appreciate the current mix of things that keep you pinned down. You'll figure that out eventually when you want it bad enough. The good news is you're young.

I noticed that you write well. You're articulate.

If you seek another job by conventional means, you might want to start accumulating certifications in a field that you might like. That should help to offset regrets of a well-intended but misplaced college degree.

Get simple business cards printed with your name and contact info on them. Keep a few in your wallet and a stack in your vehicle.

If you know somebody in your local Chamber of Commerce, go with them to a Business After Hours. Keep expectations low. You don't have to be in a formal HR environment to get the interview. These things are great for meeting decision-makers face to face. Also, don't limit yourself to the Chamber. Lots of other gatherings out there.

Personal style tip: keep your head up - literally - and be pleasantly/politely assertive. People unknowingly tune in to body language. Decision-makers like it when you present yourself as one of their peers. Smile often but don't go overboard. Quiet confidence is a prerequisite.

Good luck. I always pull for ambitious people who find themselves in these situations.

I'm in my 40s. My advice for my kids...

With just a high school education, the best recommendation for work is at an EMC. No one ever leaves these jobs and for good reasons. Great benefits. Great compensation. Plenty of room for advancement (you can do college while working there if the advancement turns white collar).

If you are young and capable of white collar (degree or no degree), mortgage finance and insurance are great options. It is tough starting out (like most sales careers) which is why it is best to do while you are young without financial responsibilities. I think mortgage finance is a faster route to 100k. But there is a downside when the rate environment changes (6 figures can get cut in half or more based on variables out of your control). Insurance is much, much more stable (insurance sales are recession proof). But the income growth is a lot slower.

If you are very bright with elite math skills, engineering or finance is the best, fastest, and highest top end potential. There can be down cycles in the economy which can affect stability. But these skills are always in demand and worth the hassles of changing jobs/employers from time to time. You dont even have to be a people person to be highly successful in these fields. Results speak louder than sales pitches.

Obviously, "be your own boss" is a great opportunity for big rewards. But for every 2 success stories, there are 5 failures and 3 struggles. That shouldn't be a deterrent. But evaluate where you are right now.

My personal goal as a parent:
I'm trying to set aside $100k to invest in each of my 4 kids for them to startup a business if they like (or invest in real estate). Hopefully by ages 30-35, they will know what they do well and know enough about an industry to make the leap as a businessperson.

quote:

---

However, as usual with these threads (and it's not at all unique to TD) is constant replies that making 100k isn't that hard, or that the poster knows several people with little formal education who clear well above 100k or that "any idiot can swing a hammer or open and close valves can make 100 grand" and other such nonsense.

---

I know lots of them, it aint hard if you are willing to work.

Oil field if you want to start at 100k a year. Other than that I'm not sure.

You can get into top 20 working professional MBA programs with a 620-640 on the GMAT. Those would be a better option for the OP.