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I have about 18yrs in IT, however I have been in my current speciality now for 6. I was making in the 70k range then moved to DC to improve my resume ( gov't contracts and more well known companies) DC of course has a much higher col so as expected, my salary increased. However after 2yrs up here, my hourly rate is now more than double what it was in Atlanta. As an added bonus, when I talk to out of state companies ( where the col is low), I can still charge DC prices as most of the people in my niche are based in the North East.
I have a bachelor's degree and work for a privately held company as an employee. I started in the industry making $12/hour. It took me about 10 years in the same industry to get to 100K, but I had to switch companies quite a few times. The biggest pay jumps were when I switched companies because in my experience once you're in a company, they give raises based on a % of what you already make regardless of whether it's the current market value. I typically work 40 hour weeks.
As for stress, the only stress I have is that I have sort of topped-out in my field and I'm not likely to make as much money anywhere else anymore. I am the only income for the family so there's a bit of feeling "trapped" I suppose. But otherwise I don't feel too stressed because I live well within my means. The family has a budget we stick to and we track our expenses against it every single day. I am still in the house I bought when I made half as much money. I drive a Honda, not a "status" car. I don't go out drinking or partying. I'm not into fancy clothes or phones or any of that nonsense. And I never justify a purchase or decision by saying that I "deserve" it.
I personally find myself most stressed by having a lot of bills and commitments, so living simply is what keeps my stress level down.
I worked high skilled labor, now in management. Even in labor I cleared six figures. There is a lot of money to be made in the oil, gas, and electric utility fields. Basically anything energy connected really. I have no degree. I just rose through the ranks via word of mouth, connecting and knowing people, doing honest good work, getting along with others, possessing a calm "fair" personality, making my bosses look good, and not being afraid to pull the cord and walk to a better opportunity, etc.
My stress level is probably a five and thats only when I'm working. I work a 40 hour week with absolutely no take home crap besides the occasional phone call. I know people who make the same yet can't grasp the fact they actually make half. They conveniently look past the fact of any take home work. Sure your salaried job might say 40 hrs a week but to be honest, once all the take home work is factored in, it is really an 80 hr week. You might "think" you're getting paid $50 an hour but in reality it is really $25/hr.
A lot of people look at the salary amount as an end all indicator. For myself, I always appreciated the ratio of most money pulled per unit of my own time.
Where are you trying to go with this? Folks' income is generally nothing they post on a public forum. If you need statistics Google US Department of Statistics or US Department of Labor - it is all there.
If you don't want to answer, then don't. Why is it your concern if I am asking an honest question on a forum? Otherwise myob.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Are you asking about $100,000 or $80,000 as in the title?
In my area the median income is $125,000, people survive on less but it's not easy. Before this job I owned my own business and never made near that, but there were other benefits such as trading work for other work or things.
Making a decent salary at a traditional job is definitely easier, a lot less hours
and stress than owning a business, at least for me.
I am a federal government employee. I got to $100K in about 5 years. My background is in engineering, so the starting salary was in the $60K range.
And yes, it does get more stressful as you make more money - because you have to produce more in a given amount of time. I sometimes have to work overtime and on weekends.
In my area, the COL is such that you pretty much have to make a 6-figure income to have a middle class standard of living for a family.
Seems many are missing the point that it isn't all money.
It ain't the money.
In some areas $100k isn't all that much money.
For example this cost of living calculator shows that if I earn $75,000 where I live now I would have to earn $118,834.85 if I lived in Alexandria, VA and $132,527.26 in Santa Clara, CA to enjoy the same standard of living. While you can certainly live well on $132k in Santa Clara you ain't knocking the world dead.
Where I live you can purchase a decent house in a good neighborhood for $100k and for $200k you can get 2,600 sq ft. 4 br 3 ba with in ground pool on a 5 to 10 acre lot. On what I earn I can afford that but nobody could afford the same thing in California on $132k. Property taxes for a $200k house around here would run maybe $3,000/year; what would they be for the same thing in California?
Recently much was made about how the average Silicon valley tech salary being $100k but $100k in Santa Clara is equivalent to $56,592.13 around here and while you do ok on $56k around here you ain't "living large".
Where are you trying to go with this? Folks' income is generally nothing they post on a public forum. If you need statistics Google US Department of Statistics or US Department of Labor - it is all there.
I don't see the need to be so secretive. None of us know each other here. I can say my salary w/o feeling a thing!
If I stayed w/ my current company & never worked a 2nd job or had any other source of income, I'd have to work 21 yrs to make $80K a year! (My pay is equivalent to the 2nd yr on the job.) I'll be about 58 yrs old by then. I hope to God I won't have to work that long to get that kind of pay!
There's another local company I plan to try to get into after a few yrs from now that has a much higher salary, but I'm sure it's tough to get into. You have to be there at the right place at the right time, plus the people in those positions there stay in them for unteen years. However, if I actually got in w/ them, I could be making $80K at age 46.
In my field, there's no short cuts, quick schemes, etc. to get to $80K fast...unless maybe if I worked from 2+ different sources. The process is about paying dues & just good old hard work.
Last edited by Forever Blue; 02-09-2012 at 11:42 PM..
I was making about 165K when I worked for a fortune 100 company in IT several years ago. I now make more as a business owner. I'm in NJ, which is a high COL area.
Took me about 30 years to get there. My first-year starting salary was $10,400. I'm just over $100K, but we haven't gotten raises in three years.
Work in the public sector (transportation, not quite government). And as BigCityDreamer and someone else said also, $100K is not a huge amount of money in my area. I drive a ten-year-old car and live in a small condo. I make my bills every month, am paying for some of my daughter's college education, but can save very little. I didn't go to college, so it is very important to me that my daughter does, and I'm willing to forgo spending money on other things/saving for that.
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