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IT Security. CISSP-certified people make over $100K.
There's a Cisco certification with multiple, complicated tests that only a few hundred people in the world have. I don't know what it is, but I remember hearing about someone whose father had it. The story was that when he got it, he immediately received multiple, competing job offers well over $100K.
You're likely talking about the CCIE. While still fairly rare - there's over 40K certifications out there as of a few years ago. Still one of the hardest certifications to achieve due to its rigorous lab testing. I have a friend who's worked for Cisco for 15 years, and he failed a few times before getting his first (albeit he was only there a few years at the time).
That said - these are no where near entry level positions. CISSP is a management cert. The requirement is 3 years minimum (with a college degree), and most have more. CCIE candidates typically have a number of years of experience (and a LOT of actual experience) in networking, security, storage, etc.
To the OP - I don't think there is a whole lot out there that have a 100K starting salary that you can virtually guarantee yourself by just doing A, B, and C. Engineering jobs tend to be high these days (Petroleum, Chemical, Aerospace). But again, it's not like you can just go through the motions of going to college as an engineering major and come out with an offer.
Also - how much you make is impacted by location. You'll find more jobs at 100K in NYC, SF, or DC than you would in say, Des Moines.
OP- what's your goal here? Are you a college student looking for ideas? Most recent grads don't NEED to make that much. I broke into six figures 5 years after graduating college - i worked my way up at my company by doing stellar work, long hours (usually), networking and also obtained my MBA by doing classes at night. I "picked my battles" debt-wise. I didn't buy everything i wanted just because "i could afford it" - i did splurge on vacations or certain items through the year, but budgeting was what helped the most. I budgeted my income to ensure i could pay off my debts, save for retirement, save for a house, invest and still have some fun money left over. That's the best advice - budget! You can make 50k a year and be doing stellar if you have little debt.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Looking at our job classification and pay listings, the only position that pays that much (barely) without experience is Junior Engineer. We have very few of those, and they are meant specifically to provide experience for new engineers to advance to the full engineer positions. By far the majority of our jobs paying over $100k are management, followed by engineering, project management and IT positions requiring 5-15 years experience.
First job out of college with a BA/BS making 100K?
That's pretty rare
With STEM you can do well. I had a cousin who recently finished her engineering degree (BS) and her first job was in Indianapolis making 60K as a chemical engineer. I'd say that's pretty good. 100K is rare, even for new undergrads at Google, Facebook, etc. I did statistics and it took me five year to break 100K in a medium COL area
Depends what city you're going to work in! I also agree Engineering. My husband has a BS in Mechanical Engineering and started at $65k, but that was also 17 years ago! He now makes $115K (almost double) with a $1.5% annual bonus. His immediate supervisor make $150K and his boss over $200K. The same job in Florida would make half so it really depends where you'll be working. My husband works in Chicago.
Consulting, if you can get hired as an undergrad. I've known one guy that was hired by Boston Consulting right out of undergrad. The travel and hours are brutal. Most of the time it requires an MBA from a top program.
You can make close to that as a software engineer entry level, but you have to live in Silicon Valley, and the salary will be less living somewhere in the Midwest or Mid Atlantic.
If you can get a job as a medical device rep, it takes a few years out of college as a successful salesperson, but its doable. The schedule is also brutal. A family friend is a Stryker rep, and he literally can't drive a date to a restaurant in case he gets a call and has to drive to a hospital.
If you get your CPA, you can be making that money within 5 years out of school. Again, can be a brutal schedule at least sometimes.
Some jobs pay really well in absolute terms but you're living in a high COL area where the money doesn't go far. It's also possible to have a feast or famine gig where the money is great but job stability is poor and you're having to switch jobs every 5 minutes.
I'd also factor in the amount of work involved. Would you rather make $80k/year with a great work life balance and a relaxed atmosphere or make $120k/year in a job where you work 80 hours per week and never really enjoy the fruits of your labor?
An entry level investment banker at Goldman Sachs starts at $175K. You'd need the Harvard MBA with good grades and a good interview to get one of those jobs.
MIT undergrad in a strong demand major with good grades will get you $150K in Silicon Valley. The housing costs are so high there that $150K is a 1 bedroom garden apartment. Any of the other top-10 programs with good grades will get you 6 figures. $100K in Silicon Valley probably means roommates if you want a short commute. A 900 square foot house on a tiny lot in Sunnyvale now costs $1.1 million.
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