r/financialindependence • u/fidgit86 • Aug 13 '21

What do you do that you earn six figures?

It seems like a lot of people make a lot of money and it seems like I’m missing out on something. So those of you that do, whats your occupation that pays so well?

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u/Dotrue Aug 13 '21

As a recent MechE grad can you direct me toward the jobs like that? Everything I see starts around $50-65k, with a few on the higher end around $70k.

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u/caffeinefree Aug 13 '21

Big companies pay more. I've worked at multiple Fortune 100 companies and they pay 10-20% more than the little guys, easily. Aerospace also tends to be higher in general, which is where I started my career.

I don't know for sure that starting salaries are $80k, but I know they were around $70k like 6 years ago, so I assume they're higher now.

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u/314JimBob Aug 13 '21

What do you do at those big companies? I am at a small company and I think I get paid fairly for my region (~$75k, 4 years out of school), certainly not 6 figures. But I get to design things which I really enjoy and occasionally play on the manufacturing floor. A few friends who have gone to the local branches of some large companies get paid better but they just push paperwork and sign procedures, sounds dull. Do you find that to be the case in your area?

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u/adamantitian Aug 13 '21

After 1 year I got to go flight test stuff as a systems engineer