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/BimboBuggins Aug 13 '21

Yup, just got my first job out of college and am making 190k total comp. Feels kinda dirty given everyone else I know in college who didn't do CS is struggling like mad to find any relevant job, let alone one that pays decently.

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u/techmagenta Aug 13 '21 edited Aug 13 '21

It’s insanity. My SO is also a software engineer (5ish year experience). Our combined compensation is 600k yearly. She’s not interested in FIRE unfortunately, so I save 40% of my pay check and she spends a lot of money on things like jewelry and purses. Even with her low savings rate she still eclipses me though, which is nice.

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u/ArtFUBU Aug 13 '21

I am trying to do software engineering. I was even a jr web dev for 2 years. It's hard man. I'm not a dumb person but I expect only 10 percent of the population is really capable of serious software engineering...and then you also have to be trained AND like it to do it well. I got a taste of how hard it was until I was let go. It just doesn't come naturally to me but I enjoy solving stuff.

I was making decent money and hope it will just come with time/experience but I am trying to study more about technologies while programming to get into cyber security because I know for a fact development won't be a thing for me 20 years from now. At least from what I understand about cybersecurity, it's less programming and more about process/tech accounting essentially.

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u/captain_doubledick Aug 13 '21

I think you just have to have a mathematical turn of mind. I struggled so hard in CS that I had to give it up, but I can write just as easy as I can speak. I don't understand why anyone would ever have a problem with it. My nephew is an Android dev for Ford, he knows calculus and beyond the way I know addition and subtraction, years after he graduated he could still easily do my calc homework. He doesn't understand how it's possible that math could ever be difficult for anyone, but if you judged him by the way he writes you'd think he was an idiot. He can't spell, he can't string together two coherent sentences in a row. It's amazing.