r/financialindependence 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/jdmackes Aug 13 '21 edited 29d ago

How long did it take before you hit 6 figures? I'm about two years into being an accountant, and while I'm not expecting to make that much (I work for my county and haven't gotten my CPA yet), I didn't know if it was something that would be realistic without working for one of the big four or owning my own firm

Edit: I just want to say thank you to everyone that answered, I've got a much better idea of what to do/expect over the next decade. I'm finishing up my Masters degree in Accounting Information Systems and then going to start sitting for the CPA exams and will hopefully build my worth from there

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u/tdpdcpa Aug 13 '21

Also an accountant. It took me 5.5 years from my first day to the day I made 6 figures. I went Big 4 (3 years) to large, private chemical company in technical accounting and reporting.

In the 1.5 years since then, I increased my salary another 90% by switching into Accounting Advisory Services and getting headhunted by a client.

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u/catdog918 Aug 13 '21

I did an internship at KPMG and that’s when I switched my major to business analytics haha. I wouldn’t have made it to retirement as an accountant

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u/LongjumpingMessage36 29d ago

Technically a shorter lifespan does bring you closer to early retirement.