Post by: sam on December 14, 2015, 09:48:50 AM
It should provide guidance of rough salary expectations for those of us seeking new professions in order to ramp up our savings.
Me first:
Job Title: Digital Marketing Executive
Salary: £31,000/ $46,910 (Inc. £2000 performance related bonus - hit every quarter so far)
Years’ experience: 4 years (1.5yrs working for myself + 2.5 years working in-house).
Now, it’s your turn!
Sam
Post by: svndezafrohman on December 14, 2015, 10:12:28 AM
Experience: 1.5 yrs Public, 3 yrs private industry
Age: 28
Salary: $65K
Post by: lbmustache on December 14, 2015, 10:25:51 AM
Salary: ~$60/unit
Experience: Need a Master's degree at minimum (my degree cost roughly $30k).
*** extra info for those curious ***
I teach at various community colleges around Southern California. I teach in humanities/liberal arts divisions. The lowest ones pay around $55/unit and the highest ones cap out around $75. My average is about $60 through all the schools.
A class is usually 3 units (meets 3 hours a week), 16 weeks = 48 hours. Obviously you don't get paid for grading, lesson planning, etc. I roughly earn about $2800 a class, spread out over 4-5 months - each school has a different payment cycle. (You generally want the ones that stretch out to 5 months because it makes budgeting easier.)
So for example, I start teaching the last week of August for Fall 2015, the semester just ended last week. One school is on a 4 month cycle (4 equal payments). I get paid: end of September, end of end of October, end of November, and end of December. Assuming I didn't budget properly, I'm SOL for February because I don't teach over the winter - I don't have any income for that month. If I were on a 5 month cycle, I would also get paid at the end of January.
For the mustachians I don't think the payment cycle matters - obviously you just budget the 4 months out to 5 and it's the same thing. But my experience has been that most people in liberal arts are not too good with math. :x I thought I'd expand on this since a lot of people look at community college teaching for side income.
Post by: Landlord2015 on December 14, 2015, 10:31:17 AM
That said today the BIG BOSS called me. He told me that I can be the new Team Leader in 2016!
Nice though it is still part time job and very challenging to be TEAM Leader. During my years in IT work I have never had a chance of being accepted as Team Leader.
Therefore yeah something worth putting in the CV for sure.
While not writing my hour salary I do get roughly 15% salary increase as the new Team Leader.
My main income is government benefits+ even more then that landlord income.
I don't work even near fulltime, but normal week for me is about 18+ hours work so 18 hours or more/week.
I certainly don't consider my current work as something that I migth do for many years but maybe whole 2016 year... and nice change to be the Team Leader.
Financially FREE is my goal and I have also started an evening entreprenur course held twice/week Tuesday and Thursday evenings but a break during Christmas week of course. 80-90% of the people that starts an entrepreneur course in my country do NOT become entrepreneurs even 2 years after such a course! Why? Because they get answer bad idea or not enough budget from an expert teacher.
That said I know personally the teacher he is my MENTOR JEDI MASTER! Jedi Master told me that I could instead continue to buy and rent more apartments but at same time I should keep mortgages in check.
Speaking of JEDI MASTER my intention is to watch StarWars 7 in the movies with my brother after Christmas.
Me as Team Leader and possible future entreprenur? It feels wonderful I like the power and feel like everything is possible normally I like Vocal Trance but this psychedelic Trance has perfect beginning oh yeah!
Psychedelic Trance 2014 / 2015 Mix part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNVp5IwQcYc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNVp5IwQcYc)
Post by: MoneyRx on December 14, 2015, 10:51:50 AM
Salary: $117k
Years’ experience: 1.5 years
Age: 29
College Requirement: 6 years absolute minimum, usually 7-8 years. Optional 1-2 years of residency with salary ~40k/yr. Cost of school is all over the board, but at least $80k tuition for pharmacy school. Generally going to be over $100k in debt at graduation without scholarships.
Post by: Tetsuya Hondo on December 14, 2015, 11:05:02 AM
Post by: JZinCO on December 14, 2015, 11:34:07 AM
While it is interesting to see others' salaries, you'll find more data on one of the salary reporting websites like Payscale or Glassdoor. I believe that they are free to join and allow you to see salaries by occupation, employer, and location.+1
I have three positions. Research Associate III (forest biometrician/greenhouse gas accountant) at a uni. Pay depends on how much the lab hires you at so can range from 30-110K. 45-60 is typical for someone like me (2-3 years as a professional with at least as much time in as a tech).
Experience to get in: PhD or MS+3 yrs or BS +7 yr. Degrees must be in the field requested by the job advert. There is no experience-based pay adjustments once you get your foot in; pay is 90% about negotiation.
For my consulting, of course pay is much looser, but many contracts require federal certification as a technical service provider. Options to become a TSP are BS in appropriate field + 3-5 years of experience doing the technical service OR professional society certification. I generally charge $50/hr which is on the low side but its easy money.
Oncall wildland firefighter: Pay starts at 15/hr. Position titles and pay increase with industry certifications. Education might get you an interview but does not count for anything. Decades ago, there was no formal education so a partnership between NGOs, state and federal agencies devised their own industry curricula.
It's worth noting I work in a field where education is aplenty and has inflated base requirements for an interview. I.e. It takes a bachelor's to be a technician and it takes a master's to be an entry level professional. I suspect many other job fields are this way. I myself have hired a technician with 10 years of experience to do a low skilled student internship.
----
Edit: According to BLS, the three positions fall into (mean salary in parens): Conservation scientist ($64K), forester (60K), and forest technician (38K).
Post by: JordanOfGilead on December 14, 2015, 11:50:14 AM
College Requirements: Bachelor's degree in engineering (my degree is mechanical engineering)
Experience: <2 years
Age: 24
Salary: $65k
Post by: Gumbo1978 on December 14, 2015, 12:25:26 PM
Experience: 10 years
Education Required: College degree (other employers might be OK with HS diploma and relevant experience).
Salary: $88k
Post by: FIREandMONEY on December 14, 2015, 12:29:01 PM
Salary 78K-85K per year, depending on overtime
Experience: 5 years
Age: 29
Education:
Post by: 2Birds1Stone on December 14, 2015, 12:31:31 PM
Salary: $47k base salary + $50k incentive comp @ quota (Going to hit ~$112k total for FY16)
Experience: 1 year
Age:28
Education:Some college
Post by: mozar on December 14, 2015, 12:34:18 PM
Quote
While it is interesting to see others' salaries, you'll find more data on one of the salary reporting websites like Payscale or Glassdoor. I believe that they are free to join and allow you to see salaries by occupation, employer, and location.
I haven't found that data helpful it all. It's hard (for me) to sift through and I give up. I'll update my post when I someday become employed again :(
Post by: Sibley on December 14, 2015, 12:40:06 PM
Salary: $73k + whatever bonus, I'm new here.
Experience: 6 years public accounting
Education: college degree, accounting is good. I'm a CPA, but it's not necessarily required.
Post by: Orvell on December 14, 2015, 12:48:04 PM
Salary: 39K + 5-7% bonus (if I'm not shit)
Age: 27
Education: College Degree (4 years)
Post by: aetherie on December 14, 2015, 12:49:19 PM
Salary: $81k + bonuses (~$12k)
Experience: 1.5 yrs
Education: Bachelor's in computer science
Post by: Allison on December 14, 2015, 12:53:11 PM
Salary: $70k plus bonus
Experience: 11 years post college but only 3 in procurement
Education: Bachelors in Marketing
I love what I do and will probably get a raise and promotion next year.
Post by: Frugalman19 on December 14, 2015, 12:59:19 PM
Salary: $35,000 per tax season (3 months of crazy work) / financial planning can vary drastically, but roughly $75,000 for me
Education: BA in accounting/taxation, Masters in Finance
Designations: CFP (certified financial planner), EA (enrolled agent with the IRS)
Experience: 5 years
To prepare taxes, depending on what state you are in you will need to have a license. Some go for their CPA, its not required tho, if all you want to do is prepare taxes the CPA is alot of information you will never use. A lot of people become an Enrolled Agent, which is basically just the income taxation portion of the CPA exam.
Its 2 jobs really but I blend it into one. Tax season is only 3 months of crazy work, there are a few months of prep involved to prepare all of the clients tax packets before they are mailed out. Financial planning is year round. The college is not required for either of these fields, but if you dont have a degree you will most likely have to start out selling highly commissionable products, which really sucks. I would have never got in this business if I had to sell products like some do. To do it right, you have to at least get a college degree, and go for the CFP or the ChFC. Its a great career, you get to help alot of people.
Post by: TravelJunkyQC on December 14, 2015, 01:00:10 PM
Salary: 46,500 CAD
Age: 29
Experience: BA, several MBA courses taken, and 8 years of experience.
It is worth noting, I am very underpaid for what I do. Just an FYI for anyone looking in publishing management. Should be around 65,00K minimum.
Post by: doggyfizzle on December 14, 2015, 01:26:15 PM
Salary: $160k
Experience: 10 yrs
Education: Bachelor's in Geophysics
Post by: FireDAD on December 14, 2015, 01:39:18 PM
Age:30
Experience: 6 years, started part-time/weekend gig. Took it full time this year
Education: BA Accounting. BA Mathematics - Don't use them at all these days
Compensation: $60,000-$110,000
It's a unique field for sure, but I work non traditional hours and spend my life at races which is pretty awesome. I have some huge clients and if you are involved in the race culture then you have heard of some of them.
Post by: protostache on December 14, 2015, 01:48:44 PM
Age: 31
Experience: 8 years
Education: BS in a hybrid CS and Business degree track, minor/emphasis in CS
Compensation: $200k this year, $300k-ish next
I help businesses maintain existing systems and develop (design, write, maintain) new software. I also write and publish books, one about credit card payments and another about setting up a small consultancy (basically documenting what I did).
Post by: pbkmaine on December 14, 2015, 01:58:30 PM
Age: 59
Experience: 36 years
Education: AB (English), MBA (Finance), CPA(inactive), CFP
Compensation: $125/hr, approx 5 hrs/week
I work on projects for my long-time employer, which specializes in advising non-profits on their defined contribution plans.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Post by: Glitch on December 14, 2015, 02:22:54 PM
Title: Software Engineer I
Salary: $81k + bonuses (~$12k)
Experience: 1.5 yrs
Education: Bachelor's in computer science
Mine is almost identical, but without bonuses.
Title: Software Engineer I
Age: 23
Salary: $80k
Experience: ~ 1 yr
Education: BS in computer science
Post by: syednaeemul on December 14, 2015, 02:26:00 PM
Income: $100-120k AUD (I work under a hybrid base + days worked model)
Age: 27
Qualifications: Undergrad in Electrical Engineering, PMBOK PMP
Experience: Just under 6 years
Post by: big_slacker on December 14, 2015, 02:29:41 PM
Age: Early 40's
Salary: $146k base + 45k cash 'n stock (primary job), $5k (side gig, slow year) = $196k
Education: College dropout, high level technical certification (Cisco CCIE), lifelong computer technology nerd
The job: Helping to make sure a really big/complex data network runs optimally and stays healthy even if stuff breaks.
For young folks getting in: Great field which will not go away and will continue to pay very well as the entire world becomes more and more network connected. Around the office we joke that the software developers get all the nerd glory while we smile, make it ping and cash the checks.
Post by: Erica on December 14, 2015, 02:41:06 PM
Title: Supportive Living Supervisor
Age: 47
Experience/Education- 1 year. AA Degree
Salary: $13.50 per hr. -Two 18 hr shifts per wk (9 hrs of each shift is asleep in bed, surfing internet, watching tv or whatever)
Son-
Title: Apple Tech Support-(Four 10 hr shifts from home)
Age: 24
Experience/Education- 1.5 years/ 3 AA Degrees One 4 yr degree as of next week
Salary- $18.25 hr (Starting Jan 1st 2016)
Husband-
Title: Painting Contractor (Part Time)
Age: 54
Education/Experience- High School Diploma & Trade School- Business owner for 25 years
Salary-Probably shows 8-10 thousand dollars per yr in income + equal amounts paid in cash
For young folks- No education or very little, my job is perfect. Plan on doing something on the side to make $$ in the long downtime.
I sell on ebay/amazon too
For my sons job, choose a 4 yr college which has a Apple College Program then apply and interview via Skype. Then after your stats are good and you are ready to graduate, you will be sent an offer to continue to work. Same perks and everything, just better pay
My husband- Skip it unless you are not a fit for College and better with your hands. Good employment but don't plan on doing it forever.
He is part time due to some breathing and back issues. Can be difficult to find good employees
Post by: BritishMustache on December 14, 2015, 02:46:39 PM
Age: Early 30s
Salary: Day rate of $1,000. Work average 46 weeks per year, so total comp is about $230K
Education: University of Life
Experience: > 15 years
As one of the former posters, if I were to put myself out there more - write a book/do training I could grow my income quite substantially - but I enjoy what is mostly a 9-5 role (with another 10 hours/week or so put into learning.)
Post by: aetherie on December 14, 2015, 03:21:29 PM
Title: Software Engineer I
Salary: $81k + bonuses (~$12k)
Experience: 1.5 yrs
Education: Bachelor's in computer science
Mine is almost identical, but without bonuses.
Title: Software Engineer I
Age: 23
Salary: $80k
Experience: ~ 1 yr
Education: BS in computer science
Ha, twins! I didn't note it in my post but my age is, in fact, also 23.
I like my job, although when I FIRE I will definitely not choose to spend 8 hours per day sitting in front of a computer.
Post by: asauer on December 14, 2015, 03:32:13 PM
salary: 110k
master's degree required (mine is in Training and Development)
I have 15 years experience in HR and T&D
2nd job: Adjunct University Professor- teach in the business department- salary appx. 4k per semester for a 3hr class. I usually teach one class per year- wish I could do this full-time but I don't have a Ph.D. and have no plans to get one.
Post by: deborah on December 14, 2015, 03:45:30 PM
earn: twice what I need
Must have a stash and a good savings habit
Post by: nvmama on December 14, 2015, 04:01:33 PM
age: 38
experience: 13 yrs at current employer
Salary: $16.50/hr (I'm at the top of the pay scale for this position)
Experience: for this job, bachelor's is perferred, but will take experience as a trade off. I myself have a Bachelor's in Social Work and am working on my Master's in Applied Behavioral Analysis and Autism.
My current schedule is one 14 hour shift and one 24 hour shift with a 2 hour meeting a week. I am able to sleep on the longer shifts for 3 hours on the overnight. The schedule works great as I am able to be at home with my kids during most of the week. My plan was to step back up into a regular, higher paying, day job once my youngest is in school full time. I live in a HCOL area.
Post by: use2betrix on December 14, 2015, 05:14:28 PM
27
5 years experience at current role. 2.5 years in a skilled trade prior
No degree required. I went to a tech school to get started then got my A.A.S a few years later (not needed but had the credits from switching majors). Some certifications are required.
150k-210k depending on the job.
I do contract work. I work a ton a lot of the time. 60-70 hr weeks are not uncommon. Spent 3 months this fall at 80 hr weeks, although those months I took home about $16k/mo after putting 15% in my 401k.
Also, I travel full time and do contract work. So job security is minimal. I have never been unemployed but it's been close. I live in a 5th wheel year round and work all over the country.
The work and environment is not for the faint of heart. Walking across a 6" wide beam that's 20' long and 100' off the ground with nothing to hold onto while wearing a harness is not uncommon.
My pay is high but it comes at a price that impacts my quality of life significantly.
Post by: Rural on December 14, 2015, 05:18:58 PM
Experience: over 20 in field, only 6 years at current place
Base pay: $46,500 for ten months (I've taken on an admin role for $10k extra but must work summers)
Education: PhD required
This is the extreme low end for public universities; I chose a teaching institution with tuition and fees always on the USDOE's list of least expensive colleges annually so I could spend my last working years working with students like I once was. The low tuition comes straight out of salaries, and we have either fast turnover or multi-decade deliberate dedication from our faculty, very little in between.
Post by: spud1987 on December 14, 2015, 06:01:19 PM
Salary: $180k + bonus (~$30-60k) + 8% 401k match + pension
Experience: 4.5 yrs
Education: Law degree
Post by: Migrator Soul on December 14, 2015, 06:10:26 PM
Age: 23
Salary: 53K (including single rate BAH, FLPP, BAS, and my base pay)
Experience: 4 years
Education: Associates of Arts in Russian Language and Culture, Working on a BS in Psychology. (All free, never paying a dime in tuition)
Plus all the wonderful intangible benefits of free medical, getting PRK done on my eyes for free, the GI bill if I choose to leave.
I tend to do alot of travelling for work, so I get TDY pay, which I usually bankroll pretty decently. It is far too unpredictable to list though.
Post by: ETBen on December 14, 2015, 06:23:33 PM
37yo
115k plus bonus up to 35%
RN license (9yrs) and masters preferred. 2 yrs experience in this work when I was hired. I was a staff nurse for the first 7yrs.
Post by: Lanthiriel on December 14, 2015, 06:44:58 PM
Title: Proposal Manager
Age: 28
Salary: $61,000
Experience: 7 years
Education: BA English, MS Writing/Publishing
Husband
Title: Staff Engineer (Geotechnical EIT)
Age: 32
Salary: $58,000 + OT
Experience: 2 years
Education: BS Civil Engineering
Post by: NinetyFour on December 14, 2015, 06:52:06 PM
50 something
$70,000, plus extra for summer courses (optional)
18 years
Doctor of Education (Ed. D.)
Post by: mm36 on December 14, 2015, 07:17:57 PM
Salary: 38,500
Years of experience 8.5
Education: MLIS
Post by: Travis on December 14, 2015, 07:34:10 PM
Age: 35
Experience: 17 years
Base pay: $88,000, plus $25,000 in nontaxable housing and subsistence allowance, $150/mo Jump Pay, Combat Zone Tax Exclusion every couple years, and all the same fringe benefits Migrator mentioned
Education: BA in Political Science, Masters in International Relations (any four year degree would do).
My specialty in the Army is communications - satellite, radio, and internet. At my level I deal mostly with operations planning, training, and policy enforcement. Base salary comes from rank and time in service. Subsistence allowance is more or less universal and housing allowance comes from living off post based on rank and local market. The Army doesn't require specialized degrees for most of its officers - any bachelors gets you in the door. The Army spent a few months teaching me how to plan and lead communications operations and every few years I go back for additional education as I move up the ladder, but almost everything I know about what I do is on-the-job. My goal is to FIRE if I qualify for a pension in a few years. If I'm passed over and don't then I'll need to keep working for a while longer. I probably won't work in the comms or IT field if I do.
Post by: YK-Phil on December 14, 2015, 09:44:03 PM
Full-Time: Executive Director/CEO with an environmental agency
Pay scale: $90-$140K + benefits
Residential Support Worker for persons with disabilities: I love this job! I could see myself never retiring if I could get a similar job in my little corner of paradise.
Pay Rate: $25/hour. I do 15-20 hours a week.
House/Pet-sitter: self-explanatory. I take care of two houses, two dogs, and two cats practically full-time. When I don't have a gig, I am an office hobo. I love this lifestyle.
Pay: free house, free use of car + paid gas, finish all the food in the house...
Board Member, environmental agency, 2 days/month average
Pay Rate: $400/day honorarium + per diem
Post by: neophyte on December 14, 2015, 11:29:58 PM
Age: 29
Salary: ~$35,000 (includes periods of significant overtime)
Years experience: 5.5 years (3 in current position)
Education: BS Biochemistry
Post by: mxt0133 on December 14, 2015, 11:48:52 PM
Title: Software Consultant / Author
Age: 31
Experience: 8 years
Education: BS in a hybrid CS and Business degree track, minor/emphasis in CS
Compensation: $200k this year, $300k-ish next
I help businesses maintain existing systems and develop (design, write, maintain) new software. I also write and publish books, one about credit card payments and another about setting up a small consultancy (basically documenting what I did).
Umm yeah, I'll buy that book. No seriously where can I get it? I'm all for 100k increases in compensation every other year or so.
Post by: mxt0133 on December 15, 2015, 12:02:36 AM
Age: 37
Experience: 14 years
Education: BS in CS and Applied Math, MS in CS, MBA in Finance (I know but I like school and all of it was 90% paid for)
Compensation: $160K + ~10%, compensation is low for my area because it is my first year as a manager, I work from home for a company in a LCOL area, and I chose work life balance vs maximizing my earning potential. Every time I compare my salary to my peers I get jealous but then I remember that I get to be home every day at 4pm to go to the park/play with my kids and spend Fridays afternoon on field trips with the family.
Post by: k290 on December 15, 2015, 12:48:39 AM
Title: Software Engineer I
Salary: $81k + bonuses (~$12k)
Experience: 1.5 yrs
Education: Bachelor's in computer science
Mine is almost identical, but without bonuses.
Title: Software Engineer I
Age: 23
Salary: $80k
Experience: ~ 1 yr
Education: BS in computer science
I'm a software engineer in another country. But earning peanuts if converted to USD. How much of that do you put away into investments? (This will give me an indication of Cost Of Living)
Post by: Elisabeth on December 15, 2015, 01:36:39 AM
Salary: ~$235-250K, depending on overtime
Experience: 6 years
Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing
My compensation is much higher than a typical nursing salary, due to the fact I'm based in a very remote community and work ridiculous overtime hours.
Post by: Elisabeth on December 15, 2015, 01:42:22 AM
I have four jobs, in Yellowknife.
Another Northerner on MMM! Hello from your neighbour in Nunavut!
Post by: sam on December 15, 2015, 05:11:03 AM
What I’ve learnt:
1. Salaries in the US seem higher than in the UK
2. Software developers almost always seem to earn well
3. Not all jobs you assume to be low paid/high paid are
4. It’s possible to earn a lot at a young age in a multitude of industries
Thanks again for sharing all!
Sam
Post by: tipster350 on December 15, 2015, 05:25:45 AM
Fantastic, thanks for all the replies!
What I’ve learnt:
1. Salaries in the US seem higher than in the UK
Yes, and in return we have very little social safety net, many fewer protections, and less vacation. If all factors are considered, there isn't as much difference as it might appear.
Post by: protostache on December 15, 2015, 05:43:13 AM
Title: Software Consultant / Author
Age: 31
Experience: 8 years
Education: BS in a hybrid CS and Business degree track, minor/emphasis in CS
Compensation: $200k this year, $300k-ish next
I help businesses maintain existing systems and develop (design, write, maintain) new software. I also write and publish books, one about credit card payments and another about setting up a small consultancy (basically documenting what I did).
Umm yeah, I'll buy that book. No seriously where can I get it? I'm all for 100k increases in compensation every other year or so.
Right here: https://www.petekeen.net/handle-your-business
Post by: Greystache on December 15, 2015, 07:10:22 AM
$180K.
I retired almost a year ago at age 55. Worked at the same place for 33 years. Started at around $22K back in 1982. Living happily on about $60K a year in retirement.
Post by: mr_orange on December 15, 2015, 07:21:03 AM
Salary is about $110k including bonuses
Work 10-20 hours per week generally
BSEE, MBA-Finance
Job is very flexible, but not very challenging any more. I may change in 2016
Post by: MudDuck on December 15, 2015, 07:41:18 AM
Title: Office Manager
Age: 33
Experience: 10-ish years
Education: Common sense? This is tiny a family business and I didn't need any qualifications for hire.
Compensation: $33K (plus about $16-$20K in benefits)
Title: Staff Nurse (RN)
Age: Still 33!
Experience: <1 year
Education: Associate's Degree (18 months)
Compensation: $26-$28/hour, depending upon shift differential
Post by: mlejw6 on December 15, 2015, 07:46:44 AM
Salary: 70k
Experience: 2.5 years
Education: MS in Geodesy (look it up). Need to have MS in Geography, Math, CS, or related field + little experience (mine was my thesis, essentially). Some here are hired with a BS and a few years related experience.
Most of my work is just data processing; I don't actually do much analyzing. I'd like to do more.
Post by: AmandaS1989 on December 15, 2015, 08:44:23 AM
Age: 26 (1 month and 1 day 'til 27!)
Salary: $33,500 (32k base + 1500 to help pay for health insurance) Underpaid really, but I do work at a very small firm and have little experience
Experience: 7 months
Education: B.S. in Accounting (Hoping to get started on CPA exam next year)
I help handle bookkeeping and payroll for small businesses. This coming tax season I will be assisting with corporate tax returns, 1099s, and property tax returns as well.
Post by: Frugalman19 on December 15, 2015, 09:27:02 AM
Title: Staff Accountant
Age: 26 (1 month and 1 day 'til 27!)
Salary: $33,500 (32k base + 1500 to help pay for health insurance) Underpaid really, but I do work at a very small firm and have little experience
Experience: 7 months
Education: B.S. in Accounting (Hoping to get started on CPA exam next year)
I help handle bookkeeping and payroll for small businesses. This coming tax season I will be assisting with corporate tax returns, 1099s, and property tax returns as well.
Been there, the increases should happen fast, just learn as much as you can. I work in an office that does payroll and corporate returns. Once you get your CPA, the raises should start coming quickly, if they dont you should find other opportunities. Our office would pay 2 times what they are paying you, but we are in a HCOL area.
Post by: dude on December 15, 2015, 09:46:53 AM
@$150K (+ $41k/yr employer contribution toward pension)
50 y.o.
18+ years exp.
Post by: YK-Phil on December 15, 2015, 10:01:53 AM
I have four jobs, in Yellowknife.
Another Northerner on MMM! Hello from your neighbour in Nunavut!
Hello to you up there! I spent about 25 years in Nunavut and Nunavik in places like Arviat, Salluit, Kuujjuaq and Gjoa Haven. Had a blast and years went so fast, I can't believe I stayed that long. All my children were born and raised in Nunavut and I have fond memories of my time there.
Post by: Proud Foot on December 15, 2015, 10:21:44 AM
Age: 29
Salary: $82,000
Experience: 6 years
Education: B.S. in Finance, CPA
Post by: gReed Smith on December 15, 2015, 10:26:04 AM
2010 Grad
$117,500/year base plus 2% matching and bonuses
requires 4 year degree and 3 years of law school. I paid about $190k including room and board.
Post by: imaprogrammer on December 15, 2015, 10:53:49 AM
Salary: 90k
Age: 24
Experience: 2y
Post by: slschierer on December 15, 2015, 11:18:21 AM
Salary: 90k + bonus (24k this year)
Age: 30
Experience: 8 years
Education: Accounting BS, MBA, CPA
While looking around briefly for another accounting job, I have found that I am paid more than many of my peers--especially when factoring in that I am in a relatively LCL area (outside of daycare expenses--ouch!)
Post by: Apocalyptica602 on December 15, 2015, 11:27:16 AM
Salary: ~81k + bonus ~5k or so. Also getting $10k/year to take classes for my MBA.
Age: 27
Experience: 4.5 years
Education: Bachelors of Mech. Eng., MBA (In progress, started while working here)
Wife:
Title: Staff Pharmacist (retail)
Salary: ~125k + small bonus (~2k) + small stock bonus (~4k)
Age: 27
Experience: 3.5 years
Education: Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) ~6 years of school
Post by: Astro Camper on December 15, 2015, 11:39:10 AM
Age: 41
Experience: 23 years
Education: HS
Compensation: $165K (plus 30-60k Bonus)(plus 401k 6% match)(plus 8 weeks vacation)
Retiring in 6-8 months (anybody wants my job?)
Post by: JordanOfGilead on December 15, 2015, 11:45:02 AM
Title: Senior Tooling EngineerWhere is it? I'm always looking to move up and that 401k match is tempting.
Age: 41
Experience: 23 years
Education: HS
Compensation: $165K (plus 30-60k Bonus)(plus 401k 6% match)
Retiring in 6-8 months (anybody wants my job?)
Post by: Astro Camper on December 15, 2015, 12:00:56 PM
Quote
Where is it? I'm always looking to move up and that 401k match is tempting.
Middletown, NY
Post by: Malum Prohibitum on December 15, 2015, 12:03:49 PM
Roughly 60-80k
16+ years exp.
Post by: GuitarStv on December 15, 2015, 12:31:48 PM
Salary: Mid 80s depending on bonus/overtime
Age: 34
Experience: About 11 years
Education: BSc Systems Engineering
Post by: Frugalman19 on December 15, 2015, 12:48:55 PM
Title: Staff Nurse
Salary: ~120k
Age: 23
Experience: 1 year
Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Considering how large the nursing profession is I'm surprised not to see more on here
Both of my parents are nurses, and neither of them make close to that, both RN's. May I ask what department you are working in? My wife is considering moving into the nursing field.
Post by: Sailor Sam on December 15, 2015, 01:01:45 PM
Rank O-3
Base Salary: 69k
Allotments: 30k (tax free!)
Age: 35
Experience: 10 years
Qualifications: Bachelors, USCG 1600 Ton Mate License, USCG Able-Bodied Seaman Unlimited Waters Rating
Post by: effigy98 on December 15, 2015, 01:38:46 PM
Salary: 220k
Age: 38
Experience: 19y
Education: 2 year community college
Job2 Software Developer contractor for another company
Hourly based on work: about 80k this year
Post by: NV Teacher on December 15, 2015, 01:43:05 PM
Experience - 26 years
Education - Master's Degree +36 additional credits
Salary $72,000
I am topped out. I could work another 25 years and not make anymore than I make now. In fact I looked and my salary has gone down a few hundred dollars each year for the past four years.
Post by: Vilgan on December 15, 2015, 02:09:51 PM
Salary: 150k-300k
Age: 34
Experience: 6y (5y previously in network engineering, primarily for the military)
If I had stayed W-2 as a software dev, salary would have been roughly 140k this year.
Post by: mm1970 on December 15, 2015, 02:22:22 PM
Salary: too low ($27k lower than the median, and $12k to $35k less than the last 4 hires, because that's what we do! Hire at market rate and fuck over the long time employees. And yes, I've been looking for a new job)
Age: 45
Experience: engineering experience, 23+ years. Specific industry experience: 18 years. Specific device experience: 15+ years.
Post by: Lski'stash on December 15, 2015, 02:30:40 PM
Salary:$56,000
Years’ experience: 6
Education: Master's degree in curriculum and instruction (+BA in elementary education, which is the minimum requirement)
Post by: Jeremy E. on December 15, 2015, 02:45:48 PM
I disagree, on average people can amass a stash much faster in the U.S. This is the whole reason MMM moved to the U.S. in the first place. Take into consideration that not only are the salaries higher, but the taxes are considerably lower. The U.S. doesn't have as much "protections" or "safety nets". But a lot of employers provide protections and safety nets as benefits and these can be bought after you retire much earlier. Mustachians are also much more fit and healthy and on average have less health problems, they also know how to fix a lot of there own problems, so these protections and safety nets are less valuable to us as well.Fantastic, thanks for all the replies!
What I’ve learnt:
1. Salaries in the US seem higher than in the UK
Yes, and in return we have very little social safety net, many fewer protections, and less vacation. If all factors are considered, there isn't as much difference as it might appear.
Post by: EllieStan on December 15, 2015, 02:54:44 PM
Education: MA +3 years ph.d (thesis not submitted). I'm not working in my field, by choice. Most people I know who graduated years ago still don't have a steady career. I should thank Facebook and LinkedIn for the wakeup call before I lost years pursuing a dead-end career. I just regret not realizing this sooner. I decided to use the multiple skills I developed from higher education to apply in another field. Took a few months but it paid off.
Salary: $50K (CAN). It's the 7th ladder. To give you an idea, the highest ladder tops right under $75K. Womp womp.
Age: 29.
Years experience : 1 year.
I have no idea what the future holds. I really like the field I'm in and I'm in a great place for networking. Very nice work conditions too. Although the earning potential is not great, I still consider this to be the best job I could have gotten for networking and career leverage. So we'll see. Working hard on maintaining excellent professional relationships with everyone I meet. :)
Post by: justplucky on December 15, 2015, 03:04:10 PM
Salary: $54k + stock (typically around $30k additional)
Years’ experience: 4.5 years
Post by: startingsmall on December 15, 2015, 03:08:24 PM
Age: 37
Salary: $92k
Experience: 9 year
Education: 8 years - undergrad + DVM (4 yrs)
Everyone knows that vet pay stinks (mine's actually not bad, since I work for a soul-sucking corporate chain of hospitals) but I had no idea that there were nurses getting paid more than me. Sigh.
Post by: onehair on December 15, 2015, 03:31:18 PM
Age:43
Salary $42872
Experience: 13 years
Disclaimer I am a federal employee.
Post by: forestbound on December 15, 2015, 03:48:35 PM
Age: 50
Experience: 25+ years
Education: BA
Compensation: It's a roll coaster $30-140K, averages about $65-70K. No benefits, self-insured, but I really like my boss!
Post by: nawhite on December 15, 2015, 04:03:15 PM
Age: 28
Experience: 5 years
Education: BS and MS Electrical/Computer Engineering
Salary: ~$112k + 2k equipment allowance (for internet access primarily) + 4% 401k match
It's probably higher than many with my title and experience but the biggest thing that helped me on that front was getting a security clearance right out of college. Defense contractors need people with clearances so they'll pay about a 15% premium for those that have them and when you're fresh out of college, they'll pay for you to get it. When I left the defense industry, that 15% bump stuck around even though the job no longer required a clearance, that just became my new anchor point for a company to hire me.
Post by: NorCal on December 15, 2015, 04:26:26 PM
Title: VP of Finance
Salary: $130K
Experience: 8 years in finance + 8 year military
Education MBA
Post by: YK-Phil on December 15, 2015, 04:31:18 PM
Post by: johnER on December 15, 2015, 04:37:17 PM
Age: 31
Experience: 8 years
Education: BS EE
Compensation: $110K + bonus + 401k match (~$135k for 2015)
Post by: arebelspy on December 15, 2015, 04:42:06 PM
Salary: $0
Age: 30
Experience: 6 months
Previous Title: Teacher
Starting Salary: Starting 32k (in 2007 dollars), with bachelor's degree.
Ending Salary: 44k, with Master's Degree and 8 years experience.
Post by: Dr. Pepper on December 15, 2015, 04:48:11 PM
Age: 31
Experience: 4yrs
Salary: 120k+ benefits
Education: 4yr undergrad+4 med school+ (6 residency, I'm in year 5).
Pay will go up after graduation, by about 40k or so. Plus I can supplement with locums, most places pay 100-125$/hr.
Post by: cdnstache on December 15, 2015, 05:10:17 PM
Previous Title: Military Pilot
Age: 32
Experience: 15 years
Salary: At retirement about $110k
Education: 4yr undergrad + 2 years pilot training
Post by: JZinCO on December 15, 2015, 06:20:46 PM
Title: GIS AnalystWhat would you say the prospects are for someone who is decent at the GUI side of GIS (e.g. making layers, shapefiles, and basic analysis using existing toolboxes) but not so versed on the highly technical side (e.g. producing interactive GIS maps on the web, extensive scripting) ?
Salary: 70k
Experience: 2.5 years
Education: MS in Geodesy (look it up). Need to have MS in Geography, Math, CS, or related field + little experience (mine was my thesis, essentially). Some here are hired with a BS and a few years related experience.
Most of my work is just data processing; I don't actually do much analyzing. I'd like to do more.
Just curious. most of my products are basic such as creating maps for planning documents or geospatially tracking projects.
What job titles would I look for? Geospatial/cartographic technician? Certainty not a true 'analyst'...?
Post by: givemesunshine on December 15, 2015, 06:44:21 PM
Age: 38
Experience: 15 years
Salary: $101K AUD (should be up a bit next year - new contract negotiation but I am limiting my earning power by not working in the private sector - but my benefits and job security more than make up for that)
Education: PhD
Post by: Abe on December 15, 2015, 07:02:53 PM
Title: General Surgery Resident
Age: 31
Experience: 4yrs
Salary: 120k+ benefits
Education: 4yr undergrad+4 med school+ (6 residency, I'm in year 5).
Pay will go up after graduation, by about 40k or so. Plus I can supplement with locums, most places pay 100-125$/hr.
Are you in the US? I'm a PGY-4 in gen surg in the US and Medicare pays us around $65k. Also, your salary will only go up $40k after finishing? Just curious, your country's system seems quite different than here.
Post by: Jtrey17 on December 15, 2015, 07:59:11 PM
Age: 41
$56,000
Associate Degree in Business Administration
Post by: bzzzt on December 15, 2015, 08:31:01 PM
Age: 31
Experience: 10 yrs
Salary: $45/hr + health/dental/vision/pension
Education: HS + 5-year apprenticeship. Technical certificates and training. Welding classes.
Trades will beat the crap out of your body, but I love it most of the time. I had an office IT/web dev gig after HS and it made me want scream. The more you know, the more you're worth. I've been lucky to find a niche and it's kept me employed plus perks.
Post by: rageth on December 15, 2015, 09:34:02 PM
Age: 27
Experience: 3 years
Salary: ~$42k + $2k for summer school (+benefits that are quickly diminishing thanks to Wisconsin legislation)
Education: 4 year BA - Spanish, 2 year teacher certification program (minimum is Education degree plus written, oral, and spoken fluency in Spanish), when I finish my MA I'll move up to $50k/year salary
Post by: hernandz on December 15, 2015, 10:14:12 PM
Age: 49
Experience: Almost 20 years
Salary: ~$70,000 (NYC, compensation includes discretionary bonus)
Education: A.A.S. (working on a Bachelor's degree ever so slowly), great firm training at a previous job plus learning on my own.
I've enjoyed the ride, and have no illusions that I would have made this kind of money anywhere else with this skill set. Thank goodness for insecure rich people who thought typing on a computer was beneath them.
Post by: JordanOfGilead on December 16, 2015, 05:53:09 AM
ahhhhh, that's somewhere where it gets cold. I'm looking to relocate to somewhere where it stays warm haha.QuoteWhere is it? I'm always looking to move up and that 401k match is tempting.
Middletown, NY
Post by: sam on December 16, 2015, 06:00:40 AM
Fantastic, thanks for all the replies!
What I’ve learnt:
1. Salaries in the US seem higher than in the UK
Yes, and in return we have very little social safety net, many fewer protections, and less vacation. If all factors are considered, there isn't as much difference as it might appear.
True but as another mentioned you also pay less taxes the big benefits for us is free healthcare which you could easily spend a lot on (and holidays if you're that way inclined - minimum = 4 weeks most average around 23 days plus bank holiday's).
Software Validation Manager
Salary is about $110k including bonuses
Work 10-20 hours per week generally
BSEE, MBA-Finance
Job is very flexible, but not very challenging any more. I may change in 2016
Wowza! I'd happily take up the reins!
Aerospace Engineer
$180K.
I retired almost a year ago at age 55. Worked at the same place for 33 years. Started at around $22K back in 1982. Living happily on about $60K a year in retirement.
Great to hear! 33yrs is unheard of these days!
Post by: Crystal1588 on December 16, 2015, 07:22:29 AM
Title: Logistics Analyst
Age: 27
Experience: 8 years (started as an intern in college)
Salary: $40,000/year + ~$2,000 annual bonus + 6 weeks vacation + excellent health benefits (no payroll deduction) and 401k match (25% of contributions up to federal max = $4500 if you max)
Education: BBA Operations Management
I could probably make more if I switched companies but I work for a company that truly puts employees and their families first and has awesome benefits. If you have any sort of family issue you are accommodated which is awesome with having 2 young kids.
Husband:
Title: Web Engineer
Age: 29
Experience: 7 years
Salary: $80,000 + 4 weeks vacation. We don't utilize their health insurance but it's not that great anyways. No 401k match but they still have a pension which begins after you've been working there for 5 years. They contribute 5% of salary annually.
Education: BBA Information Technology
We also own an income property which nets us about $5,000/year after expenses and savings and my husband has a side business that brings in around $10,000 annually on average.
Post by: Aphalite on December 16, 2015, 08:32:56 AM
age 24-28: public accounting, from 51k to 62k when I left
age 28-29: industry, 90k to 100k when I left a week ago
age 29 (new job): finance manager, 118k total comp for 2016
Masters in Accounting, CPA
Post by: mlejw6 on December 16, 2015, 09:00:42 AM
Title: GIS AnalystWhat would you say the prospects are for someone who is decent at the GUI side of GIS (e.g. making layers, shapefiles, and basic analysis using existing toolboxes) but not so versed on the highly technical side (e.g. producing interactive GIS maps on the web, extensive scripting) ?
Salary: 70k
Experience: 2.5 years
Education: MS in Geodesy (look it up). Need to have MS in Geography, Math, CS, or related field + little experience (mine was my thesis, essentially). Some here are hired with a BS and a few years related experience.
Most of my work is just data processing; I don't actually do much analyzing. I'd like to do more.
Just curious. most of my products are basic such as creating maps for planning documents or geospatially tracking projects.
What job titles would I look for? Geospatial/cartographic technician? Certainty not a true 'analyst'...?
You can still do well (in a HCOL area, probably almost as much as I make if you have >5 yrs experience). I'd look for a GIS or Cartographic Specialist position or GIS/Cartographic Technician position. Local governments are a good place to look, but they do not pay as much. If you can add skills like SQL or scripting, you'll have an easier time finding jobs and getting better pay.
Post by: MudDuck on December 16, 2015, 09:10:12 AM
Title: Staff Nurse
Salary: ~120k
Age: 23
Experience: 1 year
Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Considering how large the nursing profession is I'm surprised not to see more on here
Both of my parents are nurses, and neither of them make close to that, both RN's. May I ask what department you are working in? My wife is considering moving into the nursing field.
Yeah, I'm interested to know as well. I've only got an ASN, but have been told to only expect a 3-5% pay increase for earning my BSN.
Post by: ketchup on December 16, 2015, 09:54:42 AM
Title: lousy
Actual Job Description: Jr. IT Guy in a department of two, mostly sysadmin-type management with some programming, Lotus Notes head-basher, printer ninja, plus helpdesk-level "hey my mouse won't work" fixer-of-things.
Salary: 35K
Age: 24
Experience: Been here just over two years, no other experience in this field on paper, but I've been dicking around with computers on my own since elementary school.
Education: No college degree.
Girlfriend:
Title: Self-Employed Traveling Showdog Photographer
Salary: variable of course, on-track for about 30K in 2015 (mostly in the second half of the year), more in 2016.
Age: 23
Experience: Lifetime of photography experience, ~6 years of shooting people for peanuts on the side, quit her day-job about a year ago as she focused on her niche and things started really picking up.
Education: No college degree.
We also have one rental property.
Post by: smella on December 16, 2015, 10:37:54 AM
$129 per contact hour plus $1000 for grading final exams. I have 30 contact hours per semester, but the job itself requires ~12-16 hours per week of unpaid preparation. The pay works out to $6k and change per semester, I can get 2 or 3 of see gigs per year if lucky.
Experience required: must be an advanced doctoral candidate, so >3 years into a PhD program. Have to be chosen by senior faculty from an abundance of qualified graduate students.
2) Graduate Research Fellow
$26,000 per year, for 5 years maximum
Experience required: BA/BS, MA, continuing high performance in PhD program. I also had to get into the dang program, it's hard to quantify all of my experience that went into the successful application, but my program accepts four students per year.
Post by: MountainGirl on December 16, 2015, 10:48:10 AM
Salary: $265,000 plus bonus (this year's bonus was $100,000)
Age: 36
Experience: Around 8 years. Which is longer than most people last in these high stress jobs. I know I am making a ridiculous salary right now, but it's not a long term job - once I burn out, I'm out. So I'm stashing.
Education: BA, JD, LLM. Lots of student loans, but only at 0.9% interest so I'm paying the minimum each year.
Post by: Malum Prohibitum on December 16, 2015, 10:55:38 AM
Title: Senior Associate (Law firm)Wow! I hope you have had a very high savings rate. That is a killer income for an associate. 265k plus another 100k? $365k!!! I admit I am jealous, MountainGirl. My meager income is on the last page.
Salary: $265,000 plus bonus (this year's bonus was $100,000)
Age: 36
Experience: Around 8 years. Which is longer than most people last in these high stress jobs. I know I am making a ridiculous salary right now, but it's not a long term job - once I burn out, I'm out. So I'm stashing.
Education: BA, JD, LLM. Lots of student loans, but only at 0.9% interest so I'm paying the minimum each year.
Can I ask what kind of law?
Post by: MountainGirl on December 16, 2015, 11:42:03 AM
Title: Senior Associate (Law firm)Wow! I hope you have had a very high savings rate. That is a killer income for an associate. 265k plus another 100k? $365k!!! I admit I am jealous, MountainGirl. My meager income is on the last page.
Salary: $265,000 plus bonus (this year's bonus was $100,000)
Age: 36
Experience: Around 8 years. Which is longer than most people last in these high stress jobs. I know I am making a ridiculous salary right now, but it's not a long term job - once I burn out, I'm out. So I'm stashing.
Education: BA, JD, LLM. Lots of student loans, but only at 0.9% interest so I'm paying the minimum each year.
Can I ask what kind of law?
Corporate law. It's the standard BigLaw salary scale. Unfortunately I'm also in an extremely HCOL area, but I'm working on the savings rate since I know I can only hack it in this kind of position for another few years at most. Just to add some perspective: It involves billing around 2300 hours (those are just the billable hours - add the never ending non-billable admin, training, etc. to that), working most weekends and evenings, and always being on call. My health related expenses are through the roof due to the stressful and unhealthy nature of this kind of job, and it's hard to keep personal relationships and friendships when you're always working and always have to cancel social plans, but again, I can tough it out a few more years.
Post by: TheAnonOne on December 16, 2015, 11:53:08 AM
Software engineer?
Varies yearly, depending on amount of hours and rates.
2015: $205,000
Post by: CanuckExpat on December 16, 2015, 01:01:49 PM
$150k with 20% bonus possible.
Salary was a bit higher but I negotiated to work remotely from home at the lower salary with agreement to bump it back up if/when I join in person.
Either 2-3 or 5-8 years experience depending on how you count spending a ton of time in school.
I think I'm paid a bit higher than market for my experience level, but the company is looking to grow or fail fast and paying high salaries is one way to hire who you want quickly, the Amazon vs Ben Jerry's model (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000056.html).
I look at the extra as danger pay for the possibility I won't be getting a salary let alone bonus if they run out of funding.
But I'm having fun so who cares.
Post by: RangerOne on December 16, 2015, 01:25:50 PM
Experience: 2-3 years
Age: 30
Education: BS Physics and MS Computer Science
Base Pay: $98k
Profit Share: 0%-20% (Historical 10 year average 8%, worst 4%, best 17%)
I love the variety of work in this field and you really do make a nice sum of money fairly quickly in more established markets. I am in San Diego so its a good market but not the best. There are a lot of ways to boost your pay in this field too, the most extreme example would be going into consulting, takes a bit of an entrepreneurial streak though.
And computer science educations are cheap, so you start making good money and you have and you most likely have a trivial amount of debt. Pay for the comp sci masters in about 2 years after graduating.
Post by: MasterStache on December 16, 2015, 01:34:52 PM
Experience: 8 years
Age: 39
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Base Pay: $80K
I make about average for my area and my job. The great thing is PLC programmers are always in high demand. The bad thing is I spent 4 years in the military earning money for college and another 5 years getting my degree and all I do is daydream about doing something else. Perhaps it's why I am so motivated to FIRE in the next few years. I maintain greater life satisfaction volunteering at a no kill animal shelter or teaching students at my kids school about alternative energy. (Renewable energy and the environment are my passion, along with animals).
Post by: KennesawNemo on December 16, 2015, 01:40:26 PM
Age:37.
Experience: 7 years.(I started working late in my life)
Education: Two Masters, also an ABD if you know what that is. (I am way overeducated for my job because I wanted to work in academia but decided later corporate world would be better for me.)
Pay: $80k base + 12% bonus. (Last job paid $90k, no bonus).
Post by: YTProphet on December 16, 2015, 01:47:12 PM
Age: 30
Salary: $125k + 10% bonus + 5% 401k match
Experience: <5 years
Education: Law degree
Post by: zephyr911 on December 16, 2015, 01:51:25 PM
Education: BS Electrical Engineering, 2000
Got 3 jobs in addition to rentals. FFS I need to quit one. LOL...
1) Cyberspace Engineer, Major (O-4), Alabama Air National Guard, $965/mo plus a few thousand in annual training pay. 15 years in service (6 FT to start, PT since).
2) Operations Specialist, GS-0301-12/4, US Army. $78,471 last I looked. Just hit five years in this job but only 4 as a civil servant. Got hired on the strength of #1.
3) Real estate, mostly just serving my own rental LLC, which is just starting to really take off. I'll have been licensed for 2 years in May, expect to profit $5-10K in 2016 and more the next year. Will keep this as my FIRE job, most likely. Love it.
Post by: OlyFish on December 16, 2015, 02:03:18 PM
Title: Attending physician in a subspecialty.
Salary: $244k approximately. Really $210 with a quarterly production bonus.
Education: 4 years college, 4 years med school, 4 years residency.
My student loans started at about $170k. Chipping away at those now. I am maxing out 403b and putting an additional amt into 457 and HSA, so school loans will be paid in 2020.
Post by: hred17 on December 16, 2015, 02:15:31 PM
Salary: £63K + £13-20K Annual Bonus + £8k flex options converted to cash + 6% Employer Match on pension contributions
Age: 39
Experience: 15 years
I have made much more than this in the past (up to (£160k+ total comp) but after taking an extended work sabbatical a few years back I decided to avoid a management position this time around and rejoined my industry in a lower level (i.e.: less stressful) position.
Post by: ysette9 on December 16, 2015, 04:53:43 PM
Salary: $151/year
Education: Bachelors and Masters in Engineering
Experience: 11 years
I also have gotten RSUs or cash incentives these last several years as 'golden handcuffs' which have amounted to something on the order of $15-20k+ yearly. My husband makes a similar amount as a senior mechanical design engineer with similar education and experience. Engineering has been a very good field for both of us.
Post by: 4n6 on December 16, 2015, 08:12:16 PM
Salary: 73k (additional compensation for extra courses and extra duties I perform)
Age: 42
Experience: 20 years (10 years full-time)
Education: Ph.D.
Post by: Petuniajo on December 16, 2015, 09:43:02 PM
Salary: $68,500
Age: 33
Experience: ~4 years post PhD: 2 years as a research scientist after finishing grad school, and I'm now in my 3rd year on the tenure track
Education: PhD
Post by: JrDoctor on December 17, 2015, 01:35:18 AM
Wage £33,500
age:25
experience: it took an extra year of my life to get into med school second time round
education: 5 yr MBBS
I've had so far about £500.00 in five months from extra shifts and filling out cremation forms. The job is onerous, long hours and I have had weeks where I frequently have to work ~3 hours extra a day (I had a week of 7am-6pm, meant to work 8-4). Other shifts include 11am-11pm, 8pm-8.30am, 8am-8.30pm alongside 8am-4pm. If you want just the most cash for the least stress and work, this isnt it. Its semi rewarding, but fuck me, I can understand the urges many older doctors have to go part time. Probably my FI plan will be complete my 10 more years of training, do abit more full time and then start either part time or locuming. Next years wage will be around £38,500
Post by: Vogelmann on December 17, 2015, 02:29:39 AM
Title: Data Analyst in a consulting firm (Luxembourg)
Salary: 51.000 EUR + 13th salary + yearly bonus (last year that was 5.000 EUR), which equals to more or less 60.000 EUR p.a. Expecting to get a pay rise of 10-15% effective from January or February 2016. All figures are pre-taxes that pretty overwhelming all over Europe…
Age: 27
Experience: 3 years (4 years including internships etc.)
Education: Master’s degree in Finance
Btw is there any thread here for mustachians in Europe?
Post by: expatartist on December 17, 2015, 02:56:22 AM
Title: Artist (not teacher) at an international school
Salary: US$86K including housing, end of contract bonus, etc
Age: early 40s
Degree: BFA
DH is going through another midlife crisis and is unemployed again.
Arebelspy, your and your wife's story has been inspirational. Hope DH and I can get on the same page so we can save together.
Post by: arebelspy on December 17, 2015, 03:29:16 AM
Arebelspy, your and your wife's story has been inspirational. Hope DH and I can get on the same page so we can save together.
Thanks! Working together is a huge boost. Good luck!
Post by: REAL WORLD EXPAT on December 17, 2015, 04:24:47 AM
Title: Supply Chain Director
Salary: $155,000 + paid for my MBA + 4% 401k match
Age: 43
Experience: Started and apprenticeship at 16, went to university full time at 26, got my MBA at 43
Education: BS (Manufacturing Engineering) + MBA
Wife
Title: Associate Veterinarian
Salary: Paid on commission and ranged from $135,000 to $155,000 the last 5 years - zero benefits
Age: 39
Experience: 12 years
Education: BS + DVM
Post by: step_away on December 17, 2015, 05:54:48 AM
Compensation: $150K plus bonus ($30K average) and 9% employer retirement contribution; 34 days PTO (including sick leave) plus 10 holidays
Experience: > 15 years
Education: BA Economics (minor in business)
I work for a bank as underwriter lending to large corporations.
Post by: protostache on December 17, 2015, 06:04:52 AM
3) Real estate, mostly just serving my own rental LLC, which is just starting to really take off. I'll have been licensed for 2 years in May, expect to profit $5-10K in 2016 and more the next year. Will keep this as my FIRE job, most likely. Love it.
Did you get the license before you started picking up rental properties, or after? Also, did you have to get sponsored by an existing broker for your license and work under them for awhile to make it "official"?
Post by: theSlowTurtle on December 17, 2015, 06:12:00 AM
Compensation: 89K salary (6% 401k match, though it is only disbursed at the end of the year)
Age: 29
Experience: 7 years
Education: BBA in Computer Information Systems
Post by: soccerluvof4 on December 17, 2015, 07:26:00 AM
Compensation-300-600k plus full benefits
Age-51 Retired-50
Experience-25 years
Education-HS , barely graduated worked to much!
Made a lot of money over a lot of years but really screwed up with trying to compete with the Jone's, though never paid for anything I couldn't pay cash for including our house. Lost my ass building and selling a house every 2 years on last one almost 500k of all my own $ and thats when i found MMM and got my shit together. While still working on improving my situation after 3 years of MMM was able to make up a lot of my losses and was able to retire.
Post by: zephyr911 on December 17, 2015, 07:28:38 AM
Did you get the license before you started picking up rental properties, or after?I was an accidental landlord for a few years - moved, rented out old house for a while, also got divorced and rented out rooms in my own place to pay the bills, etc. During those few years, I got good at the accounting and tax filing, and learned a few things about leases and best practices, but didn't graduate to any kind of purposeful, systematic approach that would make real money. Right around the time that I started kicking myself to get serious and save some real money so I could do it right, applying all the lessons learned, I met a couple of guys who were older and more disciplined but much less experienced with real estate, and who had been talking about rentals for a year or so but didn't know where to start. We figured out our skills and interests complemented each other well, and while talking about a partnership, I mentioned I had been toying with getting licensed. Between their agreeing to split the licensing costs three ways, and knowing I'd have enough business from our own buys to at least cover the $2K or so in annual costs, it was the trigger I needed. I've been profitable from the start, and the bigger the portfolio gets, the faster we'll buy.
Quote
Also, did you have to get sponsored by an existing broker for your license and work under them for awhile to make it "official"?That's pretty much the standard everywhere. You pass the course(s), tests, background check, etc, and a broker still has to vouch for you. Every salesperson who isn't a broker has to hang their license with a broker. Here you can take another class and a test to get licensed as a broker after two years (IIRC), at which point you can leave the company and start your own, or you can be an associate broker with the same company.
Personally, I'm not interested in being a broker and may never be. I came in at a 70% split and am moving to 80% now that I'm fully fledged. In exchange for that cut, the broker handles a fairly extensive set of legal requirements that I am not at all interested in having to manage, including keeping me updated on new laws and professional standards; provides administrative support to ensure all my deals are properly documented and archived for audits by the state; provides technical support, including client interaction tools; gets me a good deal on a group buy for Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance; reminds me of continuing education requirements and offers free or cheap classes to fulfill them; and generally does more than enough to earn their cut.
Oh, and they throw great parties with free food at least once a month. ;)
Post by: protostache on December 17, 2015, 07:50:38 AM
Did you get the license before you started picking up rental properties, or after?I was an accidental landlord for a few years - moved, rented out old house for a while, also got divorced and rented out rooms in my own place to pay the bills, etc. During those few years, I got good at the accounting and tax filing, and learned a few things about leases and best practices, but didn't graduate to any kind of purposeful, systematic approach that would make real money. Right around the time that I started kicking myself to get serious and save some real money so I could do it right, applying all the lessons learned, I met a couple of guys who were older and more disciplined but much less experienced with real estate, and who had been talking about rentals for a year or so but didn't know where to start. We figured out our skills and interests complemented each other well, and while talking about a partnership, I mentioned I had been toying with getting licensed. Between their agreeing to split the licensing costs three ways, and knowing I'd have enough business from our own buys to at least cover the $2K or so in annual costs, it was the trigger I needed. I've been profitable from the start, and the bigger the portfolio gets, the faster we'll buy. At some pointQuoteAlso, did you have to get sponsored by an existing broker for your license and work under them for awhile to make it "official"?That's pretty much the standard everywhere. You pass the course(s), tests, background check, etc, and a broker still has to vouch for you. Every salesperson who isn't a broker has to hang their license with a broker. Here you can take another class and a test to get licensed as a broker after two years (IIRC), at which point you can leave the company and start your own, or you can be an associate broker with the same company.
Personally, I'm not interested in being a broker and may never be. I came in at a 70% split and am moving to 80% now that I'm fully fledged. In exchange for that cut, the broker handles a fairly extensive set of legal requirements that I am not at all interested in having to manage, including keeping me updated on new laws and professional standards; provides administrative support to ensure all my deals are properly documented and archived for audits by the state; provides technical support, including client interaction tools; gets me a good deal on a group buy for Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance; reminds me of continuing education requirements and offers free or cheap classes to fulfill them; and generally does more than enough to earn their cut.
Oh, and they throw great parties with free food at least once a month. ;)
Interesting! I guess when I read that requirement I had assumed they would assign me deals or whatever, like a job. It sounds like they're mostly just a service provider and don't care if you're just writing your own deals, which seems like a much better arrangement to me.
Post by: jredman on December 17, 2015, 09:28:03 AM
I am 47 and make 73,000. The hours are fantastic with 15 sick days each year.
I have a MA in French and MLS. I have other hours post Masters which bumped my salary up by about 4 grand a year. Most teachers don't do this. The worst part is that Ohio revamped the pension system and you have to be 65 to retire now. I hope that my job lasts that long but I doubt it will. If not, I will probably pull my account and put it into 401K or IRA and go to Social Security or take half of my husband's. The previous system was not sustainable - too many people retiring at age 52 while there were less current teachers to pay in.
Post by: Last Night on December 17, 2015, 09:58:46 AM
Age: 32
Salary + Bonus: Min ~$150,000 - Max $180,000 (mostly company performance dependant, this year at $~175k)
Worked in industry since graduation, multiple industries, multiple roles, changed jobs every ~2.5 years since 23 y/o.
Below is all in compensation at each job (Salary + Bonuses, not including 401k or any other perks, gross income only)
Age 23: First job - Started at $37k, left at $45.
Age 25: Second Job - Started at $55k, left at $80k.
Age 29: Third Job - Started at 110k, left at $120k.
Age 32: Current job - Started at $175k
Post by: garth on December 17, 2015, 10:11:38 AM
Experience: 6 months.
Salary: Total cash compensation will be about $190k in 2016 (yep, it's insane). And the perks are pretty decent--free public transportation, research funds to buy equipment (e.g., books, computers), super cheap membership to school gym, etc.
Post by: FireHiker on December 17, 2015, 10:18:06 AM
Title: Manufacturing Manager
Age: 37
Experience: 2.5 years in manufacturing, 13+ prior as an R&D Electrical Engineer, same company for 13.5 years currently
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Salary: $109k
husband
Title: Sr. Electrical Engineer
Age: 48
Experience: 17 years post-college, preceded by time in Navy, same company 16 years currently
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Salary: $142k
HCOL area (San Diego). We will save a LOT more each month when the third kid is in public school and not preschool/daycare anymore!
Post by: gReed Smith on December 17, 2015, 10:21:39 AM
Another assistant professor checking in.
Experience: 6 months.
Salary: Total cash compensation will be about $190k in 2016 (yep, it's insane). And the perks are pretty decent--free public transportation, research funds to buy equipment (e.g., books, computers), super cheap membership to school gym, etc.
Wow! What do you teach? Medicine?
Post by: garth on December 17, 2015, 10:41:31 AM
Another assistant professor checking in.
Experience: 6 months.
Salary: Total cash compensation will be about $190k in 2016 (yep, it's insane). And the perks are pretty decent--free public transportation, research funds to buy equipment (e.g., books, computers), super cheap membership to school gym, etc.
Wow! What do you teach? Medicine?
I'm at an "elite" business school.
Post by: Kris on December 17, 2015, 01:13:20 PM
Salary: $67,000/year
Training: Ph.D., 17 years experience.
Post by: Petuniajo on December 17, 2015, 01:44:49 PM
Post by: Roboturner on December 17, 2015, 01:53:31 PM
Age: 27
Experience: 1 yr industry, 2.5 yr research
Education: BS / MS
Salary: $80k-100k
Post by: jorjor on December 17, 2015, 02:32:19 PM
Since that recruiting firm does one, so do other ones so there are a few of them floating around now that get updated annually. It's nice to have it as a comparison, though employers tend to argue that they are inflated to make people want to switch jobs and use recruiting services (maybe true, or maybe an excuse to not pay more).
Post by: sj16 on December 17, 2015, 04:06:07 PM
85K base, with 5K bonus at year end.
Post by: BigHaus89 on December 17, 2015, 04:16:50 PM
Age: 26
Experience: 3.5 years
Education: B.S. Electrical & Computer Engineer: Emphasis on Energy Systems
Salary: $73k, 6% 401k match, with awesome benefits
Post by: CanuckExpat on December 17, 2015, 05:16:12 PM
Do any other professions have salary surveys for your profession?This showed up in my inbox recently: US Software Engineering Salaries Report (http://get.hired.com/rs/348-IPO-044/images/Hired-State-of-Salaries.pdf)
I got my latest job through the company that put together that report. If anyone is looking for tech/software type jobs I recommend checking them out, I was very impressed (http://www.fi35.com/finding-a-new-job-for-fun-and-profit-hired-com/) with my experience with them. Changing jobs has been a good way of increasing salary, and they make it easy to see what companies are offering.
PM me if you are interested in more info or a referral code (they pay a bonus if you are hired through them, the bonus for the Toronto market is large right now, I guess they are expanding out of the US).
Post by: big_slacker on December 17, 2015, 05:21:22 PM
Do any other professions have salary surveys for your profession?This showed up in my inbox recently: US Software Engineering Salaries Report (http://get.hired.com/rs/348-IPO-044/images/Hired-State-of-Salaries.pdf)
I got my latest job through the company that put together that report. If anyone is looking for tech/software type jobs I recommend checking them out, I was very impressed (http://www.fi35.com/finding-a-new-job-for-fun-and-profit-hired-com/) with my experience with them. Changing jobs has been a good way of increasing salary, and they make it easy to see what companies are offering.
PM me if you are interested in more info or a referral code (they pay a bonus if you are hired through them, the bonus for the Toronto market is large right now, I guess they are expanding out of the US).
That's a really cool report and very similar I think to network engineering in salary and in where to go, starting in a major market and moving vs. the other way around.
Post by: mulescent on December 17, 2015, 05:39:14 PM
Age: mid-30s
Experience: 3y
Education: BA, Ph. D., Postdoc
Salary: $130k salary + 10% 401k match
Things are great now, but it was a long and poorly-paid slog to get here. The upside? Frugality was hardwired long before I ever made much money.
Post by: NinetyFour on December 17, 2015, 07:20:30 PM
I'm kind of surprised to see so many other professors on here, and the range in pay is CRAZY. Being in the social sciences, I know a lot of other fields pay better, but holy crap--190k at the Assistant Level?! Impressive!
I believe the public/private distinction would account for much of the difference in salaries in higher ed in the US. I work at a public institution, in a state which gives very little funding to higher ed. Colorado seems to value roads and prisons above all else. :(
Post by: urbanista on December 17, 2015, 07:41:57 PM
Not sure if you’re interested in how much we do earn in Europe, but here is my current situation:
Title: Data Analyst in a consulting firm (Luxembourg)
Salary: 51.000 EUR + 13th salary + yearly bonus (last year that was 5.000 EUR), which equals to more or less 60.000 EUR p.a. Expecting to get a pay rise of 10-15% effective from January or February 2016. All figures are pre-taxes that pretty overwhelming all over Europe…
Age: 27
Experience: 3 years (4 years including internships etc.)
Education: Master’s degree in Finance
Btw is there any thread here for mustachians in Europe?
Can you tell us what is the after taxes pay that translates to? Any idea about pay for the same type of roles in Belgium? Thank you
Post by: moneysaver on December 17, 2015, 07:47:59 PM
Post by: FlyJ on December 17, 2015, 08:32:02 PM
Salary: Around $80k with a small increase each year (major airlines pay more than this)
Experience: Almost four years since my first flying job
Thinking of getting into software and currently working on a CS degree (second bachelor's), but the cost makes saving more difficult, so I'm constantly ruminating about whether or not to continue. That money could alternatively also be used to create some sort of side income.
Post by: Vogelmann on December 18, 2015, 01:53:29 AM
Not sure if you’re interested in how much we do earn in Europe, but here is my current situation:
Title: Data Analyst in a consulting firm (Luxembourg)
Salary: 51.000 EUR + 13th salary + yearly bonus (last year that was 5.000 EUR), which equals to more or less 60.000 EUR p.a. Expecting to get a pay rise of 10-15% effective from January or February 2016. All figures are pre-taxes that pretty overwhelming all over Europe…
Age: 27
Experience: 3 years (4 years including internships etc.)
Education: Master’s degree in Finance
Btw is there any thread here for mustachians in Europe?
Can you tell us what is the after taxes pay that translates to? Any idea about pay for the same type of roles in Belgium? Thank you
I don't have the knowledge about Belgium (except that plenty of them are commuting to Luxembourg to work each day), but in my case (single without kids, which is pretty bad situation in terms of taxation) my pay without bonuses and 13th salary is ca. 38.500 EUR per year.
Post by: Yaro on December 18, 2015, 03:44:07 AM
Age: 29
Experience: 5 yrs
Salary: $64/hr (about 125k per year) on 1099
Education: MS in Engineering and Bachelor in Computer Science
Quitting next week, moving and will be self-employed...
Post by: sam on December 18, 2015, 03:59:25 AM
Title: Senior Associate (Law firm)
Salary: $265,000 plus bonus (this year's bonus was $100,000)
Age: 36
Experience: Around 8 years. Which is longer than most people last in these high stress jobs. I know I am making a ridiculous salary right now, but it's not a long term job - once I burn out, I'm out. So I'm stashing.
My health related expenses are through the roof due to the stressful and unhealthy nature of this kind of job, and it's hard to keep personal relationships and friendships when you're always working and always have to cancel social plans, but again, I can tough it out a few more years.
Time to go part-time?
I'm a long time lurker, and finally joined the forum last year. It's taken a while to finally post because I've just been reading and learning, and didn't really have anything to contribute. I like this thread though, and always find this kind of insight interesting.
Title: Call Centre Consultant - first line (entry level), not a supervisory or team leader role
Salary: $68,000 AUD (which includes approx 9% compulsory contributions to the AU version of 401k) plus bonuses (approx $4000). Overtime is paid at about $61/hr before tax.
Age: 31
Experience: 3 years
Degree: None
Career prospects: Dismal. Someone has to die to create a career advancement opportunity.
Wow $61/hour overtime pay!!
TITLE- Self Employed Logistics Specialist-small company
Compensation-300-600k plus full benefits
Age-51 Retired-50
Experience-25 years
Education-HS , barely graduated worked to much!
Made a lot of money over a lot of years but really screwed up with trying to compete with the Jone's, though never paid for anything I couldn't pay cash for including our house. Lost my ass building and selling a house every 2 years on last one almost 500k of all my own $ and thats when i found MMM and got my shit together. While still working on improving my situation after 3 years of MMM was able to make up a lot of my losses and was able to retire.
Congrats, sounds like you went to hell and back!!
Another assistant professor checking in.
Experience: 6 months.
Salary: Total cash compensation will be about $190k in 2016 (yep, it's insane). And the perks are pretty decent--free public transportation, research funds to buy equipment (e.g., books, computers), super cheap membership to school gym, etc.
Blimey and here I was thinking you guys didn't get compensated well!!
age 19-24: 5 year accounting program (to be eligible for CPA you need 150 hours)
age 24-28: public accounting, from 51k to 62k when I left
age 28-29: industry, 90k to 100k when I left a week ago
age 29 (new job): finance manager, 118k total comp for 2016
Masters in Accounting, CPA
Very nicely done!
Thanks for all being so open!
Sam
P.S. Might post the same question on a UK forum to try and get more answers from the 'other side of the pond'! Although us brits do tend to be a little more closed off! Will post back with the link!
Post by: Rural on December 18, 2015, 04:21:26 AM
I'm kind of surprised to see so many other professors on here, and the range in pay is CRAZY. Being in the social sciences, I know a lot of other fields pay better, but holy crap--190k at the Assistant Level?! Impressive!
I believe the public/private distinction would account for much of the difference in salaries in higher ed in the US. I work at a public institution, in a state which gives very little funding to higher ed. Colorado seems to value roads and prisons above all else. :(
Field and institution, too - business now makes more than the top in hard science, and this is an elite school. Which, yes, is likely private.
I think I still win the "least pay for a tenured position" contest, which is sort of like a personality prize at a beauty contest, isn't it? ;)
Post by: alice76 on December 18, 2015, 04:46:22 AM
Salary: $100,500, plus opportunity to tutor, work at summer camps, etc.
Education: BA in English; MA in Ed
Location: NYC
Post by: mancityfan on December 18, 2015, 06:05:09 AM
Age: 52
Experience: 17 yrs
Salary: $77k
Side hustles - $12k (soccer refereeing and hobby business)
Education: Masters
Post by: Lhazzmat on December 18, 2015, 07:11:36 AM
Age:28
Experience: 4 years
Salary: 65k
Education: Masters (2 years in school plus 2 years supervised experience at especially low pay to get clinical license)
Post by: Petuniajo on December 18, 2015, 08:04:49 AM
I'm kind of surprised to see so many other professors on here, and the range in pay is CRAZY. Being in the social sciences, I know a lot of other fields pay better, but holy crap--190k at the Assistant Level?! Impressive!
I believe the public/private distinction would account for much of the difference in salaries in higher ed in the US. I work at a public institution, in a state which gives very little funding to higher ed. Colorado seems to value roads and prisons above all else. :(
Field and institution, too - business now makes more than the top in hard science, and this is an elite school. Which, yes, is likely private.
I think I still win the "least pay for a tenured position" contest, which is sort of like a personality prize at a beauty contest, isn't it? ;)
Haha, congratulations? :)
While there are certainly exceptions, as we've seen on this thread, I think that most folks are surprised to learn how little a lot of people with PhDs earn. My DH is not on a tenure track, but he has a PhD in an engineering field, and postdoc under his belt, and now has a research position in a medical school and earns under $50k/year. The upside is that he doesn't have to deal with tenure pressure, and it is a job he really likes. We invested a lot of time and sacrificed a lot of years of earnings to pursue our PhDs, and it certainly isn't for everyone, but we both really like our jobs and don't feel in a rush to FIRE super early. Of course, we still try to live frugally and invest now that we're earning "regular" money so that we have flexibility and financial freedom later on.
Post by: Vilgan on December 18, 2015, 07:21:06 PM
Post by: JoeBlow on December 18, 2015, 07:54:13 PM
Salary: $98k + ~18k bonus + ~6k grants
Experience: 17 years
Education: GED + ~2 years of community college (no degree).
Post by: monstermonster on December 18, 2015, 08:16:23 PM
Salary: $39,500
Experience: 10 years
Education: GED + BA in Economics
Post by: cdttmm on December 19, 2015, 06:01:20 PM
Salary: ~$3500 per 3 credit course; I earn ~$64K per year (9 months), no benefits
Experience: difficult to quantify, I've been teaching as an adjunct for 7 years, but initially it was just 1 course per semester; 15 years of corporate finance/operations experience
Education: two masters degrees + various certifications
Post by: MsFrugalista on December 19, 2015, 06:10:02 PM
Salary: 145K + Bonus up to 10%
Experience: 10 years
Education: Bachelor's in Engineering
Post by: albireo13 on December 19, 2015, 07:14:45 PM
Salary: $144k + annual bonus
Experience: 36 years
Education: BS, MS
Post by: JLee on December 19, 2015, 10:10:37 PM
Salary: $97k + annual bonus
Experience: 3 years
Education: AA
Post by: Expatriate on December 20, 2015, 05:55:48 AM
Salary: CHF 160k + bonus (up to 25%), this year's 175k gross translated into 130k net.
Experience: 8 years
Education: MSc in Mathematics, CFA, FRM
Post by: Prairie Gal on December 20, 2015, 09:08:11 AM
Title: Accounting Technician
Age: 56
Salary: about $58,000 including overtime during tax season
Side hustle: about $12,000
Experience: about 25 years, most in bookkeeping, not accounting per se
Education: One year college diploma, plus night courses. 2 years university. Many years life experience.
Post by: Icecreamarsenal on December 20, 2015, 09:27:58 AM
Title: General Surgery ResidentWow what?? I was making 56k as a pgy4, and it was scaled to the highest COL in the US. Things have really changed in 4 years.
Age: 31
Experience: 4yrs
Salary: 120k+ benefits
Education: 4yr undergrad+4 med school+ (6 residency, I'm in year 5).
Pay will go up after graduation, by about 40k or so. Plus I can supplement with locums, most places pay 100-125$/hr.
Post by: Davids on December 20, 2015, 11:18:32 AM
Age: 33
Salary $85K + up to 15% annual Bonus Potential (My bonus this year was $11K)
Education: BS Finance and MBA Finance
Experience: 10 Years (Been with current employer for almost 3 years)
Post by: cavewoman on December 20, 2015, 12:07:10 PM
Salary: 28,262
Experience: been at this job for 6 months. Overall experience in similar positions: 3 years.
Age: 29
Education: Bach in social work.
When I went to college I knew I wouldn't make much money, but I didn't think it would matter to me. I like what I do, but its not as personally rewarding as it used to be.
I work in government and will have a pension if I make it 5 years. I've been testing in the number 1 spot for better paying jobs, but not getting hired :-(
Cross your fingers for me that I hear good news this week that would earn me a 50% raise!
Post by: Cap_Scarlet on December 20, 2015, 12:55:06 PM
Age: 51
Salary: This year €650,000 (c. $700k)
Experience: 30 years
Education: University degree and qualified accountant
I would only say a couple of things.
1. You can get very used to money such that it becomes the new normal - once you're there its like a drug that's hard to quit.
2. It doesn't mean I am a better (or worse) person or that I am worth it - its just means that's the market rate.
3. I could retire tomorrow......but it niggles me that if I did i would forgo around $7 million (earnings for the next 10 years to normal retirement date)....could you do it?
Post by: pbkmaine on December 20, 2015, 01:47:28 PM
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Post by: Dibbels81 on December 20, 2015, 01:51:30 PM
Age: 34
Salary: 70k +5k yearly tuition reimbursement
Experience: New grad (career change)
Education: M.A.
Post by: FIRE_Buckeye on December 20, 2015, 01:59:27 PM
age 19-24: 5 year accounting program (to be eligible for CPA you need 150 hours)That's the kind of trajectory I'd be stoked to have.
age 24-28: public accounting, from 51k to 62k when I left
age 28-29: industry, 90k to 100k when I left a week ago
age 29 (new job): finance manager, 118k total comp for 2016
Masters in Accounting, CPA
Title: Financial Analyst
Age: 26
Salary: $55k + 10% bonus
Experience: 3 years total (6 months in current position)
Education: BA in Accounting, 2/4 parts of CPA exam passed (hoping to knock out by next summer). Certification should open up a lot of doors.
Post by: kittenstache on December 20, 2015, 03:38:14 PM
Title: General Surgery ResidentWow what?? I was making 56k as a pgy4, and it was scaled to the highest COL in the US. Things have really changed in 4 years.
Age: 31
Experience: 4yrs
Salary: 120k+ benefits
Education: 4yr undergrad+4 med school+ (6 residency, I'm in year 5).
Pay will go up after graduation, by about 40k or so. Plus I can supplement with locums, most places pay 100-125$/hr.
Does the $120,000 include pay for moonlighting? I've never heard of any resident getting more than $65000 a year. Medscape reported that the average resident salary in 2015 is $55400
Post by: kittenstache on December 20, 2015, 03:40:39 PM
Age: 37
Experience: 8 years, post- residency
Salary: 140K + benefits
Education: 4 years undergrad + 4 years med school + 3 years residency
Post by: leighb on December 20, 2015, 04:16:53 PM
Age:35
Experience: 10 years teaching
Salary: $51,000
Education: BA Math/Ed and MST Math/Ed
Would be making more at a traditional school. Would be working less just as a teacher.
Post by: Dr. Pepper on December 20, 2015, 05:19:00 PM
Title: General Surgery ResidentWow what?? I was making 56k as a pgy4, and it was scaled to the highest COL in the US. Things have really changed in 4 years.
Age: 31
Experience: 4yrs
Salary: 120k+ benefits
Education: 4yr undergrad+4 med school+ (6 residency, I'm in year 5).
Pay will go up after graduation, by about 40k or so. Plus I can supplement with locums, most places pay 100-125$/hr.
Does the $120,000 include pay for moonlighting? I've never heard of any resident getting more than $65000 a year. Medscape reported that the average resident salary in 2015 is $55400
Post by: Sailor Sam on December 20, 2015, 06:03:20 PM
Sorry should have been more specific, I'm a Military surgery resident. Current rank CPT/O3. Also i have over 12 years time in service.Title: General Surgery ResidentWow what?? I was making 56k as a pgy4, and it was scaled to the highest COL in the US. Things have really changed in 4 years.
Age: 31
Experience: 4yrs
Salary: 120k+ benefits
Education: 4yr undergrad+4 med school+ (6 residency, I'm in year 5).
Pay will go up after graduation, by about 40k or so. Plus I can supplement with locums, most places pay 100-125$/hr.
Does the $120,000 include pay for moonlighting? I've never heard of any resident getting more than $65000 a year. Medscape reported that the average resident salary in 2015 is $55400
Damn! I'm also an LT/O-3 sitting at 10 years, and there is one fuckton of a differential between our pay rates. Colour me suitably impressed. And curious. I'm never going to become a doctor, but it's always nice to learn about all the special pay structures that exist out there.
Does the $120k include BAH, BAS, and VSP? You're still a resident, so I assume you're not getting Medical Additional Special Pay or Board Certified Pay?
Post by: Abe on December 20, 2015, 07:06:31 PM
Sorry should have been more specific, I'm a Military surgery resident. Current rank CPT/O3. Also i have over 12 years time in service.Title: General Surgery ResidentWow what?? I was making 56k as a pgy4, and it was scaled to the highest COL in the US. Things have really changed in 4 years.
Age: 31
Experience: 4yrs
Salary: 120k+ benefits
Education: 4yr undergrad+4 med school+ (6 residency, I'm in year 5).
Pay will go up after graduation, by about 40k or so. Plus I can supplement with locums, most places pay 100-125$/hr.
Does the $120,000 include pay for moonlighting? I've never heard of any resident getting more than $65000 a year. Medscape reported that the average resident salary in 2015 is $55400
Makes more sense, considering your experience. Are you going to specialize? I have a few friends in the military, a lot are going into Vascular and was wondering if that's a need they're being pushed towards or what they actually want to do.
Post by: sam on December 21, 2015, 05:30:59 AM
Maybe I should consider shifting to the US after all!!!
Thanks all for the replies,
Sam
Post by: 2lazy2retire on December 21, 2015, 07:55:38 AM
Post by: JordanOfGilead on December 21, 2015, 08:05:05 AM
What shock's me is the salary of some posters in relation to their level of education. I think here lies the problem with student debt in the US - would be interesting to note how much people spent getting a BA/MA or multiples there off as a percentage of their current income.I had about $22k in student loan debt as well as another $25k in living expense debt (because I was a lazy brat in school) when I graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering after taking 5 years to get it.
$47k in debt, my first job had a salary of 50k + overtime (came out closer to 67k) and my current is 65, but that's with a STEM degree so although it may be the common type of education among mustachians, it's not a typical case for the average debt-laden American.
Post by: PizzaSteve on December 21, 2015, 08:13:43 AM
The attempt to steal tax returns by applying for refunds is a huge fraud issue in the United States and information such as employer, job title and salary could assist someone attempting identity theft. I suggest a subtle disguising and rounding of your information, so as not to aid a possible thief.
A thread like this can be a gold mine for predators. Be careful community.
Post by: zephyr911 on December 21, 2015, 08:48:41 AM
Interesting! I guess when I read that requirement I had assumed they would assign me deals or whatever, like a job. It sounds like they're mostly just a service provider and don't care if you're just writing your own deals, which seems like a much better arrangement to me.You're generally expected to bring in all your own business, though they obviously have a vested interest in enabling you to do so efficiently.
Full-time agents take turns on "floor duty", which means whoever calls the company gets forwarded to you for that time period. Some brokers have dedicated lead generators that feed their agents prospects too. For me, I don't even really promote myself and they don't send me any work. When my LLC buys, I handle the deal. If a friend refers someone to me, I'll usually take it.
While I applaud the sharing nature of this forum, I caution members to use discretion with sharing personal financial information that might be used to identify oneself to a tax authority.If they try it with mine, the joke's on them. Literally thousands of people earn the same exact pay, and I calibrate my withholding so the IRS never owes me a meaningful amount. Hehe
The attempt to steal tax returns by applying for refunds is a huge fraud issue in the United States and information such as employer, job title and salary could assist someone attempting identity theft. I suggest a subtle disguising and rounding of your information, so as not to aid a possible thief.
A thread like this can be a gold mine for predators. Be careful community.
Post by: PizzaSteve on December 21, 2015, 09:11:30 AM
Post by: Sailor Sam on December 21, 2015, 09:27:14 AM
Post by: JordanOfGilead on December 21, 2015, 09:58:08 AM
Fair warning I suppose. But my salary is a matter of public record. Plus, the Office of Personnel Management breach has let my SSN, my DoD number, and my birth date out to range free. Probably other vitals as well. Posting on MMM doesn't fuss me much.I'm in pretty much the same boat.
Post by: Travis on December 21, 2015, 10:24:15 AM
Fair warning I suppose. But my salary is a matter of public record. Plus, the Office of Personnel Management breach has let my SSN, my DoD number, and my birth date out to range free. Probably other vitals as well. Posting on MMM doesn't fuss me much.
One of the long-running jokes this summer going around the office while filling out security clearance paperwork was "I can't remember where I lived 7 years ago!" "Just give the Chinese Embassy a call, they have it on file."
Post by: WGH on December 21, 2015, 12:50:46 PM
Age:35
Experience: 10 years
Salary: 110k
Education: Masters
Feeling a bit underpaid compared to some of y'all but I'm in a LCOL area and it's government.
Post by: Aphalite on December 21, 2015, 01:22:33 PM
That's the kind of trajectory I'd be stoked to have.
A bit of it is who you know/meet in your career - the other part is learning new skills as you go, not necessarily on the job. In the end, accounting/finance is just reporting on the business, so read and learn as much as you can about business operations - it will make an impression during interviews
Feeling a bit underpaid compared to some of y'all but I'm in a LCOL area and it's government.
I know you're not really complaining, but it reminds me of Charlie Munger's opinion on envy: "The idea of caring is that someone is making money faster [than you are] is one of the deadly sins. Envy is a really stupid sin because it’s the only one you could never possibly have any fun at. There’s a lot of pain and no fun. Why would you want to get on that trolley?"
I catch myself doing it quite often too, but in the end, like Vilgan stated, quality of life should be a huge consideration too. A few of my advisors told me I was leaving money on the table by taking my new job, and I think I could probably get up to 50% more in certain industries/roles, but at the same time, I don't really want that lifestyle, I want the 40-45 hour work week with low stress, leaving plenty of free time for family, friends, and more self improvement. Sounds to me like your job could be typical of that as well
Post by: Liggy on December 22, 2015, 06:15:36 AM
Age: 27
Experience: 8 years
Salary: £75k/$112k
Education: Some vocational qualifications (I'm from the UK) but never attended University
Post by: 2lazy2retire on December 22, 2015, 06:34:09 AM
Title: IT Consultant/Director of my own consultancy
Age: 27
Experience: 8 years
Salary: £75k/$112k
Education: Some vocational qualifications (I'm from the UK) but never attended University
Great example - someone earning over 100k and has not spent years and dollars gaining useless qualifications. Education or training should be more focused. Everyone now wants to spend 4 years in college - of course its encouraged, lots of money to be made - its all about the college experience at 30k/year :)
Post by: lisahi on December 22, 2015, 10:52:59 AM
Age:39
Experience: 10 years
Salary: with the 1% raise and about 0.4% locality adjustment for 2016, I'll be at around $103,300. That's not exact, since the Office of Personnel Management hasn't posted the official salaries for 2016 yet. I'm on the GS pay scale; my salary is public (with my name, too) by law.
Education: J.D. (3 years), MBA (2 years), B.S. (4 years) - I currently have about $120K in student loans, ALL from law school. I had other student loans, but paid them back. If I could go back in time and attend a different, less expensive law school that offered me a near-full scholarship, I would (I had that opportunity). But I was young, naïve, and wanted to live in a big, fancy city and go to a "Tier 1" law school.
I worked for 5 years in private practice and I would be making a lot more right now had I stayed. You don't work for the U.S. Federal government as an attorney and expect to get comparatively compensated. It's not going to happen. The Federal salary cap is about $50K less than what I would probably be making right now had I stayed in private practice. But I traded money for a modicum of sanity (not that the lack of resources and staffing doesn't make my current job more stressful than it needs to be).
Post by: startingsmall on December 22, 2015, 01:00:03 PM
What shock's me is the salary of some posters in relation to their level of education. I think here lies the problem with student debt in the US - would be interesting to note how much people spent getting a BA/MA or multiples there off as a percentage of their current income.
I was one of those ridiculously lucky folks whose parents paid for everything. If I had paid for my education myself, though, my undergraduate & vet school expenses probably would have totaled somewhere around $150k (this is between 1997-2006, at state schools, including tuition & living expenses). My first job paid $45k/yr and I'm now at $92k/yr (which works out to $44/hr with my current schedule).
One of many, many, many reasons that I STRONGLY discourage anyone from ever pursuing a career in the veterinary field.
Post by: JetBlast on December 22, 2015, 05:03:22 PM
Experience: nearly 8 years with the company
Salary: Around $90k, depending on how much I work.
Post by: REAL WORLD EXPAT on December 22, 2015, 06:12:57 PM
What shock's me is the salary of some posters in relation to their level of education. I think here lies the problem with student debt in the US - would be interesting to note how much people spent getting a BA/MA or multiples there off as a percentage of their current income.
I was one of those ridiculously lucky folks whose parents paid for everything. If I had paid for my education myself, though, my undergraduate & vet school expenses probably would have totaled somewhere around $150k (this is between 1997-2006, at state schools, including tuition & living expenses). My first job paid $45k/yr and I'm now at $92k/yr (which works out to $44/hr with my current schedule).
One of many, many, many reasons that I STRONGLY discourage anyone from ever pursuing a career in the veterinary field.
My wife got out of state undergrad and vet school with $60K in student debt (1995 - 2004) which wasn't bad as many of her out of state friends were up to over $250,000 by the end! But I saw a lot of these students driving round in fancy trucks and lived in the nice side of town where we lived cheap!
With respect to your salary I think it might be relative to your location and what you practice - I know if we'd have stayed in the town where my wife went to vet school the pay was terrible - amble supply of vets around. But doing small animal in Chicago the pay is better then what you get, her hours are really good and she really enjoys her work and she'd recommend veterinary medicine as a career. If your sole goal was to make a lot of money then sure there are lots of other fields that trump it, but I don't know of anyone who enters the field but for the love of animals - just be grateful your don't practice in the UK - the pay there is ridiculously low!
As for me undergrad (1998 - 2002) in the UK put me in debt to the tune of about $20K but most of that was spend on trips to the US to see my girlfriend! MBA I got a full ride from the company I work for.
Post by: mozar on December 22, 2015, 06:29:41 PM
Age: 33
Experience: 8 years
Certificates: none
Salary: 94k
HCOL
Education:I went to a fancy pants private university and graduated with 100k in debt. I worked as a cashier for a couple years and realized holy crap! I can't pay back those loans as a cashier! So I went back to fancy pants university and got a masters degree in accounting (35k).
I started as an external auditor for 1.5 years at 54k. Laid off during recession. Took me almost a year to find a job in audit consulting at 60k. Did that for 5 years. Found out about MMM 2 years ago and realized I could be making a lot more. Got a job for 75k, got a raise to 80k. Recently accepted a job at 94k. We'll see how that goes! And loans are paid off, thank you very much.
Post by: hlca on December 22, 2015, 06:59:44 PM
Compensation: roughly $500 to $650K
Age: mid 30s
Experience: 10 years as a lawyer.
Title: Senior Associate (Law firm)
Salary: $265,000 plus bonus (this year's bonus was $100,000)
Age: 36
Experience: Around 8 years. Which is longer than most people last in these high stress jobs. I know I am making a ridiculous salary right now, but it's not a long term job - once I burn out, I'm out. So I'm stashing.
Education: BA, JD, LLM. Lots of student loans, but only at 0.9% interest so I'm paying the minimum each year.
Milk that salary till you're able to FIRE! I'm leaving in 2 months. I've only recently entered upper-mid six figures and to give it up so quickly is a little sad, but I'm really not into the work anymore.
Title: Partner
Age: 51
Salary: This year €650,000 (c. $700k)
Experience: 30 years
Education: University degree and qualified accountant
I would only say a couple of things.
1. You can get very used to money such that it becomes the new normal - once you're there its like a drug that's hard to quit.
2. It doesn't mean I am a better (or worse) person or that I am worth it - its just means that's the market rate.
3. I could retire tomorrow......but it niggles me that if I did i would forgo around $7 million (earnings for the next 10 years to normal retirement date)....could you do it?
Agree with you on 1. The first time I got a six figure bonus, the excitement went away in a day or two. On 3, there's going to be a point where an extra dollar is not worth as much to you as an extra day. When you are 70, how would you feel knowing that you spent 15 of the last 20 years of your life working for money you didn't need, when you could have been living your life to the fullest? Where do you draw the line as there's always more money to be made.
I've struggled with this issue mightily as it would be so easy to keep going and banking hundreds of thousands each year. But if the first point you raised is true, why hold out longer than necessary? I'm in my mid-30s and already thinking I would regret trading potential freedom for the rest of my 30s and my 40s for money working at a desk job that I don't like that much.
Post by: startingsmall on December 23, 2015, 07:03:58 AM
With respect to your salary I think it might be relative to your location and what you practice - I know if we'd have stayed in the town where my wife went to vet school the pay was terrible - amble supply of vets around. But doing small animal in Chicago the pay is better then what you get, her hours are really good and she really enjoys her work and she'd recommend veterinary medicine as a career. If your sole goal was to make a lot of money then sure there are lots of other fields that trump it, but I don't know of anyone who enters the field but for the love of animals - just be grateful your don't practice in the UK - the pay there is ridiculously low!
Pay is absolutely related to area of the country. I'm a small animal general practitioner living in a LCOL area in the South. In order to get that $92k, I work a soul-sucking corporate job at Banfield (the chain inside of Petsmart) where I spend my days getting chewed out by clients who think we're ripping them off (in many ways, we are... our care is good, but our prices are about twice as high as other clinics in our area), getting chewed out by middle managers who don't think I'm making them enough money (constant pressure to see more patients, upsell on everything, never turn away even non-emergent walk-ins, work with minimal staff, etc), and euthanizing animals with treatable conditions who are victims of owner neglect. Burnout in the veterinary profession is a very real issue (hence our suicide rate being higher than any other profession!) and I'm totally there. Not suicidal, but totally and completely burnt out. Currently working on my exit plan to get out of this profession.
The work environment may be slightly better at a private practice outside of Banfield. Due the cruddy local economy and the low value that Southerners place on pets, though, those jobs are few and far between in this area and pay tends to max out at around $70k. And even then, problems like hostile clients, owner neglect, and convenience euthanasia are the norm. I'm tied to this area due to husband's family and his work, so my options are limited at this time.
Glad to hear that your wife enjoys vetmed. In talking to my vet school classmates, I've found only a handful of people who are still happy to be in this profession.... so she's a lucky girl!
Post by: REAL WORLD EXPAT on December 23, 2015, 07:34:46 AM
.... so she's a lucky girl!
I tell her that every day...wait we're talking her enjoying her job here not me!
In all seriousness I do envy how much she enjoys her job, boss, clients, patients, staff and working hours and after a sabbatical when I FIRE I fully suspect she will work part time as she enjoys it so much. That being said she has heard stories that mirror yours so that may affect our (or my) FIRE location to make sure she is in a positive environment or else I'm sure she'll be as disillusioned as you are, I'm sorry it's not working out for you. As an animal lover it makes me sad that even a profession that should be dedicated to doing the best thing for animals is being exploited for profits at all cost.
Post by: Helvegen on December 23, 2015, 10:15:02 AM
Total Compensation: Around $61k
Years of Experience: Several
Training/Education: OTJ is all that is necessary, however a BA was 'highly desired'. I happened to have one.
I have one of the easiest jobs for the money in the world. Some days I just sit here like '...really? They are happily shelling out $61k a year for this?".
Post by: zephyr911 on December 23, 2015, 10:38:07 AM
I know I was lucky to leave H.S. with a near-full ride, but I just can't imagine... if I hadn't had most of it paid for, enough that I could pull a few hours as a student custodian to pay rent and come out clean, I just wouldn't have gone. I'd have stayed at home, worked shit jobs 20-40 hours a week, pulled together an associate's degree and then tried again. I know some people make a 100% financed college education into a winning financial proposition, but I was never willing to go in the hole that way.What shock's me is the salary of some posters in relation to their level of education. I think here lies the problem with student debt in the US - would be interesting to note how much people spent getting a BA/MA or multiples there off as a percentage of their current income.Zero $$'s for me. Dear Uncle Sam paid for it via the GI Bill.
Post by: Travis on December 23, 2015, 11:23:14 AM
I know I was lucky to leave H.S. with a near-full ride, but I just can't imagine... if I hadn't had most of it paid for, enough that I could pull a few hours as a student custodian to pay rent and come out clean, I just wouldn't have gone. I'd have stayed at home, worked shit jobs 20-40 hours a week, pulled together an associate's degree and then tried again. I know some people make a 100% financed college education into a winning financial proposition, but I was never willing to go in the hole that way.What shock's me is the salary of some posters in relation to their level of education. I think here lies the problem with student debt in the US - would be interesting to note how much people spent getting a BA/MA or multiples there off as a percentage of their current income.Zero $$'s for me. Dear Uncle Sam paid for it via the GI Bill.
Our Uncle covered half of my undergrad while I started out in the Reserves (working covered the rest), and half of grad school was covered by Tuition Assistance. Neat thing about going from USAR to active duty is I still have the Post 9/11 GI Bill to pass on to my son.
Post by: o2bfree on December 23, 2015, 12:23:31 PM
Compensation: $107K salary, bonus of 2-5% typically, 6% 401k match, 4-1/2 weeks vacation, decent medical
Age: 53
Experience: 20 years
Education: BS in Tech Comm, AA in Electronics
Post by: Sailor Sam on December 23, 2015, 12:40:51 PM
I was fortunate to get the double whammy of good stuff in that I had a good civilian job after I got out (due to my military training and experience) that paid for part of my education PLUS I got the GI benefit. So I actually made money going to college. However I did work full time while I went which was a PITA but, like you, if I didn't have the military education benefit I would have worked a couple of minimum wage burger-flipping types of jobs to support myself and to pay for P/T Community College.I know I was lucky to leave H.S. with a near-full ride, but I just can't imagine... if I hadn't had most of it paid for, enough that I could pull a few hours as a student custodian to pay rent and come out clean, I just wouldn't have gone. I'd have stayed at home, worked shit jobs 20-40 hours a week, pulled together an associate's degree and then tried again. I know some people make a 100% financed college education into a winning financial proposition, but I was never willing to go in the hole that way.What shock's me is the salary of some posters in relation to their level of education. I think here lies the problem with student debt in the US - would be interesting to note how much people spent getting a BA/MA or multiples there off as a percentage of their current income.Zero $$'s for me. Dear Uncle Sam paid for it via the GI Bill.
I'm a double dipper, too. Gov't paid for undergraduate, and now I have the GI bill to use when I retire. Not sure what I'm going to study, but I'm leaning towards wooden boat building, and sail lofting. I like boats, so why not?
Post by: theSlowTurtle on December 23, 2015, 01:55:10 PM
Ever consider starting your own private practice? The you can do what you feel is right by the clients and their patientsWith respect to your salary I think it might be relative to your location and what you practice - I know if we'd have stayed in the town where my wife went to vet school the pay was terrible - amble supply of vets around. But doing small animal in Chicago the pay is better then what you get, her hours are really good and she really enjoys her work and she'd recommend veterinary medicine as a career. If your sole goal was to make a lot of money then sure there are lots of other fields that trump it, but I don't know of anyone who enters the field but for the love of animals - just be grateful your don't practice in the UK - the pay there is ridiculously low!
Pay is absolutely related to area of the country. I'm a small animal general practitioner living in a LCOL area in the South. In order to get that $92k, I work a soul-sucking corporate job at Banfield (the chain inside of Petsmart) where I spend my days getting chewed out by clients who think we're ripping them off (in many ways, we are... our care is good, but our prices are about twice as high as other clinics in our area), getting chewed out by middle managers who don't think I'm making them enough money (constant pressure to see more patients, upsell on everything, never turn away even non-emergent walk-ins, work with minimal staff, etc), and euthanizing animals with treatable conditions who are victims of owner neglect. Burnout in the veterinary profession is a very real issue (hence our suicide rate being higher than any other profession!) and I'm totally there. Not suicidal, but totally and completely burnt out. Currently working on my exit plan to get out of this profession.
The work environment may be slightly better at a private practice outside of Banfield. Due the cruddy local economy and the low value that Southerners place on pets, though, those jobs are few and far between in this area and pay tends to max out at around $70k. And even then, problems like hostile clients, owner neglect, and convenience euthanasia are the norm. I'm tied to this area due to husband's family and his work, so my options are limited at this time.
Glad to hear that your wife enjoys vetmed. In talking to my vet school classmates, I've found only a handful of people who are still happy to be in this profession.... so she's a lucky girl!
Post by: TL8 on December 24, 2015, 06:11:29 PM
Title: Higher than associate; lower than equity partner (Law firm)
Compensation: roughly $500 to $650K
Age: mid 30s
Experience: 10 years as a lawyer.
...
I've struggled with this issue mightily as it would be so easy to keep going and banking hundreds of thousands each year. But if the first point you raised is true, why hold out longer than necessary? I'm in my mid-30s and already thinking I would regret trading potential freedom for the rest of my 30s and my 40s for money working at a desk job that I don't like that much.
Good for you. You should think very hard about what you would actually gain from that extra "hundreds of thousands" each year. If it shortens your retirement timeline by 10 years, it may well be worth grinding it out for a couple more years. But if you already have enough money put away for FIRE, the extra money is probably doing absolutely nothing to improve your quality of life.
Everybody is different, but I've found that getting off the professional services treadmill (and taking a huge pay cut) has drastically improved my quality of life and overall happiness. It also helps a great deal not to constantly work with people whose cost of living exceeds $500K or even $1M/year. These people are outliers but it feels like a normal lifestyle when it's all around you.
Post by: Camarillo Brillo on December 24, 2015, 08:43:59 PM
Compensation: $800k total comp (base, bonus, deferred comp, profit sharing)
Age: 56
Experience: 35 years
Education: BBA with major in accounting
Post by: zephyr911 on December 24, 2015, 09:12:48 PM
Title: CIOSo... uhh... when in 2016 are you retiring? (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/class-of-2016/)
Compensation: $800k total comp (base, bonus, deferred comp, profit sharing)
Age: 56
Experience: 35 years
Education: BBA with major in accounting
Post by: Nudelkopf on December 25, 2015, 01:26:43 AM
Pay: $73,000 (including super)
Experience: 2 years.
Side Hustle: Tutoring $4,000
Education: Bachelor of Science (Discrete Maths), Bachelor of Science (Hons I), Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary). ... so, 5 years all up.
Student debt / HECS: $25,000 (with an interest rate equal to inflation)
Position: English teacherWowsers! That's an awesome salary! How long have you been teaching for?
Salary: $100,500, plus opportunity to tutor, work at summer camps, etc.
Education: BA in English; MA in Ed
Location: NYC
Post by: JZinCO on December 29, 2015, 08:54:33 AM
IIRC, the fed govt is now requiring universities to show the starting salary for each program of study. Somewhere out there is a really good report showing ROI for many different fields of study.I was fortunate to get the double whammy of good stuff in that I had a good civilian job after I got out (due to my military training and experience) that paid for part of my education PLUS I got the GI benefit. So I actually made money going to college. However I did work full time while I went which was a PITA but, like you, if I didn't have the military education benefit I would have worked a couple of minimum wage burger-flipping types of jobs to support myself and to pay for P/T Community College.I know I was lucky to leave H.S. with a near-full ride, but I just can't imagine... if I hadn't had most of it paid for, enough that I could pull a few hours as a student custodian to pay rent and come out clean, I just wouldn't have gone. I'd have stayed at home, worked shit jobs 20-40 hours a week, pulled together an associate's degree and then tried again. I know some people make a 100% financed college education into a winning financial proposition, but I was never willing to go in the hole that way.What shock's me is the salary of some posters in relation to their level of education. I think here lies the problem with student debt in the US - would be interesting to note how much people spent getting a BA/MA or multiples there off as a percentage of their current income.Zero $$'s for me. Dear Uncle Sam paid for it via the GI Bill.
Based on how much I was making pre-BS, post-BS, and post-MS, my back-of-the-envelope ROI one year after graduation (incl. opportunity cost) was 14% for the BS and 60% for the MS.
Post by: Northwestie on December 30, 2015, 05:10:32 PM
Post by: monstermonster on December 30, 2015, 06:30:32 PM
Compensation and benefits are good but best part is a fun and engaging job with cool co-workers and interesting travel opportunities. Worst part is job is too much fun to retire "early".
Where do I sign up? What's your PHD in? Do you need it for your job?
Post by: ajonesin on December 30, 2015, 06:42:55 PM
Pay: 40K, not including quarterly bonus.
Age: 22
Experience:4 years
Working my way up to higher paying jobs in the food service industry, they're out there!
Post by: onlykelsey on December 30, 2015, 06:43:05 PM
2016 Salary: If everything goes well, $310K pre-tax (including bonus of ~80K), which is a big bump from last year's ~190K, plus ~10K from renting out a room, if I don't kick my roommate out to make a home office/later nursery. I don't think the new numbers have hit me yet.
Education: BA, JD, MA
Experience: five years' practice
Post by: yakamashii on December 30, 2015, 08:04:27 PM
Pay: $65-$70K after taxes and expenses
Education: BA
Age: 32
Experience: 6 years
Post by: JZinCO on December 31, 2015, 10:14:57 AM
Senior ecologist in the PNW - with bonuses - $150k. 33 yrs experience. Started with an MS at $5/hr. Camping, climbing, skiing so lots of cheap trips. Spend little, save a lot. Paid off house and no debt. Could retire now if I wished but I really like my job and get outside quite a bit. But soon - couple years more.Interesting! I'm guessing you don't work for a university or agency but a regulatory compliance/permitting/planning type of consultancy?
Post by: Clever Name on December 31, 2015, 10:22:56 AM
Pay: $76k + bonus ($5k this year) + ~$2.5k annual HSA contribution + 4% 401k match
Education: BS Computer Science
Age: 25
Experience: 3.5 years
I work remotely in a relatively LCOL area. My company is in the process of setting up a stock options program and I have been told that I will be receiving options, but I have no idea when or how many or what they will be worth.
I also receive about $3k/year in residual income from an app I developed on the side a few years back. I have neglected it for far too long but I hope to expand that income stream this year by releasing a significant upgrade and moving to a freemium pricing model.
Post by: stlbrah on December 31, 2015, 01:16:49 PM
Network Security Administrator
Degree: Associates from a Tech School
Experience: 8 years
Salary: Low-Mid 80s
Working my way up at a pace that is fast enough to feel productive, but slow enough that I don't go over 40 hours/week or burn out. Slowly studying for a CISSP. I realized that I like the Security side of the job more than the Network stuff.
Side Job:
Install/Support Surgical Equipment. ~5 hours per month. It is starting to snowball a bit as the equipment I initially deployed has people calling me for support now.
2012-2014 - About $500-1000/year - pretty much all installations.
2015 - Little over $2000/year
2016 - Goal is $4000+.
Post by: Optimiser on December 31, 2015, 01:53:25 PM
Age: 32
Salary: $38K base + seasonal overtime + costs incurred to become a CPA (~$2,000)
Experience: 6 months
Education: Masters of Business Administration and Accounting
I do municipal and non profit audits and personal, small business, and non profit tax returns. I'm hoping to pass the CPA exam before the end of 2016 and hope my pay will start to go up substantially at that point.
Post by: Blindsquirrel on December 31, 2015, 04:37:03 PM
Age: late 40s
Experience: 24 years
Certificates: BS Chemist
Salary: 132k+ 14% tax differed between 401k and profit sharing
Post by: davisgang90 on December 31, 2015, 09:33:41 PM
Age: late 40s
Experience: 25 years
Certificates: BS Finance, MS National Resource Strategy
Salary: $160K between base pay and allowances
My title is misleading. I'm a Navy Officer (06) with 25 years. I'm currently teaching at one of the War Colleges for my last tour. My career has been mainly flying helicopters with enough staff work (desk jobs) to ensure I enjoyed the helicopter flying parts more.
Post by: obrero on December 31, 2015, 10:07:49 PM
Pay: 56K
Years: 8
Age: 29
Education: B.S. (not req.) To get this job you need 3 years experience as an aircraft mechanic.
I was in the Army, now I work for a company contracted by the Army. I wish I would have stayed in, I'd be making more money now plus have the cushy gov. benefits. The wages in my field have been stagnant for 5+ years, there are no raises for time in a position or any other type of incentive, plus they are steadily stripping benefits away to increase the company's bottom line. However, I'm soon moving to Abu Dhabi and will be making 100k tax free.
Post by: boridi on January 01, 2016, 06:27:54 AM
Title: Principle Scientist
Do you run experiments on principles?
Post by: HawkeyeNFO on January 02, 2016, 04:52:36 AM
18 years working for Our Uncle
42 y.o.
job required a bachelor's degree, and since joining, they have paid for 2 different master's degrees.
Salary (base pay + housing + food allowance + flight pay + overseas COLA pay + other pay depending on where in the world you are) = $140k
Flying planes is fun, sure beats working at a bank or insurance company! Yes, you will get deployed and miss birthdays and weddings and holidays. You will make the news and history that civilians read about. Operational jobs become fewer and fewer as you stay in longer. So you will have to take some office/cubicle jobs for 3 years at a time, but the 20 year retirement still exists, although it will be drastically changed for people who join the service in the very near future. Living overseas right now, which has been great for the family so far. Certainly not the job for everyone, but no regrets from me.
Post by: Frugal Mama on January 02, 2016, 07:55:53 AM
Salary 90K & 25% bonus. Left job in 1997 to become a stay at home parent when the company I was working for went out of business. My special needs daughter started having major health issues right around the same time. They were life changing.
Current job: Stay at Home Mom to daughter (37) and full-time caregiver Nana to my son and DIL's two littles. Just found out at Christmas there will be third in July 2016.
Salary: I get paid in hugs and kisses and we're OK with that.
Post by: hlca on January 02, 2016, 01:12:57 PM
Title: Higher than associate; lower than equity partner (Law firm)
Compensation: roughly $500 to $650K
Age: mid 30s
Experience: 10 years as a lawyer.
...
I've struggled with this issue mightily as it would be so easy to keep going and banking hundreds of thousands each year. But if the first point you raised is true, why hold out longer than necessary? I'm in my mid-30s and already thinking I would regret trading potential freedom for the rest of my 30s and my 40s for money working at a desk job that I don't like that much.
Good for you. You should think very hard about what you would actually gain from that extra "hundreds of thousands" each year. If it shortens your retirement timeline by 10 years, it may well be worth grinding it out for a couple more years. But if you already have enough money put away for FIRE, the extra money is probably doing absolutely nothing to improve your quality of life.
Everybody is different, but I've found that getting off the professional services treadmill (and taking a huge pay cut) has drastically improved my quality of life and overall happiness. It also helps a great deal not to constantly work with people whose cost of living exceeds $500K or even $1M/year. These people are outliers but it feels like a normal lifestyle when it's all around you.
Yeah, I think we will be FIREd by the time we leave. Should have just shy of $2M invested with a spend of $55K in a HCOL area. We are considering settling down in a less expensive area.
Post by: Tabaxus on January 02, 2016, 01:30:30 PM
Age: Early 30s.
Comp: Salary in 2015 was around $300k after bonus, salary in 2016 will probably be about the same (my hours are going to be materially lower this year than last, and a large part of our bonus is based on hours--I might even miss the hours cutoff entirely, in which case I'll be closer to $215k total).
Time in: I'm a mid-level (i.e., somewhere between year 4 and 7).
Education: 4 years of undergrad in a completely useless liberal arts field that didn't even require that I do any writing, 1 year off doing things I don't really remember well because I think I may have been blackout drunk the whole time, 3 years of law school, one year of post-law school internship.
Overall financial picture: Started with ~$200k of debt, now have ~$400k stashed (including retirement accounts, though I think of it as being closer to $330k because I tax-effect my deferred comp). About $220k in taxable, $140k in retirement accounts/HSAs, and the rest in cash. I didn't work for a firm in my first year out, so that hurt my overall position. I live in an "any day at the firm could potentially be my last" kind of mentality, so we'll see how long it lasts. Single income dual person house, no kids (yet, not sure if we will get any). Still renting.
Post by: 2Birds1Stone on January 02, 2016, 01:47:11 PM
Title: Account Executive
Salary: $47k base salary + $50k incentive comp @ quota (Going to hit ~$112k total for FY16)
Experience: 1 year
Age:28
Education:Some college
Title: Sr. Account Executive
Salary: $57k base salary + $65k incentive comp @ quota
Experience: 1 year & 2 months
Age:28
Education:Some college
Post by: Connie on January 02, 2016, 07:48:38 PM
Title: Senior Technology Consultant - I work for a large consulting firm and get sent on teams to clients to customize and implement software solutions
Experience: 4 years
Age: 27
Salary: 130k + bonus of 0-8%
Education: Bachelors degree in Economics
I have to travel 80% for my job, which I really don't like, but it comes with a lot of perks like frequent flyer miles, hotel points, credit card rewards points. I don't know how long I can keep up with the traveling so I may have to switch industries at some point in the next few years.
Post by: green daisy on January 02, 2016, 10:38:04 PM
Experience: 14 years with a 4 year break as a SAHM
Age: 35
Salary: $48k/yr which varies slightly depending on bonuses. I work 2-3 days/wk, so I'm satisfied with the salary. I also get a 401k match plus a discretionary profit sharing contribution.
Education: Associates Degree from a community college
I was always a good student, did well on my SATs, and my parents were willing to fund whatever college education I wanted to pursue, but I chose this profession almost solely because I wanted to be a mother. I was looking for something that gave me the flexibility to work part time, while still making good money. I also felt bad pursuing an expensive college degree at my parents' expense when I wasn't planning on using it if I married someone who made enough for me to be a SAHM. I am mostly happy with my chosen path, however, I wouldn't recommend the profession for someone who is looking to work full-time for their entire career. I worked 6 days/week before we had kids, and looking back, I don't know how I did it. It is killer on my back, neck and shoulders, even at a part-time level. Also, I work in a very high-stress, busy office. It is not uncommon to work an 8 hour day without time to eat or use the bathroom. I love the people I work with, and my bosses are good, ethical dentists, otherwise I'd probably be looking for something in a slower paced office. I am not someone who thrives in a high stress environment.
Post by: turketron on January 02, 2016, 10:44:50 PM
Experience: 2.5 years
Age: 29
Salary: $54k hourly, probably around $65k average with OT and RSUs
Education: Bachelor's
Post by: Gronnie on January 02, 2016, 11:53:00 PM
Experience: 1 year
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: 72k + ~10% bonus + $750 HSA contribution + 2.5% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Cost of living from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html) is 99.2/100, so very average cost of living area.
Started at 71k, got a raise a couple months in as a thanks for being awesome ;)
My manager says I will be getting a promotion in the next round (February) even though it typically takes 3-4 years. Should come with about a 10% raise.
The work environment is awesome. Really laid back and supportive. Take as much vacation as you want policy with no keeping track of work, sick, and vacation hours, etc. I would have to get a super big raise to consider working elsewhere.
DW Job Title: RN
Salary: ~70k + small pension + 2% 403b match
Experience: 5 years
Education: BS in Dietetics, BS in Nursing
She started out getting a degree in dietetics but that didn't work out due to requiring an internship to get certified and there not being enough to go around (something that if she had known me prior to starting the program she would have thoroughly looked into and chosen something different or studied harder). Went back after the Dietetics degree and did an accelerated BSN program and now is very happy.
Post by: iamlittlehedgehog on January 04, 2016, 11:59:17 AM
Age: 38k (45k with freelance jobs)
Experience: I guess maybe 3 years? More like 2 1/2
Education: All I have is an AA and my A+ certification
I sorta lucked out. My current company hired me on as an administrative assistant but grew so quickly my salary doubled in 6 months. Half the time I have no idea what I'm doing but somehow make it work with a combination of Google and and asking a lot of questions.
Post by: Chris22 on January 04, 2016, 12:20:53 PM
Age: 34
Experience: 10 yrs
Education: BS Accounting, MBA
Post by: danielobvt on January 04, 2016, 12:29:27 PM
39 yo
130k (but in the DC area, so not as impressive as it sounds)
Best thing about my job is the 5.2 weeks of Annual Leave and 2.6 weeks of sick (plus 3 weeks of military leave (which covers my "part time" job as an Army National Guard Captain (10k per year)))
Post by: Chris22 on January 04, 2016, 12:33:16 PM
age 19-24: 5 year accounting program (to be eligible for CPA you need 150 hours)
age 24-28: public accounting, from 51k to 62k when I left
age 28-29: industry, 90k to 100k when I left a week ago
age 29 (new job): finance manager, 118k total comp for 2016
Masters in Accounting, CPA
Age 18-22: 4 year accounting program
Age 22-24: US Navy
Age 24-29: $48.5k up to $60k, three promotions, 1 employer, employer paid for part time MBA ('09-11)
Age 29-30: Laid off from Company 1, hired at Company 2, Senior accountant, $75k
Age 30: Left company 2, went to company 3, Senior accountant, $82k
Age 32: Promoted to Senior Financial Analyst, $92k
Age 33: Promoted to Finance Manager, $105k + now bonus eligible
Age 34: Angling for another 10% raise to accompany a potential job responsibilities shift
Post by: Chris22 on January 04, 2016, 12:38:13 PM
I think a more interesting question is "how much do you earn per hour?" since that's something a lot of people lose sight of when on salary.
Can be hard when it's so variable. An average week for me is 8:30-5:30 M-Tr + 8:30-2:30ish on Fri. Lunch at my desk, surfing the web or not. That's around 40 hours, sometimes less, sometimes more.
Some weeks I work 60 hours, or have lots of after-hours conference calls (with Asia).
Last week I MAYBE worked 15 hours M-Thurs given the holidays.
I get 3 weeks of vacation + 5 days sick, but that only really counts for "weeks off" when I actually take a vacation. If I take a random Friday or Monday off, my boss and I never count it. On the other hand, 1 Sunday a month I usually come in for 3-4 hours because I give a big presentation Monday. It's all very flexible, which is great. My wife is salaried but actually has to punch a clock, it would drive me nuts.
Post by: Chavak on January 04, 2016, 01:29:54 PM
Age: 61
Experience: 28 years just retired at the end of 2015
Education: BS, then four years optometry school.
Income would vary by how much I worked. I frequently took a lot of time off and worked only part time the last couple of years.
Could be as low as $80,000 if I worked part time or $150,000 if I worked pretty much full time.
Post by: northernlights on January 04, 2016, 02:56:00 PM
Age: 32
Salary: low 90s (USD)
Experience: 7 years
Education: BA (partial scholarships), JD (full scholarship, loans for living expenses)
I would be slogging it out at a firm were it not for the scholarships.
Post by: LWYRUP on January 04, 2016, 03:08:39 PM
Age: 31
Salary: $135k plus bonus ($10 - 30k?) (former biglaw, now smaller firm representing nonprofits)
Experience: 6 years
Education: BA (liberal arts, fun, useless), JD
I did biglaw for four years and left. Probably took too big of a paycut, but my life is better now and my chances of partnership were low. I was inspired about working with nonprofits, but now sometimes I get cynical and think I would prefer to just work with companies, just fewer hours than I used to. But I am not sure if that deal exists for lawyers unless you go in-house (I've been trying). Not sure what the future will hold.
Post by: LWYRUP on January 04, 2016, 03:22:00 PM
Title: Senior Associate (Law firm)Wow! I hope you have had a very high savings rate. That is a killer income for an associate. 265k plus another 100k? $365k!!! I admit I am jealous, MountainGirl. My meager income is on the last page.
Salary: $265,000 plus bonus (this year's bonus was $100,000)
Age: 36
Experience: Around 8 years. Which is longer than most people last in these high stress jobs. I know I am making a ridiculous salary right now, but it's not a long term job - once I burn out, I'm out. So I'm stashing.
Education: BA, JD, LLM. Lots of student loans, but only at 0.9% interest so I'm paying the minimum each year.
Can I ask what kind of law?
Corporate law. It's the standard BigLaw salary scale. Unfortunately I'm also in an extremely HCOL area, but I'm working on the savings rate since I know I can only hack it in this kind of position for another few years at most. Just to add some perspective: It involves billing around 2300 hours (those are just the billable hours - add the never ending non-billable admin, training, etc. to that), working most weekends and evenings, and always being on call. My health related expenses are through the roof due to the stressful and unhealthy nature of this kind of job, and it's hard to keep personal relationships and friendships when you're always working and always have to cancel social plans, but again, I can tough it out a few more years.
Thanks for reminding me why I left. It wasn't just the hours -- I had a health scare (woke up with chest pains at 3am twice, had to go to emergency room) and figured if this is my life at 29, there is no way I can do this long term. Once I realized I was going to leave eventually, the motivation to keep pushing just stopped, money or not.
Post by: Slowdown on January 05, 2016, 08:02:15 AM
Industry: Software
Experience: 7 years in that company, > 20 years in total
Age: 46
Salary: $ 61,000 gross, $ 36,000 net
Post by: Northwestie on January 06, 2016, 03:17:31 PM
Senior ecologist in the PNW - with bonuses - $150k. 33 yrs experience. Started with an MS at $5/hr. Camping, climbing, skiing so lots of cheap trips. Spend little, save a lot. Paid off house and no debt. Could retire now if I wished but I really like my job and get outside quite a bit. But soon - couple years more.Interesting! I'm guessing you don't work for a university or agency but a regulatory compliance/permitting/planning type of consultancy?
Had a 3 yr stint with the federal government but didn't like it -- 20% of the people did 80% of the work. Otherwise been in environmental consulting and now work for an employee-owned firm. Great folks, great projects around the PNW - concentrate on natural resources planning work. No developer crap.
Post by: mm1970 on January 06, 2016, 03:37:36 PM
I hear that's a problem with the feds.Senior ecologist in the PNW - with bonuses - $150k. 33 yrs experience. Started with an MS at $5/hr. Camping, climbing, skiing so lots of cheap trips. Spend little, save a lot. Paid off house and no debt. Could retire now if I wished but I really like my job and get outside quite a bit. But soon - couple years more.Interesting! I'm guessing you don't work for a university or agency but a regulatory compliance/permitting/planning type of consultancy?
Had a 3 yr stint with the federal government but didn't like it -- 20% of the people did 80% of the work. Otherwise been in environmental consulting and now work for an employee-owned firm. Great folks, great projects around the PNW - concentrate on natural resources planning work. No developer crap.
Post by: mm1970 on January 06, 2016, 03:45:36 PM
Then again, I never flew any kind of aircraft, so not exactly sure I'm comparing apples to apples. Plus, I kind of like being with my kids, who are 9 and 3. Of the friends who are still in - a lot of sea tours were hard on the wives (and, I'm the mom here). At least one of the O-6's never had kids.
Post by: grosvenor6 on January 07, 2016, 11:41:09 AM
Age: 20
Salary: 40k + 1500 Bonus; 3% raise every 4 months
Experience: 3 high school/college courses
Education: 3 classes away from associates degree
Post by: Frugal_NYC on January 07, 2016, 11:47:41 AM
age 19-24: 5 year accounting program (to be eligible for CPA you need 150 hours)That's the kind of trajectory I'd be stoked to have.
age 24-28: public accounting, from 51k to 62k when I left
age 28-29: industry, 90k to 100k when I left a week ago
age 29 (new job): finance manager, 118k total comp for 2016
Masters in Accounting, CPA
Title: Financial Analyst
Age: 26
Salary: $55k + 10% bonus
Experience: 3 years total (6 months in current position)
Education: BA in Accounting, 2/4 parts of CPA exam passed (hoping to knock out by next summer). Certification should open up a lot of doors.
Similar to you guys:
Age 22-23.5: Financial Leadership Program ($47.5K to $55K)
Age 23.5-24.5: Financial Analyst ($65K)
Age 25: Senior Financial Analyst ($75K to $82.5K now)
Next: Hopefully finance manager in next 0-1.5 years at 100Kish
Exp: 3.5 years total
School: BS Business Administration, Concentration in Finance
I've been thinking about getting a similar job at a good school to get my MBA for free, only thing holding me back as things have been so easy to this point lol
Post by: Bearded Man on February 03, 2016, 06:32:33 PM
153K salary, 185K total compensation.
Part time job:
Landlord
45K a year projected 2016 net profit, not counting appreciation.
Post by: PhysicianOnFIRE on February 04, 2016, 08:29:36 AM
Sorry should have been more specific, I'm a Military surgery resident. Current rank CPT/O3. Also i have over 12 years time in service.Title: General Surgery ResidentWow what?? I was making 56k as a pgy4, and it was scaled to the highest COL in the US. Things have really changed in 4 years.
Age: 31
Experience: 4yrs
Salary: 120k+ benefits
Education: 4yr undergrad+4 med school+ (6 residency, I'm in year 5).
Pay will go up after graduation, by about 40k or so. Plus I can supplement with locums, most places pay 100-125$/hr.
Does the $120,000 include pay for moonlighting? I've never heard of any resident getting more than $65000 a year. Medscape reported that the average resident salary in 2015 is $55400
Thank you for clearing that up. "Living like a resident" was starting to look pretty good, not that I'm willing to go back.
I made $38,000 to $41,000 a year, putting in 60 to 80 hours a week as an anesthesia resident. The hourly rate wasn't far from minimum wage. But that was 10 years ago. Life is much better for me now.
Post by: Think on February 04, 2016, 08:38:27 AM
Husband has a sales role and in his mid 30s. Makes around 215k plus a car allowance.
Post by: Breck on February 04, 2016, 09:07:53 AM
106k (salary + cash bonus + profit sharing)
Some stock RSU/options too, but might not stick around long enough to get the payout
BS EE + 3.5 years experience
Age: 26
Post by: chemistk on February 05, 2016, 06:13:09 AM
Experience: 2.5 years
Age: 24
Salary: $60k plus ~$2k in bonus
Education: Bachelor's in Chemistry
Post by: TheBeardedIrishman on February 05, 2016, 08:39:39 AM
Age 26
Bachelors Degree in Health Sciences
Experience 3 years
Post by: Gondolin on February 05, 2016, 10:05:35 AM
Age: 25
Salary: $86K plus 2.5% bonus employer 401k contribution
Education: Bachelor's in Materials Science and Engineering
Master of Science in Systems Engineering
Experience: Almost 3 years.
Post by: JordanOfGilead on February 05, 2016, 10:29:18 AM
Automotive sales 100kIs that in the corporate sales department for a supplier/manufacturer, or a salesman at a dealership? If it's the latter, I think I might jump ship as an engineer and apply at my local dealership!
Age 26
Bachelors Degree in Health Sciences
Experience 3 years
Post by: zephyr911 on February 05, 2016, 10:30:15 AM
Post by: Kenbo on February 05, 2016, 11:05:39 AM
Registered Nurse
About 55k last year plus a 6% match
4 years of experience
I have an Associates in Nursing.
Live in a LCOL area and I enjoy the small hospital I work at. It's much better working conditions then the big hospitals close by.
Post by: Lexaholik on February 05, 2016, 11:26:53 AM
Title: Associate Attorney
Age: 31
Salary: $135k plus bonus ($10 - 30k?) (former biglaw, now smaller firm representing nonprofits)
Experience: 6 years
Education: BA (liberal arts, fun, useless), JD
I live in one of the highest COL areas in the U.S.
I did biglaw for four years and left. Probably took too big of a paycut, but my life is better now and my chances of partnership were low. I was inspired about working with nonprofits, but now sometimes I get cynical and think I would prefer to just work with companies, just fewer hours than I used to. But I am not sure if that deal exists for lawyers unless you go in-house (I've been trying). Not sure what the future will hold.
Title: Attorney with Solo Practice
Age: 32
Compensation: $14,000 annualized (it's my first year so I barely make anything)
Experience: 5.5 years (former federal clerk, Biglaw, mid-sized firm)
Education: BS + JD
Nice to see other Biglaw refugees on the board. When I was a clerk I was earning $65k-$75k. The firm I spent my 2L summer with paid me $60k to return as a third year. As a third year I earned $205k. Left shortly after I became a fourth year to a mid-sized plaintiff's firm. Spent a bit over a year there making about $160k (including bonuses). Left to start my own practice and now make peanuts.
I didn't like working in Biglaw because I didn't like the lifestyle or work environment. I never wanted to make partner because their lives seemed just as terrible unless they were on the Management Committee. My health deteriorated due to the demands of work and me constantly eating out. My only goal while I was there was to accumulate my FU money ASAP.
Post by: aprilchem on February 05, 2016, 11:41:00 AM
Age: 40
Experience: 15 years
Certificates: none
Salary: ~$70k base + another $15k or so in grant-related compensation. Should get a $5-7k raise once I make full professor next year.
Medium COL area
Education: BS Chemistry, Ph.D. Chemistry. I was lucky enough to get a full ride (+ spending money) for my undergrad education, and my Ph.D. was covered by assistantships and such, so no cost for school from me.
Post by: TheBeardedIrishman on February 05, 2016, 12:47:20 PM
Age 26
Bachelors Degree in Health Sciences
Experience 3 years
[/quote]
Is that in the corporate sales department for a supplier/manufacturer, or a salesman at a dealership? If it's the latter, I think I might jump ship as an engineer and apply at my local dealership!
[/quote]
Post by: JordanOfGilead on February 05, 2016, 12:51:08 PM
That is working as a sales consultant at a local ford dealershipIs that in the corporate sales department for a supplier/manufacturer, or a salesman at a dealership? If it's the latter, I think I might jump ship as an engineer and apply at my local dealership!
Age 26
Bachelors Degree in Health Sciences
Experience 3 years
[/quote]
[/quote]
What does that entail/what are the requirements for a job like that? You've still got my interest. The chances of me hitting 6 figures as an engineer in the Midwest by age 26 are virtually zero.
Post by: TheBeardedIrishman on February 05, 2016, 12:59:20 PM
[/quote]That is working as a sales consultant at a local ford dealershipIs that in the corporate sales department for a supplier/manufacturer, or a salesman at a dealership? If it's the latter, I think I might jump ship as an engineer and apply at my local dealership!
Age 26
Bachelors Degree in Health Sciences
Experience 3 years
What does that entail/what are the requirements for a job like that? You've still got my interest. The chances of me hitting 6 figures as an engineer in the Midwest by age 26 are virtually zero.
[/quote]
Post by: squirrel1 on February 05, 2016, 01:17:46 PM
Age: 24
Experience: 4 Years
Education: Bachelors done in 2.5 years in comp sci
Salary: $71,000 + 28 PTO days + 7% employer 401k contribution + Bonus (between $4000 - $6000)
Post by: Tabaxus on February 05, 2016, 07:33:48 PM
Post by: Yaeger on February 05, 2016, 09:58:59 PM
Age: 33
Experience: 12 years
Education: BS in Comp Sci, MBA
Salary: ~120k (78k base, 10k bonus, 30k housing, 2k special pay)
Post by: veloman on February 05, 2016, 10:33:06 PM
Mortgage loan servicer (not my official title, but this is more accurate). It's basically data entry and I'm incredibly bored, looking for something else.
Age: 31
$45,000/yr
Education: they wanted a BS in accounting/finance and related experience. I had it. But I don't use any of it. I could have done this job when I was 14. UGH.
I wish I could figure out what I want to stick with and stay on a course.
As for those of you who make over 80k/yr.... I can't imagine it. I'd be FI in only a couple years with that kind of money.
But this is a good reality check. A lot of people make a lot of money. What's the point in saving $500/yr on gas by biking if the main goal is just to save money? That makes sense for someone who makes 20k/yr but not the bigger earners. I sold my car almost two years ago and us my homebuilt ebikes, save money and enjoy it mostly.
Post by: randymarsh on February 06, 2016, 12:30:10 AM
Technology Coordinator / 45K / NO room for growth
New Job
IT Service Desk Analyst / 50K / LOTS room fo growth / Dog friendly office (that's worth something right?) / No drive commute
Post by: Larabeth on February 06, 2016, 12:53:10 AM
40K/year
Post by: Balance on February 06, 2016, 01:19:50 AM
Real Estate Appraiser - Sole Proprietor single person business
13 years in the business. First 7 years I worked for a bigger firm
$75k per year but only work 20 hours per week on average
I consistently made $125K+ per year but I hated working everyday 40 hours a week. Since I work from home it's just way too hard to stay focused that long with so many different hobbies. We have a 2 year old son and another on the way and so far we haven't needed to use any babysitters. I could definitely work more without having to watch children but I think its a great tradeoff as our work balance is great. I can probably work at this pace for many more years since I have a lot of flexibility.
My wife on the other hand is a Registered Nurse and makes $175k per year. Her benefits are amazing and she can pick up more shifts whenever she likes. Luckily her company pays healthcare for the entire family. It definitely helps since health insurance was pretty expensive as a small business owner.
Post by: goosefraba1 on February 06, 2016, 07:13:33 AM
Salary: 89k with up to 20% bonus current
New contract is 108k with up to 20% bonus
After 1 year at new office, 108k base with rvu bonus (current PAs in the office average between 40 and 60k in bonuses on this conract)
Experience: 1.5 years
Education: BAS in psych, MS in PA studies
Age: 28
Post by: hedgefund10 on February 06, 2016, 05:11:15 PM
Experience: 2.5 Years Public Accounting
Salary $68.2K and 5-10% bonus
Post by: jim555 on February 06, 2016, 06:06:15 PM
Salary: N/A
Post by: LeRainDrop on February 06, 2016, 06:24:51 PM
Nice to see so many biglaw (and former biglaw) people floating around. I walk around the office and get the emphatic feeling that almost everyone else takes their cash home and burns it as if this gig is anything other than a short-lived cash volcano before things die down dramatically. Makes me feel like the odd duck.
LOL, then I guess I'm an odd duck, too!
Post by: PeachFuzzInVA on February 06, 2016, 06:47:57 PM
Salary: ~ $15,000/month
Experience: 1.5 years
Post by: PeachFuzzInVA on February 06, 2016, 06:55:29 PM
My wife on the other hand is a Registered Nurse and makes $175k per year. Her benefits are amazing and she can pick up more shifts whenever she likes. Luckily her company pays healthcare for the entire family. It definitely helps since health insurance was pretty expensive as a small business owner.
How in the world does she make that much as an RN, especially with benefits? Nurses around here can work PRN doing weekend nights in DC and still barely crack $100,000 but get no benefits. My wife is an RN and makes $65k working ft locally.
Post by: mit on February 06, 2016, 09:13:05 PM
My wife on the other hand is a Registered Nurse and makes $175k per year. Her benefits are amazing and she can pick up more shifts whenever she likes. Luckily her company pays healthcare for the entire family. It definitely helps since health insurance was pretty expensive as a small business owner.
How in the world does she make that much as an RN, especially with benefits? Nurses around here can work PRN doing weekend nights in DC and still barely crack $100,000 but get no benefits. My wife is an RN and makes $65k working ft locally.
its cause she works as a nurse in the bay area. the starting pay for new grads is close to $65/hr. with a little bit of OT it would be easy to get up to $175k
Post by: obstinate on February 06, 2016, 11:23:55 PM
Total comp: $450k
Years experience: 8
Post by: FlyJ on February 06, 2016, 11:33:16 PM
Title: Software engineer
Total comp: $450k
Years experience: 8
Is that a salary or income from your startup/app?
Post by: obstinate on February 06, 2016, 11:54:35 PM
Post by: Balance on February 07, 2016, 12:02:44 AM
My wife on the other hand is a Registered Nurse and makes $175k per year. Her benefits are amazing and she can pick up more shifts whenever she likes. Luckily her company pays healthcare for the entire family. It definitely helps since health insurance was pretty expensive as a small business owner.
How in the world does she make that much as an RN, especially with benefits? Nurses around here can work PRN doing weekend nights in DC and still barely crack $100,000 but get no benefits. My wife is an RN and makes $65k working ft locally.
its cause she works as a nurse in the bay area. the starting pay for new grads is close to $65/hr. with a little bit of OT it would be easy to get up to $175k
That is correct. It's because she works as an RN right in the heart of Silicon Valley in the Bay Area. They have a really strong union at her hospital. And in order for nurses to live even remotely near the hospital they need to be able to pay for adequate housing. A 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment in Silicon Valley (Sunnyvale/Mountain View area) is around $5k per month. When we were looking to relocate to Southern California a couple years ago for the same hospital (Kaiser), in her same specialty, her pay would have been cut by over 50%.
Post by: BTDretire on February 07, 2016, 08:01:41 AM
Fantastic, thanks for all the replies!
What I’ve learned:
1. Salaries in the US seem higher than in the UK
My view on this is that most of these are pretty high salaries.
The median US household income is $54,000 (could be two wage earners).
The posts could be biased in that lower earners aren't posting after seeing
$200k+ incomes.
But, I'm responding to a first page post so lower incomes may come later.
My wife and I are self employed, no employees, we retail a single product,
Together we earned between $75k and $138K over the last 5 years. Although,
some of that income is return on savings. (10% to 15%)
Post by: Lexaholik on February 07, 2016, 10:14:32 AM
Nice to see so many biglaw (and former biglaw) people floating around. I walk around the office and get the emphatic feeling that almost everyone else takes their cash home and burns it as if this gig is anything other than a short-lived cash volcano before things die down dramatically. Makes me feel like the odd duck.
Haha nice. I had the same feeling while I was working there. I wonder if everyone just puts on the show because that's what's expected. After all, I never talked to anyone at work about my frugal habits.
Post by: Tabaxus on February 07, 2016, 10:21:54 AM
Nice to see so many biglaw (and former biglaw) people floating around. I walk around the office and get the emphatic feeling that almost everyone else takes their cash home and burns it as if this gig is anything other than a short-lived cash volcano before things die down dramatically. Makes me feel like the odd duck.
Haha nice. I had the same feeling while I was working there. I wonder if everyone just puts on the show because that's what's expected. After all, I never talked to anyone at work about my frugal habits.
Hard to fake new cars, ski vacations, new houses, and private school tuition for the spawn, unless people are flat lying about these things (which seems unlikely).
Post by: Lexaholik on February 07, 2016, 10:28:42 AM
Nice to see so many biglaw (and former biglaw) people floating around. I walk around the office and get the emphatic feeling that almost everyone else takes their cash home and burns it as if this gig is anything other than a short-lived cash volcano before things die down dramatically. Makes me feel like the odd duck.
Haha nice. I had the same feeling while I was working there. I wonder if everyone just puts on the show because that's what's expected. After all, I never talked to anyone at work about my frugal habits.
Hard to fake new cars, ski vacations, new houses, and private school tuition for the spawn, unless people are flat lying about these things (which seems unlikely).
That's a fair point. I also recall a lot of lavish weddings and vacations, so you're probably right.
Post by: LeRainDrop on February 07, 2016, 10:38:20 AM
Nice to see so many biglaw (and former biglaw) people floating around. I walk around the office and get the emphatic feeling that almost everyone else takes their cash home and burns it as if this gig is anything other than a short-lived cash volcano before things die down dramatically. Makes me feel like the odd duck.
Haha nice. I had the same feeling while I was working there. I wonder if everyone just puts on the show because that's what's expected. After all, I never talked to anyone at work about my frugal habits.
Hard to fake new cars, ski vacations, new houses, and private school tuition for the spawn, unless people are flat lying about these things (which seems unlikely).
Agreed. Like me, the other attorney in my group who I know is also frugal and has saved for financial freedom is single and childless. Not that either of us would not want a family -- to the contrary -- but it just seems like most of the attorneys with families have gone down the path of private school, big vacations, big fancy homes plus expensive renovations, luxury cars, etc. We had an associate in another group a few years ago who was vocal (among friends) about aggressively paying down his student loans. So many people were impressed, like that was just a wonder to them. I had finished mine a little ahead of his schedule and privately gave him encouragement. Conversely, a 40-year-old partner, who went straight through school and had been practicing in biglaw for about 12-15 years at the time, mentioned in passing once that she was still working on her law school loans (plus her husband was another biglaw attorney who became GC at a large business).
Post by: Tabaxus on February 07, 2016, 10:43:01 AM
Nice to see so many biglaw (and former biglaw) people floating around. I walk around the office and get the emphatic feeling that almost everyone else takes their cash home and burns it as if this gig is anything other than a short-lived cash volcano before things die down dramatically. Makes me feel like the odd duck.
Haha nice. I had the same feeling while I was working there. I wonder if everyone just puts on the show because that's what's expected. After all, I never talked to anyone at work about my frugal habits.
Hard to fake new cars, ski vacations, new houses, and private school tuition for the spawn, unless people are flat lying about these things (which seems unlikely).
Agreed. Like me, the other attorney in my group who I know is also frugal and has saved for financial freedom is single and childless. Not that either of us would not want a family -- to the contrary -- but it just seems like most of the attorneys with families have gone down the path of private school, big vacations, big fancy homes plus expensive renovations, luxury cars, etc. We had an associate in another group a few years ago who was vocal (among friends) about aggressively paying down his student loans. So many people were impressed, like that was just a wonder to them. I had finished mine a little ahead of his schedule and privately gave him encouragement. Conversely, a 40-year-old partner, who went straight through school and had been practicing in biglaw for about 12-15 years at the time, mentioned in passing once that she was still working on her law school loans.
A partner still working on loans? Jesus. Depending on the firm, the first partnership draw should be enough to wipe that out easily (setting aside the fact that it should be paid years in advance of getting the brass ring).
I graduated in 2011, clerked for a year, and the bonus check at the end of 2013 paid off the last of my loans (plus mostly funded IRA contribs for the next year) (the fact that I held strong and applied almost 100% of my clerkship bonus to the loans helped, admittedly). I don't get why anyone would do anything other than kill that debt as soon as possible. As long as the debt is still there, you have no freedom, and I've found that freedom has emboldened me to make biglaw a heck of a lot less miserable for me than it is for most people.
Post by: onlykelsey on February 07, 2016, 10:43:50 AM
Quote
Agreed. Like me, the other attorney in my group who I know is also frugal and has saved for financial freedom is single and childless. Not that either of us would not want a family -- to the contrary -- but it just seems like most of the attorneys with families have gone down the path of private school, big vacations, big fancy homes plus expensive renovations, luxury cars, etc. We had an associate in another group a few years ago who was vocal (among friends) about aggressively paying down his student loans. So many people were impressed, like that was just a wonder to them. I had finished mine a little ahead of his schedule and privately gave him encouragement. Conversely, a 40-year-old partner, who went straight through school and had been practicing in biglaw for about 12-15 years at the time, mentioned in passing once that she was still working on her law school loans.
I think an obscuring factor for understanding spending in BigLaw is that lots of people in BigLaw come from money, or at least upper-middle class homes where their parents pay for weddings, maybe took care of college and/or law school, etc. Like, a junior associate here spent three weeks on a yacht in the mediterranean. But it's her COUSIN's yacht, so I don't know how much she's actually coming out of pocket. Not that coming from money means you get a pass on bad financial choices, just a sort of obscuring factor to understanding how much people actually spend.
Post by: Lexaholik on February 07, 2016, 11:01:03 AM
Agreed. Like me, the other attorney in my group who I know is also frugal and has saved for financial freedom is single and childless. Not that either of us would not want a family -- to the contrary -- but it just seems like most of the attorneys with families have gone down the path of private school, big vacations, big fancy homes plus expensive renovations, luxury cars, etc. We had an associate in another group a few years ago who was vocal (among friends) about aggressively paying down his student loans. So many people were impressed, like that was just a wonder to them. I had finished mine a little ahead of his schedule and privately gave him encouragement. Conversely, a 40-year-old partner, who went straight through school and had been practicing in biglaw for about 12-15 years at the time, mentioned in passing once that she was still working on her law school loans (plus her husband was another biglaw attorney who became GC at a large business).
It just blows my mind that unlike most people who earn far less, biglaw lawyers have this huge opportunity to save a ton of money very quickly. If you play your cards right you can squeeze a decade or more of savings from a normal job by doing biglaw for a few years. And yet so many choose to buy luxury items instead. When I was a junior associate, it was expensive dinners, nice vacations, and lavish weddings. Now it seems that people have moved on to private school for their kids and 30 year mortgage for a bigger house than they need. (Although I'm certain they're justifying the school/mortgage as an investment.)
I graduated in 2011, clerked for a year, and the bonus check at the end of 2013 paid off the last of my loans (plus mostly funded IRA contribs for the next year) (the fact that I held strong and applied almost 100% of my clerkship bonus to the loans helped, admittedly). I don't get why anyone would do anything other than kill that debt as soon as possible. As long as the debt is still there, you have no freedom, and I've found that freedom has emboldened me to make biglaw a heck of a lot less miserable for me than it is for most people.
Very nice. Your career path sounds a lot like mine. I'm c/o 2010 who also clerked, and clerkship bonus really helped knock out my debt. I really, REALLY did not like the biglaw job though, but having a big enough capital base reduced my stress level because I could walk away from the job at any point.
I think an obscuring factor for understanding spending in BigLaw is that lots of people in BigLaw come from money, or at least upper-middle class homes where their parents pay for weddings, maybe took care of college and/or law school, etc. Like, a junior associate here spent three weeks on a yacht in the mediterranean. But it's her COUSIN's yacht, so I don't know how much she's actually coming out of pocket. Not that coming from money means you get a pass on bad financial choices, just a sort of obscuring factor to understanding how much people actually spend.
This is true. One problem is that many junior associates who come from less wealthy families don't realize this and assume it's okay to live a high consumption lifestyle because everyone else is.
Incidentally I once had a buddy tell me about his financial plan for the upcoming year. He was a first year associate making $160k, but had over $300k in student loans, AND he was planning to finance his wedding ($100k+) and engagement ring ($30k+). A few years later he bought a big house in a high COL city with a 30 year mortgage. I really hope he makes partner. Or that he married into money.
Post by: EconDiva on February 07, 2016, 11:09:28 AM
Me:
Age: 36
Title: Associate Manager (something like that...I fudged it a little)
Education: BA Econ o.o
Salary: ~82k with ~8% bonus
I work for a pharma company doing clinical trial research. I used to work on the hospital side as a research coordinator. Title above mine is Project Manager and thats when you hit the 100k mark typically.
Post by: Cathy on February 07, 2016, 12:21:33 PM
I don't get why anyone would do anything other than kill that debt as soon as possible. ...
Maybe the terms of the loan are highly favourable, such that a rational person would not prepay it. I have never had a negative net worth, but I still have student loans. When I took them out, I could have immediately paid them off. Some of them were from public sources but others are private loans. The effective interest rate across all of the loan money is about 2.7% for the next 15 years. I could pay off all the loans at any time and, as mentioned, that has always been the case -- there has never been a point where I was not able to pay them off, even when I first took them out.
So why don't I pay them off? Because I understand math and I'm risk averse. Prepaying these extremely generous loans would be overwhelmingly risky as it would reduce my liquid assets and hence reduce my level of freedom. Prepayment would also likely result in me ending up with less money overall, but even ignoring that, it's just too risky to prepay loans this favourable, so I keep them outstanding. (Also, the loans are denominated in CAD while almost all my money is in USD so the loans are also a way to short CAD/USD, which has worked out well so far, although I do not advise anybody to keep loans outstanding for the purpose of currency speculation!)
Post by: Tabaxus on February 07, 2016, 12:26:19 PM
I don't get why anyone would do anything other than kill that debt as soon as possible. ...
Maybe the terms of the loan are highly favourable, such that a rational person would not prepay it. I have never had a negative net worth, but I still have student loans. When I took them out, I could have immediately paid them off. Some of them were from public sources but others are private loans. The effective interest rate across all of the loan money is about 2.7% for the next 15 years. I could pay off all the loans at any time and, as mentioned, that has always been the case -- there has never been a point where I was not able to pay them off, even when I first took them out.
So why don't I pay them off? Because I understand math and I'm risk averse. Prepaying these extremely generous loans would be overwhelmingly risky as it would reduce my liquid assets and hence reduce my level of freedom. Prepayment would also likely result in me ending up with less money overall, but even ignoring that, it's just too risky to prepay loans this favourable, so I keep them outstanding. (Also, the loans are denominated in CAD while almost all my money is in USD so they are also a way to short CAD/USD which has worked out well so far, although I do not advise anybody to keep loans outstanding for the purpose of currency speculation!)
That's fair. Student loan rates are much higher in the U.S. than in Canada (and our balances tend to be higher, too; mine were about 30% 6.8%, 70% 8.1/8.5%, at about $200k all-in). Those rates apply to everyone, though in recent years, some student loan refinancing options (e.g., Sofi) have sprung up that make it possible to refinance those down to lower rates for high-income people. I'm not sure what the floor on those SoFi rates are, but I think it's still closer to the 4% range than the 2.7% range.
Post by: kozz1984 on February 07, 2016, 12:39:20 PM
For example someone in "big law" may earn 300k a year but work 80 hrs/week while another lawyer may earn 150k a year but work 40 hrs/week.
Post by: LeRainDrop on February 07, 2016, 12:48:14 PM
I think it would make more sense to express earning in terms of dollars per hour instead of a yearly salary.
For example someone in "big law" may earn 300k a year but work 80 hrs/week while another lawyer may earn 150k a year but work 40 hrs/week.
That is very true. Lots of us say we would gladly take a pay cut for a lower hours requirement (and by requirement, I'm not just talking the policy, but also the practice and pressure). I suppose that's probably why so many of us crank it out for a few years or so to save up and then get out of dodge!
Post by: Tabaxus on February 07, 2016, 12:59:18 PM
I think it would make more sense to express earning in terms of dollars per hour instead of a yearly salary.
For example someone in "big law" may earn 300k a year but work 80 hrs/week while another lawyer may earn 150k a year but work 40 hrs/week.
Absolutely true. Ton of folks would flip to the kind of lower pay, lower (and more predictable) hours kind of gig. Unfortunately, there aren't many of those out there, and the competition for them is incredibly fierce. In-house folks work fewer hours than biglaw, but still a ton of hours, and the pay cut is quite significant; hanging a shingle is incredibly risky, doesn't always equate to fewer hours, and often equates to incredibly low pay (also, biglaw work doesn't remotely prepare you for hanging a shingle--totally different worlds); government work is (a) very difficult to get and (b) a bigger pay cut than a lot of people are willing to take (the potential pension benefits are huge on the government side, but anyone entering now is at pretty big risk of having that cut/eliminated, and it requires a very, very long-term commitment).
I'm sure this dichotomy plays out in many careers.
Post by: RedMaple on February 07, 2016, 08:24:19 PM
Experience: 8 years
Age: 31
Salary: $90K
School: BS in accounting. I need an MS to be able to sit for CPA. Went to cheap state school.
Post by: Grog on February 08, 2016, 04:19:54 AM
I'm a function developer/control system engineer in Switzerland. Pay is around 80k chf/usd, 4 year experience.
But my company requires 44 hr /week (minimum in ch is 42) and I have ~7 weeks vacation. My weekend are absolutely job and stress free - so without taking in account cost of life, one should at minimum divide the yearly salary by the effective worked hour.
I am at the office 220 day per year, if I'm never sick, and work 8hr45 minutes per day (lunch and pause not included). That gives me 80000/(220*8.75) = 41.56 chf/hr. And a lot of free time.
Post by: hollis on February 08, 2016, 06:35:07 AM
Pay : $13 / hr + commission
Experience: 1 year
I work at a small 3 person bike shop. The pay is good in the summer with all the bike sales but dwindles in the winter
Post by: lemonlyman on February 08, 2016, 06:43:40 AM
Title: CFO
Experience: 6 years
Age: 31
Salary: $60,000
School: BS in Accounting/BS in IT
I work for a friend's company that has tripled in size since I've been there. A CFO wasn't really necessary in the beginning, but I've grown into the role. I could make a bit more at other places, but I have loyalties to the company and plan to retire from it in 12 years. Also, $60k in West Virginia buys a lot.
Post by: pumen on February 08, 2016, 07:08:04 AM
Title: Specialist of Leisure
Salary: N/A
nice one:)
Post by: Kashmani on February 08, 2016, 07:59:29 AM
Work hours are six days a week with an average of three evenings per week. Far from pleasant, but the income goes a long way and I was able to pay off my mortgage in my mid-30s as a result.
I second what other lawyers said on this blog. The money is great, but the stress level and the hours are very high.
Post by: mgilman on February 08, 2016, 08:19:12 AM
salary: 100,000 includes ot
I should note that I travel 2 hrs each way to work. so I have huge commuting costs. retirement plan is incredible in the union.I need to work 4 more years until I can retire.
Post by: NoraLenderbee on February 08, 2016, 01:36:46 PM
My wife on the other hand is a Registered Nurse and makes $175k per year. Her benefits are amazing and she can pick up more shifts whenever she likes. Luckily her company pays healthcare for the entire family. It definitely helps since health insurance was pretty expensive as a small business owner.
How in the world does she make that much as an RN, especially with benefits? Nurses around here can work PRN doing weekend nights in DC and still barely crack $100,000 but get no benefits. My wife is an RN and makes $65k working ft locally.
its cause she works as a nurse in the bay area. the starting pay for new grads is close to $65/hr. with a little bit of OT it would be easy to get up to $175k
That is correct. It's because she works as an RN right in the heart of Silicon Valley in the Bay Area. They have a really strong union at her hospital.
Holy sh*t. Maybe I need a career change. I've been working in Silicon Valley 20 years and that's about my hourly rate.
Post by: Farmgirl on February 10, 2016, 06:56:38 AM
Age: 57
Experience: 40 yrs
Education: 1/2 of a BA in Art History & the "School of Hard Knocks"
Post by: Loud Noises on February 10, 2016, 07:38:53 AM
Pay: Roughly $65k/year with no benefits and no job security.
Experience: 11 years officially, but I've never really done anything else.
Education: Bachelor of Music degree
Most people probably think I'm above $200k/year, but that's just not how the music business works. The upside is that I truly love my job. I hate NOT working!
Having a job I love means I have no desire to FIRE. Instead, I realize that I've traded predictability for happiness, and I know that being smart with my money means that I can continue to have my cake and eat it too for as long as I want.
Post by: obrero on February 11, 2016, 10:50:35 AM
Post by: BFGirl on February 11, 2016, 11:07:52 AM
Experience: 23 years in either small firm or govt
Salary: $88,000
Education: BA English, J.D.
Trying not to be jealous of what others attorneys are making, lol, but my hours are much better and I can hang up on assholes because they aren't paying me.
Post by: mm1970 on February 11, 2016, 11:22:39 AM
Yeah, I have a friend who is a nurse in SV area. I know she was only working about 1 week a month last year (because she doesn't live there and would fly in), and her income was around $95k. She would work a lot of holidays.My wife on the other hand is a Registered Nurse and makes $175k per year. Her benefits are amazing and she can pick up more shifts whenever she likes. Luckily her company pays healthcare for the entire family. It definitely helps since health insurance was pretty expensive as a small business owner.
How in the world does she make that much as an RN, especially with benefits? Nurses around here can work PRN doing weekend nights in DC and still barely crack $100,000 but get no benefits. My wife is an RN and makes $65k working ft locally.
its cause she works as a nurse in the bay area. the starting pay for new grads is close to $65/hr. with a little bit of OT it would be easy to get up to $175k
That is correct. It's because she works as an RN right in the heart of Silicon Valley in the Bay Area. They have a really strong union at her hospital.
Holy sh*t. Maybe I need a career change. I've been working in Silicon Valley 20 years and that's about my hourly rate.
Post by: I'm a red panda on February 11, 2016, 11:37:00 AM
Reading the posts here from military officers makes me wish I would have stayed in, I make less money on the outside as a contractor and have many fewer benefits!Same is true for my husband. He'd be making much more if he stayed in- but he is much happier with the job he does, so getting out still served its purpose. The career field the Air Force assigned him to made zero sense with his educational background.
Post by: markbike528CBX on February 11, 2016, 12:14:37 PM
Salary: $106k + minor OT/ compensated time off
Years’ experience: 28 years
Age: 51
College Requirement: BS, I have MS. MS was free +10K/year SS-free stipend.
Hard Science/math teaching assistanceships require 1)warm body 2)breathing 3)attempts at English.
I saw that some spelled it Principle, is this misspelling or actual?
I'm not really principled, but I am a princiPAL-- how I remember how to spell it.
Post by: BigLumox on February 11, 2016, 01:01:52 PM
200-250K
~6 years experience
Post by: retirementhunter on February 11, 2016, 01:08:59 PM
Salary: 95k
Age: 27
Experience: 4 years
Education: BA in Humanities
Post by: mizzourah2006 on February 11, 2016, 01:14:10 PM
I think it would make more sense to express earning in terms of dollars per hour instead of a yearly salary.
For example someone in "big law" may earn 300k a year but work 80 hrs/week while another lawyer may earn 150k a year but work 40 hrs/week.
It would also be cool if people posted their real income and their income adjusted for cost of living in a specific city. I see a ton of 6 figure or near 6 figure incomes. There is a huge difference between 100k in San Fran and 100k in Des Moines, Iowa IMO.
Using KC, MO would be a great standardized COL.
For example, if I live in San Francisco and make $105k my standardized income for KCMO would be ~60k.
Post by: Nangirl17 on February 11, 2016, 01:28:59 PM
age 36
~100K +benefits
4 year university degree
Just started part time in January (= 3.5 days a week) for about 60K/year since the hours and stress are such that I just wanted to kill myself. Still want to quit but think I can last a few years doing this before I throw in the towel altogether. Everyone romanticizes this job, but it isn't an easy one... that's why they have to pay me to do it!!
Post by: aetherie on February 11, 2016, 03:06:56 PM
Job title: Senior JavaScript Architect
Years' experience: 3 - 10*
Salary: 280k
Age: 25
*I had been making websites as a hobbyist on and off since being a young teenager, but I've only had 3 "professional" years where I really focused on improving my skills.
I'm not really sure how I landed myself in this place. Partly luck, I'm sure. In 3 years, I've had 4 jobs. For the full story, my end-of-year salaries have been:
2012 - 40k (1st job)
2013 - 55k (2nd job)
2014 - 85k (3rd job)
2015 - 90k (raise at 3rd job)
And you just jumped from 90k to 280k for job #4? Teach me your secrets.
Post by: JLee on February 11, 2016, 03:08:14 PM
I think it would make more sense to express earning in terms of dollars per hour instead of a yearly salary.
For example someone in "big law" may earn 300k a year but work 80 hrs/week while another lawyer may earn 150k a year but work 40 hrs/week.
It would also be cool if people posted their real income and their income adjusted for cost of living in a specific city. I see a ton of 6 figure or near 6 figure incomes. There is a huge difference between 100k in San Fran and 100k in Des Moines, Iowa IMO.
Using KC, MO would be a great standardized COL.
For example, if I live in San Francisco and make $105k my standardized income for KCMO would be ~60k.
Mine would go from $97k to ~$72k (northern NJ to Kansas City) - IT technical manager.
Post by: Roboturner on February 11, 2016, 03:09:15 PM
Job title: Senior JavaScript Architect
Years' experience: 3 - 10*
Salary: 280k
Age: 25
*I had been making websites as a hobbyist on and off since being a young teenager, but I've only had 3 "professional" years where I really focused on improving my skills.
I'm not really sure how I landed myself in this place. Partly luck, I'm sure. In 3 years, I've had 4 jobs. For the full story, my end-of-year salaries have been:
2012 - 40k (1st job)
2013 - 55k (2nd job)
2014 - 85k (3rd job)
2015 - 90k (raise at 3rd job)
And you just jumped from 90k to 280k for job #4? Teach me your secrets.
+1 - could use some secrets!
Post by: Andrew928 on February 11, 2016, 04:18:47 PM
Salary: 50K Base plus commission which varies greatly
Experience: 1.5 Years
Post by: VAR on February 12, 2016, 05:45:40 AM
Salary: 45K (for190days,school year)
Exp: 1.5years
Could make more working in a private clinic or medical setting...But then I have to work all year!
Currently weighing that option though
Post by: eccdogg on February 12, 2016, 08:36:23 AM
Age: 41
Salary: $145,000 + 0-$200,000 bonus (has averaged around 70-100k)
Education: BS Economics, MS Economics, MS Finance (amazingly I got all of this debt free!)
Post by: atlbrew on February 12, 2016, 10:51:44 AM
Experience: 7 Years Public Accounting
Salary $102K and 10%+ bonus
Post by: SEAK on February 12, 2016, 02:14:57 PM
Age: 41 (13 years experience)
Salary: $77k + my coveted 7.2 weeks of personal leave
Post by: NESailor on February 12, 2016, 02:37:54 PM
Title: Assistant Controller
Experience: 8 years
Age: 31
Salary: $90K
School: BS in accounting. I need an MS to be able to sit for CPA. Went to cheap state school.
Is this really the case? I'm a NY CPA and don't have an MS. I went to a SUNY school, got the degree and a BUNCH of extra credits. After I passed the exams I took enough online classes (pre-approved by Office of the Professions) to add up to 150 credit hours and they gave me my NY license.
Post by: mpg350 on February 12, 2016, 02:45:24 PM
Age 37
Salary 62k
I live in a low cost area so my income would be like 80-100k compared to CA or the such.
Post by: Chris22 on February 12, 2016, 03:01:29 PM
Title: Assistant Controller
Experience: 8 years
Age: 31
Salary: $90K
School: BS in accounting. I need an MS to be able to sit for CPA. Went to cheap state school.
Is this really the case? I'm a NY CPA and don't have an MS. I went to a SUNY school, got the degree and a BUNCH of extra credits. After I passed the exams I took enough online classes (pre-approved by Office of the Professions) to add up to 150 credit hours and they gave me my NY license.
He/she probably means they need the MS for the credit hours. I didn't have the credits after undergrad, so I went and got my MBA as a way to get to 150. My current employer won't pay for a class and the test (~$5k?) and I don't really need it so I haven't gone after it, but one of these days.
Post by: FIRE_Buckeye on February 12, 2016, 07:49:51 PM
He/she probably means they need the MS for the credit hours. I didn't have the credits after undergrad, so I went and got my MBA as a way to get to 150. My current employer won't pay for a class and the test (~$5k?) and I don't really need it so I haven't gone after it, but one of these days.Not to derail the thread, but you don't need the $3k Becker class to pass the CPA exam. I've passed 3/4 parts with just south of 1.5k for exam fees and study materials (both for all four parts). The materials on Another71 are extremely high quality, and pennies compared to the cost of the big name study programs.
Post by: l2jperry on February 12, 2016, 08:08:33 PM
Salary: 200k
Age: 25
Experience: 2 years
Education: Internet :).
Post by: tlsv on February 12, 2016, 08:17:59 PM
Salary plus bonuses: $170k - $190k average over the last 3 years plus a non-contributory pension plan, health benefits and fee discounts
Age: 46
Experience: in industry since 1991, but have been a CFP since 1999.
Education: BA and numerous job related courses
Post by: francophile on February 12, 2016, 10:19:13 PM
Job Title: Digital Photo Editor (for large publishing company in a somewhat dying industry)
Age: 31
Salary: 62k
Years’ experience: 8.5
School: Bachelor of Fine Arts
Post by: MrStash2000 on February 13, 2016, 09:44:57 AM
Job Title: Music Teacher
Age: 35
Salary: 62K
Education: Masters Degree
Wife
Job Title: Art Teacher
Age: 32
Salary: 52K
Education: Bachelors Degree
I like what I do. Very busy at times. But we both have 457s and 403bs - oh and we get summers off.
Post by: Tabaxus on February 13, 2016, 09:54:29 AM
Myself
Job Title: Music Teacher
Age: 35
Salary: 62K
Education: Masters Degree
Wife
Job Title: Art Teacher
Age: 32
Salary: 52K
Education: Bachelors Degree
I like what I do. Very busy at times. But we both have 457s and 403bs - oh and we get summers off.
No pensions?
I walked away from my music education career to do the law school thing (stuck in a bad school district with a pretty high likelihood of getting laid off). Definitely miss/regret it sometimes.
Post by: MrStash2000 on February 13, 2016, 12:57:00 PM
I love the job. It is fun teaching people how to play instruments. Us musicians are a rare breed in this forum I believe.
Post by: Travis on February 13, 2016, 01:24:31 PM
Job Title: Temp/contract paralegal
Age: 35
Salary: $10/hour
Education: BA in Human Services
It's her first job ever and she's happy to be doing it. The senior partner (her sister) reminded us over lunch today that she could walk in the door at any other place in town and make at least $15/hr. DW pointed out that she'd feel better having a solid year on a resume at one place before looking for something else, we're not hurting for the money, and this is probably the most flexibility hours-wise she'll ever have. Our son is in kindergarten and I'm out of town all the time for days, weeks, or months at a stretch. There's a 50/50 chance we'll have to move in 12 months so she's rather keep doing this until we know otherwise.
Post by: Avolonte on February 13, 2016, 07:34:57 PM
$61,000, plus all insurance for family paid and $6,000 in HSA
40 hours a week
about 10 years experience
Post by: adoughb on February 13, 2016, 11:28:44 PM
Base:$55K
With OT, Shift Differential, Holiday pay:$72K
2.5 years on the job
Full use take home car available if I wanted to move to my jurisdiction.
Post by: erae on February 14, 2016, 09:55:05 AM
Post by: manonfire1007 on February 14, 2016, 01:02:55 PM
Post by: Bucksandreds on February 14, 2016, 02:18:51 PM
Low $150,000s.
Left dental school at age 27 with $220,000 in student loans (parents paid undergrad)
Dentistry is easy but dealing with people sucks (your dentist is just acting like they give a shit when they're being really friendly). If it wasn't for student loans it would be the best career field that there is. I don't run a business. I just show up and try to read as much as possible. If you're driven then you can clear $200,000 or more for probably 36 or so hours per week.
Post by: use2betrix on February 14, 2016, 02:44:45 PM
27
Associates degree
75/hr + 700/wk per diem (tax free) + 500/mo trip home allowance (tax free) + free health insurance
Location: small town in Texas - no state income tax, LCOL
Management position in the oil field
I work 50-70 hrs a week
As mentioned before, I do contract work, so my contract wages vary. I've been at current gig 9 months and have at least 5-6 more.
Post by: money_maniac on February 14, 2016, 10:43:46 PM
$95,000
10% Bonus
Post by: Proud Foot on February 15, 2016, 08:01:39 AM
He/she probably means they need the MS for the credit hours. I didn't have the credits after undergrad, so I went and got my MBA as a way to get to 150. My current employer won't pay for a class and the test (~$5k?) and I don't really need it so I haven't gone after it, but one of these days.Not to derail the thread, but you don't need the $3k Becker class to pass the CPA exam. I've passed 3/4 parts with just south of 1.5k for exam fees and study materials (both for all four parts). The materials on Another71 are extremely high quality, and pennies compared to the cost of the big name study programs.
This is very true. When I finally passed the CPA I was using Gleim and spent about $900 for the materials. This was after I had spend the $3k for Becker and could not pass. I decided to get new materials after my Becker materials were 2+ years old. Luckily my employer paid for the new materials.
Post by: Pleasedeletethis on February 16, 2016, 05:37:55 PM
Currently:
Title: Advanced Distributed Learning Specialist (I make e-learning courses for the military as a contractor)
Salary: $64,000
Education: BA in English, MA in Education
Age: 28
Experience: <1 year
Also, I'm an Air Force Reservist
Title: 1st Lieutenant, Public Affairs Officer, USAFR
Salary: ~$15,000 per year for the minimum 12 weekends plus 2 weeks during the summer, then some intangibles on top of that
Experience: 3 years
Here are past numbers, just for kicks:
Title: High School English Teacher in Rural Missouri
Salary: $36,000
Experience: 2 years
Title: Staff Sergeant, Air National Guard Munitions Systems
Salary: ~$10,000, plus benefits for 12 weekends and 2 weeks during the summer
Experience: 5 years
In the past, I've also worked at Domino's Pizza, worked at a hardware store, worked at the supermarket, worked on campus during college, do farm work during the summer, and publish on Amazon KDP and do some other online stuff, and all of those were in the $20,000-$30,000 range, tops. Domino's was a decent $15 per hour, which was nice as a college student. Still feel like I'm scraping by, although my savings rate is around 75%.
Post by: belgiandude on February 16, 2016, 05:45:09 PM
Post by: use2betrix on February 16, 2016, 06:47:42 PM
Wow, after reading all these, I feel like I'm really behind the curve. Looks like I need to go get a JD or a software engineering degree to catch up. It's not a race, I know, but I want to FIRE really bad.
Currently:
Title: Advanced Distributed Learning Specialist (I make e-learning courses for the military as a contractor)
Salary: $64,000
Education: BA in English, MA in Education
Age: 28
Experience: <1 year
Also, I'm an Air Force Reservist
Title: 1st Lieutenant, Public Affairs Officer, USAFR
Salary: ~$15,000 per year for the minimum 12 weekends plus 2 weeks during the summer, then some intangibles on top of that
Experience: 3 years
Here are past numbers, just for kicks:
Title: High School English Teacher in Rural Missouri
Salary: $36,000
Experience: 2 years
Title: Staff Sergeant, Air National Guard Munitions Systems
Salary: ~$10,000, plus benefits for 12 weekends and 2 weeks during the summer
Experience: 5 years
In the past, I've also worked at Domino's Pizza, worked at a hardware store, worked at the supermarket, worked on campus during college, do farm work during the summer, and publish on Amazon KDP and do some other online stuff, and all of those were in the $20,000-$30,000 range, tops. Domino's was a decent $15 per hour, which was nice as a college student. Still feel like I'm scraping by, although my savings rate is around 75%.
Coming from a 27 year old who has made 100-200k the last 4ish years, I promise you, money isn't everything.
While I enjoy my "job" I hate the hours, don't care for a lot of ppl I work with, and the locations of my jobs usually suck. Politically I'm very centrist, while I work in a field of the most bigoted right wing red necks. Some are ok, but some will make comments that would make many peoples' head spin. It the nature of a lot of the oil field. Not everyone is like this, but a LOT.
I'd take a 50% pay cut tomorrow for a 30-40 hr work week in a location I loved with a good chunk of vacation.
Post by: GW on February 16, 2016, 06:58:56 PM
Job Title: Multimedia Developer
Salary: $54K
Experience: 6 years
Education: BA in Digital Arts; minor in Business. Most of the coding/programming was self taught post-college
Side Hustle: Web Design and Dev company
Salary: $2-$10K extra per year
Still owe $20K in student debt, soon to be paid off!
Post by: Lmoot on February 17, 2016, 06:32:09 AM
Age 31
Location FL
Ed. Bachelor in English, minor in Education
Total: $55-60k gross.
Job 1
Medicaid bill processor (full time, from home): Base Salary $32k/ Bonuses and OT approx. $10k; health, dental, and 401k match (full match up to 3%, half match 3-6%)
Job 2
Environmental conservation instructor for non profit (part time): Base: $10k; no notable bonuses; small employer paid pension, approx. $500/yr; free and reduced price access to many state attractions (I've used thousands of dollars of this perk for myself and friends/family)
Passive income
Rental income for 1 bedroom house: $6000
Post by: zephyr911 on February 17, 2016, 08:25:59 PM
Wow, after reading all these, I feel like I'm really behind the curve. Looks like I need to go get a JD or a software engineering degree to catch up. It's not a race, I know, but I want to FIRE really bad.ADLS! You bastard! ;)
Currently:
Title: Advanced Distributed Learning Specialist (I make e-learning courses for the military as a contractor)
Salary: $64,000
Education: BA in English, MA in Education
Age: 28
Experience: <1 year
Also, I'm an Air Force Reservist
Title: 1st Lieutenant, Public Affairs Officer, USAFR
Salary: ~$15,000 per year for the minimum 12 weekends plus 2 weeks during the summer, then some intangibles on top of that
Experience: 3 years
Here are past numbers, just for kicks:
Title: High School English Teacher in Rural Missouri
Salary: $36,000
Experience: 2 years
Title: Staff Sergeant, Air National Guard Munitions Systems
Salary: ~$10,000, plus benefits for 12 weekends and 2 weeks during the summer
Experience: 5 years
In the past, I've also worked at Domino's Pizza, worked at a hardware store, worked at the supermarket, worked on campus during college, do farm work during the summer, and publish on Amazon KDP and do some other online stuff, and all of those were in the $20,000-$30,000 range, tops. Domino's was a decent $15 per hour, which was nice as a college student. Still feel like I'm scraping by, although my savings rate is around 75%.
I'm a GS-12 paper pusher for the Army and a cyberspace engineer in the AL ANG. Is there anything you can do to cut out all the pretty graphics and other overhead so we can get through a 30-minute class in under 3 hours? It's hard sharing a T1 with 100 other people on a drill weekend.
Have you considered going semi-FIRE and keeping your reserve job? Lifetime cost savings are huge, and it could cut your initial NW requirement in half.
I'm looking at quitting FT work next year and drilling for another 6 to make 20.
Post by: Matte on February 17, 2016, 09:16:12 PM
Oil and gas Process Operator/Shutdown Coordinator.
2year diploma in Power and Process Engineering. Company paid, 4 year development program industrial firefighter certification, semi truck drivers license, and commercial boat operator license.
Base $95k cdn with 500hrs overtime,shift premiums and bonuses $165k
Post by: socalteacher on February 17, 2016, 09:30:38 PM
Education: BA Psychology and Education; MA in Educational Leadership
Age: 35
Salary: 85k (10 months)
Job Perk: 14 weeks off a year, TIME > $ for me
Side gig: occasionally tutor for 50/hr if I have extra time, more interested in spending it with my young kids/wife at the moment.
Post by: Chris22 on February 19, 2016, 07:54:56 AM
He/she probably means they need the MS for the credit hours. I didn't have the credits after undergrad, so I went and got my MBA as a way to get to 150. My current employer won't pay for a class and the test (~$5k?) and I don't really need it so I haven't gone after it, but one of these days.Not to derail the thread, but you don't need the $3k Becker class to pass the CPA exam. I've passed 3/4 parts with just south of 1.5k for exam fees and study materials (both for all four parts). The materials on Another71 are extremely high quality, and pennies compared to the cost of the big name study programs.
I do. I made it through elementary, middle, and high school, and then a very competitive undergrad program, and an MBA without ever having learned to study. I don't have the willpower and self control to actually do it on my own. I know I need the structure. Weird, but true.
Post by: Chris22 on February 19, 2016, 08:00:20 AM
Finance Mgr, F100: $105k + 10% bonus potential (usually pays out 100%+, up to 130-140%)
Age: 34
Experience: 10 yrs
Education: BS Accounting, MBA
I get to update mine. Alerted that I was given a 3% raise, and then a $6300/yr "market adjustment" to compensate for them bringing in lower-level people at a pay close to mine, so I needed to be "Caught up". So now I'm at $114,450, which is pretty sweet. And bonus payout was at ~130%. Nice.
Post by: zephyr911 on February 19, 2016, 08:47:29 AM
I get to update mine. Alerted that I was given a 3% raise, and then a $6300/yr "market adjustment" to compensate for them bringing in lower-level people at a pay close to mine, so I needed to be "Caught up". So now I'm at $114,450, which is pretty sweet. And bonus payout was at ~130%. Nice.
130% of what? Base pay??
Post by: Chris22 on February 19, 2016, 09:02:29 AM
I get to update mine. Alerted that I was given a 3% raise, and then a $6300/yr "market adjustment" to compensate for them bringing in lower-level people at a pay close to mine, so I needed to be "Caught up". So now I'm at $114,450, which is pretty sweet. And bonus payout was at ~130%. Nice.
130% of what? Base pay??
Target. Target is 10% of base pay. So target was $10,500, payout is 130% or $13,650.
Post by: FIRE2022 on February 19, 2016, 09:40:18 AM
Job1 Software Developer for Big Company with TPS reports and stuff
Salary: 220k
Age: 38
Experience: 19y
Education: 2 year community college
Job2 Software Developer contractor for another company
Hourly based on work: about 80k this year
Software developer here too, and salaries for software devs top out at around $130k. The only way get it higher is to become an architect or move into a management role. What part of the country are you in? What are some companies that offer these high salaries to software devs?
Post by: zephyr911 on February 19, 2016, 09:42:50 AM
Target. Target is 10% of base pay. So target was $10,500, payout is 130% or $13,650.
Gotcha.
We're lucky to get 1% as feds... still, good bennies otherwise. It's interesting to see the differences in pay structures between industries.
Post by: TheGadfly on February 19, 2016, 10:20:37 AM
Age: 28
Salary: $64k + private stock
Experience: 4 years
Education: BA in Philosophy (not that it makes a difference what you study).
Post by: Sweetloveginger on February 19, 2016, 12:25:55 PM
Job Title: Estimator
Salary: $55K
Experience: 6 years
Education: Bachelors in Civil Engineering
Side Hustle: Blog/craft business - $1-2k/year
Thinking of starting a catering business to up the side hustle
Post by: Mother Fussbudget on February 19, 2016, 12:31:13 PM
Age: as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth
Salary: $170k = $146k billable hours + $24k salary
Experience: just under 3 deca-years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Post by: Ferrisbueller on February 19, 2016, 01:02:44 PM
Age:44
Experience: 16 years
Total comp c.$160k
Stem bachelors and masters - no debt
Not as high given my age as some of you young guns with some fantastic salaries.
But
- 5 weeks paid vacation
- NEVER work weekends or on vacation
- 35ish hours per week for the most part
- very family friendly, can come and go as I please
And
I love what I do but don't feel very stretched professionally. Beginning to think I'm getting comfortable and settled (the horror!!)
Post by: effigy98 on February 19, 2016, 02:05:22 PM
Job1 Software Developer for Big Company with TPS reports and stuff
Salary: 220k
Age: 38
Experience: 19y
Education: 2 year community college
Job2 Software Developer contractor for another company
Hourly based on work: about 80k this year
Software developer here too, and salaries for software devs top out at around $130k. The only way get it higher is to become an architect or move into a management role. What part of the country are you in? What are some companies that offer these high salaries to software devs?
Big company near Seattle. The Salary includes my cash "bonus" which pretty much is the same every single year so I consider it Salary. I'm not sure how it's extra motivation if it is always the same lol... whatever. After reading Living FI's story (Dr Doom on this forum), I take my job a lot less seriously as we have had nearly the same exact experiences in tech it is comical.
Post by: JLee on February 19, 2016, 02:09:36 PM
Job1 Software Developer for Big Company with TPS reports and stuff
Salary: 220k
Age: 38
Experience: 19y
Education: 2 year community college
Job2 Software Developer contractor for another company
Hourly based on work: about 80k this year
Software developer here too, and salaries for software devs top out at around $130k. The only way get it higher is to become an architect or move into a management role. What part of the country are you in? What are some companies that offer these high salaries to software devs?
Big company near Seattle. The Salary includes my cash "bonus" which pretty much is the same every single year so I consider it Salary. I'm not sure how it's extra motivation if it is always the same lol... whatever. After reading Living FI's story (Dr Doom on this forum), I take my job a lot less seriously as we have had nearly the same exact experiences in tech it is comical.
I wish I was interested in software dev -- salaries seem much higher than in the infrastructure world. Maybe I'm just not in the right places yet. :P
Post by: SECB on February 19, 2016, 02:17:36 PM
Age: 25
Salary: $50k
Experience: 3 years
Education: BA in Anthropology
Post by: Northwestie on February 19, 2016, 02:23:41 PM
[/quote]
I wish I was interested in software dev -- salaries seem much higher than in the infrastructure world. Maybe I'm just not in the right places yet. :P
[/quote]
But - boring, boring, boring
Post by: JLee on February 19, 2016, 03:07:53 PM
I wish I was interested in software dev -- salaries seem much higher than in the infrastructure world. Maybe I'm just not in the right places yet. :P
[/quote]
But - boring, boring, boring
[/quote]
That's probably true. I got to stay at work for 22 hours last night...definitely not boring, heh.
Post by: zephyr911 on February 19, 2016, 03:17:07 PM
Post by: Pleasedeletethis on February 19, 2016, 05:49:17 PM
Wow, after reading all these, I feel like I'm really behind the curve. Looks like I need to go get a JD or a software engineering degree to catch up. It's not a race, I know, but I want to FIRE really bad.ADLS! You bastard! ;)
Currently:
Title: Advanced Distributed Learning Specialist (I make e-learning courses for the military as a contractor)
Salary: $64,000
Education: BA in English, MA in Education
Age: 28
Experience: <1 year
Also, I'm an Air Force Reservist
Title: 1st Lieutenant, Public Affairs Officer, USAFR
Salary: ~$15,000 per year for the minimum 12 weekends plus 2 weeks during the summer, then some intangibles on top of that
Experience: 3 years
Here are past numbers, just for kicks:
Title: High School English Teacher in Rural Missouri
Salary: $36,000
Experience: 2 years
Title: Staff Sergeant, Air National Guard Munitions Systems
Salary: ~$10,000, plus benefits for 12 weekends and 2 weeks during the summer
Experience: 5 years
In the past, I've also worked at Domino's Pizza, worked at a hardware store, worked at the supermarket, worked on campus during college, do farm work during the summer, and publish on Amazon KDP and do some other online stuff, and all of those were in the $20,000-$30,000 range, tops. Domino's was a decent $15 per hour, which was nice as a college student. Still feel like I'm scraping by, although my savings rate is around 75%.
I'm a GS-12 paper pusher for the Army and a cyberspace engineer in the AL ANG. Is there anything you can do to cut out all the pretty graphics and other overhead so we can get through a 30-minute class in under 3 hours? It's hard sharing a T1 with 100 other people on a drill weekend.
Have you considered going semi-FIRE and keeping your reserve job? Lifetime cost savings are huge, and it could cut your initial NW requirement in half.
I'm looking at quitting FT work next year and drilling for another 6 to make 20.
Awesome suggestions - I've actually thought the semi-FIRE idea before since it takes such a big bite out of the NW needed, but I'd like to have a bigger 'stash before I pull the plug. I figure that even if I reach FIRE before I hit my 20, I'll continue to drill anyway.
And right there with you on the ADLS - I've dealt with ADLS constantly in my 8 years in the ANG and USAFR and I've hated how poorly designed the materials on there are too... Cyberawareness Challenge is everybody's terrible perennial fave to hate on since the material is common sense and the videos hog so much bandwidth. No telling how many hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent designing and developing that damn useless thing.
That said, I think the general trend is positive - a lot of the old first-generation CBTs were made by the lowest bidder (apparently with PowerPoint '98) and are reaching the end of their "serviceable lifecycles," and new stuff should be rolling out over the next few years, course by course.
I actually do ADLS strictly for the Coast Guard, though, so I won't be able to improve any of the AF or DOD courses :(
If only I could get one of those cush GS jobs... :D
Post by: SaintsFan on February 19, 2016, 08:03:03 PM
Salary: $105,000 + yearly bonus
Experience: 8 years in various clinical research roles
Age: 33
Post by: wynr on February 20, 2016, 12:11:31 AM
Salary: $154 + bonus ($26k in 2015)
Experience: 29 years
Education: BS in Electronic Engineering
Age: 53
Essentially FI now, but it is hard to tune off that money/insurance coming at me, plus the gym at work is great.
wynr
Post by: iwasjustwondering on February 20, 2016, 12:13:42 AM
Salary: $230 ($150K salary + $70K bonus + $10K adjunct professor salary)
Education: BA, MPhil in literature
Experience: 20 years
Age: 45
Post by: veloman on May 24, 2016, 10:40:00 PM
I think I posted in the winter that I was making 45k at an accounting job. I was going insane it was so boring so I left after 3 months.
Most recently I was a courier for the on demand app Postmates, and made what equals about a salary of $25k. That was until the past few weeks when work load has fallen to almost nothing and I'm lucky to make $30 a day.
I have the best wife though. She is okay with me being a poor bloke as long as I meet my financial obligations (I do).
Yesterday I had an interview which used up 3 hours of my life. Hell no.
Post by: PhysicianOnFIRE on May 24, 2016, 11:13:43 PM
Plenty.
Post by: The Happy Philosopher on May 24, 2016, 11:28:13 PM
Doctor.
Plenty.
Haha. Ditto.
Post by: CintranGhola on May 25, 2016, 05:23:23 AM
Salary: $60k
Job Experience: 3 years
Education: BS in Mathematics/Statistics
Age: 26
Post by: Warlord1986 on May 25, 2016, 06:45:36 AM
$42,000
Side hustles are short story author (Link: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1?ie=UTF8&text=Anna+Muir&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Anna+Muir&sort=relevancerank ) and BBQ sandwich maker. Brings in roughly an additional $1,000 a year.
Post by: lazysundays on May 25, 2016, 06:45:45 AM
After BS biochem. $55k starting at pharmaceutical company. Hated it.
Back to school for PharmD now $108,000/yr hospital pharmacist. Love it.
Post by: RentSeeking on May 25, 2016, 08:10:29 AM
Job: Associate at a boutique consulting firm
Salary: 62,500 + 3% automatic 401(k) contribution (not a match, gets deposited regardless of what I contribute)
Experience: 1 year, first three months were as intern
Education: BA in Chemistry and Spanish
Post by: TravelJunkyQC on May 25, 2016, 12:56:22 PM
Age: 29
Job: Communications and Content Marketing Manager at a start-up Saas (software as a service) company
Salary: 50k - underpaid but hopefully it will increase along with the company
Experience: 8 years since coming out of uni, a rather windy path to where I am now
Education: BA in Anthropology, several administration masters courses, going back for my MBA in the fall (part-time, partly funded by my company, so score on that front)
Post by: Memphis Mustache on May 25, 2016, 01:20:20 PM
Experience: 9.5 years
Age: 35
Salary: $82K
Post by: MissGina on May 25, 2016, 02:31:57 PM
Pay: $80k
Title job #2: Tax advisor (4 months out of the year while working 9-5 job) 6-10pm during the week and 10 hour days on weekends
Pay:$20k
Also do taxes on he side $5k year and I have rental property with no mortgage that brings in another $10k a year.
B.S. Math, M.S. Taxation, CPA of course ( no student loans)
Looking for adjunct position for summer and fall. Retiring from government right at 20 year mark just for measly pension.
Experience 10 years tax, 3 years Audit
Post by: JimLahey on May 25, 2016, 02:39:27 PM
Experience: Two years as a medic. Five total in EMS.
Age: 28
Salary: I will probably gross between $40K-$45K this year. I work in an ER. It pays better than working on the streets did. I hope to complete a medic to RN bridge program in the next couple of years and get a nice salary bump.
Post by: Cellista on May 25, 2016, 03:04:17 PM
Job: Economist (federal government)
Salary: $135,000 + health benefits, pension, 401k with 5% match.
Any salary increases require Congressional approval
Experience: 24 years
Education: BA in biochemistry, MA in area studies + lots of econ courses
Post by: SaintsfanMS on May 25, 2016, 10:00:41 PM
I think it would make more sense to express earning in terms of dollars per hour instead of a yearly salary.
For example someone in "big law" may earn 300k a year but work 80 hrs/week while another lawyer may earn 150k a year but work 40 hrs/week.
It would also be cool if people posted their real income and their income adjusted for cost of living in a specific city. I see a ton of 6 figure or near 6 figure incomes. There is a huge difference between 100k in San Fran and 100k in Des Moines, Iowa IMO.
Using KC, MO would be a great standardized COL.
For example, if I live in San Francisco and make $105k my standardized income for KCMO would be ~60k.
So true re: cost of living. I live in a state that most would consider the lowest of the low,,,Mississippi. But you can still do well, it just takes a while.
Me: Sports Medicine Coordinator for a physical therapy company but I'm not a PT.
Salary: 101k, started at 27k in 1997
Age: 41
Education: BS, MS
Wife: Quant Analyst
Salary: 100k
Age: 36
Education: BS
I've worked for the same company for 19yrs and the wife has been with her company for 13yrs.
Post by: GoingConcern on May 25, 2016, 10:25:09 PM
Salary: $70k but with O/T and perks probably closer to $80k.
Hours: Pretty laid back, 9-5 type of job
Age: Late 20s.
Experience: 6 years
Post by: Murse on May 27, 2016, 07:39:05 AM
Salary 75k base +OT/shift differentials (1-3$/HR)(I have room for up to 15% in raises to reach the top of the pay-scale plus differentials if I chose to get a BSN or learn another language)
Experience <1 year
Age 24
Title- corrections nurse
Post by: sjc0816 on May 27, 2016, 10:04:15 AM
Occupation: Senior DBA
Salary: $130,000 year
Hours: Laid back work-week...but on-call can be crazy.
Experience: 15 years
Education: BS
Post by: Serve&Volley88 on May 27, 2016, 12:54:47 PM
Age: 27
Experience: 6 years
Education: BA, History
Compensation: $67k/year
Hours: 9:00 - 5:30 with no evening/weekend work for most of the year. Crazy hours for one to two months but no overtime.
Post by: Brawndo TQ on May 28, 2016, 07:50:05 AM
Experience: 11 years
Education: BS, CS
Comp: ~$400K/yr
Hours: 9:30-5
Post by: ender on May 29, 2016, 08:47:16 AM
It would also be cool if people posted their real income and their income adjusted for cost of living in a specific city. I see a ton of 6 figure or near 6 figure incomes. There is a huge difference between 100k in San Fran and 100k in Des Moines, Iowa IMO.
Or make everything based on San Fransisco. For me to go to San Fransisco requires that I have a salary of about $175k based on what I make now (in Iowa) :-)
It's more fun to go that way for us LCoL folks.
Post by: getupkid on June 01, 2016, 11:56:14 AM
Industry: large nonprofit in Saint Louis
Age: 27
Experience: 5 years
Education: BS, BA
Comp: ~$51K/yr
Hours: 8:30-5
Post by: basd on June 01, 2016, 02:15:54 PM
Age: 36
Experience: 10 years
Education: MSc. in CS
Revenue: Around $120k before taxes
Hours: generally 7.30-16.00 but I have all the flexibility in the world as long as my clients remain happy
Post by: Hall11235 on June 02, 2016, 01:53:12 PM
Title: Product Training Specialist, IT Specialist, Lead Install Technician (I work for a mid-sized copier firm)
Age: 22
Experience: 1 year
Salary: 50,000
Post by: gggggg on June 09, 2016, 06:33:23 AM
Post by: JZinCO on June 09, 2016, 09:08:12 AM
It would also be cool if people posted their real income and their income adjusted for cost of living in a specific city. I see a ton of 6 figure or near 6 figure incomes. There is a huge difference between 100k in San Fran and 100k in Des Moines, Iowa IMO.
Or make everything based on San Fransisco. For me to go to San Fransisco requires that I have a salary of about $175k based on what I make now (in Iowa) :-)
It's more fun to go that way for us LCoL folks.
Woah! I just ran the numbers based on bestplaces.net COLA calc. No wonder why Quora has questions like "Is 120K enough to live on in San Fran?"
Post by: Scubanewbie on June 09, 2016, 09:42:11 AM
I'm a manager of marketing analysis for a F500, though I earned almost as much as a statistical analyst with considerably less hassle, though I like my current job a bit better. A BA is a prerequisite and a masters is greatly preferred (almost required) for both jobs.
Post by: runningthroughFIRE on June 09, 2016, 10:06:13 AM
It would also be cool if people posted their real income and their income adjusted for cost of living in a specific city. I see a ton of 6 figure or near 6 figure incomes. There is a huge difference between 100k in San Fran and 100k in Des Moines, Iowa IMO.
Or make everything based on San Fransisco. For me to go to San Fransisco requires that I have a salary of about $175k based on what I make now (in Iowa) :-)
It's more fun to go that way for us LCoL folks.
Woah! I just ran the numbers based on bestplaces.net COLA calc. No wonder why Quora has questions like "Is 120K enough to live on in San Fran?"
This is hilarious.
I'm a 22 y/o excel monkey, soon to be a Certified Public excel monkey
Experience: 1 year
Education: BS in Business Administration and MS of Accounting
Salary: ~135K in San Francisco adjusted dollars. I'm going to be using this number whenever anyone asks me how much I earn and I'm not comfortable enough to tell them directly
Post by: PNW Lady on June 09, 2016, 10:21:41 AM
Age: 38
Experience: 12
Education: BS Business Admin - Accounting
Certification: CPA
Salary: $120K, ($155K = adjusted for San Fran)
Post by: 2Birds1Stone on June 09, 2016, 11:23:28 AM
Title: Account Executive
Salary: $47k base salary + $50k incentive comp @ quota (Going to hit ~$112k total for FY16)
Experience: 1 year
Age:28
Education:Some college
I want to update this and note that I actually ended up hitting $184,000 total comp for FY16 :)
Promotion in January has me at a $57k Base + $65k Incentive Comp @ Quota
Post by: retiringearly on June 09, 2016, 12:06:34 PM
Experience: 25 years
Education: Undergrad in Finance + MBA
Location: Chicago
Base Salary: $160K
Car Allowance: $8.4K
Target Bonus: $40K (it can be more or less than $40K based on company performance)
Post by: lifejoy on June 09, 2016, 12:10:34 PM
I'm a middle manager at a bookstore and am making $42,000 + bonuses based upon the store's performance.
I'm not at all satisfied with this level of pay considering that I have a BA in English Lit and a Master's of Library and Information Studies. This thread is inspirational! Thanks!
--
Title: Manager
Experience: 1 year in this job
Education: Undergrad in English Lit and MLIS
Location: Canada
Base Salary: $42k
Target Bonus: $10k
Post by: dividendman on June 09, 2016, 12:41:43 PM
And you just jumped from 90k to 280k for job #4? Teach me your secrets.
Haha, that part might be a less interesting than you think. By the end of job 3 I was in a "senior-level" position, but it was at a small company in Boston that couldn't afford to pay market rates (which I think would have been around $120k for that city). The new position is at a giant company in Silicon Valley that can, and chooses to, pay above market rates.
Sounds like Netflix.
Title: SW Engineering Director
Compensation: ~300k
Years experience: 10
Post by: Slee_stack on June 09, 2016, 12:57:34 PM
Age: 44
Experience: 23 years
Education: BS ChE
Certification: CQE
Compensation: $103,500/yr + $3k-$5k bonus
Hours: 8-4:30
Post by: mm1970 on June 09, 2016, 01:57:19 PM
I got $146k, but it's probably more than that because I'm underpaid. $146k is actually probably where i should be, so in San Fran that's a bit more, 30% higher I think.It would also be cool if people posted their real income and their income adjusted for cost of living in a specific city. I see a ton of 6 figure or near 6 figure incomes. There is a huge difference between 100k in San Fran and 100k in Des Moines, Iowa IMO.
Or make everything based on San Fransisco. For me to go to San Fransisco requires that I have a salary of about $175k based on what I make now (in Iowa) :-)
It's more fun to go that way for us LCoL folks.
Woah! I just ran the numbers based on bestplaces.net COLA calc. No wonder why Quora has questions like "Is 120K enough to live on in San Fran?"
This is hilarious.
I'm a 22 y/o excel monkey, soon to be a Certified Public excel monkey
Experience: 1 year
Education: BS in Business Administration and MS of Accounting
Salary: ~135K in San Francisco adjusted dollars. I'm going to be using this number whenever anyone asks me how much I earn and I'm not comfortable enough to tell them directly
Post by: JLee on June 09, 2016, 02:04:01 PM
Cop 50k (about to get a 20-30% raise), excellent benefits, early retirement. No degree besides police academy (most Officers have a degree these days, I'm an exception). Our pay varies wildly throughout the country. My Sgt. made well over 100k in NYC; some police in rural areas only make mid 20's to low 30's.
I was at $48k + OT when I left NH in 2011. I was looking at TN in ~2006...$28k. Nope...
Post by: SyZ on June 09, 2016, 03:14:25 PM
Salary: Enough to pay rent, $1,250 a month extra on debt and still feel like I'm going nowhere
Experience: That depends - are we counting each of my 9 6-12 month positions as one long 6 year experience, or just the current 8 month stint?
Education: B.S. in Statistics from UCLA - really putting that money to good use
Post by: Melisande on June 10, 2016, 09:48:14 AM
Job Title: Full Professor/Department Chair in a STEM field at a large, public university
Experience: About 25 years in field
Age: Late 50s
Education: PhD from a top program
Salary (including base pay, retirement matching program, travel reimbursements from grants; outside consulting & speaker fees): $240,000-$245,000/year.
I ran the salary through the CNN cost of living calculator. This income supports a lifestyle that $545,000/year would support in Manhattan. This is totally theoretical though because from what I've heard professors living in major metropolitan areas are rarely compensated at rates that make up for huge differences in COL. I'm glad we're living where we are!
Post by: Orvell on June 10, 2016, 10:13:00 AM
Title: Office Manager/Executive AdminUpdate: Same job title, Salary is now 42K with the same bonus potential (this year it was 4K, next year will be lower just due to company forecast)
Salary: 39K + 4-7% bonus (if I'm not shit)
Age: 27
Education: College Degree (4 years)
Post by: NorCalMK3 on June 10, 2016, 10:30:02 AM
Experience: 5+ years in field/office
Age: 31
Education: BS in Civil Engineering/Construction Management, Minor in Business Admin
Salary: $80,000/Year Base + $6000/Year Vehicle Allowance, Gas Card & Cell Phone, Med, Dental, Vision, 401k
Working in Northern California.
Post by: gggggg on June 10, 2016, 01:05:24 PM
Cop 50k (about to get a 20-30% raise), excellent benefits, early retirement. No degree besides police academy (most Officers have a degree these days, I'm an exception). Our pay varies wildly throughout the country. My Sgt. made well over 100k in NYC; some police in rural areas only make mid 20's to low 30's.
I was at $48k + OT when I left NH in 2011. I was looking at TN in ~2006...$28k. Nope...
Yeah it's crazy how different the pay is in different parts of the country. My Sgt. has a FAT pension from NYC, bought a $650k house here when he came down; on the flip side, I know guys out in the sticks that barely make $30k.
Post by: retiringearly on June 10, 2016, 08:15:58 PM
Title: Vice President of Finance
Experience: 25 years
Education: Undergrad in Finance + MBA
Location: Chicago
Base Salary: $160K
Car Allowance: $8.4K
Target Bonus: $40K (it can be more or less than $40K based on company performance)
Added - I am at the office 40 hours per week, but I only put in about 7 hours of actual work per week. That is not a joke.
Post by: fuzzy math on June 10, 2016, 08:31:12 PM
Salary: $133k
Hours: Days plus on call
Experience: 12 years
Post by: MoneyCat on June 10, 2016, 08:40:10 PM
Post by: garth on June 12, 2016, 05:12:04 PM
Title: Vice President of Finance
Experience: 25 years
Education: Undergrad in Finance + MBA
Location: Chicago
Base Salary: $160K
Car Allowance: $8.4K
Target Bonus: $40K (it can be more or less than $40K based on company performance)
Added - I am at the office 40 hours per week, but I only put in about 7 hours of actual work per week. That is not a joke.
What do you do during the other 33 hours?
Post by: Erica on June 12, 2016, 06:39:19 PM
Two 18 hr shifts per week.8 hrs of each 18 hr shift is paid sleep time. Midweek. 20 hrs paid by the County, 17 paid by a Vendor of the State= 37 hrs per wk + my own income streams worked while on the clock. I also make $150-$100 a month selling on Craigslist but haven’t done it long enough to rely upon that as regular income to factor in. Shop for items to sell online while on the clock. Job Pays me to drive to work and paid to shop at nearby thrift stores (with my client). Wage + .54 cents per mile. Paid to sleep 8 hrs of my 18 hr shifts, not factored into the wage above.
Excellent Medical & Dental Benefits, Some Life insurance & D&D
Doc visits-$5 co-pays/$15 Specialist
$50 ER visits up to 4 days per yr then no cost.
$5 generic/ $15 brand name drugs. $10 X rays. $25 Cat Scans/MRI etc..
NO DEDUCTIBLE PLAN.
DENTAL- Free Cleanings and X rays. No co pays or deductibles. Everything free except orthodontics where they pay $500 towards braces
-50,00 Life Insurance+ 50,000 AD&D up front then 50% of wages paid until ages 65 if disabled.
Other Perks while on the clock-
-Paid to sleep 8 hrs of each shift (or surf online).
-Showering at work while on the clock in private bath. Blowdrying my hair. Two hours a week saved from doing it at home right after shift.
-Washing one set of clothes in bathtub(worn at the prior shift) hanging to dry then fold in the morning. Less laundry to do at home.
-Exercise each shift. Run pretty hard for 30 min of each shift. Not much but helps my cycling. Run alongside my Client who cycles (on the level road) for 30-40 min of each shift.
-Plenty of time to eat healthy while on the clock-Juice my organic veggies and such.
-Paid .54 cents a mile to drive to work (one way) each week (an extra $125-$150 re-imbursement check per month)
-Twice as many paid sick days than Calif law requires
Potential Advancement- They've offered me a better job a few times. A higher up Supervisor Position but it requires working 4 more hrs per week +being on call at least 1, sometimes 2 two days per week. Includes better Life Insurance + other little perks. I'd only make $10,000 more per year. Not worth it. So this arrangement works fine. We live in Northern California
Post by: PDM on June 12, 2016, 07:24:55 PM
Salary: $127.5k (AUD)
Years’ experience: 10 years
(http://i.imgur.com/w3uCgeo.jpg)
Post by: soccerluvof4 on June 13, 2016, 06:26:47 AM
Post by: mizzourah2006 on June 13, 2016, 08:04:47 AM
Age: 33
Job Title: Senior Compliance Analyst
Salary: $91k
Experience: 11 years
Education: Master’s degree
Holy shit, I could be making $241,274 in San Fran. Thanks for the COLA comparison link (http://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/)!
That one is crazy compared to the CNN calculator.
CNN says I should be at $196k in San Fran
Best Places says I should be at $292k in San Fran.
One of them is likely a bit off.
Post by: Roots&Wings on June 13, 2016, 11:17:02 AM
Post by: ender on June 13, 2016, 04:29:29 PM
Amazing the Salaries of alot of young people on here. Practice the MMM principles and your future will be what you want it to be.
I feel very blessed to make what I do (and I'm not close to some folks my age or younger here, either).
Even more blessed to be smart enough to not be immediately parted with what I make, too! :-)
Post by: bb11 on June 16, 2016, 12:51:21 PM
Marketing Analyst
Salary: $76k + 4-10% bonus
B.A. in Psychology, up to about 4 years experience now
To those talking about COL adjustments, I think most places drastically overstate them, particularly for Mustachians. I spent ~$18,000 living in NYC last year, on pace to spend about $15,000 this year. How could I possibly be saving much more by living in St. Louis?
It is fairly easy to eliminate most of the COL difference if you really want to. So I would advocate not adjusting for COL on a forum like this. Someone making $100,000 in a HCOL area has the opportunity to save much more than than another person making $60,000 in a LCOL area.
Post by: monstermonster on June 22, 2016, 12:57:16 PM
Age: 28
Title: Digital Director
Field: Politics
Location: Portland, OR
Salary: $49K + bonuses (~$3,000 depending on election results)
Education: BA in Economics
Experience: 10 years experience in closely related field, first year in politics
Post by: AmandaS1989 on June 22, 2016, 01:10:36 PM
Age: 27
Title: Staff Accountant
Location: Piedmont Triad, NC
Salary: $35K
Experience: 1 year
Education: BS in Accounting
Post by: Tyson on June 27, 2016, 11:09:34 AM
Post by: darknight on June 27, 2016, 12:44:16 PM
Title: Member Services and sales
Field: Major med insurance
Location: Montana
Salary: $46K + 6-8% bonus
Education: BA in Business Management
Experience: 3.5 years
-
Wife and I started a graphic design business this year- she has 6+ years designing, BA in Graphic Design
~looking like $8-10k this year
Post by: Gribble752 on June 28, 2016, 05:14:02 AM
Salary: $69k
Years of experience: 1.5
Post by: Jaguar Paw on June 28, 2016, 07:04:40 AM
Cop 50k (about to get a 20-30% raise), excellent benefits, early retirement. No degree besides police academy (most Officers have a degree these days, I'm an exception). Our pay varies wildly throughout the country. My Sgt. made well over 100k in NYC; some police in rural areas only make mid 20's to low 30's.
I was at $48k + OT when I left NH in 2011. I was looking at TN in ~2006...$28k. Nope...
Yeah it's crazy how different the pay is in different parts of the country. My Sgt. has a FAT pension from NYC, bought a $650k house here when he came down; on the flip side, I know guys out in the sticks that barely make $30k.
How much time did y'all have on?
Me:
Job title: police officer
Age: 31
Time on: 9 years
Pay: 85k ish with ball park 8 hours per week overtime.
Location: Texas, super low cost of living.
Education requirements: 45 college credits or military experience I believe.
Extra pay for: masters degree/ bachelors degree, bilingual.
Perks: 55% pension at 25 years
Post by: MVal on June 28, 2016, 07:54:50 AM
Title: Front Desk Jockey
Total Compensation: Around $61k
Years of Experience: Several
Training/Education: OTJ is all that is necessary, however a BA was 'highly desired'. I happened to have one.
I have one of the easiest jobs for the money in the world. Some days I just sit here like '...really? They are happily shelling out $61k a year for this?".
Damn, how lucky! But what part of the country?
Post by: JLee on June 28, 2016, 11:02:53 AM
Cop 50k (about to get a 20-30% raise), excellent benefits, early retirement. No degree besides police academy (most Officers have a degree these days, I'm an exception). Our pay varies wildly throughout the country. My Sgt. made well over 100k in NYC; some police in rural areas only make mid 20's to low 30's.
I was at $48k + OT when I left NH in 2011. I was looking at TN in ~2006...$28k. Nope...
Yeah it's crazy how different the pay is in different parts of the country. My Sgt. has a FAT pension from NYC, bought a $650k house here when he came down; on the flip side, I know guys out in the sticks that barely make $30k.
How much time did y'all have on?
Me:
Job title: police officer
Age: 31
Time on: 9 years
Pay: 85k ish with ball park 8 hours per week overtime.
Location: Texas, super low cost of living.
Education requirements: 45 college credits or military experience I believe.
Extra pay for: masters degree/ bachelors degree, bilingual.
Perks: 55% pension at 25 years
I started part time in December 2006, full time in September 2007, and left in October 2011 - 4yr 10mo total, just over 4 years full time.
It was fun and I have no regrets, but I am really enjoying having nights and weekends off now. Stay safe!
Post by: MVal on June 28, 2016, 12:40:41 PM
Years in: 6
Age: 33
Education: Bachelor of Arts - English
Salary: $40,000
This is by far the highest paying job I've ever had, and I get great benefits and bonuses on top of my base. However, I'm hoping to explore options and find a new career path eventually as I'm getting very bored with this. I'm not sure what I could do from here, but I do want to make over $50K.
Post by: MMMarbleheader on June 28, 2016, 12:57:57 PM
Title: Property Administrator (administrative assistant-like job in commercial property management)
Years in: 6
Age: 33
Education: Bachelor of Arts - English
Salary: $40,000
This is by far the highest paying job I've ever had, and I get great benefits and bonuses on top of my base. However, I'm hoping to explore options and find a new career path eventually as I'm getting very bored with this. I'm not sure what I could do from here, but I do want to make over $50K.
I work for a national general contractor. We have project admins that process all the submitals, drawings, reporting, supply ordering, etc. They are paid $20-$35/hr. A few have gotten a masters in Construction Management and moved up into the technical ranks.
Post by: TheAnonOne on June 28, 2016, 02:46:32 PM
It would also be cool if people posted their real income and their income adjusted for cost of living in a specific city. I see a ton of 6 figure or near 6 figure incomes. There is a huge difference between 100k in San Fran and 100k in Des Moines, Iowa IMO.
Or make everything based on San Fransisco. For me to go to San Fransisco requires that I have a salary of about $175k based on what I make now (in Iowa) :-)
It's more fun to go that way for us LCoL folks.
Woah! I just ran the numbers based on bestplaces.net COLA calc. No wonder why Quora has questions like "Is 120K enough to live on in San Fran?"
Using... http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/
I make 160 to 200 a year as a .NET consultant in MN, apparently I need OVER $300,000 to go to SAN FRAN
Amazing...
Post by: Last Night on June 29, 2016, 06:45:29 AM
Title: Vice President of Finance
Experience: 25 years
Education: Undergrad in Finance + MBA
Location: Chicago
Base Salary: $160K
Car Allowance: $8.4K
Target Bonus: $40K (it can be more or less than $40K based on company performance)
Ballpark of annual revenue of the company? I am assuming less than 500M annual at the above comp for VP finance. Is there a CFO as well or are you as high as it gets on the Finance side?
Awesome work life balance though, you hit the jackpot there :)
Post by: svndezafrohman on June 29, 2016, 05:34:47 PM
Base Salary: $80k
Bonus: ~5%
Vacation: 20 days
Holiday: 13 paid days
Experience: 1.5 years public. 3.5 years private.
Age: 29
Post by: Shenzhenigans on June 30, 2016, 09:16:24 AM
Age - 24
Salary - 28k USD
Location - China
Gotta love that low CoL though!
Post by: DeskJockey2028 on June 30, 2016, 10:41:19 AM
Age: 44
Salary: 71k
Location: US
Post by: hoipolloi on July 01, 2016, 05:47:33 AM
Age: 23
Salary: ~75K before any OT.
Education: Finishing up undergrad.
Experience: First year doing this, 5 years of various fundraising, non-profit, etc. before.
HCOL area though!
Post by: MVal on July 08, 2016, 09:08:42 AM
Title: Property Administrator (administrative assistant-like job in commercial property management)
Years in: 6
Age: 33
Education: Bachelor of Arts - English
Salary: $40,000
This is by far the highest paying job I've ever had, and I get great benefits and bonuses on top of my base. However, I'm hoping to explore options and find a new career path eventually as I'm getting very bored with this. I'm not sure what I could do from here, but I do want to make over $50K.
I work for a national general contractor. We have project admins that process all the submitals, drawings, reporting, supply ordering, etc. They are paid $20-$35/hr. A few have gotten a masters in Construction Management and moved up into the technical ranks.
That's cool, but I'd honestly like to do something less administrative as a different career. I would probably fit better in a teaching or creative career, but not sure how to break into that without amassing student debt or having to deal with the state education systems.
Post by: Gronnie on July 14, 2016, 09:55:49 PM
My Job Title: SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1 year
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: 72k + ~10% bonus + $750 HSA contribution + 2.5% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Cost of living from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html) is 99.2/100, so very average cost of living area.
Started at 71k, got a raise a couple months in as a thanks for being awesome ;)
My manager says I will be getting a promotion in the next round (February) even though it typically takes 3-4 years. Should come with about a 10% raise.
The work environment is awesome. Really laid back and supportive. Take as much vacation as you want policy with no keeping track of work, sick, and vacation hours, etc. I would have to get a super big raise to consider working elsewhere.
DW Job Title: RN
Salary: ~70k + small pension + 2% 403b match
Experience: 5 years
Education: BS in Dietetics, BS in Nursing
She started out getting a degree in dietetics but that didn't work out due to requiring an internship to get certified and there not being enough to go around (something that if she had known me prior to starting the program she would have thoroughly looked into and chosen something different or studied harder). Went back after the Dietetics degree and did an accelerated BSN program and now is very happy.
Updating because I just got a promotion and a 15% raise!!!!
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $83,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
San Francisco Salary: $198,578 (my city is 101.4 on CoL Index)
Post by: Chris86 on July 15, 2016, 03:25:11 PM
Age: 29
Title: Business Analyst
Salary: $69K
Education: BS in Finance, a year of MBA down
Experience: 5 years
National Guard
Title: Platoon Leader
Salary: $7.5k
Experience: 11 years
Post by: DebtFreeinPhilly on August 07, 2016, 09:42:08 PM
Salary: $113,000
Age: 34
Education: BA CLJ from Penn State
Experience: 12 years
Location: Philadelphia
Post by: Zap on August 07, 2016, 10:16:35 PM
Title: Union Electrican
Pay: $62000 + 12.5% 401K + fully paid family medical insurance + pension
Education: 5 year apprenticeship
Experience: 10 years
Post by: gggggg on August 08, 2016, 04:28:27 AM
Cop 50k (about to get a 20-30% raise), excellent benefits, early retirement. No degree besides police academy (most Officers have a degree these days, I'm an exception). Our pay varies wildly throughout the country. My Sgt. made well over 100k in NYC; some police in rural areas only make mid 20's to low 30's.
I was at $48k + OT when I left NH in 2011. I was looking at TN in ~2006...$28k. Nope...
Yeah it's crazy how different the pay is in different parts of the country. My Sgt. has a FAT pension from NYC, bought a $650k house here when he came down; on the flip side, I know guys out in the sticks that barely make $30k.
How much time did y'all have on?
Me:
Job title: police officer
Age: 31
Time on: 9 years
Pay: 85k ish with ball park 8 hours per week overtime.
Location: Texas, super low cost of living.
Education requirements: 45 college credits or military experience I believe.
Extra pay for: masters degree/ bachelors degree, bilingual.
Perks: 55% pension at 25 years
I started part time in December 2006, full time in September 2007, and left in October 2011 - 4yr 10mo total, just over 4 years full time.
It was fun and I have no regrets, but I am really enjoying having nights and weekends off now. Stay safe!
Yeah the nights and weekends suck sometimes. I've been on 10 years; did corporate asset protection work for 11 years before that (actually liked it better than police work). Man you guy in Texas get paid well; I've talked to a couple of Texas LEO's, and they all were paid well.
Update: Got a promotion
Police Sergeant
60k+
10 years service
41yo
Some college, lots of in-service training
Location, central NC
My COL is almost nothing, house paid for, no debt.
Post by: Jaguar Paw on August 11, 2016, 05:21:29 PM
Cop 50k (about to get a 20-30% raise), excellent benefits, early retirement. No degree besides police academy (most Officers have a degree these days, I'm an exception). Our pay varies wildly throughout the country. My Sgt. made well over 100k in NYC; some police in rural areas only make mid 20's to low 30's.
I was at $48k + OT when I left NH in 2011. I was looking at TN in ~2006...$28k. Nope...
Yeah it's crazy how different the pay is in different parts of the country. My Sgt. has a FAT pension from NYC, bought a $650k house here when he came down; on the flip side, I know guys out in the sticks that barely make $30k.
How much time did y'all have on?
Me:
Job title: police officer
Age: 31
Time on: 9 years
Pay: 85k ish with ball park 8 hours per week overtime.
Location: Texas, super low cost of living.
Education requirements: 45 college credits or military experience I believe.
Extra pay for: masters degree/ bachelors degree, bilingual.
Perks: 55% pension at 25 years
I started part time in December 2006, full time in September 2007, and left in October 2011 - 4yr 10mo total, just over 4 years full time.
It was fun and I have no regrets, but I am really enjoying having nights and weekends off now. Stay safe!
Yeah the nights and weekends suck sometimes. I've been on 10 years; did corporate asset protection work for 11 years before that (actually liked it better than police work). Man you guy in Texas get paid well; I've talked to a couple of Texas LEO's, and they all were paid well.
Update: Got a promotion
Police Sergeant
60k+
10 years service
41yo
Some college, lots of in-service training
Location, central NC
My COL is almost nothing, house paid for, no debt.
Congrats on the promotion! yeah, we just got a pretty sweet new contract too. Officers with 17 years on will be getting around 90K in 2018 with a degree... We're hiring!
Post by: LivlongnProsper on August 12, 2016, 09:25:22 AM
Title: Auditor
Salary: 78K
Education: BS in nuclear engineering
Experience: 3 years
Location: Bremerton, WA
Prior job: 22 years active duty Navy enlisted, retired as an E-8. Worked on submarines running the engineroom.
Post by: PhoenixHeat on August 12, 2016, 10:00:22 AM
Salary $52K
Quarterly Bonus: Average $2K (about 3K gross)take home net each quarter last 4 quarters
Annually Profit Sharing: depending on the year appx. $7K
4.5% 401 k match
pretty decent medical benefits
2 years in job
age 33
feeling underpaid vs many I see here...
Happy I am focusing on both increasing savings rate as well as increasing pay :)
Post by: AdaBeansonFire on August 13, 2016, 06:08:47 PM
Salary - 87,500 plus bonus ~4% per quarter based on company performance
Experience/Ed - 10+ years, BA/JD
Post by: Simpli-Fi on August 14, 2016, 08:44:06 AM
Super low cost of living with exchange rate
North of $350k compensation + 8% base salary match 401k + pension
10 years in industry 4 years outside experience Engineering degree and Professional Engineering license.
Post by: brokemillennial on August 14, 2016, 10:52:05 AM
Age: 28
Less than 1 year in this job
~ $35K, plus benefits and matching 401k
No degree (hoping to finish up this year once tuition benefits kick in), but I have lots of customer service experience. Hoping to move into a new role in my organization after a year or so in this role so that I can make/save more.
Post by: beastykato on August 14, 2016, 07:55:16 PM
Age: 29
Experience: 5 years
Education: BS in Biology/Chemistry (Job requires only HS Diploma =P)
Salary: $68,000 Base (*80k-100k typically with OT)
401k match: Flat rate of $4490 (~6.6% of base salary)
Vacation: 160 Hours Paid
Work Hours/Week: 36 (Weekend shift though so not all ice cream and rainbows)
Sad thing is I get paid more than Chemists/R&D/Supervisors at the company or I would leave the union and take one of those jobs. Glad I didn't go to pharmacy school and take on the $160k of school tuition debt + living expenses for 4 years.
Post by: BCBiker on August 14, 2016, 09:12:20 PM
Age: 30
Experience: 5 (PGY5 in the jargon)
Education: MD
Salary: $61,800 Base ($500 BS bonus, contract disallows outside gigs for the most part), good health insurance
401k match: Ha!
Vacation: 15 days
Work Hours/Week: 60ish Plus occasional at home call (reasonable for a resident)
Current City: Denver
Next year I will be a "fellow" in NYC with ~$82-85K salary. After training salary depends on type of practice (academic, private practice or industry) and desirability of city (you can make 2-3x in places that docs don't want to live). Ballpark first year salary in my ultimate field (Molecular Genetic Pathology/Clinical Informatics) is $200,000-$250,000 in a major city outside of the South and Midwest. Depending on partnership/academic structure, 3-6 years in, one can probably expect $225,000-$350,000 but it is widely variable, that range probably captures 1.5 SDs (assuming mediocristan).
As you might imagine, this field (like all of medicine) puts one way behind in savings, because one does not start saving in earnest until 28-35 years old. Most people, like myself, have $100,000-300,000 in medical school debt at graduation that grows during residency because salary is not sufficient in higher COL cities to even pay down interest on this debt (6+% interest is the norm).
Fortunately, the end game salary more than makes up for the years of poor pay and what some would consider being overworked during residency. The trick is realizing one is not rich when you are 32 years old with $300K education debt and minimal retirement savings. This is where most fail. :)
Post by: ender on August 14, 2016, 09:15:40 PM
Fortunately, the end game salary more than makes up for the years of poor pay and what some would consider being overworked during residency. The trick is realizing one is not rich when you are 32 years old with $300K education debt and minimal retirement savings. This is where most fail. :)
I don't want to burst your bubble. I really don't.
So I won't and will just say, I hope you make more than $225k and work a normal workweek when you graduate into your non-residency!
Post by: dignam on August 15, 2016, 06:57:59 AM
Post by: beastykato on August 15, 2016, 08:51:08 AM
Title: Pharmaceutical Fluid Bed Operator
What does this mean? I'm imagining a water bed with a bunch of prescription bottles thrown on it, but that's probably not right.
It's actually air, although there is usually solution involved with the drug either dissolved in it (aqueous, alcohol, and acetone based)or already present in the powder itself.
"Fluid" just comes from the fact that the air in the chamber keeps the powder or beads we are coating with the drug suspended in the air in a fluid manner, so that they get coated as evenly as possible with the drug solutions.
They do the same process in many different fields. For example, cereal plants also use fluid beds to put sugar-based coatings on their products
Post by: BCBiker on August 15, 2016, 08:55:18 AM
Fortunately, the end game salary more than makes up for the years of poor pay and what some would consider being overworked during residency. The trick is realizing one is not rich when you are 32 years old with $300K education debt and minimal retirement savings. This is where most fail. :)
I don't want to burst your bubble. I really don't.
So I won't and will just say, I hope you make more than $225k and work a normal workweek when you graduate into your non-residency!
Pathology is much more a standard work week than say a surgeon, although occasional call is part of the bargain. Believe me I know that medicine is not a lifestyle profession in any sense of the word. I hope that I continue to find the work gratifying in whatever situation I find myself in. If I wanted a truly 9-5 kind of job it would probably be available (and pay more) but part of the draw of being a physician is to directly have an influence in patients' lives. For me Mustachianism is a way to create freedom from money so that it does not matter what I am paid, I will be able to do something that is gratifying. I also want to be able to quit the moment that it is no longer worth it to me.
I feel sorry for people spending 20 nights per month in the hospital and not seeing their children grow up because they need the 9k sq ft house, boat, BMW SUV, etc. That is when medicine will make one want to shoot oneself and they not uncommonly do --->> https://afsp.org/our-work/education/physician-medical-student-depression-suicide-prevention/ (https://afsp.org/our-work/education/physician-medical-student-depression-suicide-prevention/)
Post by: whywhy on August 15, 2016, 10:17:12 PM
salary $160K with bonus. employer 10% match to 401K
wifey about the same....
savings sucked compared to pay...usual sins of keeping up with joneses and horrible money management. IF we keep our jobs, looking @55 to RE with kids educated/married/out.
It will take a mindset shift but with frugal life...but I can FI next year.
Post by: Simpli-Fi on August 16, 2016, 03:00:48 PM
Post by: retiringearly on August 16, 2016, 06:37:10 PM
I 1) am on the internet messing around, 2) going to a park for a walk for exercise when it is not too hot out, or 3) running errands (going to Walgreens, Costco, Walmart, etc). Not kidding.Title: Vice President of Finance
Experience: 25 years
Education: Undergrad in Finance + MBA
Location: Chicago
Base Salary: $160K
Car Allowance: $8.4K
Target Bonus: $40K (it can be more or less than $40K based on company performance)
Added - I am at the office 40 hours per week, but I only put in about 7 hours of actual work per week. That is not a joke.
What do you do during the other 33 hours?
Post by: retiringearly on August 16, 2016, 06:42:14 PM
You are good. $100 million in sales (but we are really, really, really profitable). We are owned by another company, the CFO of that company is the only person with the CFO title. The people in charge of finance for the companies at my level have the title VP of Finance.Title: Vice President of Finance
Experience: 25 years
Education: Undergrad in Finance + MBA
Location: Chicago
Base Salary: $160K
Car Allowance: $8.4K
Target Bonus: $40K (it can be more or less than $40K based on company performance)
Ballpark of annual revenue of the company? I am assuming less than 500M annual at the above comp for VP finance. Is there a CFO as well or are you as high as it gets on the Finance side?
Awesome work life balance though, you hit the jackpot there :)
Post by: Livingthedream55 on August 25, 2016, 02:13:37 PM
Post by: Kyrie on August 28, 2016, 05:00:46 PM
Post by: blackjack on August 28, 2016, 07:12:09 PM
Salary: $96,000.00 + ( benefits, pension)
Years’ experience: 4 years
Post by: startingsmall on August 29, 2016, 07:25:56 AM
I feel sorry for people spending 20 nights per month in the hospital and not seeing their children grow up because they need the 9k sq ft house, boat, BMW SUV, etc. That is when medicine will make one want to shoot oneself and they not uncommonly do --->> https://afsp.org/our-work/education/physician-medical-student-depression-suicide-prevention/ (https://afsp.org/our-work/education/physician-medical-student-depression-suicide-prevention/)
At least you guys are only half as likely to kill yourselves as the veterinarians ;)
And, to that end, here's my recent update:
Title: Associate Veterinarian
Age: 37
Experience: 10 yrs
Education: DVM
Salary: $80,500 (down from $92,000 three months ago)
401k match: 3%
Vacation: 20 days
Work Hours/Week: 30-32 hrs/wk (down from 38-40 hrs/wk three months ago)
Current city: LCOL area in the South
Yep, I took a pay cut in exchange for an hours cut. Best decision that I've ever made.... I no longer hate work as much, still get benefits, AND have more time for my side gig (which pays significantly more per hour than my veterinary work). Life has been immeasurably better for the last few months.
Title: Freelance Veterinary/Medical Writer
Age: 37
Experience: 1 yr
Education: DVM
Salary: $15k since Aug 2015. Hoping to hit a 2016 income of $25k, but we'll see.
401k match: none
Vacation: as much as I want, unpaid
Work Hours/Week: 0-15 hrs/wk
Post by: boarder42 on August 29, 2016, 08:14:36 AM
Job Title: UPS Driver
Salary: $96,000.00 + ( benefits, pension)
Years’ experience: 4 years
thats incredible. i'm 6 years out of college as an engineer and barely pull in more. should have taken this path it looks like. How many hours do you work to make that 96k?
Post by: Gronnie on August 29, 2016, 11:01:31 AM
Job Title: UPS Driver
Salary: $96,000.00 + ( benefits, pension)
Years’ experience: 4 years
thats incredible. i'm 6 years out of college as an engineer and barely pull in more. should have taken this path it looks like. How many hours do you work to make that 96k?
This. I am an engineer and making about 5k less than this 2 years out of school.
Post by: ender on August 29, 2016, 11:13:01 AM
blackjack could be located there, in which case your "only $5k less" in a perhaps lower cost of living area could end up being 2x what blackjack makes there.
Post by: ayaparis on August 29, 2016, 06:38:37 PM
Post by: blackjack on August 29, 2016, 07:21:56 PM
It ranges from 45-50hours per week and usually 55hours during holiday season.Job Title: UPS Driver
Salary: $96,000.00 + ( benefits, pension)
Years’ experience: 4 years
thats incredible. i'm 6 years out of college as an engineer and barely pull in more. should have taken this path it looks like. How many hours do you work to make that 96k?
My SF salary would be $167000; Which doesn't really mean much because UPS drivers get paid the same everywhere.
Post by: ptenn on August 30, 2016, 04:27:38 AM
Experience: 5 years in the industry
Age: 28
Education: Bachelor of criminology
Salary: Slightly over $90k (CAD), plus 3% employer stock contributions, plus an annual performance-based bonus (usually around $15k at my level), plus the usual suite of dental, drugs, and extended healthcare coverage.
Post by: PFHC on August 30, 2016, 05:00:57 AM
Marine Engineer (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/perhaps-the-single-most-mustachian-job-ever/msg791769/#msg791769)
$135-$212k depending on location, 6% 401k match, 5% pension, and work half the year, but GONE half the year.
36
Either none or 4 years at a maritime academy like I did
Soon to be:
Product Manager for a wind turbine
$135k + 15% bonus
I live in the US.
Post by: Villanelle on August 30, 2016, 05:19:43 AM
Salary: between $30 and $50/hour, not including prep time, which is minimal
Education: Bachelor of English, though it isn't required
Experience: None when I started, and I was making the same amount
I'm in the greater, greater Tokyo area, so it's pretty expensive, but I think may pay is pretty much amazing regardless.
In most of my classes, I literally just sit and chat with people, and then they pay me. Last week, I was talking about wanting a dog, and I mentioned I want one that doesn't shed. They didn't know the word, so I wrote it on the board and explained what it meant, then let them know that as a noun is also refers to a small outbuilding. That's pretty much how classes work. Just talking and teaching as things come up. There are definitely lower paying classes, but I don't usually take them. I also prefer the adult classes because they require less work than the kids classes and are more fun for me.
Commute time can suck. I only take the "closer" classes, but 10 miles can easily take 45-60 minutes. I have no paid time off, but it's pretty easy to skip an occasional class and get a sub. It does take a while to build a stable of classes. Last time I moved to Japan, it took about a year to get up to about 15 hours of class, and that's about where I stopped, but I could easily have worked more if I'd been willing to sell more of me time. (I refused to work Friday afternoons or weekends, for example.) I do have the advantage of being here due to my husband's military service, which allows me to actually be here, and happens to be an environment where there are many teachers and they leave every 2-3 years and typically name their own replacements.
Post by: liberate_life on August 30, 2016, 05:39:24 AM
Pay: I usually get paid an hourly or day rate. The current range is around £50 to £65 per hour.
Education: Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Computer Engineering
Experience: 5 years in my current industry. Over 10 years in technology/programming.
I live in the UK and am currently only doing work for clients in this country. I work about 40% of full-time (by design) and have decided to stick to this working pattern rather than shooting for full FI in 10 years.
Post by: EconDiva on August 30, 2016, 12:40:45 PM
270k dentist who also manages a large office.
Thank you for sharing.
This is the first forum I've been in with a salary related thread where I can ever recall a dentist actually posting.
Post by: EconDiva on August 30, 2016, 12:48:07 PM
Job Title: Clinical Research Manager
Salary: $105,000 + yearly bonus
Experience: 8 years in various clinical research roles
Age: 33
Are you with a sponsor or CRO?
Post by: RetirementDreaming on August 30, 2016, 03:06:27 PM
Salary: $110K, including bonus (average for my group ~$130K)
Experience: 10 years
Education: Bachelor of Science in Business Admin
Post by: MVal on September 08, 2016, 10:53:03 AM
Title: English teacher (lessons, not in a school environment)
Salary: between $30 and $50/hour, not including prep time, which is minimal
Education: Bachelor of English, though it isn't required
Experience: None when I started, and I was making the same amount
I'm in the greater, greater Tokyo area, so it's pretty expensive, but I think may pay is pretty much amazing regardless.
In most of my classes, I literally just sit and chat with people, and then they pay me. Last week, I was talking about wanting a dog, and I mentioned I want one that doesn't shed. They didn't know the word, so I wrote it on the board and explained what it meant, then let them know that as a noun is also refers to a small outbuilding. That's pretty much how classes work. Just talking and teaching as things come up. There are definitely lower paying classes, but I don't usually take them. I also prefer the adult classes because they require less work than the kids classes and are more fun for me.
Commute time can suck. I only take the "closer" classes, but 10 miles can easily take 45-60 minutes. I have no paid time off, but it's pretty easy to skip an occasional class and get a sub. It does take a while to build a stable of classes. Last time I moved to Japan, it took about a year to get up to about 15 hours of class, and that's about where I stopped, but I could easily have worked more if I'd been willing to sell more of me time. (I refused to work Friday afternoons or weekends, for example.) I do have the advantage of being here due to my husband's military service, which allows me to actually be here, and happens to be an environment where there are many teachers and they leave every 2-3 years and typically name their own replacements.
Wow, that's great. I've toyed with the idea of one day teaching English in Korea. I think the cost of living there might be cheaper, but not sure how the pay compares.
Post by: Northwestie on September 08, 2016, 10:56:34 AM
Post by: Pooperman on September 09, 2016, 06:02:39 AM
Salary: $82k + 10% bonus
Experience: 3 years
Education: BS Engineering Physics
Age: 26
Post by: LMBB on September 11, 2016, 10:28:49 PM
Title: Research Assistant Professor
Salary: 105K + 14% guaranteed contribution to 403b + med. ins.
Experience: 4 years post-fellowship
Education: BS, PhD, +2 year research fellowship
I also got a 36K educational loan repayment grant as part of my start-up package, and 15K in moving expenses (moved cross country)
Post by: Primm on September 12, 2016, 03:14:30 AM
$96k, working 3x 12 hour shifts a week (includes penalties but no overtime).
30 years experience (!!!) but this pay rate is for anything over 8 years.
3 year Bachelor degree.
Post by: pancakes on September 12, 2016, 04:11:08 AM
Experience: 3 years
Education: 3 year bachelors degree
Salary: AU$72k inc super + a couple of hundred in bonuses typically
Vacation: 20 days
Personal leave (sick, grief, caring for sick family): 10 days (rolls over if unused)
Work Hours/Week: 40 hours
Country: Australia
I am also a qualified teacher which is a job where I would earn more but this job is reasonable pay for the very low stress environment and absolutely no unpaid overtime.
Post by: londonbanker on September 15, 2016, 03:21:51 PM
Comp - £325k average of the past 3 years.. Whatever that is in $ right this minute. Thats base, bonus, exec comp, stocks. Thats in London, so assuming its fairly similar to SF COL
Experience - 12years
Age - mid 30s
I started my career in finance and transitioned to retail 5 years ago. Fantastic job. Low stress despite leading a team of ~150 ppl in a trading function. Hours could be 9-5/6, but i probably put in 8-6 as i really love what I do. Company culture is great and focused on team and personal development.
Partner
Title - Risk management in top tech company
Comp - £110k thats all in too for a ridiculously good worklife balance... Got to love tech companies
Experience - 8years
Age - low 30s
We want to retire early and save about 60-65% of our total comp on average.
Post by: Slyder22 on September 29, 2016, 09:03:39 PM
401k + 457
Pension match we contribute 7 1/2% they match 28 1/2%
Medical/vision/dental and life.
Debt free as of last year.
Bs in accounting
Mba
Post by: stein79 on September 30, 2016, 08:40:34 AM
Position: Business Development/Sales
Location: Mid-Atlantic
Industrial Hardware Products - technology
Experience: 6 years as a salesman, 1 year in current field
4 year business degree (scholarship athlete)
Salary: $62K plus 6% commission of gross profit of sale (Expect FY 2016 to gross $65-70K and 2017 to gross $70-80K) Products require extremely long sales cycles.
Benefits and 401K with 4% match, small company so lots of flexibility with hours, 3 weeks of vacation.
I love working with people, I like our products and the company but the up and down life of sales does get frustrating and depressing. However, I do enjoy the concept of: if I want to earn more, I can do it by working harder/longer than others - theoretically speaking!
Only debt is 25 years left on starter house mortgage.
Post by: zephyr911 on October 05, 2016, 10:16:51 AM
Woo, December raise added $2K+ to my total.... almost $82K now on the base job, and a whopping 1% raise on #2... lulzAnother raise that I didn't even see coming! Now $84k.
Post by: erinw on October 06, 2016, 11:29:47 AM
Experience: 2 years
Salary: $42k
Age: 24
Education: BA, studied international studies and art history
Basically I don't know what I want to do with my life, had a hard time finding a job after graduation, and freaked out and accepted the first job I was offered because rent in this HCOL area doesn't care if you're unemployed or not and my paltry savings were reaching a dangerously low level. Two years on I've moved to a less crappy admin job at a much better company, but I'm still facing the non-profit trade-off of great benefits, not so great pay, as well as the fact that I'm very over the admin thing and want to actually DO something. So my first priority is to cut down unnecessary spending/ramp up the savings rate and from there figure out how to make more money and/or not be so damn bored at work.
Post by: spoonchucker on November 04, 2016, 04:21:09 AM
Salary: 78k€
Age: 46
Experience: 22 years
Education: 4 year bachelors degree
Country: Germany
35hr working week, 6 weeks paid annual leave, never work weekends/late, can start/finish when I want, time bank for overtime, low/no oversight by management.
Post by: spicykissa on November 04, 2016, 05:19:35 AM
Salary: ~$75,000 with shift differential & some (always voluntary, @ time-and-a-half pay) overtime
Age: 28
Experience: 2 years
Education: unused BS in Biology (4 years), BS in Nursing (another 13 months)
I LOVE my job. When I'm home, I'm 100% home. I work nights, self-scheduled 3 days/week, so bullshit is an minimum, and I can really take time to care for my critically ill patients. It's amazing to work with my hands, and my brain, and see people come back from mostly dead. My clothes are always comfortable and my co-workers are amazing, funny, caring people for the most part.
It has downsides, of course. There's lots of bodily fluids involved. People die on a semi-regular basis. And I sometimes don't have time to eat or pee in a 13+ hour shift. But really, it's pretty much awesome.
Spouse:
Title: Engineer 7b-PYT (I kid, but it really is something ridiculous like this, as the company has tons of levels)
Salary: $113,000 + bonus ($10k or so?)
Age: 30
Experience: 6 years
Education: BS in Physics (4 years), plus some specific industry certs earned along the way
Post by: Sockigal on November 20, 2016, 02:02:54 PM
Midwife with 9 years experience
age 36
~100K +benefits
4 year university degree
Just started part time in January (= 3.5 days a week) for about 60K/year since the hours and stress are such that I just wanted to kill myself. Still want to quit but think I can last a few years doing this before I throw in the towel altogether. Everyone romanticizes this job, but it isn't an easy one... that's why they have to pay me to do it!!
What is your university degree? How do you start in this profession?
Post by: mlejw6 on November 20, 2016, 04:31:26 PM
Title: GIS Analyst
Salary: 70k
Experience: 2.5 years
Education: MS in Geodesy (look it up). Need to have MS in Geography, Math, CS, or related field + little experience (mine was my thesis, essentially). Some here are hired with a BS and a few years related experience.
Most of my work is just data processing; I don't actually do much analyzing. I'd like to do more.
I got a new job and a raise! Same employer, same division.
Title: Systems Engineer
Salary: 80k
Experience: 3.5 years
Post by: veloman on November 20, 2016, 10:37:33 PM
Post by: Johnez on November 20, 2016, 11:58:35 PM
~$65k annually, $26 an hour
2 years experience
Education: HS diploma
Location: Southern California
Love this job. About to transfer to a union facility for an opportunity in refrigeration. We'll see how that goes.
Post by: littlelykke on November 21, 2016, 03:43:36 AM
Job: High School Teacher
Experience: This is my 2nd year of teaching
Degree: 4 year Bachelor
Income: 25.200 euro, after taxes. I work 3,5 day per week.
Post by: Bracken_Joy on November 21, 2016, 09:51:23 AM
Warehouse picker/loader
~$65k annually, $26 an hour
2 years experience
Education: HS diploma
Location: Southern California
Love this job. About to transfer to a union facility for an opportunity in refrigeration. We'll see how that goes.
Do you work more than full time then? $26/hr is less than $65K/yr unless I'm missing something with bonuses or total hours or something.
Post by: Enigma on November 21, 2016, 02:20:50 PM
Salary: 132k in HCOL area
Age: 37
Experience: About 9 years
Education: BS Math/Stats, MS IT Security/Assurance, 15 computer certifications
I am currently bored with my employer. In the past however I have stayed busy. Not enjoying it and may look at a cut in pay for less time being bored.
Post by: Malum Prohibitum on November 21, 2016, 03:07:06 PM
Title: Information Assurance Engineer IV
Salary: 132k in HCOL area
Age: 37
Experience: About 9 years
Education: BS Math/Stats, MS IT Security/Assurance, 15 computer certifications
I am currently bored with my employer. In the past however I have stayed busy. Not enjoying it and may look at a cut in pay for less time being bored.
Why not diligently search for an increase in pay for less time being bored?
Post by: Icecreamarsenal on November 21, 2016, 03:26:55 PM
Doctor.
Plenty.
This is probably the most fascinating thread on this entire forum. It's too bad that most physicians are secretive about their incomes (although you have every right to be). I've realized that, if employed by a company, the contracts are incredibly amenable to negotiation with regards to vacation time and salary. Differences in salary to the tune of 6 digits, and plus or minus 2 weeks vacation. Sharing info between physicians is difficult because everyone is king in the castle, it's like herding cats. I suppose that's what the medical student forums are for, but even then I remember it all being very hush hush. It's a shame because then only the administrators win; ah well.
Post by: marion10 on November 21, 2016, 03:29:24 PM
34 years
$131,357- I supervise a staff of 8. I am also at a headquarters agency and responsible for a lot of policy
Post by: Roboturner on November 21, 2016, 03:33:44 PM
It's a shame because then only the administrators win; ah well.
100% agree, I ended up asking for $15k more than I was planning too by asking others in my company what they made. The whole thing seems very 50's to me, "Never ask someone what they make" why? HR has the information advantage, even it out!
Post by: Enigma on November 22, 2016, 04:40:28 AM
Title: Information Assurance Engineer IV
Salary: 132k in HCOL area
Age: 37
Experience: About 9 years
Education: BS Math/Stats, MS IT Security/Assurance, 15 computer certifications
I am currently bored with my employer. In the past however I have stayed busy. Not enjoying it and may look at a cut in pay for less time being bored.
Why not diligently search for an increase in pay for less time being bored?
I tried to quit a couple of times and my employer begged me to stay citing I was too pivotal in countless areas. I guess to answer your question - complacency..... Not a very good answer but truthful.
Post by: Torran on November 22, 2016, 05:17:14 AM
Fantastic, thanks for all the replies!
What I’ve learnt:
1. Salaries in the US seem higher than in the UK
Yes, and in return we have very little social safety net, many fewer protections, and less vacation. If all factors are considered, there isn't as much difference as it might appear.
Glad this was mentioned. I'm in the UK and I always think US salaries seem soooo much higher. But good point on the compensatory factors in the UK (i.e, the NHS, holidays etc).
My two cents:
Senior Sales Consultant (glorified sales/admin job. I am senior to a very small team and have about 10 layers of management who are senior to me)
£22,000 a year.
Post by: Johnez on November 22, 2016, 05:26:56 AM
Warehouse picker/loader
~$65k annually, $26 an hour
2 years experience
Education: HS diploma
Location: Southern California
Love this job. About to transfer to a union facility for an opportunity in refrigeration. We'll see how that goes.
Do you work more than full time then? $26/hr is less than $65K/yr unless I'm missing something with bonuses or total hours or something.
Overtime. Between 5-25 hours a week, though some weeks/months we are very limited. There are guys in LA pulling 6 figures. Benefits package is impressive, but I've not figured out a total compensation number yet.
Post by: Malum Prohibitum on November 22, 2016, 07:39:02 AM
I do not understand. You are not too complacent about taking a cut in pay for less time being bored. It seems like a good time to take a pay increase for less time being bored. Look around. You can probably find a job in your field making more $$$.Title: Information Assurance Engineer IV
Salary: 132k in HCOL area
Age: 37
Experience: About 9 years
Education: BS Math/Stats, MS IT Security/Assurance, 15 computer certifications
I am currently bored with my employer. In the past however I have stayed busy. Not enjoying it and may look at a cut in pay for less time being bored.
Why not diligently search for an increase in pay for less time being bored?
I tried to quit a couple of times and my employer begged me to stay citing I was too pivotal in countless areas. I guess to answer your question - complacency..... Not a very good answer but truthful.
And do not quit until you have something else lined up!
Post by: Malum Prohibitum on November 22, 2016, 07:40:03 AM
Post by: Icecreamarsenal on November 22, 2016, 08:43:19 AM
I am a little shocked at how much some jobs make. I had no idea salaries were so high in so many fields.
Care to elaborate? I've gone through many of the pages but not all. Which fields are higher than you thought?
Post by: Malum Prohibitum on November 22, 2016, 08:46:51 AM
Government service, police officers, registered nurses (bumping six figures with 4 days a week off), and so on. Warehouse picker at $65k??? I figured that was a $10 hourly job. I was several years out of law school before I made $65k as an attorney. Federal HR manager, $133k? I mean, there are more. Several examples here surprised me.I am a little shocked at how much some jobs make. I had no idea salaries were so high in so many fields.
Care to elaborate? I've gone through many of the pages but not all. Which fields are higher than you thought?
Post by: Malum Prohibitum on November 22, 2016, 08:50:11 AM
Job Title: UPS DriverThis one definitely surprised me as well.
Salary: $96,000.00 + ( benefits, pension)
Years’ experience: 4 years
Post by: Malum Prohibitum on November 22, 2016, 08:53:33 AM
Sgt in law enforcement 85k + 30k in security part time. Work 50-70 hours a week. 10 years exp.And this one . . .
401k + 457
Pension match we contribute 7 1/2% they match 28 1/2%
Medical/vision/dental and life.
Debt free as of last year.
Bs in accounting
Mba
I was a police officer for more than a decade and never made more than in the 20s annually.
Post by: londongrad on November 22, 2016, 09:36:48 AM
Salary: £30,500 in London (HCOL)
Age: 24
Experience: 2 years
Education: BEng with placement year at current company
Post by: Slyder22 on November 23, 2016, 04:05:57 PM
Job Title: UPS DriverThis one definitely surprised me as well.
Salary: $96,000.00 + ( benefits, pension)
Years’ experience: 4 years
20k is unbelievably low for the area I work. A rookie on day one makes 51k
Where did you work, what decade?
Police is just like anything else, go to a big city, work every task force, get every certification and get a ton of experience. Promote up the ranks, then jump to a smaller more wealthy municipality on a lateral transfer.
Post by: Slyder22 on November 23, 2016, 04:07:40 PM
Sgt in law enforcement 85k + 30k in security part time. Work 50-70 hours a week. 10 years exp.And this one . . .
401k + 457
Pension match we contribute 7 1/2% they match 28 1/2%
Medical/vision/dental and life.
Debt free as of last year.
Bs in accounting
Mba
I was a police officer for more than a decade and never made more than in the 20s annually.
Last post was meant to have this quote in it.
Post by: Jamcart37 on November 23, 2016, 06:06:46 PM
$97K (401k & benefits) 40-50 hrs a week
7 years experience
Post by: SeaEhm on November 24, 2016, 08:35:50 AM
Job Title: UPS DriverThis one definitely surprised me as well.
Salary: $96,000.00 + ( benefits, pension)
Years’ experience: 4 years
20k is unbelievably low for the area I work. A rookie on day one makes 51k
Where did you work, what decade?
Police is just like anything else, go to a big city, work every task force, get every certification and get a ton of experience. Promote up the ranks, then jump to a smaller more wealthy municipality on a lateral transfer.
If one wants to be in law enforcement, be a sheriff. With overtime, six figures is easy. There are sheriffs making more than the median household US income just in overtime.
Post by: horsepoor on November 24, 2016, 08:29:30 PM
Experience - closing in on 14 years.
Started out at about $38K in 2003 with an M.S.
Post by: DBMX1958 on November 25, 2016, 01:47:29 PM
Post by: Kakashi on November 25, 2016, 03:19:40 PM
Doctor.
Plenty.
This is probably the most fascinating thread on this entire forum. It's too bad that most physicians are secretive about their incomes (although you have every right to be). I've realized that, if employed by a company, the contracts are incredibly amenable to negotiation with regards to vacation time and salary. Differences in salary to the tune of 6 digits, and plus or minus 2 weeks vacation. Sharing info between physicians is difficult because everyone is king in the castle, it's like herding cats. I suppose that's what the medical student forums are for, but even then I remember it all being very hush hush. It's a shame because then only the administrators win; ah well.
Ok, here you go.
Emergency Physician.
$270K - $460K/yr gross (based on the last 3 years)
No benefits. No sick days. No vacation days. No holidays. No 401k match. No health benefits. Nada. I pay for everything based on my gross income.
Average hours per week: 30
This year I'm probably right around $400K.
You're right, you really can't just compare salaries. I choose to only work 30 hrs/wk. Some of my colleagues who work 50 hrs/week, well they make a lot more. Also it ranges drastically based on contracts, how many patients seen, payor mix, different hospitals, etc. It's more or less a "small business" feel. Because sometimes business does good, and sometimes it doesn't. And you take your lumps with it. So if I drop in salary this year compared to last, well that's just part of the game. Over the years, I found that once I get above $250K, I tend to care more about work environment rather than pay.
Post by: Abe on November 25, 2016, 03:58:16 PM
Post by: meerkat on November 25, 2016, 07:37:39 PM
No benefits. No sick days. No vacation days. No holidays. No 401k match. No health benefits. Nada. I pay for everything based on my gross income.
Really? Even no health benefits? Is this normal for doctors, to basically be acting as if they're self-employed? I assumed they'd have employer-provided health insurance (that would have their place of employment as in-network) at the very least.
Is there a rule of thumb for how much of your income should go towards medical malpractice insurance?
Post by: donut on November 26, 2016, 01:51:34 AM
Salary: $86000 + 10% bonus + 6% 401k match
Age: 28
Experience: 5.5 years, 2.5 current employer
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Average cost of living, major metro in the SouthWest US (not in So Cal). Pay was on similar pace for same work in the MidWest.
50 - 55 hours typical but essentially on call at all times so the bad weeks can be 70. I work at one manufacturing site, hours are typical of plant engineer/support roles but my particular site now is bad about the on call part so I am looking to change soon.
Post by: Kakashi on November 26, 2016, 04:08:59 AM
DJFlare, are you in a group practice currently or hospital employee? Any recommendations on one vs the other in general? I'll be looking for a job next year for after fellowship and would appreciate some basic advice since my mentors so far have all been in academics their whole lives. Feel free to private message me if you prefer.
I'm in group practice. Hospital employees typically come with benefits, like healthcare, CME credits, 401k matching, etc. I used to be an employee too. I'd much prefer group practice. Much more autonomy and flexibility to decide how you want to practice. However, with ACA, it's going away.
Really? Even no health benefits? Is this normal for doctors, to basically be acting as if they're self-employed? I assumed they'd have employer-provided health insurance (that would have their place of employment as in-network) at the very least.
Is there a rule of thumb for how much of your income should go towards medical malpractice insurance?
It just depends on if the doctor joins a large employer such as an hospital, or they join a group practice. Many doctors are employees, and hence they get all the things employees get like benefits, holidays, sick days, etc.
Since I'm part of a group practice, I'm more or less the "employer". Hence, I pay the full amount for our health insurance held within our group (and it's expensive too, it's about $1400/month for a high deductible health insurance, for family of 4). If I don't work, I don't get paid, so no sick days or vacation etc. Good part is, I get to contribute to both sides of the 401k (employee contribution & profit sharing) so I can contribute 53K/year.
No, there's no rule of thumb for malpractice. It highly depends on the state and the specialty.
Post by: mx711yam on November 26, 2016, 12:40:54 PM
Post by: AK on November 26, 2016, 04:46:12 PM
150-200K per year for about 40 hours a week and no benefits.
Post by: Primm on November 27, 2016, 06:32:14 PM
Government service, police officers, registered nurses (bumping six figures with 4 days a week off), and so on. Warehouse picker at $65k??? I figured that was a $10 hourly job. I was several years out of law school before I made $65k as an attorney. Federal HR manager, $133k? I mean, there are more. Several examples here surprised me.I am a little shocked at how much some jobs make. I had no idea salaries were so high in so many fields.
Care to elaborate? I've gone through many of the pages but not all. Which fields are higher than you thought?
It actually amuses me that you're surprised at this. Yes, 3 days per week of work, but at 12 hours/day that's still 36 hours per week. Mixture of nights and days, so you have to allow at least 24 hours recovery time following a night shift. So it's not really 4 days off.
Also there's the whole saving lives thing. New Job is one of those "normal" jobs where I occasionally have time to sit down and read emails. Old Job? Not so much. In an intensive care environment it is 100% on all the time, no down-time, no chit-chat with colleagues, no time to pee (unless it's on an official break, and sometimes not even then). You stop looking, you miss one subtle change and suddenly you've got a dead baby on your hands. So I guess some of the compensation is for the stress as well.
Most jobs you screw up, it costs money. Sometimes lots of money. Emergency services, you screw up, someone dies. I know lawyers and accountants think they have high stress jobs, but seriously, it's not like you have a life on your hands at the end of the day.
And sometimes even if you don't screw up, and you do the absolute best job possible, someone still dies. And it's your fault in the eyes of the family, no matter the actual reason. You didn't try hard enough, you missed something.
Anyway, enough from me.
Post by: Icecreamarsenal on November 27, 2016, 07:29:45 PM
DJFlare, are you in a group practice currently or hospital employee? Any recommendations on one vs the other in general? I'll be looking for a job next year for after fellowship and would appreciate some basic advice since my mentors so far have all been in academics their whole lives. Feel free to private message me if you prefer.
I'm in group practice. Hospital employees typically come with benefits, like healthcare, CME credits, 401k matching, etc. I used to be an employee too. I'd much prefer group practice. Much more autonomy and flexibility to decide how you want to practice. However, with ACA, it's going away.Really? Even no health benefits? Is this normal for doctors, to basically be acting as if they're self-employed? I assumed they'd have employer-provided health insurance (that would have their place of employment as in-network) at the very least.
Is there a rule of thumb for how much of your income should go towards medical malpractice insurance?
It just depends on if the doctor joins a large employer such as an hospital, or they join a group practice. Many doctors are employees, and hence they get all the things employees get like benefits, holidays, sick days, etc.
Since I'm part of a group practice, I'm more or less the "employer". Hence, I pay the full amount for our health insurance held within our group (and it's expensive too, it's about $1400/month for a high deductible health insurance, for family of 4). If I don't work, I don't get paid, so no sick days or vacation etc. Good part is, I get to contribute to both sides of the 401k (employee contribution & profit sharing) so I can contribute 53K/year.
No, there's no rule of thumb for malpractice. It highly depends on the state and the specialty.
I've listed my pay as well, and do get benefits and the like, as I'm an employee for a mega-corp for docs. My anesthesiology malpractice, if I paid for it myself, would be 14-20k/year. I'm thinking on the higher end, as I'm currently in the end stages of discovery for my first malpractice case. My neurosurgeon and ob-gyn peers are paying much, much more.
Post by: Bracken_Joy on November 27, 2016, 08:25:52 PM
Government service, police officers, registered nurses (bumping six figures with 4 days a week off), and so on. Warehouse picker at $65k??? I figured that was a $10 hourly job. I was several years out of law school before I made $65k as an attorney. Federal HR manager, $133k? I mean, there are more. Several examples here surprised me.I am a little shocked at how much some jobs make. I had no idea salaries were so high in so many fields.
Care to elaborate? I've gone through many of the pages but not all. Which fields are higher than you thought?
It actually amuses me that you're surprised at this. Yes, 3 days per week of work, but at 12 hours/day that's still 36 hours per week. Mixture of nights and days, so you have to allow at least 24 hours recovery time following a night shift. So it's not really 4 days off.
Also there's the whole saving lives thing. New Job is one of those "normal" jobs where I occasionally have time to sit down and read emails. Old Job? Not so much. In an intensive care environment it is 100% on all the time, no down-time, no chit-chat with colleagues, no time to pee (unless it's on an official break, and sometimes not even then). You stop looking, you miss one subtle change and suddenly you've got a dead baby on your hands. So I guess some of the compensation is for the stress as well.
Most jobs you screw up, it costs money. Sometimes lots of money. Emergency services, you screw up, someone dies. I know lawyers and accountants think they have high stress jobs, but seriously, it's not like you have a life on your hands at the end of the day.
And sometimes even if you don't screw up, and you do the absolute best job possible, someone still dies. And it's your fault in the eyes of the family, no matter the actual reason. You didn't try hard enough, you missed something.
Anyway, enough from me.
I always read this article when I need to feel better about being unable to do much of ANYTHING on my first day off after a work stretch: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brie-gowen/why-working-just-three-days-a-week-as-a-nurse-is-utterly-exhausting_b_9647426.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brie-gowen/why-working-just-three-days-a-week-as-a-nurse-is-utterly-exhausting_b_9647426.html)
Post by: myhotrs on November 28, 2016, 12:29:56 PM
$160k-180k plus standard fortune 500 co. benefits
Pretty flexible schedule with some travel, end up working about 30 hrs a week (was much more early in career)
Undergrad in finance and MBA, 9 years exp in sales and about 15 in the industry
Post by: Johnez on November 28, 2016, 01:20:29 PM
You need to come to high COL Calif to get those high salaries. A new POST graduate here starts at over $50k. Heck some of the security officer jobs start at that much if you get in with the right company. My sister is security for a big defense contractor and the starting pay is close to $30/hour plus tons of OT - often at double time and sometimes triple time. Full benefits and pensions too.Sgt in law enforcement 85k + 30k in security part time. Work 50-70 hours a week. 10 years exp.And this one . . .
401k + 457
Pension match we contribute 7 1/2% they match 28 1/2%
Medical/vision/dental and life.
Debt free as of last year.
Bs in accounting
Mba
I was a police officer for more than a decade and never made more than in the 20s annually.
In California, any government job with growth potential (think cops, firefighters, teachers, etc., not clerks at DMV) can hit six figures with time/experience, schooling/certs and extra assignments. My job gets paid as low as $12 an hour in places like South Carolina, Texas, Florida, Missouri, etc. They say in Texas everything is bigger, but in California everything costs more. 1 bedroom apartment current rent starts at $1300+. Gas $2.50 a gallon. Pay anyone for a service or to do something, daycare, nanny, etc? Might as well get a second job. Some of these costs can be controlled, especially when young and single (roommates), but other than food, nothing is cheap here.
Post by: JetBlast on November 28, 2016, 03:14:27 PM
Title: Captain for a regional airline
Experience: nearly 8 years with the company
Salary: Around $90k, depending on how much I work.
With the year drawing to a close it looks like I underestimated things a bit. Between decent profit sharing checks and working a little more than I thought I would I'll gross roughly $101,000 for 2016. That does not include the 5% 401k match.
Shortly after the new year I'll be leaving my current employer and heading to one of the major airlines in the US. First year is likely a pay cut, probably making $80-85k, but second year should see me around $110,000 and third $125,000 with further increases with longevity and when I eventually make captain at the new airline. Company 401k contribution will be 16% so that's a huge increase from what I'm getting now.
Post by: Jaguar Paw on November 28, 2016, 08:49:34 PM
Sgt in law enforcement 85k + 30k in security part time. Work 50-70 hours a week. 10 years exp.And this one . . .
401k + 457
Pension match we contribute 7 1/2% they match 28 1/2%
Medical/vision/dental and life.
Debt free as of last year.
Bs in accounting
Mba
I was a police officer for more than a decade and never made more than in the 20s annually.
I actually had no idea how much law enforcement got paid until I joined. Super low cost of living here in Texas and make around 85k as an officer with 8 years on, working 45-50 hour weeks with a masters degree plus bilingual pay. Add in 8 weeks (not a typo) of pto per year and a pension and we have it pretty dandy.
Post by: Slyder22 on November 29, 2016, 08:31:48 AM
Post by: JLee on December 02, 2016, 04:11:51 PM
Job Title: UPS DriverThis one definitely surprised me as well.
Salary: $96,000.00 + ( benefits, pension)
Years’ experience: 4 years
20k is unbelievably low for the area I work. A rookie on day one makes 51k
Where did you work, what decade?
Police is just like anything else, go to a big city, work every task force, get every certification and get a ton of experience. Promote up the ranks, then jump to a smaller more wealthy municipality on a lateral transfer.
If one wants to be in law enforcement, be a sheriff. With overtime, six figures is easy. There are sheriffs making more than the median household US income just in overtime.
That really depends where you are. I was looking at TN in ~2006 and IIRC they were making $28k/yr.
I was at $48k + OT when I left NH in 2011.
Post by: manonfire1007 on December 02, 2016, 08:57:38 PM
39 years old
10 years experience
273k/year
Post by: gocubs on December 02, 2016, 10:35:46 PM
27 years old
$140k + unlimited overtime
Post by: Mustachianfuture on December 03, 2016, 05:05:52 PM
Job: Town Planner
Salary c£36,000 (I can't remember the exact amount)
Hours: part time, 30 per week
Experience: 10 years, BA and Masters
Holiday: 6 weeks
Pension: 11.5% employer
Bonus: about £2k
Pretty good for my industry and way above average for U.K., but feeling a bit underpaid compared with everyone else!
Post by: Bracken_Joy on December 03, 2016, 06:25:18 PM
Hi - first post here :)
Job: Town Planner
Salary c£36,000 (I can't remember the exact amount)
Hours: part time, 30 per week
Experience: 10 years, BA and Masters
Holiday: 6 weeks
Pension: 11.5% employer
Bonus: about £2k
Pretty good for my industry and way above average for U.K., but feeling a bit underpaid compared with everyone else!
Remember when you compare to US salaries- healthcare is a huge factor here we have to pay separate from taxes. Further, we have 1-2 weeks vacation time tops. And virtually no maternity leave, no paternity leave at all, and childcare isn't subsidized much.
Anyway, recall that you're not comparing apples to oranges!
Post by: Roots&Wings on December 05, 2016, 06:27:34 AM
Hi - first post here :)
Job: Town Planner
Salary c£36,000 (I can't remember the exact amount)
Hours: part time, 30 per week
Experience: 10 years, BA and Masters
Holiday: 6 weeks
Pension: 11.5% employer
Bonus: about £2k
Pretty good for my industry and way above average for U.K., but feeling a bit underpaid compared with everyone else!
Remember when you compare to US salaries- healthcare is a huge factor here we have to pay separate from taxes. Further, we have 1-2 weeks vacation time tops. And virtually no maternity leave, no paternity leave at all, and childcare isn't subsidized much.
Anyway, recall that you're not comparing apples to oranges!
Benefits in the US can vary dramatically from job to job, which is why it is helpful when people post this info too to get a sense of overall compensation.
Post by: Mustachianfuture on December 06, 2016, 07:14:00 AM
Hi - first post here :)
Job: Town Planner
Salary c£36,000 (I can't remember the exact amount)
Hours: part time, 30 per week
Experience: 10 years, BA and Masters
Holiday: 6 weeks
Pension: 11.5% employer
Bonus: about £2k
Pretty good for my industry and way above average for U.K., but feeling a bit underpaid compared with everyone else!
Remember when you compare to US salaries- healthcare is a huge factor here we have to pay separate from taxes. Further, we have 1-2 weeks vacation time tops. And virtually no maternity leave, no paternity leave at all, and childcare isn't subsidized much.
Anyway, recall that you're not comparing apples to oranges!
Benefits in the US can vary dramatically from job to job, which is why it is helpful when people post this info too to get a sense of overall compensation.
Thanks - I'd never considered it like that. I suppose I did benefit from 10 months maternity leave a few years ago, where 2 months were paid my full time salary, and 7 months I was paid enough to live on and allowed to negotiate my pt hours on return to work. And with healthcare, as well as the NHS, I've got a work funded private insurance scheme as well. We're also about to qualify for 15 free hours a week childcare, which will make a dent in the £900 we pay a month.
I forgot to mention in my original post that I also have an annual income of £3,600 from part of a rental I inherited and share with family. So my income totals about £42k including salary, bonus and rental. I'm keeping it just under the higher rate tax threshold, so there's no point going back to work ft at the moment, because with childcare and tax I'll be working for peanuts, beside missing the time with my son. Maybe when he's at school and the higher rate threshold rises to £50k I'll think about it.
Post by: kobo1d on December 06, 2016, 04:01:18 PM
Experience: BS + 2 years
Age: 28
Salary: $116k base + ~$4k "on-call" pay annually, 9.5% 401k match
Post by: rduncan1216 on December 06, 2016, 04:11:42 PM
Salary: $35,000/year + commission (another $15-17k or so)
Experience: 10 years of retail sales. No college degree.
Post by: Mustachianfuture on December 09, 2016, 03:10:33 PM
Hi - first post here :)
Job: Town Planner
Salary c£36,000 (I can't remember the exact amount)
Hours: part time, 30 per week
Experience: 10 years, BA and Masters
Holiday: 6 weeks
Pension: 11.5% employer
Bonus: about £2k
Pretty good for my industry and way above average for U.K., but feeling a bit underpaid compared with everyone else!
Remember when you compare to US salaries- healthcare is a huge factor here we have to pay separate from taxes. Further, we have 1-2 weeks vacation time tops. And virtually no maternity leave, no paternity leave at all, and childcare isn't subsidized much.
Anyway, recall that you're not comparing apples to oranges!
Benefits in the US can vary dramatically from job to job, which is why it is helpful when people post this info too to get a sense of overall compensation.
Thanks - I'd never considered it like that. I suppose I did benefit from 10 months maternity leave a few years ago, where 2 months were paid my full time salary, and 7 months I was paid enough to live on and allowed to negotiate my pt hours on return to work. And with healthcare, as well as the NHS, I've got a work funded private insurance scheme as well. We're also about to qualify for 15 free hours a week childcare, which will make a dent in the £900 we pay a month.
I forgot to mention in my original post that I also have an annual income of £3,600 from part of a rental I inherited and share with family. So my income totals about £42k including salary, bonus and rental. I'm keeping it just under the higher rate tax threshold, so there's no point going back to work ft at the moment, because with childcare and tax I'll be working for peanuts, beside missing the time with my son. Maybe when he's at school and the higher rate threshold rises to £50k I'll think about it.
So I had my pay review yesterday and my salary is actually now £40k pt or £50k if I went back ft. Bonus of £2.5k this year. Should be able to save more every month now.
Post by: RangerOne on December 09, 2016, 03:52:24 PM
Experience: ~4 years
Degrees: Bachelors in Physics, Masters in Computer Science
Age 31
Base Salary: $100k
Profit Share: 0-20% annual ( Average 8%, last 3 years have been 15%-20%)
All Standard benefits, 401k 4% match, Health...
Good work life balance mostly work just at 40 hours per week with minimal need for overtime. Able to live in SD and let my wife stay home with our 1 year old daughter. The best parts about software work is its rarely boring and our degrees are relatively cheap. I paid off all my undergrad and graduate loans in 1 year after getting married in 2014.
The decent salary combined with low upfront investment make it hard to beat. Of course the best way is if you are just a tech guru with no degree at all. Had at least 1 friend go down that route.
Still the degrees make it easier to market your skills if you are not a natural sales person or tech wizard. I am impressed with the high demand for good developers.
One downside a lot of the big tech companies tend to use and abuse their engineers.
Post by: Rayblakeley on December 09, 2016, 06:42:04 PM
Gross Income: 50,000
Experience: 1.5 yrs as management 10 in the industry
I also teach guitar lessons on the side and make 1-2 extra thousand a year and assist a friend of mine who is a contractor and make 2-5 extra thousand
Post by: psychomoustache on December 10, 2016, 06:04:59 AM
A good year I make 45K euros. This year was good up until June, is no longer good now.
In France- no reimbursement by insurance for people who need psychotherapy in private practice.
Half of my income goes directly into taxes here. Another quarter to rent and utilities for my office. I bring home (in good months) about 1200 euros a month. Bad months, like right now, 200€.
We take A LOT of vacation in France - I am off about 10 weeks a year (without pay of course). A month in the summer, and school vacations here are two weeks long every six weeks - I normally take at least one of those two weeks off. I can do this b/c DH makes roughly 6,000 euros a month thereabouts.
A very very big portion of my earnings goes to travel to Paris for conferences, to supervision, and to personal psychoanalysis or therapy (not regular anymore but need tune-ups all the same ; ) ! )
I feel mostly very lucky and grateful to have a job that is fascinating, that I love, where I am independent and make my own hours, and I can do this in France where it's really difficult as an expat (for the most part) to do other things than teach English. The really hard part are the ups and downs - and the competition (there are a lot of psychologists etc.)
So a lot of the time my practice is a sel-perpetuating hobby...
Post by: Eyestache on December 10, 2016, 12:34:29 PM
26yo just graduated, working 35-40hrs per week working most Saturdays and every other sunday. Salarys vary widely due mostly to location. I'm in a city where docs want to live so decreased demand could make a lot more working in the boonies.
Four years doctorate program after college many people have ~200k debt graduating. I am "lucky"? to only have 100k on student debt.
Post by: abby1234519 on December 12, 2016, 04:19:00 AM
My earnings are very low however fine for the rent I pay. Just unable to save.
28yo graduated with an Eng Lit degree - would need a finance degree and extra qualifications to increase salary. I can get the qualifications I need through work if I can prove a business case but for every course I take, I have to stay for 2 years or pay course cost back. Fine by me I love my job.
28k student loans paid back at about £30 a month from salary. I have plans to increase my salary but it's going to cost me! Need to do a masters and take various internal auditing qualifications
Post by: fire_by_50 on December 13, 2016, 10:05:46 AM
Age: 22
Title: Network Engineer
Experience: New Graduate
Degree: Information Systems
Base Salary: $62,000
Bonus: up to 5% annually
Benefits: standard (401k match 4%, health, dental, ESPP)
I've been able to stay out of debt throughout the past four years by living at home (low COL area) and applying for scholarships. I always had a mustachian mindset even before I knew about this website which also helped me achieve the goal of nearing graduation debt-free.
Post by: TakeStock on June 20, 2017, 02:05:50 AM
Total: $600k (Singapore Dollars)
Experience: 11 years for the company, made MD 2 years ago.
Age: 35
Post by: Vegasgirl on June 20, 2017, 05:06:47 AM
Husband: Senior Systems Architect - $175,000/yr (aviation engineering)
Post by: anonymouscow on June 20, 2017, 06:18:18 AM
I am a little shocked at how much some jobs make. I had no idea salaries were so high in so many fields.
People are probably more likely to post when they make a lot of money vs not as much.
Median household income is 52k/yr in the US?
It seems most people reporting here beat that by a large margin for just one income.
I do not make much money.
Post by: doublethinkmoney on June 20, 2017, 06:35:44 AM
Age:32
Experience: 11 years
Education: 4 year degree but no college necessary
Compensation: $58k base but with OT usually $70-80k also get great benefits with 401k match and a pension.
I got this job while going to college and since the benefits were so good and pay, I decided to stay. Now looking for a desk job where I can utilize my network experience.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: doublethinkmoney on June 20, 2017, 06:40:50 AM
It's a good union job. The pay and benefits are going to be significantly better than the same job at FedEx (non union). This is the benefit of a check and balance system between the company and employees, everyone gets a cut and you get long term employees.Job Title: UPS DriverThis one definitely surprised me as well.
Salary: $96,000.00 + ( benefits, pension)
Years’ experience: 4 years
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: Roboturner on June 20, 2017, 11:05:41 AM
One downside a lot of the big tech companies tend to use and abuse their engineers.
My brother works as a software eng. He said it's just kind of common practice to job hop every year or two, part of the reason SE's can get paid so much. So 'use and abuse' seems like the culture?
Post by: tyrannostache on June 20, 2017, 12:36:58 PM
Salary: $45-48K in low-moderate COL area
Years experience: 3-4
Great benefits including loads of vacation (4 weeks total), 401k match, flexible schedule and work from home when I need it.
I could definitely be making more in a different field, but I love my work, my colleagues, and the flexibility the job offers while I have small kids.
Post by: starguru on June 20, 2017, 02:49:08 PM
Police Sergeant in a medium sized city.What type of pension comes with that job?
65k, very generous overall benefits, and defined benefit pension starting at 50
11 yeas experience
No degree, but two thick three-ring binders full of law enforcement class certs. (I'm always taking a class)
65k isn't a ton, but everything is paid off, including new car and condo. My total bills are only about 1k a month.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: CanuckExpat on June 20, 2017, 03:02:43 PM
Job: Grant Writer for large nonprofit
Salary: $45-48K in low-moderate COL area
Years experience: 3-4
Great benefits including loads of vacation (4 weeks total), 401k match, flexible schedule and work from home when I need it.
I could definitely be making more in a different field, but I love my work, my colleagues, and the flexibility the job offers while I have small kids.
I'm curious to learn more about this. Is this a job at many non profits, do you need domain expertise, and can it be done on a part-time/contract basis?
I've worked on the other side, research at non-profits, funded by grants that someone else has written. It was a good environment as you mentioned.
Post by: Cwadda on June 20, 2017, 03:13:33 PM
Salary: $33k/yr
Benefits: Small SEP IRA match, 7 days of paid vacation
Age: Almost 23
Experience: B.S. in Geology & Environmental Science. 2-3 years of experience.
I feel like I could earn more with my skills but I like working for a small company (2 employees) and personally being able to take it in several directions
Post by: MinnieAG on June 20, 2017, 04:54:39 PM
Salary: $62,500 + car (and gas, insurance, etc.) + commission (varies... I'll earn ~$2500 this fiscal)
Experience: 1 year
Age: 22
Education: Bachelor's in marketing
Post by: Ocinfo on June 20, 2017, 05:27:39 PM
I am a little shocked at how much some jobs make. I had no idea salaries were so high in so many fields.
People are probably more likely to post when they make a lot of money vs not as much.
Median household income is 52k/yr in the US?
It seems most people reporting here beat that by a large margin for just one income.
I do not make much money.
I was honestly surprised by how low some of the salaries were. This is not meant to be mean but is likely because I've adapted to HCOLA salary norms. I also firmly believe there is a lot of money out there for anyone that wants to go after it.
Title: Lead Systems Engineer (Aerospace, not IT)
Education: Masters
Age: 31
Experience: 10 years
Salary: $145k with total comp around $175k
Job has allowed me to travel around the world and, most weeks, is only 40 hours. Basically hit the jackpot with my employer somehow getting high pay, extremely flexible schedule, and interesting work. Have had offers that would have been over $200k but turned down due to needing way more hours per week.
Started life in the bottom quintile of income and are now solidly top few % in individual and household income. My hometown has a median household income in the low $30k range.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: VolcanicArts on June 20, 2017, 11:25:48 PM
Post by: JLee on June 20, 2017, 11:44:01 PM
Just to add my two cents, I think on a relative scale that high earning jobs are not as great of a ROI as people perceive them to be. A good example would be to compare a UPS driver who had very little education with a surgeon. Assuming the UPS driver made 22 dollars an hour starting off and saved MMM style with the average 7% return on investment he could make similar amounts compared to the surgeon in a 40 year time period as he would be starting off with little to no debt, and an extra 13 years to compound that the surgeon had to spend studying. It should also be noted the surgeon would graduate with about 250k in the hole, even assuming he paid this off in a year, the UPS driver would still have a significant final amount. I plugged this into the compound interest calculator using a starting net worth of 0 for both. The UPS driver saves 24000 per year x 40 years and ends up with 5.8 million dollars. The surgeon we would say makes 350k per year, for simplicity let's just say after taxes he brings home 250k net. He also saves 50% and earns 7%, however he has to start 14 years later so he would compound 125k at 7% x 26 years which becomes 9.2 million at the same age as the UPS driver. So the surgeon ends up with a few million more, but this is comparing basically a super high paying field to a super low paying field, so the spread would be even less with a medium paying field that required a lot of time and debt to obtain. This also doesn't factor in risk, raises the UPS driver might receive, and the lower ROI based on the amount of time spent to make a few million more, for example, the UPS driver could casually work 40 hrs per week and enjoy life in his youth, while the surgeon might have had to average greater than 60 hrs a week including school time and other activities for those 40 years to end up with only a few million more. Any thoughts on this? I've brought this concept up with friends before and many have proposed that very few if any people are smart enough and motivated enough to be like the UPS driver and save 50% of income from the start and never stop, as well as have the investment savvy to generate passive income, but I'm sure someone has done this.
How are you coming up with this 13 year figure, and why would we assume the surgeon can pay off $250k in medical school in one year but then can only save $125k/year afterwards?
Post by: gerardc on June 21, 2017, 12:34:34 AM
Just to add my two cents, I think on a relative scale that high earning jobs are not as great of a ROI as people perceive them to be. A good example would be to compare a UPS driver who had very little education with a surgeon. Assuming the UPS driver made 22 dollars an hour starting off and saved MMM style with the average 7% return on investment he could make similar amounts compared to the surgeon in a 40 year time period as he would be starting off with little to no debt, and an extra 13 years to compound that the surgeon had to spend studying. It should also be noted the surgeon would graduate with about 250k in the hole, even assuming he paid this off in a year, the UPS driver would still have a significant final amount. I plugged this into the compound interest calculator using a starting net worth of 0 for both. The UPS driver saves 24000 per year x 40 years and ends up with 5.8 million dollars. The surgeon we would say makes 350k per year, for simplicity let's just say after taxes he brings home 250k net. He also saves 50% and earns 7%, however he has to start 14 years later so he would compound 125k at 7% x 26 years which becomes 9.2 million at the same age as the UPS driver. So the surgeon ends up with a few million more, but this is comparing basically a super high paying field to a super low paying field, so the spread would be even less with a medium paying field that required a lot of time and debt to obtain. This also doesn't factor in risk, raises the UPS driver might receive, and the lower ROI based on the amount of time spent to make a few million more, for example, the UPS driver could casually work 40 hrs per week and enjoy life in his youth, while the surgeon might have had to average greater than 60 hrs a week including school time and other activities for those 40 years to end up with only a few million more. Any thoughts on this? I've brought this concept up with friends before and many have proposed that very few if any people are smart enough and motivated enough to be like the UPS driver and save 50% of income from the start and never stop, as well as have the investment savvy to generate passive income, but I'm sure someone has done this.
The surgeon also spends $125k per year vs the driver at ~$45k (after taxes and savings). The devil is in the details.
In general I'd say you're right: it's a job market, so if something is more valuable per unit effort it will get snatched up quickly.
Post by: gggggg on June 21, 2017, 04:46:20 AM
I'm not the poster but most fed, state, county and city Public Safety/LEO jobs still have traditional defined benefit pensions and many allow you to get your full pension benefit starting at age 50 once you have enough years vested. I have a state LEO/Public Safety DB Pension that you can.get at age 50 with 5 years vested.Police Sergeant in a medium sized city.What type of pension comes with that job?
65k, very generous overall benefits, and defined benefit pension starting at 50
11 yeas experience
No degree, but two thick three-ring binders full of law enforcement class certs. (I'm always taking a class)
65k isn't a ton, but everything is paid off, including new car and condo. My total bills are only about 1k a month.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
ETA: in a lot of these jobs (or some other government jobs) you only pay into your pension and not SS so wont earn.any SS benefits. Also any SS you might get from another job you paid into SS, your benefit will be reduced because of the pension.
We get a pension based on time in the system (vesting) and/or overall age. The pension payout is based on your 4 highest income years + time served. The initial pension money is taken from our salary, 6%. I came in a little later, so I will go out on age instead of time served. I'll be eligible at 50 with a slight reduction, or 55 with full benefits + a generous separation allowance. We do pay into SS, so I'll get that (hopefully). We also get an extra 5% free, put into our pretax 401k, just for being LEO.
Post by: Mgmny on June 21, 2017, 05:22:26 AM
Just to add my two cents, I think on a relative scale that high earning jobs are not as great of a ROI as people perceive them to be. A good example would be to compare a UPS driver who had very little education with a surgeon. Assuming the UPS driver made 22 dollars an hour starting off and saved MMM style with the average 7% return on investment he could make similar amounts compared to the surgeon in a 40 year time period as he would be starting off with little to no debt, and an extra 13 years to compound that the surgeon had to spend studying. It should also be noted the surgeon would graduate with about 250k in the hole, even assuming he paid this off in a year, the UPS driver would still have a significant final amount. I plugged this into the compound interest calculator using a starting net worth of 0 for both. The UPS driver saves 24000 per year x 40 years and ends up with 5.8 million dollars. The surgeon we would say makes 350k per year, for simplicity let's just say after taxes he brings home 250k net. He also saves 50% and earns 7%, however he has to start 14 years later so he would compound 125k at 7% x 26 years which becomes 9.2 million at the same age as the UPS driver. So the surgeon ends up with a few million more, but this is comparing basically a super high paying field to a super low paying field, so the spread would be even less with a medium paying field that required a lot of time and debt to obtain. This also doesn't factor in risk, raises the UPS driver might receive, and the lower ROI based on the amount of time spent to make a few million more, for example, the UPS driver could casually work 40 hrs per week and enjoy life in his youth, while the surgeon might have had to average greater than 60 hrs a week including school time and other activities for those 40 years to end up with only a few million more. Any thoughts on this? I've brought this concept up with friends before and many have proposed that very few if any people are smart enough and motivated enough to be like the UPS driver and save 50% of income from the start and never stop, as well as have the investment savvy to generate passive income, but I'm sure someone has done this.
How are you coming up with this 13 year figure, and why would we assume the surgeon can pay off $250k in medical school in one year but then can only save $125k/year afterwards?
4 years Bachelor
4 years med school
1 year transition
3-5 residency
1++++ fellowship
That's 13-15 years before making the "real money"
Post by: anonymouscow on June 21, 2017, 07:20:14 AM
I am a little shocked at how much some jobs make. I had no idea salaries were so high in so many fields.
People are probably more likely to post when they make a lot of money vs not as much.
Median household income is 52k/yr in the US?
It seems most people reporting here beat that by a large margin for just one income.
I do not make much money.
I was honestly surprised by how low some of the salaries were. This is not meant to be mean but is likely because I've adapted to HCOLA salary norms. I also firmly believe there is a lot of money out there for anyone that wants to go after it.
Title: Lead Systems Engineer (Aerospace, not IT)
Education: Masters
Age: 31
Experience: 10 years
Salary: $145k with total comp around $175k
Job has allowed me to travel around the world and, most weeks, is only 40 hours. Basically hit the jackpot with my employer somehow getting high pay, extremely flexible schedule, and interesting work. Have had offers that would have been over $200k but turned down due to needing way more hours per week.
Started life in the bottom quintile of income and are now solidly top few % in individual and household income. My hometown has a median household income in the low $30k range.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I do not think it is mean, but I think it is unreasonable.
I am a firm believer that everyone creates their own destiny, however I also believe everyone's situation is different.
The fact is the majority of people are not making 145k a year, they are also not able to save 50% of their income.
Post by: Wallerstein on June 21, 2017, 07:23:25 AM
Salary: 55k/yr
Experience: 1 year (interned with current employer while completing AS degree)
Education: AS in Engineering
Government contract so I'm told salaries are inflated about 20% compared to non-contract employers in the same area. This is a LCOL area so this kind of money is pretty good for a family of four.
Also, completed a BS in Engineering with the help of employee tuition reimbursement so should get a salary bump and job title change soon.
Post by: Mgmny on June 21, 2017, 07:33:11 AM
Salary: $55/hour (usually 40 hours per week)
Experience: 3 years (2 years implementation consultant, 1 year project/program management)
Education: BA in Chemistry and 1 year medical school
Post by: meatface on June 21, 2017, 08:12:42 AM
Salary: $110,000/yr
Post by: afuera on June 21, 2017, 09:21:59 AM
Salary: $107K/yr + Yearly Profit Sharting + 6% 401K match + Pension + Free HDHP w/ HSA contributions. Total comp probably around ~135K.
Experience: 3 years at current company (1st job out of college), 2 relevant part-time jobs and 1 relevant internship while in college.
Education: BS in Chemical Engineering.
I worked my ass of in college to become one of the top in my class and get relevant work experience. I treated interviewing/applying for jobs as seriously as any of my actual courses, spending countless hours researching companies and creating unique cover letters/resumes for each of my top choices. I was able to capitalize on a few key opportunities I was given because I was prepared and am very fortunate to be where I'm at today. Most of my tuition was covered through a sports scholarship and engineering scholarships which combined with an extremely affordable college gives a kickass ROI on my degree (graduated w/ ~12K of student loans). Couldn't have done any of it without the support and encouragement of my awesome parents.
Post by: mm1970 on June 21, 2017, 11:45:56 AM
Job Title: Production Engineersigh
Salary: $107K/yr + Yearly Profit Sharting + 6% 401K match + Pension + Free HDHP w/ HSA contributions. Total comp probably around ~135K.
Experience: 3 years at current company (1st job out of college), 2 relevant part-time jobs and 1 relevant internship while in college.
Education: BS in Chemical Engineering.
I worked my ass of in college to become one of the top in my class and get relevant work experience. I treated interviewing/applying for jobs as seriously as any of my actual courses, spending countless hours researching companies and creating unique cover letters/resumes for each of my top choices. I was able to capitalize on a few key opportunities I was given because I was prepared and am very fortunate to be where I'm at today. Most of my tuition was covered through a sports scholarship and engineering scholarships which combined with an extremely affordable college gives a kickass ROI on my degree (graduated w/ ~12K of student loans). Couldn't have done any of it without the support and encouragement of my awesome parents.
I really need to stop reading this thred
Post by: JLee on June 21, 2017, 11:57:13 AM
Just to add my two cents, I think on a relative scale that high earning jobs are not as great of a ROI as people perceive them to be. A good example would be to compare a UPS driver who had very little education with a surgeon. Assuming the UPS driver made 22 dollars an hour starting off and saved MMM style with the average 7% return on investment he could make similar amounts compared to the surgeon in a 40 year time period as he would be starting off with little to no debt, and an extra 13 years to compound that the surgeon had to spend studying. It should also be noted the surgeon would graduate with about 250k in the hole, even assuming he paid this off in a year, the UPS driver would still have a significant final amount. I plugged this into the compound interest calculator using a starting net worth of 0 for both. The UPS driver saves 24000 per year x 40 years and ends up with 5.8 million dollars. The surgeon we would say makes 350k per year, for simplicity let's just say after taxes he brings home 250k net. He also saves 50% and earns 7%, however he has to start 14 years later so he would compound 125k at 7% x 26 years which becomes 9.2 million at the same age as the UPS driver. So the surgeon ends up with a few million more, but this is comparing basically a super high paying field to a super low paying field, so the spread would be even less with a medium paying field that required a lot of time and debt to obtain. This also doesn't factor in risk, raises the UPS driver might receive, and the lower ROI based on the amount of time spent to make a few million more, for example, the UPS driver could casually work 40 hrs per week and enjoy life in his youth, while the surgeon might have had to average greater than 60 hrs a week including school time and other activities for those 40 years to end up with only a few million more. Any thoughts on this? I've brought this concept up with friends before and many have proposed that very few if any people are smart enough and motivated enough to be like the UPS driver and save 50% of income from the start and never stop, as well as have the investment savvy to generate passive income, but I'm sure someone has done this.
How are you coming up with this 13 year figure, and why would we assume the surgeon can pay off $250k in medical school in one year but then can only save $125k/year afterwards?
4 years Bachelor
4 years med school
1 year transition
3-5 residency
1++++ fellowship
That's 13-15 years before making the "real money"
Fair enough, though residency isn't unpaid and a transition year (to my knowledge) is not necessary. That would cause an 8 year delay before a salary (higher than the UPS driver in the above example), with another 5-7 years before making 7x what the UPS driver does.
It's still a long road, but I don't think the break even point would be as far out as initially claimed, at least not if both people have similar MMM behaviors. Expecting the UPS driver to save $24k/year, or 52% of their gross income (using 7% as an estimated effective tax rate, this provides a spend of $1546/month), while expecting the doctor to save 50% of their net income (this means there's a spend rate of $10,416/month) provides a skewed picture.
For example, if the doctor dropped their spending to a mere three times that of the UPS driver and invested the difference, this would add $5,778/mo to investment contributions. This alone adds $5 million in 26 years.
Post by: VolcanicArts on June 21, 2017, 12:22:27 PM
Just to add my two cents, I think on a relative scale that high earning jobs are not as great of a ROI as people perceive them to be. A good example would be to compare a UPS driver who had very little education with a surgeon. Assuming the UPS driver made 22 dollars an hour starting off and saved MMM style with the average 7% return on investment he could make similar amounts compared to the surgeon in a 40 year time period as he would be starting off with little to no debt, and an extra 13 years to compound that the surgeon had to spend studying. It should also be noted the surgeon would graduate with about 250k in the hole, even assuming he paid this off in a year, the UPS driver would still have a significant final amount. I plugged this into the compound interest calculator using a starting net worth of 0 for both. The UPS driver saves 24000 per year x 40 years and ends up with 5.8 million dollars. The surgeon we would say makes 350k per year, for simplicity let's just say after taxes he brings home 250k net. He also saves 50% and earns 7%, however he has to start 14 years later so he would compound 125k at 7% x 26 years which becomes 9.2 million at the same age as the UPS driver. So the surgeon ends up with a few million more, but this is comparing basically a super high paying field to a super low paying field, so the spread would be even less with a medium paying field that required a lot of time and debt to obtain. This also doesn't factor in risk, raises the UPS driver might receive, and the lower ROI based on the amount of time spent to make a few million more, for example, the UPS driver could casually work 40 hrs per week and enjoy life in his youth, while the surgeon might have had to average greater than 60 hrs a week including school time and other activities for those 40 years to end up with only a few million more. Any thoughts on this? I've brought this concept up with friends before and many have proposed that very few if any people are smart enough and motivated enough to be like the UPS driver and save 50% of income from the start and never stop, as well as have the investment savvy to generate passive income, but I'm sure someone has done this.
How are you coming up with this 13 year figure, and why would we assume the surgeon can pay off $250k in medical school in one year but then can only save $125k/year afterwards?
4 years Bachelor
4 years med school
1 year transition
3-5 residency
1++++ fellowship
That's 13-15 years before making the "real money"
Fair enough, though residency isn't unpaid and a transition year (to my knowledge) is not necessary. That would cause an 8 year delay before a salary (higher than the UPS driver in the above example), with another 5-7 years before making 7x what the UPS driver does.
It's still a long road, but I don't think the break even point would be as far out as initially claimed, at least not if both people have similar MMM behaviors. Expecting the UPS driver to save $24k/year, or 52% of their gross income (using 7% as an estimated effective tax rate, this provides a spend of $1546/month), while expecting the doctor to save 50% of their net income (this means there's a spend rate of $10,416/month) provides a skewed picture.
For example, if the doctor dropped their spending to a mere three times that of the UPS driver and invested the difference, this would add $5,778/mo to investment contributions. This alone adds $5 million in 26 years.
It would still not be significantly different in 40 years. You could assume the surgeon made some money (about 50 to 60k) in residency, and that's how I calculated them being able to pay off the 250k loan in a year of work, assuming they saved some to pay off the loan and the rest to live off of, go to interviews, pay for exams etc. Also another poster pointed out that UPS drivers actually make much more than the example I gave and receive a pension, so it is likely the spread would be much smaller over a 40 year period. I believe they stated they made96k with a pension and 4 years of work experience, using that pay scale in my original example it seems the UPS driver would actually beat the surgeon. I was wondering what barriers of entry there were to become a driver, what is a starting hourly rate, how much pension do they receive, does it require any debt, schooling or time commitment etc. if we had all of this information we could more accurately recalculate a 40 year scenario and I think the driver would come out ahead. It's not the job title or prestige, it's how smart you work and how much you save.
Post by: VolcanicArts on June 21, 2017, 12:25:26 PM
It's a good union job. The pay and benefits are going to be significantly better than the same job at FedEx (non union). This is the benefit of a check and balance system between the company and employees, everyone gets a cut and you get long term employees.Job Title: UPS DriverThis one definitely surprised me as well.
Salary: $96,000.00 + ( benefits, pension)
Years’ experience: 4 years
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Here is the original post
Post by: JLee on June 21, 2017, 12:28:12 PM
Just to add my two cents, I think on a relative scale that high earning jobs are not as great of a ROI as people perceive them to be. A good example would be to compare a UPS driver who had very little education with a surgeon. Assuming the UPS driver made 22 dollars an hour starting off and saved MMM style with the average 7% return on investment he could make similar amounts compared to the surgeon in a 40 year time period as he would be starting off with little to no debt, and an extra 13 years to compound that the surgeon had to spend studying. It should also be noted the surgeon would graduate with about 250k in the hole, even assuming he paid this off in a year, the UPS driver would still have a significant final amount. I plugged this into the compound interest calculator using a starting net worth of 0 for both. The UPS driver saves 24000 per year x 40 years and ends up with 5.8 million dollars. The surgeon we would say makes 350k per year, for simplicity let's just say after taxes he brings home 250k net. He also saves 50% and earns 7%, however he has to start 14 years later so he would compound 125k at 7% x 26 years which becomes 9.2 million at the same age as the UPS driver. So the surgeon ends up with a few million more, but this is comparing basically a super high paying field to a super low paying field, so the spread would be even less with a medium paying field that required a lot of time and debt to obtain. This also doesn't factor in risk, raises the UPS driver might receive, and the lower ROI based on the amount of time spent to make a few million more, for example, the UPS driver could casually work 40 hrs per week and enjoy life in his youth, while the surgeon might have had to average greater than 60 hrs a week including school time and other activities for those 40 years to end up with only a few million more. Any thoughts on this? I've brought this concept up with friends before and many have proposed that very few if any people are smart enough and motivated enough to be like the UPS driver and save 50% of income from the start and never stop, as well as have the investment savvy to generate passive income, but I'm sure someone has done this.
How are you coming up with this 13 year figure, and why would we assume the surgeon can pay off $250k in medical school in one year but then can only save $125k/year afterwards?
4 years Bachelor
4 years med school
1 year transition
3-5 residency
1++++ fellowship
That's 13-15 years before making the "real money"
Fair enough, though residency isn't unpaid and a transition year (to my knowledge) is not necessary. That would cause an 8 year delay before a salary (higher than the UPS driver in the above example), with another 5-7 years before making 7x what the UPS driver does.
It's still a long road, but I don't think the break even point would be as far out as initially claimed, at least not if both people have similar MMM behaviors. Expecting the UPS driver to save $24k/year, or 52% of their gross income (using 7% as an estimated effective tax rate, this provides a spend of $1546/month), while expecting the doctor to save 50% of their net income (this means there's a spend rate of $10,416/month) provides a skewed picture.
For example, if the doctor dropped their spending to a mere three times that of the UPS driver and invested the difference, this would add $5,778/mo to investment contributions. This alone adds $5 million in 26 years.
It would still not be significantly different in 40 years. You could assume the surgeon made some money (about 50 to 60k) in residency, and that's how I calculated them being able to pay off the 250k loan in a year of work, assuming they saved some to pay off the loan and the rest to live off of, go to interviews, pay for exams etc. Also another poster pointed out that UPS drivers actually make much more than the example I gave and receive a pension, so it is likely the spread would be much smaller over a 40 year period. I believe they stated they made96k with a pension and 4 years of work experience, using that pay scale in my original example it seems the UPS driver would actually beat the surgeon. I was wondering what barriers of entry there were to become a driver, what is a starting hourly rate, how much pension do they receive, does it require any debt, schooling or time commitment etc. if we had all of this information we could more accurately recalculate a 40 year scenario and I think the driver would come out ahead. It's not the job title or prestige, it's how smart you work and how much you save.
If the surgeon spends over $10,000 a month, sure. Knock that spend down to the $1500/mo you claimed the $22/hr guy would be living on and see how the numbers come out. :P
Post by: afuera on June 21, 2017, 02:16:22 PM
Job Title: Production Engineersigh
Salary: $107K/yr + Yearly Profit Sharting + 6% 401K match + Pension + Free HDHP w/ HSA contributions. Total comp probably around ~135K.
Experience: 3 years at current company (1st job out of college), 2 relevant part-time jobs and 1 relevant internship while in college.
Education: BS in Chemical Engineering.
I worked my ass of in college to become one of the top in my class and get relevant work experience. I treated interviewing/applying for jobs as seriously as any of my actual courses, spending countless hours researching companies and creating unique cover letters/resumes for each of my top choices. I was able to capitalize on a few key opportunities I was given because I was prepared and am very fortunate to be where I'm at today. Most of my tuition was covered through a sports scholarship and engineering scholarships which combined with an extremely affordable college gives a kickass ROI on my degree (graduated w/ ~12K of student loans). Couldn't have done any of it without the support and encouragement of my awesome parents.
I really need to stop reading this thred
I'm not sure I understand what you mean?
Post by: arebelspy on June 21, 2017, 03:24:12 PM
Job Title: Production Engineersigh
Salary: $107K/yr + Yearly Profit Sharting + 6% 401K match + Pension + Free HDHP w/ HSA contributions. Total comp probably around ~135K.
Experience: 3 years at current company (1st job out of college), 2 relevant part-time jobs and 1 relevant internship while in college.
Education: BS in Chemical Engineering.
I worked my ass of in college to become one of the top in my class and get relevant work experience. I treated interviewing/applying for jobs as seriously as any of my actual courses, spending countless hours researching companies and creating unique cover letters/resumes for each of my top choices. I was able to capitalize on a few key opportunities I was given because I was prepared and am very fortunate to be where I'm at today. Most of my tuition was covered through a sports scholarship and engineering scholarships which combined with an extremely affordable college gives a kickass ROI on my degree (graduated w/ ~12K of student loans). Couldn't have done any of it without the support and encouragement of my awesome parents.
I really need to stop reading this thred
I'm not sure I understand what you mean?
I could interpret this a number of ways, but the thing that got to me about your post was the amount of justification you gave for starting on third base.
/shrug
It's not worth worrying about. :)
Post by: afuera on June 21, 2017, 03:39:27 PM
Job Title: Production Engineersigh
Salary: $107K/yr + Yearly Profit Sharting + 6% 401K match + Pension + Free HDHP w/ HSA contributions. Total comp probably around ~135K.
Experience: 3 years at current company (1st job out of college), 2 relevant part-time jobs and 1 relevant internship while in college.
Education: BS in Chemical Engineering.
I worked my ass of in college to become one of the top in my class and get relevant work experience. I treated interviewing/applying for jobs as seriously as any of my actual courses, spending countless hours researching companies and creating unique cover letters/resumes for each of my top choices. I was able to capitalize on a few key opportunities I was given because I was prepared and am very fortunate to be where I'm at today. Most of my tuition was covered through a sports scholarship and engineering scholarships which combined with an extremely affordable college gives a kickass ROI on my degree (graduated w/ ~12K of student loans). Couldn't have done any of it without the support and encouragement of my awesome parents.
I really need to stop reading this thred
I'm not sure I understand what you mean?
I could interpret this a number of ways, but the thing that got to me about your post was the amount of justification you gave for starting on third base.
/shrug
It's not worth worrying about. :)
I get that. I feel like a lot of times when I share my situation on this forum the default response from others is that I must be very lucky or had some crazy advantage that other middle class folks didn't. I thought this time I would give a little background on the hard work and effort it took to get where I am. I definitely realize that I was born with a lot of advantages that others weren't but that doesn't mean I didn't work a lot harder than others in similar circumstances in order to accomplish the things that I have.
Post by: jscott2135 on June 22, 2017, 09:59:49 AM
Hubby is a QA Director, also in the Pharma world and he makes 160k + 40k bonus (Bachelors in Science field, 15yrs+ industry experience)
Post by: Unique User on June 22, 2017, 01:00:14 PM
Me - Staffing Manager for large life sciences company
$99k plus bonus (average $8-$12k), 5% 401k match, 4 weeks vacation, good benefits, work from home so very flexible but often stressful
BA Liberal Arts
8 years experience, but I'm 47
DH - Territory Manager for large CPG company
$75k plus bonus (average $8-$10k), 9% 401k match, company car, with unlimited use, 3 weeks vacation, good benefits, work from home/on the road, but very low stress
No degree
8 years experience, but he's 52
Post by: Jessamine on June 22, 2017, 01:26:04 PM
Salary: $102k + bonus (~12%)
Experience: 9 years (over 4 companies w/ increasing responsibilities)
Education: BS in Biology
Post by: mm1970 on June 22, 2017, 01:37:18 PM
That, a bit, yes.Job Title: Production Engineersigh
Salary: $107K/yr + Yearly Profit Sharting + 6% 401K match + Pension + Free HDHP w/ HSA contributions. Total comp probably around ~135K.
Experience: 3 years at current company (1st job out of college), 2 relevant part-time jobs and 1 relevant internship while in college.
Education: BS in Chemical Engineering.
I worked my ass of in college to become one of the top in my class and get relevant work experience. I treated interviewing/applying for jobs as seriously as any of my actual courses, spending countless hours researching companies and creating unique cover letters/resumes for each of my top choices. I was able to capitalize on a few key opportunities I was given because I was prepared and am very fortunate to be where I'm at today. Most of my tuition was covered through a sports scholarship and engineering scholarships which combined with an extremely affordable college gives a kickass ROI on my degree (graduated w/ ~12K of student loans). Couldn't have done any of it without the support and encouragement of my awesome parents.
I really need to stop reading this thred
I'm not sure I understand what you mean?
I could interpret this a number of ways, but the thing that got to me about your post was the amount of justification you gave for starting on third base.
/shrug
It's not worth worrying about. :)
But mostly, fuck me. I'm a chemical engineer, went to a top 10-engineering school, "worked my ass off" and graduated 5th in my class in said engineering school. (And left with only $11k of loans, thanks to scholarships, the biggest one being ROTC). (So I can toot my own horn, 5th in my class is pretty good when you figure the 2+ extra classes a semester for ROTC, plus general ROTC extra requirements, OH and I had a part time job 5/8 semesters so that I could also afford to EAT.)
Oh, but I'm not a dude and my salary SUUUUUCKS. Higher than the person posting, above, but just barely. Did I mention that I have 25 YEARS of work experience? Part of this is my company and their pay scale, yes, but rest assured that the -ahem- men that we've hired in the last 6 years have gotten market rate. I've done pretty well coming to terms with it as it is (location, company limitations, etc.) but I really need to avoid this thread.
Post by: SustainableStache on June 22, 2017, 01:48:51 PM
Salary: $50k + 8% 401k match + free transit pass + 20 days vacation + 15 sick days + 35 hour work week
Education: BA and JD
Post by: afuera on June 22, 2017, 01:54:27 PM
That, a bit, yes.Job Title: Production Engineersigh
Salary: $107K/yr + Yearly Profit Sharting + 6% 401K match + Pension + Free HDHP w/ HSA contributions. Total comp probably around ~135K.
Experience: 3 years at current company (1st job out of college), 2 relevant part-time jobs and 1 relevant internship while in college.
Education: BS in Chemical Engineering.
I worked my ass of in college to become one of the top in my class and get relevant work experience. I treated interviewing/applying for jobs as seriously as any of my actual courses, spending countless hours researching companies and creating unique cover letters/resumes for each of my top choices. I was able to capitalize on a few key opportunities I was given because I was prepared and am very fortunate to be where I'm at today. Most of my tuition was covered through a sports scholarship and engineering scholarships which combined with an extremely affordable college gives a kickass ROI on my degree (graduated w/ ~12K of student loans). Couldn't have done any of it without the support and encouragement of my awesome parents.
I really need to stop reading this thred
I'm not sure I understand what you mean?
I could interpret this a number of ways, but the thing that got to me about your post was the amount of justification you gave for starting on third base.
/shrug
It's not worth worrying about. :)
But mostly, fuck me. I'm a chemical engineer, went to a top 10-engineering school, "worked my ass off" and graduated 5th in my class in said engineering school. (And left with only $11k of loans, thanks to scholarships, the biggest one being ROTC). (So I can toot my own horn, 5th in my class is pretty good when you figure the 2+ extra classes a semester for ROTC, plus general ROTC extra requirements, OH and I had a part time job 5/8 semesters so that I could also afford to EAT.)
Oh, but I'm not a dude and my salary SUUUUUCKS. Higher than the person posting, above, but just barely. Did I mention that I have 25 YEARS of work experience? Part of this is my company and their pay scale, yes, but rest assured that the -ahem- men that we've hired in the last 6 years have gotten market rate. I've done pretty well coming to terms with it as it is (location, company limitations, etc.) but I really need to avoid this thread.
ummm I'm not a dude either...
Post by: Cwadda on June 22, 2017, 02:05:30 PM
Quote
Oh, but I'm not a dude and my salary SUUUUUCKS. Higher than the person posting, above, but just barely. Did I mention that I have 25 YEARS of work experience? Part of this is my company and their pay scale, yes, but rest assured that the -ahem- men that we've hired in the last 6 years have gotten market rate. I've done pretty well coming to terms with it as it is (location, company limitations, etc.) but I really need to avoid this thread.You're much better off than the majority of the women in this world who are marginalized and those that will have zero chance of getting an education. Which isn't to say your company isn't at fault for pay inequality. Just wanted to throw that out there, just another way of looking at things.
Post by: Mgmny on June 22, 2017, 02:13:22 PM
Oh, but I'm not a dude and my salary SUUUUUCKS. Higher than the person posting, above, but just barely. Did I mention that I have 25 YEARS of work experience? Part of this is my company and their pay scale, yes, but rest assured that the -ahem- men that we've hired in the last 6 years have gotten market rate. I've done pretty well coming to terms with it as it is (location, company limitations, etc.) but I really need to avoid this thread.
You should quit and get a different job if you want a higher salary. Also, there is a great resource, "She Negotiates" that can help you too. Victoria Pynchon is really good at her job, and may be able to help you too!
Post by: tyrannostache on June 22, 2017, 02:49:04 PM
Job: Grant Writer for large nonprofit
Salary: $45-48K in low-moderate COL area
Years experience: 3-4
Great benefits including loads of vacation (4 weeks total), 401k match, flexible schedule and work from home when I need it.
I could definitely be making more in a different field, but I love my work, my colleagues, and the flexibility the job offers while I have small kids.
I'm curious to learn more about this. Is this a job at many non profits, do you need domain expertise, and can it be done on a part-time/contract basis?
I've worked on the other side, research at non-profits, funded by grants that someone else has written. It was a good environment as you mentioned.
It's a fairly common position, especially for larger nonprofit organizations. In smaller organizations, I think it's usually folded into more general development/philanthropy positions.
Domain expertise: this will vary. I came to the field sort of serendipitously. I wouldn't have considered grant writing if I hadn't run across a grant writer job posting for my favorite organization at a time when I was looking for a career transition. I had worked for the organization as a summer intern/technician in the past. I also had writing and communications experience, had landed a few private grants for my own work, and had edited some federal grant applications.
Contracting/Part Time: I frequently see postings for part-time grant writers, and it's certainly possible to do it on a contract basis. As a side gig, I'm starting to cultivate some freelance contracts--it turns out to be one of the more lucrative freelance writing fields out there.
If you want to learn more about grant writing, check out the Foundation Center. They have some free and low-cost online courses that give a good introduction. Keep in mind that there's a world of difference between writing for government grants and writing for private foundations. Government grants require some pretty advanced accounting/legal/bureaucracy-wrangling expertise--my org has a whole separate set of specialists who deal with reviewing and administering gov't funds. I still contribute to writing gov't grants, but my involvement is blessedly minimal.
Feel free to message me if you have more questions.
Post by: mm1970 on June 22, 2017, 02:57:15 PM
Wasn't suggesting you were, just noting a bit about my own particular company's ... um... methods? Choices? Anyway. Like I said, I just need to avoid this thread for my own sanity!That, a bit, yes.Job Title: Production Engineersigh
Salary: $107K/yr + Yearly Profit Sharting + 6% 401K match + Pension + Free HDHP w/ HSA contributions. Total comp probably around ~135K.
Experience: 3 years at current company (1st job out of college), 2 relevant part-time jobs and 1 relevant internship while in college.
Education: BS in Chemical Engineering.
I worked my ass of in college to become one of the top in my class and get relevant work experience. I treated interviewing/applying for jobs as seriously as any of my actual courses, spending countless hours researching companies and creating unique cover letters/resumes for each of my top choices. I was able to capitalize on a few key opportunities I was given because I was prepared and am very fortunate to be where I'm at today. Most of my tuition was covered through a sports scholarship and engineering scholarships which combined with an extremely affordable college gives a kickass ROI on my degree (graduated w/ ~12K of student loans). Couldn't have done any of it without the support and encouragement of my awesome parents.
I really need to stop reading this thred
I'm not sure I understand what you mean?
I could interpret this a number of ways, but the thing that got to me about your post was the amount of justification you gave for starting on third base.
/shrug
It's not worth worrying about. :)
But mostly, fuck me. I'm a chemical engineer, went to a top 10-engineering school, "worked my ass off" and graduated 5th in my class in said engineering school. (And left with only $11k of loans, thanks to scholarships, the biggest one being ROTC). (So I can toot my own horn, 5th in my class is pretty good when you figure the 2+ extra classes a semester for ROTC, plus general ROTC extra requirements, OH and I had a part time job 5/8 semesters so that I could also afford to EAT.)
Oh, but I'm not a dude and my salary SUUUUUCKS. Higher than the person posting, above, but just barely. Did I mention that I have 25 YEARS of work experience? Part of this is my company and their pay scale, yes, but rest assured that the -ahem- men that we've hired in the last 6 years have gotten market rate. I've done pretty well coming to terms with it as it is (location, company limitations, etc.) but I really need to avoid this thread.
ummm I'm not a dude either...
Post by: Roots&Wings on June 22, 2017, 03:09:10 PM
DH - Territory Manager for large CPG company
$75k plus bonus (average $8-$10k), 9% 401k match, company car, with unlimited use, 3 weeks vacation, good benefits, work from home/on the road, but very low stress
No degree
8 years experience, but he's 52
Thanks for mentioning this! Can you elaborate on this role? Or what background your husband had to get in the door?
Trying to find options for a friend who's great with people, but no degree.
Post by: mm1970 on June 22, 2017, 03:09:32 PM
Oh, but I'm not a dude and my salary SUUUUUCKS. Higher than the person posting, above, but just barely. Did I mention that I have 25 YEARS of work experience? Part of this is my company and their pay scale, yes, but rest assured that the -ahem- men that we've hired in the last 6 years have gotten market rate. I've done pretty well coming to terms with it as it is (location, company limitations, etc.) but I really need to avoid this thread.
You should quit and get a different job if you want a higher salary. Also, there is a great resource, "She Negotiates" that can help you too. Victoria Pynchon is really good at her job, and may be able to help you too!
Ah yes. Well, to be honest, I have looked, and interviewed - a bit. Haven't spent a lot of time at it (and none in the last 3 years). I've got some limitations, namely - I live in a "not large" city and there are not that many jobs/ companies here that do what I do. Probably about 5-10, which is still a decent number though. Probably 3-6 of them pay more than my company, and the rest are well known to pay a lot less. The limitations of "I'm not moving" (not that I'm not willing to move, but my spouse makes 50% more than I do, so...we aren't going to be moving for my job) make it a tough one. None of the companies are very large, so the job openings are few and far between.
In any event, I've tried negotiating here (no luck - and in this case, it's not just me, my fellow male coworkers have the same problem. New hires get market rate, longer term employees get screwed. It's also like that in similar companies in town. It's why changing jobs gets you more money.) Instead, I have negotiated an awful lot of flexibility. This exchange, along with not reading this thread, has made things "okay". (And also being grateful for what I have. I don't want people to think I'm a money grubbing jealous person - a lot of people might look at me and think "rich person problems", but I am very sensitive to the pay gap, having experienced it. And still experiencing it. I refuse to pretend that it is okay, because it is NOT.)
Right now I'm riding it out a bit. I have friends in town from a prior company - we all scattered when that company went out of business. The vast majority of them are still in the same companies that they went to 17 years ago when we went out of business. So I ask myself "why is that? Are their companies just amazingly awesome and they love it and get paid well? Or is it that they have a different attitude about life? Like they have ENOUGH and it's enough for them to have a job?" I did actually ask one of my former coworkers that, and he did say that it's mostly the first with a bit of the second. Which is why I've worked on re-framing my attitude and accepting flexibility in exchange for money. Even though I'd rather have the money.
Post by: gerardc on June 22, 2017, 08:42:58 PM
We're both at late in life new careers as we spent 14 years having fun without making much money in a resort area.
Care to elaborate about this part?
Post by: nara on June 22, 2017, 09:08:45 PM
Salary: I am paid $125/hour through insurance. I own my agency so our income is approx $180k.
Years’ experience: 15
Post by: Unique User on June 23, 2017, 06:12:10 AM
DH - Territory Manager for large CPG company
$75k plus bonus (average $8-$10k), 9% 401k match, company car, with unlimited use, 3 weeks vacation, good benefits, work from home/on the road, but very low stress
No degree
8 years experience, but he's 52
Thanks for mentioning this! Can you elaborate on this role? Or what background your husband had to get in the door?
Trying to find options for a friend who's great with people, but no degree.
He's a former Chef (no degree, but did a European apprenticeship) and his previous job was similar in that he worked with the big food distributors (Sysco, US Foods). He started at his previous job doing manual labor and moved up. I'll send you a PM on his previous employer, they hire a lot of people without degrees. He was glad to get out of there, but it was a good place to get experience.
Post by: Unique User on June 23, 2017, 06:21:54 AM
We're both at late in life new careers as we spent 14 years having fun without making much money in a resort area.
Care to elaborate about this part?
We moved to a ski area intending to only stay a year or two. It was fun and we ended up starting a couple small businesses, but when you are in a ski area you only have 6 months out of the year to earn income for the whole year. And after we left the ski area, we stupidly moved to the beach where we spent another 1.5 years bouncing around before we realized we needed to get jobs. One good thing was that we learned early on how to live on low incomes so now that we have high incomes, it is easy to save 60+% and still feel like we are living in the lap of luxury.
Post by: rg422 on June 23, 2017, 09:47:07 AM
Salary: $99K salary + about $96K (depending on bonus) side gig job auditing insurance claims working from home
Age:33
Experience: 8 years as a nurse and 3 years doing auditing work
Education: Associate in nursing + medical coding school
Post by: Bracken_Joy on June 23, 2017, 10:09:00 AM
Title: Registered nurse
Salary: $99K salary + about $96K (depending on bonus) side gig job auditing insurance claims working from home
Age:33
Experience: 8 years as a nurse and 3 years doing auditing work
Education: Associate in nursing + medical coding school
Another nurse here. I'd LOVE to know how you got into the insurance claims side of things. Worried I'll end up with autoimmune conditions/cancer like my mom, and my health won't hold up enough to keep me bedside, and I would love a backup plan. =)
Post by: Gronnie on June 23, 2017, 11:56:52 AM
Title: Registered nurse
Salary: $99K salary + about $96K (depending on bonus) side gig job auditing insurance claims working from home
Age:33
Experience: 8 years as a nurse and 3 years doing auditing work
Education: Associate in nursing + medical coding school
Please share more about the side gig. How would one get started doing it?
Post by: rg422 on June 23, 2017, 01:15:23 PM
Title: Registered nurse
Salary: $99K salary + about $96K (depending on bonus) side gig job auditing insurance claims working from home
Age:33
Experience: 8 years as a nurse and 3 years doing auditing work
Education: Associate in nursing + medical coding school
Please share more about the side gig. How would one get started doing it?
Typically, an RN or doctor needs medical coding experience and/or credential (preferably AHIMA’s CCS) to qualify for an auditing position. Search for “remote DRG auditor” or “remote RN auditor” on Indeed.com or other sites to see requirements. The hardest part is getting your foot in the door, as most position require some experience. You would be surprised the amount of fraud and abuse is going on with hospitals nationwide; as long as these are present, insurance companies will continue to audit, hence I think auditing jobs will always be present. If you have specific questions, please PM me, as I don’t want to derail the thread.
- Richard
Post by: Finallyunderstand on June 23, 2017, 01:21:17 PM
32 yrs old
10 years exp
Last 3 years: $160k, $210k, $242k. On pace for the high end again this year.
For what it's worth, went to college for accounting degree but never used it. Got into real estate in the downturn at the end of 2007 when I was 22 yrs old so I made it through the bad times and I think that's what makes me successful now.
Living in a very LCOL area so we are saving quickly. Wife is SAHM.
Post by: dreadmoose on June 23, 2017, 01:39:06 PM
Salary: $200K+
Age: 29
Experience: 8 years (O&G construction industry - field and office)
Education: B.Sc in Engineering
Post by: Alim Nassor on June 25, 2017, 07:08:36 AM
Salary is 100k including bonuses. Add another couple of grand for the ESPP, and about 3k for the 401k match
7 weeks PTO
I work a compressed shift, 3 days one week, 4 days the next, 12 hours per day.
Associate degree.
We also have rental properties netting about 24k per year.
Post by: MVal on June 26, 2017, 04:06:02 PM
I'm a repair and maintenance technician at a semiconductor company.
Salary is 100k including bonuses. Add another couple of grand for the ESPP, and about 3k for the 401k match
7 weeks PTO
I work a compressed shift, 3 days one week, 4 days the next, 12 hours per day.
Associate degree.
We also have rental properties netting about 24k per year.
Do tell! I got a BA in English and only make a fraction of that. I went to community college first, but apparently I should have gotten an AS and stopped there instead of an AA and going on to a university. What exactly was your associates in?
Post by: mm1970 on June 26, 2017, 06:35:39 PM
I'm guessing engineering technology of some sort.I'm a repair and maintenance technician at a semiconductor company.
Salary is 100k including bonuses. Add another couple of grand for the ESPP, and about 3k for the 401k match
7 weeks PTO
I work a compressed shift, 3 days one week, 4 days the next, 12 hours per day.
Associate degree.
We also have rental properties netting about 24k per year.
Do tell! I got a BA in English and only make a fraction of that. I went to community college first, but apparently I should have gotten an AS and stopped there instead of an AA and going on to a university. What exactly was your associates in?
Good, experienced, qualified semiconductor repair and maintenance technicians and engineers can be really hard to find. And they are worth their weight in gold. Platinum if they *also* don't have weird personality quirks or attitudes.
(I'm in semiconductors. Was a fab process engineer for a couple of decades.)
Post by: Alim Nassor on June 26, 2017, 06:53:03 PM
I'm a repair and maintenance technician at a semiconductor company.
Salary is 100k including bonuses. Add another couple of grand for the ESPP, and about 3k for the 401k match
7 weeks PTO
I work a compressed shift, 3 days one week, 4 days the next, 12 hours per day.
Associate degree.
We also have rental properties netting about 24k per year.
Do tell! I got a BA in English and only make a fraction of that. I went to community college first, but apparently I should have gotten an AS and stopped there instead of an AA and going on to a university. What exactly was your associates in?
I got my AAS is robotics/electronics from the local community college, but most of what I learned was OJT.
Post by: Alim Nassor on June 26, 2017, 07:00:17 PM
I'm guessing engineering technology of some sort.I'm a repair and maintenance technician at a semiconductor company.
Salary is 100k including bonuses. Add another couple of grand for the ESPP, and about 3k for the 401k match
7 weeks PTO
I work a compressed shift, 3 days one week, 4 days the next, 12 hours per day.
Associate degree.
We also have rental properties netting about 24k per year.
Do tell! I got a BA in English and only make a fraction of that. I went to community college first, but apparently I should have gotten an AS and stopped there instead of an AA and going on to a university. What exactly was your associates in?
Good, experienced, qualified semiconductor repair and maintenance technicians and engineers can be really hard to find. And they are worth their weight in gold. Platinum if they *also* don't have weird personality quirks or attitudes.
(I'm in semiconductors. Was a fab process engineer for a couple of decades.)
For about 30 years I worked for a company that started out as Texas Instruments, then morphed into a joint venture and then the partner bought it out completely. We made the raw wafers that IC's are built on. Over the years I became the company expert on several pieces of equipment and was proficient in all of them. This allowed me to travel the world occasionally troubleshooting LPCVD and APCVD processes.
Eventually, I was asked to move to Malaysia for a year to assist in the startup of a new fab. The first day I walked into that huge cleanroom, I called my boss and told him our days in Texas were numbered. There was no way the company was going to spend half a billion dollars on new equipment when it existed in Texas. 6 months later they announced we were closing. I spent another year travelling back and forth every few weeks, and then spent one more solid year in Malaysia until they were on their feet.
Now I work for a front end fab in Richardson. Having a bit of trouble transitioning from being "THE GUY" to just another tech. I don't have enough years left to achieve that kind of expertise again. My FIRE goal is about this time next year. I never want to worry about angstroms again.
Post by: mm1970 on June 27, 2017, 11:23:40 AM
Yeah, we shut our fab down except for some development work. Using an overseas foundry now. I moved into more of data analysis/ project management roles when the other work dried up. I prefer the fab, but that's just not my reality anymore.I'm guessing engineering technology of some sort.I'm a repair and maintenance technician at a semiconductor company.
Salary is 100k including bonuses. Add another couple of grand for the ESPP, and about 3k for the 401k match
7 weeks PTO
I work a compressed shift, 3 days one week, 4 days the next, 12 hours per day.
Associate degree.
We also have rental properties netting about 24k per year.
Do tell! I got a BA in English and only make a fraction of that. I went to community college first, but apparently I should have gotten an AS and stopped there instead of an AA and going on to a university. What exactly was your associates in?
Good, experienced, qualified semiconductor repair and maintenance technicians and engineers can be really hard to find. And they are worth their weight in gold. Platinum if they *also* don't have weird personality quirks or attitudes.
(I'm in semiconductors. Was a fab process engineer for a couple of decades.)
For about 30 years I worked for a company that started out as Texas Instruments, then morphed into a joint venture and then the partner bought it out completely. We made the raw wafers that IC's are built on. Over the years I became the company expert on several pieces of equipment and was proficient in all of them. This allowed me to travel the world occasionally troubleshooting LPCVD and APCVD processes.
Eventually, I was asked to move to Malaysia for a year to assist in the startup of a new fab. The first day I walked into that huge cleanroom, I called my boss and told him our days in Texas were numbered. There was no way the company was going to spend half a billion dollars on new equipment when it existed in Texas. 6 months later they announced we were closing. I spent another year travelling back and forth every few weeks, and then spent one more solid year in Malaysia until they were on their feet.
Now I work for a front end fab in Richardson. Having a bit of trouble transitioning from being "THE GUY" to just another tech. I don't have enough years left to achieve that kind of expertise again. My FIRE goal is about this time next year. I never want to worry about angstroms again.
Have a few friends in the Dallas area, still working the business.
Post by: JackieTreehorn on June 29, 2017, 10:19:51 AM
Salary+Bonus: 120k + 3% 401k match + decent pension
Experience: 10 years
Education: B.S. Mathematics
HCOL area
Post by: sea on July 02, 2017, 02:39:15 PM
Salary: around $73K for 36 hours per week / small bonus / excellent benefits including a 7.5% match and around a month of PTO
Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA (1.2% higher COL than national average)
Age: 36
Experience: 10 years in my industry
Education: Some college not related to field. Mostly, I'm autodidactic and learned the rest on the job.
Post by: londonbanker on August 12, 2017, 11:36:41 AM
Just an observation really.
Post by: Re3iRtH on August 12, 2017, 12:08:29 PM
Not sure whether the sample of respondants is representative of the forum population, but the average income seems to be well above the US national average... which could simply prove that mustachians are disciples of self improvement, and as a result command higher level of remuneration... or simply more college educated (hence the familiarity w finance matters in general) commanding higher wages...
Just an observation really.
I've make the same observation on every forum I've ever been on, no matter the topic.
On the student doctor network forums, the average MCAT score was probably 32-33 (national average around 25). Average USMLE Step I and II scores were probably 240, national average is about 218-220. Self-selection and, for ex. people who earn a lot, are more likely to post about it. If you saw this thread and earn $20K a year.. very easy to just move on ;)
Post by: GenXbiker on August 12, 2017, 12:13:03 PM
Post by: gerardc on August 12, 2017, 12:13:27 PM
Not sure whether the sample of respondants is representative of the forum population, but the average income seems to be well above the US national average... which could simply prove that mustachians are disciples of self improvement, and as a result command higher level of remuneration... or simply more college educated (hence the familiarity w finance matters in general) commanding higher wages...
Just an observation really.
I only came on this forum after I started making appreciable money, and prospects of FIRE suddenly entered the realm of possibilities. When I was making $30k/year, I wasn't thinking of FIREing at all, understandably.
Granted, I was already hardworking, disciplined and frugal back then, but it was more by necessity than by choice.
Post by: WhiteTrashCash on August 12, 2017, 12:27:04 PM
Post by: Re3iRtH on August 12, 2017, 12:29:28 PM
Salary: ~$170K W-2 (including taxable and non-taxable portion) + ~$35K income from investments
Location: Variable
Age: 32
Experience: 6 years as M.D.
Education: ~13 years of training, college = $5K per year, medical school = free
Post by: alexpkeaton on August 12, 2017, 01:24:49 PM
Salary: $175k base, $100k target bonus, $3k/year to my pension. There's also a 5% 401k match and an ESPP which I won't qualify for if I make over $250k.
Location: NYC
Years Experience: 15, BS in computer science
I'm only a few months into this job, so I don't yet know how variable the bonuses tend to be. I've heard they rarely fire people, but if they don't want you around your bonus will be tiny and you'll probably just quit on your own. I started the job in June, and I was told the $100k number is what I can expect for this year, but it's not clear then if that's a pro-rated amount and I might get a similar bonus next year for the entire year, or if it'll go up to something closer to my actual base salary. Hoping for the latter, obviously.
Post by: Lan Mandragoran on August 12, 2017, 01:46:03 PM
62.5 salary, 5k bonus to hsa, 2.5% match 401k, 20% of salary ya pension
Sys admin 5 years experience ~
Any other sys admins :)?
Post by: Lance Hiruma on August 12, 2017, 04:03:21 PM
Is Glassdoor misstating?
Post by: Btag84 on August 12, 2017, 08:58:47 PM
Salary: $105,000
Location: Midwest
Age: 32
Experience: 6 years public, 2.5 years in SEC reporting at a large bank and 1.5 years in technical accounting role.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Post by: lexde on August 12, 2017, 09:08:41 PM
Salary: $65,000 + bonus
Location: Southeast, LCOL
Age: 27
Experience: <1 year
I feel like I'm doing it wrong...
Post by: Re3iRtH on August 13, 2017, 12:05:30 AM
Title: Associate Attorney
Salary: $65,000 + bonus
Location: Southeast, LCOL
Age: 27
Experience: <1 year
I feel like I'm doing it wrong...
How so, you're above the median USA income.
By the way, have you ever seen the show "Suits"? Quite entertaining..
Post by: Imma on August 13, 2017, 05:42:37 AM
Not sure whether the sample of respondants is representative of the forum population, but the average income seems to be well above the US national average... which could simply prove that mustachians are disciples of self improvement, and as a result command higher level of remuneration... or simply more college educated (hence the familiarity w finance matters in general) commanding higher wages...
Just an observation really.
I'm always quite surprised by the massive incomes too. I'm from Europe, and I get the impression from this forum that people earn a lot more in the US, but then on the other hand all we hear about in the news in my country is widespread poverty in the US. I read about a nurse earning nearly $100.000 in this thread, in my country that would be more like what a doctor would earn. A nurse starts at about €23000 and will not earn more than €40000. It's probably a very select group of people that are interested in FIRE, and of course not everything on the internet is real.
Job title: Finance employee - I work for a small company and my boss doesn't like fancy job titles
Age: 27
Degree: LLB
Experience: 4 years (in finance)
Salary: €34500 / fulltime before taxes with 5 weeks of paid leave and paid leave on all official holidays. No pension. Contractual bonus if the company makes an x amount of profit: €2640/fulltime before taxes
In my country, this is a pretty good salary for someone with my age, experience and degree. Average income is about €36500 with 4 weeks of paid leave, so to be able to earn that average income with only a few years experience in your field is quite good. In here, a law degree is not really financially lucrative since it's one of the most common degrees, and to practice in law you need a Master's degree, not a Bachelor's. I had a few jobs in finance while in college and for financial reasons I decided to pursue a career in that field for now.
Post by: Gronnie on August 13, 2017, 02:39:00 PM
Not sure whether the sample of respondants is representative of the forum population, but the average income seems to be well above the US national average... which could simply prove that mustachians are disciples of self improvement, and as a result command higher level of remuneration... or simply more college educated (hence the familiarity w finance matters in general) commanding higher wages...In here, a law degree is not really financially lucrative since it's one of the most common degrees, and to practice in law you need a Master's degree, not a Bachelor's. I had a few jobs in finance while in college and for financial reasons I decided to pursue a career in that field for now.
Just an observation really.
In the US a law degree is a doctorate degree (J.D.)
Post by: 3mNewb on August 13, 2017, 03:23:23 PM
Experience: 14 years (after 11 years of post-secondary education/training)
Salary: $110,000 (plus 10% to 403b absent any contribution from me)
Location: HCOL area
Post by: PDXTabs on August 13, 2017, 07:01:18 PM
Title: Associate Attorney
Salary: $65,000 + bonus
Location: Southeast, LCOL
Age: 27
Experience: <1 year
I feel like I'm doing it wrong...
You're doing better than the Attorney that I know on the West Coast (Portland) in a HCOL area. She had to work for herself for years to get a salaried gig and when she did it was for a highly questionable boss where she was always questioning whether to call the state bar to report him.
Post by: PDXTabs on August 13, 2017, 07:02:58 PM
Salary: $125,000 + 4% 401(k) match + bonus (5~8%) + benefits
Location: Portland, OR area (HCOL)
Age: 34
Experience: 10+ years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Post by: StockBeard on August 15, 2017, 03:35:26 AM
I'm always quite surprised by the massive incomes too. I'm from Europe, and I get the impression from this forum that people earn a lot more in the US, but then on the other hand all we hear about in the news in my country is widespread poverty in the US.Having worked in France, Japan, and the US, I can anecdotally say that salaries in the US are much higher than what I've seen in Europe for equivalent jobs (if you don't count "minimal wage" types of jobs).
However this is "compensated" in the US by their terribly expensive healthcare system (one of the main reasons we ended up leaving the country this year), cost of life in the areas where you can make such insane salaries, and the general lack of social safety net. From my (anecdotal!) observations, you can make a lot of money in the US, but if you're not careful or are just unlucky, you can also end up spending a lot.
There's also obviously a survivor bias here on MMM: it's much easier to consider becoming FI (and therefore join such a site) when you make an above-average salary.
Post by: jlcnuke on August 15, 2017, 05:50:14 AM
Salary: ~$87k base, +$15-40k OT +4.5% 401k match + benefits
Years’ experience: 9 years in this position, 21 in this industry/related.
Education: Military to start/get the position, though I currently have a BS in Business with a concentration in finance.
Age: 40
Post by: max9505672 on August 15, 2017, 06:05:59 AM
Salary: 60K$ + 4% match, 3 weeks vacations, great insurance
Age: 27
Experience: 11 months
Education: Mechanical engineering degree
Post by: gluskap on August 15, 2017, 02:05:48 PM
Age: 38
Degree: BS in Biochemistry, MS in Biochemistry
Experience: 16 years in the industry
Salary: $135k/year + $3500 bonus this year
I think people that tend to reply to these posts tend to be the ones that make more. I'm sure there are others lurking that make less but probably not as interested in posting? It took me a long time to get to what I'm making now so am proud of it.
Post by: alexpkeaton on August 15, 2017, 02:52:53 PM
I think people that tend to reply to these posts tend to be the ones that make more. I'm sure there are others lurking that make less but probably not as interested in posting? It took me a long time to get to what I'm making now so am proud of it.
I suppose it is a bit of a dick measuring contest. Though one reason I like threads like this is that people can be honest. I actually don't want to tell people I know in real life how much I make. But randos on the internet? Sure!
Post by: HogFin on August 15, 2017, 03:31:16 PM
Age: 25
Degree: BS, Finance
Experience: 2.5yr in current role. <1 yr Public Accounting
Salary: $82K
Bonus: Guaranteed 15%. Max 17.5%
Other: ESPP and 6.5% 401k match on 7% contribution
Actual job responsibilities: I pretty much tell my clients how much to pay their executives. My company also does employee pay work though below the executive level. For those of you referencing Glassdoor and Salary.com, generally these are misleading as there's no true verification for these numbers and often the sample sizes are insufficient to get a true idea of market competitive pay.
Post by: Vibrissae on August 15, 2017, 06:34:09 PM
Age: upper 40s
Degree: BA, double major in English and Art History
Experience: 10 years at current job; 23 years total in editorial work
Salary ~$51K (pre-tax) + $2,500 to my HSA
Location: US East Coast, HCOL area
Post by: avocado lime on August 15, 2017, 08:27:50 PM
Title: Assistant Property Manager
Salary: $42,000
Degree: International Business
Years of Real Estate Experience: 6 1/2 (5 in residential)
Expired Real Estate License - don't need it for my job
I'm in commercial property management as an assistant manager. I make $42k with 20 days of PTO (yay!) and no other benefits (boo!) and it's no fun. I used to work in residential RE managing single family homes and small multiplexes before I moved to a bigger city and boy do I miss it!
Post by: markbike528CBX on August 15, 2017, 08:38:15 PM
Job Title: Sr. Associate Consultant - Executive Compensation
Age: 25
Degree: BS, Finance
Experience: 2.5yr in current role. <1 yr Public Accounting
Salary: $82K
Bonus: Guaranteed 15%. Max 17.5%
Other: ESPP and 6.5% 401k match on 7% contribution
Actual job responsibilities: I pretty much tell my clients how much to pay their executives. My company also does employee pay work though below the executive level. For those of you referencing Glassdoor and Salary.com, generally these are misleading as there's no true verification for these numbers and often the sample sizes are insufficient to get a true idea of market competitive pay.
HogFin, do you ever get amazed about the salary you propose? I understand the idea of market competitive pay, but boggle at what that level is at. edit to shorten (savescreenspace)
Post by: HogFin on August 16, 2017, 05:45:45 AM
Job Title: Sr. Associate Consultant - Executive Compensation
Age: 25
Degree: BS, Finance
Experience: 2.5yr in current role. <1 yr Public Accounting
Salary: $82K
Bonus: Guaranteed 15%. Max 17.5%
Other: ESPP and 6.5% 401k match on 7% contribution
Actual job responsibilities: I pretty much tell my clients how much to pay their executives. My company also does employee pay work though below the executive level. For those of you referencing Glassdoor and Salary.com, generally these are misleading as there's no true verification for these numbers and often the sample sizes are insufficient to get a true idea of market competitive pay.
HogFin, do you ever get amazed about the salary you propose? I understand the idea of market competitive pay, but boggle at what that level is at.
Oh absolutely. Although it's generally not the salary that i'm amazed at but the bonus and equity value levels. The thing is though, there are multiple factors that people don't take into consideration when they see a "CEO total compensation number".
First: I work a lot with pharmaceutical companies and many of these executives are doctors who either developed these drugs themselves or had a large hand in it. These drugs then go on to help a lot of people and in many cases save lifes... so who's to say what that person's contribution is worth?
Second: The "total compensation" number is often misleading. The vast majority of these executives are being paid via variable pay (bonuses and equity). Especially with stock options the value that gets disclosed in public filings is not the value that the executive is actually receiving after you account for the option strike prices, volatility in the market, taxes, etc.
I'm in no way saying that every one of these high paid executive compensation packages is justified, just that there are additional factors that a lot of people don't take into consideration.
Post by: L2 on August 17, 2017, 09:04:35 AM
Age: 26
Experience: ~ 4 years
Salary: 78k, expecting an annual raise to ~82k in November.
Other: 3% 401k match, profit-sharing, but I just started here a few months ago so I have no idea what to expect.
I'm located in Ohio and started out my career at a much larger firm. Took a promotion and 22% raise to come to the new place. A ton more flexibility is also a plus. Its sort of unfortunate, but it seems the only way to really get market rate is to jump ship, at least in accounting.
Post by: Northstar on August 17, 2017, 12:25:45 PM
Age: 27
Experience: ~10 yrs. began washing dishes at 17, purchased my first restaurant at 21, purchased first rental property at 25, opened 2 sporting goods stores at 25.
Salary: +- 300k
Currently have 7 free and clear rentals, producing aroind 60k per year, sold the sporting goods stores last year and the rest of my income is from my business. I've been planing to retire before 30 for some time now as I live comfortably on around 30k per year and can cut that down if need be, although it will be hard to unwind from years of stress filled work, I'm very excited and grateful for the opportunity to experience early retirement and glad to be in a place to discuss with like minded people. Planning to work until 30, to insure a nice nest egg in addition to passive rental income, I'll get my realestate license before retirement to dabble in that a little to wind down.
Post by: Dreamer on August 17, 2017, 12:46:23 PM
Salary: C$82k (~ US$65k)
Other: 5 weeks paid vacation
Age:45
Experience: 15 years
Education: BSc
I feel I am lucky to have such a salary, but then when I look at the salaries others have posted, and at much younger ages, mine does not seem so great.
Post by: Gronnie on August 22, 2017, 10:43:39 AM
My Job Title: SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1 year
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: 72k + ~10% bonus + $750 HSA contribution + 2.5% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Cost of living from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html) is 99.2/100, so very average cost of living area.
Started at 71k, got a raise a couple months in as a thanks for being awesome ;)
My manager says I will be getting a promotion in the next round (February) even though it typically takes 3-4 years. Should come with about a 10% raise.
The work environment is awesome. Really laid back and supportive. Take as much vacation as you want policy with no keeping track of work, sick, and vacation hours, etc. I would have to get a super big raise to consider working elsewhere.
DW Job Title: RN
Salary: ~70k + small pension + 2% 403b match
Experience: 5 years
Education: BS in Dietetics, BS in Nursing
She started out getting a degree in dietetics but that didn't work out due to requiring an internship to get certified and there not being enough to go around (something that if she had known me prior to starting the program she would have thoroughly looked into and chosen something different or studied harder). Went back after the Dietetics degree and did an accelerated BSN program and now is very happy.
Updating because I just got a promotion and a 15% raise!!!!
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $83,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
San Francisco Salary: $198,578 (my city is 101.4 on CoL Index)
Was a weird year. We bought out another big company, my project got cancelled and we were in flux for awhile, and then my manager quit abruptly and it took 6+ months to replace him.
Only got a 3.5% raise this year, but also was granted ~$17k in RSUs that vest over 4 years. Not sure what to think of the golden handcuffs, will have to cross that bridge if I ever think about leaving.
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 2.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $~86,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + ~$17k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Post by: Pooperman on August 22, 2017, 11:04:06 AM
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $82k + 10% bonus
Experience: 3 years
Education: BS Engineering Physics
Age: 26
An update upon getting my new position. I'm about a year of experience short of a major title change (Salesforce Architect), so hopefully, I can get that through my new job.
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $85k + 10%
Experience: 4 years
Post by: Roboturner on August 22, 2017, 11:41:09 AM
Title: Reservoir Engineer
Age: 27
Experience: 1 yr industry, 2.5 yr research
Education: BS / MS
Salary: $80k-100k
Update upon some raises over the last couple yrs
Title: Reservoir Engineer
Age: 28
Experience: 3.5 yr industry, 2.5 yr research
Education: BS/MS
Salary: $121k + 20% cash bonus + 20% RSU bonus + 6% 401k match
Area: MCOL
Post by: gsd802 on August 22, 2017, 12:15:14 PM
Age: 27
Education: 2 year Associate Degree + continual meetings
Experience: 11 years
Salary: $57,200/annual + free housing with 1 acre land.
Bonuses: Award bonuses + Christmas (About $1,200) 3% match 401k
Hours: 85/week. 6.5 days a week. 20 days vacation
I am amazed to see some of these salaries. Never knew there were jobs that paid so much!
Post by: martyconlonontherun on August 22, 2017, 04:45:48 PM
Age: 29
Education: MS-Accounting, CPA
Experience: 4 years
Salary: $68,000
Bonuses: 4% match 401k
Hours: 55/week average but really depends on week to week. Travel 30% of time.
Location: Midwest
We are currently really understaffed at my level and having trouble replacing 2 senior spots. I came from a no leverage place in my current role so I feel I'm below market value. After these spots are filled (I'm guessing $75k) I'm hoping for either fair comp conversations since I will be more experienced and took on larger responsibilities to cover for these empty positions. If not, I will probably test the market as that seems to be the going rate for someone in my role and experience.
ETA: I've discovered FI at a good time as my salary jumped from $60k to $68k this year and possible jump next year. I was lucky enough to get in this
mind set as the raise was taking effect and made it so the entire pay jump went into my 401k. Hoping to max it out in 2018.
Post by: Gone_Hiking on August 22, 2017, 10:36:52 PM
Salary: $70 K. Company 401(k) match: 4%. No bonuses
Weekly hours: 40-42. 17 days of vacation, no rollover from year to year; 10 company holidays
Age: 46
Experience: 19 years
Education: M.S. Plant Breeding and Genetics, PMP certification, ACS ALS credentials from Toastmasters International
I started life as a molecular biologist, followed by computer programmer, followed by a project manager, followed by a layoff. My current position is the post-layoff position and represents 40% salary cut from my previous job; on the plus side, I was without a paycheck for only three weeks, which allowed me to invest the severance pay and accelerate FI. I've been on my current job for 6 months. I'm working on increasing responsibilities and probing ways to get a raise
Post by: EconDiva on August 24, 2017, 09:51:28 AM
Job title: Senior Director of R&D
Age: 38
Degree: BS in Biochemistry, MS in Biochemistry
Experience: 16 years in the industry
Salary: $135k/year + $3500 bonus this year
I think people that tend to reply to these posts tend to be the ones that make more. I'm sure there are others lurking that make less but probably not as interested in posting? It took me a long time to get to what I'm making now so am proud of it.
I assume you're in Big Pharma...?
Post by: SweetLife on August 25, 2017, 10:55:17 AM
12 years so far ... next contract should bump me up to at least $73,000
Planning to retire in 8 years if all goes well lol...
Post by: Gronnie on July 05, 2018, 07:56:33 PM
My Job Title: SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1 year
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: 72k + ~10% bonus + $750 HSA contribution + 2.5% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Cost of living from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html) is 99.2/100, so very average cost of living area.
Started at 71k, got a raise a couple months in as a thanks for being awesome ;)
My manager says I will be getting a promotion in the next round (February) even though it typically takes 3-4 years. Should come with about a 10% raise.
The work environment is awesome. Really laid back and supportive. Take as much vacation as you want policy with no keeping track of work, sick, and vacation hours, etc. I would have to get a super big raise to consider working elsewhere.
DW Job Title: RN
Salary: ~70k + small pension + 2% 403b match
Experience: 5 years
Education: BS in Dietetics, BS in Nursing
She started out getting a degree in dietetics but that didn't work out due to requiring an internship to get certified and there not being enough to go around (something that if she had known me prior to starting the program she would have thoroughly looked into and chosen something different or studied harder). Went back after the Dietetics degree and did an accelerated BSN program and now is very happy.
Updating because I just got a promotion and a 15% raise!!!!
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $83,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
San Francisco Salary: $198,578 (my city is 101.4 on CoL Index)
Was a weird year. We bought out another big company, my project got cancelled and we were in flux for awhile, and then my manager quit abruptly and it took 6+ months to replace him.
Only got a 3.5% raise this year, but also was granted ~$17k in RSUs that vest over 4 years. Not sure what to think of the golden handcuffs, will have to cross that bridge if I ever think about leaving.
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 2.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $~86,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + ~$17k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Just took a job with a new company (along with a nice promotion), and will be moving from a MCOL area with a COL score of 99.2 to a HCOL area with a COL score of 146.4 (MN to Orange County, scores from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html)).
I think I am doing pretty well, as the job is 3 promotions above entry level out of college position and I only have 3.5 years of experience. This job would normally take 8+ years of experience to reach. As a result I am pretty sure my salary is near the lower end of the band, so plenty of room for growth even if I don't get any further promotions for a few years.
My Job Title: Staff SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 3.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $135000 + 10% bonus target + $4000 401k match + ~26k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth (15% discount, two year lock, can put in 15% of salary) -- I would say financial compensation is ~$175,000 annually.
Post by: lexde on July 06, 2018, 05:56:59 AM
70K + bonuses ($0-750/month; I get maybe 4-6 per year). Up from 65K last year. Second year in.
Also get a 3% safe harbor 401k contribution whether I contribute or not (I do, of course).
Post by: lexde on July 06, 2018, 05:58:31 AM
Title: Software DeveloperComparison is the thief of joy. Read the first part of your sentence and stop there. Continue to be awesome.
Salary: C$82k (~ US$65k)
Other: 5 weeks paid vacation
Age:45
Experience: 15 years
Education: BSc
I feel I am lucky to have such a salary, but then when I look at the salaries others have posted, and at much younger ages, mine does not seem so great.
Post by: ketchup on July 06, 2018, 06:45:58 AM
Salary: $50k
Age: 27
Experience: 1 month
Education: "some college" (3 semesters, no degree)
A month into my new position at the same company I've been at since 2011 (basically took over IT after my former manager left) and I can definitely feel the impostor syndrome setting in. Who put this idiot in charge? Are they nuts!?
Post by: anondog999 on July 06, 2018, 07:11:21 AM
I am not from the US, and I knew that the salaries in the software industry here are lower.
Fast forwarding to the present, I chose more $ and life balance in a huge corporate company, over interesting work (and mediocre $) at a startup
Location: Israel
Title: Software Engineer
Salary: $71k , 10% yearly bonus, 8.5% pension matching, and $3k towards some sort of tax free IRA (this and the pension are mandatory for every job)
Age: 23
Experience: 0
Education: computer science, from a top university.
Post by: Apocalyptica602 on July 06, 2018, 07:17:25 AM
Title: Mechanical Engineer I
Salary: ~81k + bonus ~5k or so. Also getting $10k/year to take classes for my MBA.
Age: 27
Experience: 4.5 years
Education: Bachelors of Mech. Eng., MBA (In progress, started while working here)
Wife:
Title: Staff Pharmacist (retail)
Salary: ~125k + small bonus (~2k) + small stock bonus (~4k)
Age: 27
Experience: 3.5 years
Education: Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) ~6 years of school
Updating:
Title: Process Engineer (switched companies, now in a mid-size biotechnology company)
Salary: 93K + ~10K Bonus + ~5-10k in stock options (not grants)
Age: 30
Experience ~7-8 years
Education: BS Mechanical Engineering, MBA (graduating in December)
I should probably be considered a 'Senior' Engineer at this point, but we don't really have that organizational structure defined yet, haha.
Wife:
Title: Staff Pharmacist (retail)
Salary: 134K + ~4K bonus
Age: 29
Experience: 6 years
Education: Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
Post by: Glitch on July 06, 2018, 10:03:10 AM
Title: Software Engineer I
Salary: $81k + bonuses (~$12k)
Experience: 1.5 yrs
Education: Bachelor's in computer science
Mine is almost identical, but without bonuses.
Title: Software Engineer I
Age: 23
Salary: $80k
Experience: ~ 1 yr
Education: BS in computer science
Moved from one midwestern state to a slightly cheaper one and started at a new company.
Title: Software Developer II
Age: ~26
Salary: $95k + bonus (~$5k)
Experience: ~4 yrs
Education: BS in computer science
New job also has 401k matching (3% with 2 yr vest) and profit sharing (6% into 401k with a 5 yr vesting period).
Post by: SpareChange on July 06, 2018, 11:10:57 AM
In a mcol city.
Title: Radiologic Technologist (fancy words for, in my case, an x-ray tech)
Age: 43
Salary: $85-90k this year.
Experience: 7 years
Education: BA economics (not used lol), AAS radiologic technology.
403b match is 4.6% on a contribution of 4%.
Post by: TSpacagna on July 06, 2018, 12:24:03 PM
Age: 26 next week
Salary: $35,000
Experience: Current role for 6 months; 2yrs+ unpaid intern; unrelated work before that
Education: Bachelors and some extra nonsense classes
I help manage bands/content creators w/ a company in TX. Don't make much but negotiated a good raise over the last guy and seem to have established myself quite well so far. Networking opportunities are fantastic as well. Can be stressfull but I really do enjoy it and see growth and opportunity in the near future.
Post by: OtherJen on July 06, 2018, 12:33:15 PM
Age: 40
Salary: varies, but ~$47,000 last year (up from ~$36,000 when I went full-time 5 years ago)
Experience: 5 years as a full-time freelancer, preceded by a 12-year career in biomedical research with several publications
Education: BS and PhD in different biomedical science disciplines (no debt for either; university paid me to do the PhD)
Location: LCOL in midwest USA
I work probably 25–30 hours per week, contract with a small panel of terrific long-term clients, and generally enjoy my work. It's fairly low-stress (important after severe burnout during my postdoc) and allows me time to cook from scratch, manage the household finances, and do volunteer work. Health insurance is provided by husband's employer, which helps a ton. I can't contribute to the 403b from my postdoc anymore, so I opened a Roth IRA with the same investment firm, as well as Vanguard accounts.
Post by: SteadyDoinIt on July 06, 2018, 12:58:36 PM
38 years old
Real Estate Appraiser - Sole Proprietor single person business
13 years in the business. First 7 years I worked for a bigger firm
$75k per year but only work 20 hours per week on average
I consistently made $125K+ per year but I hated working everyday 40 hours a week. Since I work from home it's just way too hard to stay focused that long with so many different hobbies. We have a 2 year old son and another on the way and so far we haven't needed to use any babysitters. I could definitely work more without having to watch children but I think its a great tradeoff as our work balance is great. I can probably work at this pace for many more years since I have a lot of flexibility.
My wife on the other hand is a Registered Nurse and makes $175k per year. Her benefits are amazing and she can pick up more shifts whenever she likes. Luckily her company pays healthcare for the entire family. It definitely helps since health insurance was pretty expensive as a small business owner.
@Balance I know your post was from a while back, but if you're still around, can you shed a little more light on how you got into that industry, what it takes to get into it, what it takes to be successful, and any other pertinent information? I've always heard/thought appraising was a great way to make (as much or as little) money (as you want), but the trusty internet research provides mostly negative info.
Post by: RangerOne on July 06, 2018, 02:13:34 PM
Another factor I think I see when looking at glassdoor is a lot of the older employees probably aren't entering their data into glassdoor on a regular basis. Or are not all using the same clear job title to convey that salary. Its pretty easy to predict starting salary with glassdoor. I have found it difficult to guess what you can make at a senior level because the range is so much larger and the average still sits down around starting salaries which is clearly wrong in many cases.
The reason I suspect this is because with only roughly 5-6 years experience I know I am reasonably well paid in SoCal. But there are numerous people above me who are clearly getting paid more and have more value. And I don't see their compensation clearly displayed in a focused company search. I know my leads and project managers with 20 years experience are not getting my pay. Even with shit raises they should be making $30k+ more than me.
Your best bet for figuring out what company will pay what is to have a close friend or family member who is high enough up in management to know a companies salary ranges and they could give you a better idea of what kind of salary a role can command.
Post by: Pooperman on July 06, 2018, 03:01:46 PM
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $82k + 10% bonus
Experience: 3 years
Education: BS Engineering Physics
Age: 26
An update upon getting my new position. I'm about a year of experience short of a major title change (Salesforce Architect), so hopefully, I can get that through my new job.
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $85k + 10%
Experience: 4 years
Another update:
Title: Senior Product Support Technical Advisor (lol, it's the same as before but the company is crazy)
Salary: $50/hr [$100k/yr] but with no benefits as I'm a contractor. it'll be 90k next year with benefits.
Experience: 5 years
Post by: gpyros85 on July 07, 2018, 02:59:21 AM
Experience: 10 years +
Salary: 180k/year (Expat) goes back to 100k/year after expat contract
Location: LCOL area (When I pay for my own expenses), currently my housing and transportation is paid by company
Post by: Hirondelle on July 07, 2018, 03:57:05 AM
Experience: <1 year
Salary: €32k
Location: MCOL, Europe
Post by: use2betrix on July 07, 2018, 09:09:38 AM
Title: Quality Manager
Experience: 9 years industry
Age: 30
Salary: approx 175k + full benefits + 5% 401k match + $55k tax free per diem
Job type: 2 year + Duration as a W2 contractor
Location: MCOL
Education: Associates Degree and some certifications
Post by: gpyros85 on July 07, 2018, 08:01:45 PM
new update since switching companies. A bit less money, but far better position and less hours.
Title: Quality Manager
Experience: 9 years industry
Age: 30
Salary: approx 175k + full benefits + 5% 401k match + $55k tax free per diem
Job type: 2 year + Duration as a W2 contractor
Location: MCOL
Education: Associates Degree and some certifications
@use2betrix
That is amazing! I didn't know you quality guys got paid that much! This is certainly not the norm is it? I would of thought Quality Manager to be 105k-120k...
Post by: mjr on July 07, 2018, 08:20:39 PM
AU$ 227000 p.a.
9.5% superannuation
20% bonus p.a.
20% equity p.a.
All coming to end in 3 weeks when I retire :-)
Post by: markbike528CBX on July 07, 2018, 08:44:53 PM
Job Title: Principal Field Service Engineer (really-- Principal Chemist)
Salary: $106k + minor OT/ compensated time off
Years’ experience: 28 years
Age: 51
College Requirement: BS, I have MS. MS was free +10K/year SS-free stipend.
Hard Science/math teaching assistanceships require 1)warm body 2)breathing 3)attempts at English.
I saw that some spelled it Principle, is this misspelling or actual?
I'm not really principled, but I am a princiPAL-- how I remember how to spell it.
update
Job Title: Gentleman of Leisure
Salary: $ 0 earned
Years’ experience: 1 month
Age: 53.5
College Requirement: none, extra study via MMM forums.
Post by: use2betrix on July 07, 2018, 09:32:20 PM
new update since switching companies. A bit less money, but far better position and less hours.
Title: Quality Manager
Experience: 9 years industry
Age: 30
Salary: approx 175k + full benefits + 5% 401k match + $55k tax free per diem
Job type: 2 year + Duration as a W2 contractor
Location: MCOL
Education: Associates Degree and some certifications
@use2betrix
That is amazing! I didn't know you quality guys got paid that much! This is certainly not the norm is it? I would of thought Quality Manager to be 105k-120k...
Quality Manager is similar to like a Project Manager - in the sense that it entirely depends on the company, responsibilities, and industry.
For example, manufacturing will likely have totally different requirements, tasks, knowledge base, etc., as compared to a major oil and gas company. A good quality manager can be a sole determining factor in costing or saving a company/project millions of dollars per year.
As a contractor in my industry I’m probably about top 25% pay wise. Ive made more in previous projects, but this is pretty good too. For my age, I am pretty good at what I do.
Post by: gpyros85 on July 07, 2018, 11:44:10 PM
new update since switching companies. A bit less money, but far better position and less hours.
Title: Quality Manager
Experience: 9 years industry
Age: 30
Salary: approx 175k + full benefits + 5% 401k match + $55k tax free per diem
Job type: 2 year + Duration as a W2 contractor
Location: MCOL
Education: Associates Degree and some certifications
@use2betrix
That is amazing! I didn't know you quality guys got paid that much! This is certainly not the norm is it? I would of thought Quality Manager to be 105k-120k...
Quality Manager is similar to like a Project Manager - in the sense that it entirely depends on the company, responsibilities, and industry.
For example, manufacturing will likely have totally different requirements, tasks, knowledge base, etc., as compared to a major oil and gas company. A good quality manager can be a sole determining factor in costing or saving a company/project millions of dollars per year.
As a contractor in my industry I’m probably about top 25% pay wise. Ive made more in previous projects, but this is pretty good too. For my age, I am pretty good at what I do.
I am thinking about the manufacturing industry, seems like you are in oil/gas industry. Very nice, I am Project Manager for manufacturing, I am a slight bit interested in life in oil/gas.
Post by: TheWifeHalf on July 08, 2018, 11:10:04 AM
Me : kept woman
TheHusbandHalf : I think he is called a process engineer at an oil refinery. He works in the control room, and has for the last 10 years.
17 years before that he worked in the outside (He now sits in front of 6-7 computers and tells people what to do, he used to do what people in the control room told him to do)
When he was hired, no education was necessary to apply, but they were very selective. At the time, of the 20 hires, 5 had to be a minority, 5 women, 5 white guys, and I can't remember the other 5. The company has consistently received 3000 applicants for 20 - 25 openings.
Age: I am 60, THH is 62
THH:
Salary: 6 figure Per the contract, he gets a 3% raise every year.
Experience: None when he started, 27 years now.
Education: 2 years of college, did not graduate. Since he was 17-18 he's been involved in electric, plumbing, carpentry, HVAC, and just knows stuff, and interviews well - the reason he was hired. There was a year long training when he was hired and training to move to the control room.
Every year he sends in payment for a Boilermaker's license, and some other license, which the company reimburses.
401k match is 8%, the company puts 2000 in the HSA every year if we get a wellness check from our doctor
There is a pension when he retires (Jan 10, 2019) Excellent health insurance, dental, vision with others we do not wish to participate in.
$200 work shoe voucher each year.
Time and a half for any hours per week over any hours scheduled. 2 1/2 time/hr when working a holiday. Holidays are worked if it is timed to be on his scheduled time to work. Trades are ok if arranged, and ok'd, ahead of time.
A few times a year THH does something (the last time, not allowing something to happen because his procedure manual said not to, despite many many telling him to) that people who are appreciative, and give him some movie and refreshment cards
The company has changed their application requirements from needing a college degree (any degree) to 'need a college degree or military experience.' (Because of THH!) They no longer are required to meet hiring quotas.
It is a union job and 3 years ago was the first strike since THH has worked there. From what I see, the union's main responsibility is the employee's safety.
I forgot to mention:
Same sex couples are treated the same, insurance or other benefits - wise as heterosexual couples. I think that's been about 10-15 years.
Kids, age 26, of an employee have been covered under the employees health insurance for the same length of time.
Men, I'm not sure if they have to be a husband, get paid time off when a child is born.
Post by: TexasT on July 09, 2018, 03:23:12 PM
Salary: $40/hour, with O/T+ Benefits about 120k/year
Age: 26
Experience: 3 years
Education: B.S. in Chemistry, one wasted year of law school
Side Gig:
Title: Travel Writer
Salary: $25/hour for interaction on social media, $100/article - about $1,500/month
Education: Knowing how to google "what to do in Tokyo" when someone asks
Post by: FreelanceToFreedom on July 10, 2018, 05:15:03 PM
Salary: Variable. Average around $60 an hour. Expecting ~$50k total this year (I don't work much!) No benefits - but a ridiculous amount of flexibility.
Age: 25
Experience: 5+ years
Education: None
I'm a freelance/contract worker for 4-7 clients at a time, typically. I do web content, blog posts, copywriting, content marketing and a bit of SEO. I bill at a variable per-word or per-project rate, which typically works out to $40-$100+ an hour depending on what I'm working on (average seems to be $60ish). Also do some freelance editing at $60/hr. I'm staying busy and demand is increasing, so I'll likely negotiate higher rates with existing clients come January, targeting a ~$75/hr average range.
I work 15-25 hours a week typically. A super busy week might be 30 hours. I feel very fortunate to be in this position as I don't think I could handle a 40 hour 9 to 5 job. I've always been self-employed in one way or another. I suppose if I worked harder I could make a lot more money, but at this point in my life I am happy with my income and work/life balance. I also struggle to work more than 5 or 6 hours a day because my quality of work and creativity go way down after the 4-5 hour mark.
While this situation sounds pretty rosy (it is), it wasn't always this way. I started at maybe $10 an hour and slowly worked my way up. Also, just last year my main client at the time sold his network of sites with no warning, leaving me essentially out of work for a month. I've since learned to diversify with lots of clients, and obviously I need to keep a larger emergency fund than the average salaried worker.
There are lots of pros and cons to the freelance lifestyle, but I like it. Any other freelancers here?
Post by: albireo13 on July 10, 2018, 05:29:44 PM
Salary: $150K + annual bonus (5-8%)
Age: 62
Experience: 39 yrs
Education: BSEE + MSEE
Have been working at a large MegaCorp on medical equipment development for the last 33yrs. Hoping to retire in < 2 yrs.
Still have 2 kids in college.
Post by: SoBurntImCharred on July 12, 2018, 01:03:53 PM
Job Title: UPS DriverFake news. Good troll, though.
Salary: $96,000.00 + ( benefits, pension)
Years’ experience: 4 years
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Post by: doggyfizzle on July 13, 2018, 09:49:31 PM
Job Title: UPS DriverFake news. Good troll, though.
Salary: $96,000.00 + ( benefits, pension)
Years’ experience: 4 years
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Based on the couple of friends I have who drive for UPS (and are Teamster-represented), the salary and benefits are spot-on. UPS is know for good pay and benefits, even down to part-time employees who work on the loading docks at their air/freight terminals.
Post by: Cwadda on July 14, 2018, 11:18:10 AM
Title: Quality Control Laboratory Technician
Salary: $40/hour, with O/T+ Benefits about 120k/year
Age: 26
Experience: 3 years
Education: B.S. in Chemistry, one wasted year of law school
Side Gig:
Title: Travel Writer
Salary: $25/hour for interaction on social media, $100/article - about $1,500/month
Education: Knowing how to google "what to do in Tokyo" when someone asks
$120k/year for 3 years experience seems like an awful lot for that amount of experience. How did you get into your current role and what would you recommend for people looking to get into your field?
Post by: use2betrix on July 14, 2018, 04:36:21 PM
Title: Quality Control Laboratory Technician
Salary: $40/hour, with O/T+ Benefits about 120k/year
Age: 26
Experience: 3 years
Education: B.S. in Chemistry, one wasted year of law school
Side Gig:
Title: Travel Writer
Salary: $25/hour for interaction on social media, $100/article - about $1,500/month
Education: Knowing how to google "what to do in Tokyo" when someone asks
$120k/year for 3 years experience seems like an awful lot for that amount of experience. How did you get into your current role and what would you recommend for people looking to get into your field?
$40/hr isn’t a ton. It doesn’t take much OT to hit 120k. When I was 26 and worked in quality I made 120k, at 27 I made 192k, at 28 I made 240k. I only have an associates degree.
That being said, I typically work a lot more hours than most people here.
Post by: Blackbeard on July 15, 2018, 06:21:49 PM
$230k plus 20-40% bonus, 8% 401k match, stock options
18 yrs experience
BS Chemical Engineering
Post by: clutchy on July 17, 2018, 01:46:51 PM
$165K
10 yrs. experience
late 30's.
Post by: DataFientist on July 17, 2018, 09:57:24 PM
Salary: 90K with 10-15K annual bonus
Age: 23
Experience: 1 year
Education: Bachelor's in Economics
Post by: sui generis on July 17, 2018, 10:39:20 PM
$250k plus $60k bonus
Education = J.D.
This is total BS, by the way. While I will probably bill over 2100 hours this year (so not a cake-walk), I honestly don't think I deserve to be paid this much based on how challenging the job is. Then again, I do think I deserve it for hazard pay for the shit I have to deal with. Still, if you have a high level of tolerance for dealing with shit, and you can get scholarships to pay for tuition at a T14 law school (do NOT end up with $200k in student loans for chrissakes!) - you should go, and work for BigLaw for a few years, make a ton of money then peace out. They are only paying us this much because they want to "keep up with the Joneses" (i.e. other top BigLaw firms) and I don't think it has anything to do with what value we bring. I'm pretty sure I still cost them more than the value they get out of me, especially because my practice area doesn't bill very high. If I didn't mind shit-dealing, I'd stay and milk this for all it's worth...
Post by: gerardc on July 18, 2018, 05:44:52 PM
Associate (Attorney), 4th year
$250k plus $60k bonus
Education = J.D.
So similar to software engineers in Big tech! We get slightly higher comp and lower hours. I'll also FIRE (at least temporarily) after 4 soul-crushing years straight out of school.
Post by: davisgang90 on July 19, 2018, 04:29:37 AM
Title: Assistant ProfessorUpdate, My new title is Retired and I make $93K a year for walking to the mailbox. Oops, don't have to do that, I have direct deposit. Life is good!
Age: late 40s
Experience: 25 years
Certificates: BS Finance, MS National Resource Strategy
Salary: $160K between base pay and allowances
My title is misleading. I'm a Navy Officer (06) with 25 years. I'm currently teaching at one of the War Colleges for my last tour. My career has been mainly flying helicopters with enough staff work (desk jobs) to ensure I enjoyed the helicopter flying parts more.
Post by: mizzourah2006 on July 19, 2018, 05:57:06 AM
Salary: $160k + $10-$20k bonus
Education: PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology + self-taught programming/ML/DL
Experience: 5 years in I/O + 2 years in Data Science
Age: 35
Work remotely in a low cost of living area. It’s funny being one of the few I/Os with a strong DS skill set as many I/O firms are attempting to incorporate the power of ML/DL into their products. I definitely got very lucky.
Post by: gerardc on July 19, 2018, 12:24:33 PM
Title: Principal Data Scientist
Salary: $160k + $10-$20k bonus
Education: PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology + self-taught programming/ML/DL
Experience: 5 years in I/O + 2 years in Data Science
Age: 35
Work remotely in a low cost of living area. It’s funny being one of the few I/Os with a strong DS skill set as many I/O firms are attempting to incorporate the power of ML/DL into their products. I definitely got very lucky.
Did you start remote at this company or did you transition to remote? How did you find this job?
Post by: mizzourah2006 on July 19, 2018, 03:08:54 PM
Title: Principal Data Scientist
Salary: $160k + $10-$20k bonus
Education: PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology + self-taught programming/ML/DL
Experience: 5 years in I/O + 2 years in Data Science
Age: 35
Work remotely in a low cost of living area. It’s funny being one of the few I/Os with a strong DS skill set as many I/O firms are attempting to incorporate the power of ML/DL into their products. I definitely got very lucky.
Did you start remote at this company or did you transition to remote? How did you find this job?
I did start remotely, but again a bit more luck. I worked with them on the client side in my original role, then moved within my large company into a research technology role. I had a great working relationship with them and they saw through our national membership group that I was becoming one one of the more well known I/Os implementing machine learning techniques, so the relationship was already there and I technically wasn’t a direct client to them although my organization still is/was, so we chatted a bit and they convinced me to move over to the consulting world in an R&D capacity, but I told them we weren’t in a position to move right now, so that was my one stipulation.
Post by: Arbitrage on July 19, 2018, 04:01:23 PM
Looking at teachers' salaries, am I the only one who thinks they are seriously underpaid?
I think it varies a lot, but my teacher friends are most certainly not underpaid. Where I live in CA, starting salary with a Master's is about $55-60k, and with 15 or so years experience it's in the high $90s, with the option (at least at times) to work 6 hours instead of 5 and bump that to $110k or so. That doesn't include the extremely generous retirement/retiree health care benefits that are part of the reason that so many local and state budgets are breaking.
That's for approximately half of the work hours I have as an office drone (summers, 3 weeks off in winter, thanksgiving week, spring break, 15 holidays, early-out days, normal 5-hour work schedule + lunch, etc). There's also very little chance of job loss, even if performing poorly.
I'd say it's a slightly different story for the starting teacher who has to put in a lot of extra hours preparing course material and grading, with no tenure, etc. I know there are downsides as well. However, in California, underpaid they are not. The most powerful state employee union in the country probably has something to do with that.
Post by: Btag84 on July 21, 2018, 06:07:27 AM
A moderate cost of living area in the Midwest
Salary: $108k base with 10% bonus
Experience: 6 years in public, 4 years in financial reporting and technical accounting.
Age: mid 30s
Post by: MaybeBabyMustache on July 21, 2018, 12:57:20 PM
Location: Bay Area (HCOL)
Education: undergrad in professional writing/business, MBA
Salary: I believe the math works out to be about $250K salary, $80K bonus, $170K stock. Total comp last year (highest ever for me) was $500K gross
Experience: 20+ years in tech, 10+ years in my particular area
Age: 42
ETA education
Post by: Lanthiriel on July 22, 2018, 11:22:46 AM
Me
Title: Proposal Manager
Age: 28
Salary: $61,000
Experience: 7 years
Education: BA English, MS Writing/Publishing
Husband
Title: Staff Engineer (Geotechnical EIT)
Age: 32
Salary: $58,000 + OT
Experience: 2 years
Education: BS Civil Engineering
Update to keep the hope alive for all of you English majors and anyone dealing with a layoff. My husband was laid off 6 months after I made my first post, and we had to sell everything and move 2500 miles away. Thankfully it seems to have worked out for us.
Me
Title: Marketing Manager
Age: 30
Salary: $85,000
Experience: 9+ years
Education: BA English, MS Writing/Publishing
Husband
Title: Staff Engineer (Geotechnical EIT)
Age: 35
Salary: $68,000 + OT
Experience: 3+ years
Education: BS Civil Engineering
Post by: Odin Force on July 22, 2018, 02:44:01 PM
Age: 39
Salary: $62,000
Experience: 17 years
Education: BS- Communication, minor in Business
6% of my salary gets deducted from each paycheck for the pension.
5% 401k contribution provided by the state w/o the employee having to put in anything. (Not a bad deal)
Post by: Skyward on July 22, 2018, 08:36:49 PM
Age: 50
Salary: $91000
Experience: 24 years
Education: BS
Company car so I haven't owned a vehicle since my mid-twenties. I pay a minimal amount for personal use tax. Looking forward to buying the vehicle I want in retirement.
Post by: Raymond Reddington on July 23, 2018, 12:24:29 AM
Age: 32
Salary: ~$95,000, with low cost healthcare (~$1,200/yr for me and my wife)
Experience: 2 years current title, 7 years with org.
Education: BS-Accountacy
Post by: Lmoot on July 23, 2018, 05:54:56 AM
Between my 3 incomes, I cobble together around $50k take-home (about $60k gross)
30s, BA English, minor Education
Net:
Job 1 - health insurance bill processor ($37k)
Job 2 - Part time conservation educator at a zoo (varies...around $6k)
Rental/housemate rent ($8k; we share the property and they manage it as well as pay all utilities, including any I accrue when I’m there, which isn’t often)
I hope to increase my income through more rental properties (I would charge a much higher rate though).
My decision to stop working full time, will be based on rental income and property values vs “stache”. When you don’t earn much, sometimes you've got to play a different game.
Post by: lavagirl on July 23, 2018, 06:56:09 AM
Title: Associate (Data Analytics)
Salary: 90K with 10-15K annual bonus
Age: 23
Experience: 1 year
Education: Bachelor's in Economics
Can you share what kind of education or knowledge one needs to work in data analytics?
Post by: Eco_eco on September 13, 2018, 04:10:06 AM
Age: 42
Salary: 180k plus 3% superannuation
Years expirence: 2. This is my second career (Coast FI strictly 9-5 job). My first career was in Human Resources, project management and corporate strategy
Qualifications: BA and Masters, lots of professional quals
My wife:
Title: Primary school teacher
Salary: 80k
Years expirence: 15+
Quals: Bachelors of Teaching, Masters of Lingustics
Post by: OtherJen on September 13, 2018, 06:34:52 AM
Dang. Are there any middle class Mustachians? Or are we truly a dying breed like what’s been trending?
Between my 3 incomes, I cobble together around $50k take-home (about $60k gross)
30s, BA English, minor Education
Net:
Job 1 - health insurance bill processor ($37k)
Job 2 - Part time conservation educator at a zoo (varies...around $6k)
Rental/housemate rent ($8k; we share the property and they manage it as well as pay all utilities, including any I accrue when I’m there, which isn’t often)
I hope to increase my income through more rental properties (I would charge a much higher rate though).
My decision to stop working full time, will be based on rental income and property values vs “stache”. When you don’t earn much, sometimes you've got to play a different game.
Husband and I are. Together we gross $75-80K (I’m self-employed so it varies). Believe me, I hear you. The longer I spend on these forms, the more out of place I feel.
BTW, your part-time job sounds awesome!
Post by: beer-man on September 13, 2018, 06:52:39 AM
$45-$50 with all the stipends(nights/.
crit care/supervisor,weekend)
7yrs experience
$110k base
$130-$140 with 1 day OT weekly
OT is plentiful but not required, work is challenging at times but satisfying, good work environment/coworkers
Former career was firefighter which paid around $80k with all incentives
Not a good work environment, hard work when there was a fire otherwise just sitting around.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: dacalo on September 14, 2018, 01:49:50 PM
Age: 38
Salary: $145k plus bonus and equity
Experience: Worked in both public accounting with Big4 and industry, combined around 15 years
Education: BS in Sociology (!!) and accounting units for CPA
Post by: CPYay on September 14, 2018, 03:13:16 PM
$125K plus bonus
Transitioned to accounting in late 20's.
Question for other accountants: I got my CPA in industry. Zero public experience. Lately, most job postings say "public experience required" and this is preventing me from getting interviews for jobs I easily qualify for otherwise. It's too late for me to go public at this point. Any recommendations to overcome this? Or is this just something I'll have to deal with?
Post by: catccc on September 14, 2018, 03:34:59 PM
Curious if the accountants that posted just before me are supervisors or if I'm underpaid. I actually I thought I was paid decently for a senior accountant.
Post by: CPYay on September 14, 2018, 05:11:28 PM
You're doing pretty well for a Sr. Accountant. I live in a HCOL area and was making $80K with no additional compensation when I was a Sr.
I'm currently in a supervisory role, albeit for a small and growing company. My team is very small, so my responsibilities are very broad in scope.
Post by: comicguy on September 15, 2018, 04:21:36 AM
Age: 48
Salary: 66,000
Location: MCOL
Experience: 12 years in district (14 years total)
Formally: Owned own business (6 years)
Construction/warehouse (5 years)
Retail Management (4 years)
Education: BS social studies 7-12 and MS Special Education 7-12
Post by: Erica on September 15, 2018, 04:57:05 PM
(transitional housing for those deemed criminally insane. Mental institutions are closing)
Age: 50
Salary: $21K yr
Shift: One 24 hr shift per wk (6-7 hrs asleep in bed at night while on call)
Location: Northern Calif
Husband
Title: Contractor
Age: 56
Salary $18k yr
Work p/t for a little over half the year
Current benefits:
$40 a mo deducted provides us both
100K/50K life insurance
ad&d policy
accident policy
dental policy-2k ea. yr
eye policy
drug plan
health policy, no cost, for myself only
We live cheaply in a small town surrounded by National Forest. Touristy Town with over 50% vacation homes.
A town known for it's Mtn Biking races is just 30 min away. Our life revolves around cycling, hiking, tai chi, vegetable gardening, having friends over for dinner and vice versa.
Post by: effigy98 on September 15, 2018, 05:23:58 PM
Many companies are tired of hiring tech employees that do not fit their traditional business, they are outsourcing most of their servers and work to major cloud companies.
The cloud companies are paying insane to retain cloud developers as it is a massive land grab right now for the big (5? maybe) companies. If you are looking for something paying insanely well, learn Salesforce, AWS, Azure, or google cloud.
Post by: Apple_Tango on September 15, 2018, 09:14:41 PM
Post by: GUNDERSON on September 16, 2018, 10:39:47 AM
Title: Supportive Living Supervisor
(transitional housing for those deemed criminally insane. Mental institutions are closing)
Age: 50
Salary: $21K yr
Shift: One 24 hr shift per wk (6-7 hrs asleep in bed at night while on call)
Location: Northern Calif
this sounds like a fascinating job. Can you say a little more about what it's like?
Post by: Goldendog777 on September 16, 2018, 02:54:15 PM
$74,350
Been doing this for 8 years but have been in mortgage doing various jobs, mostly underwriting, for over 20 years and I’m sooo over it!
Post by: dacalo on September 17, 2018, 11:22:29 AM
Industry accounting
$125K plus bonus
Transitioned to accounting in late 20's.
Question for other accountants: I got my CPA in industry. Zero public experience. Lately, most job postings say "public experience required" and this is preventing me from getting interviews for jobs I easily qualify for otherwise. It's too late for me to go public at this point. Any recommendations to overcome this? Or is this just something I'll have to deal with?
You are never late going public, but the question is do you want to? You will most likely have to start as staff, and go through grueling 2-4 years to make your experience/resume meaningful. You will be taking a paycut as well. Yes the experience is very valuable and the pace cannot be compared to industry but the cost/benefit should be considered. If the career path you want to take requires public experience, then you may want to consider LT wise.
Industry general ledger accounting, mid level (non-supervisor, non-management) in the greater Philadelphia area, $95K + a small bonus (a few grand?). About 15 years experience, no interest in climbing past my current rank.
Curious if the accountants that posted just before me are supervisors or if I'm underpaid. I actually I thought I was paid decently for a senior accountant.
In management. I would say your salary is pretty decent for GL accounting.
Post by: Proud Foot on September 17, 2018, 12:24:51 PM
Industry accounting
$125K plus bonus
Transitioned to accounting in late 20's.
Question for other accountants: I got my CPA in industry. Zero public experience. Lately, most job postings say "public experience required" and this is preventing me from getting interviews for jobs I easily qualify for otherwise. It's too late for me to go public at this point. Any recommendations to overcome this? Or is this just something I'll have to deal with?
Outside of making a move to public I would suggest working with a recruiter if you are looking to change jobs. They can help you get past the immediate rejection from HR for not having public experience. How many years accounting experience do you have and do you do much with the annual audit and financial report?
Industry general ledger accounting, mid level (non-supervisor, non-management) in the greater Philadelphia area, $95K + a small bonus (a few grand?). About 15 years experience, no interest in climbing past my current rank.
Curious if the accountants that posted just before me are supervisors or if I'm underpaid. I actually I thought I was paid decently for a senior accountant.
I think that is pretty decent for a senior accountant. The salary guide for my city shows $70k as the average which translates to around $95k in Philadelphia.
Post by: catccc on September 17, 2018, 12:50:11 PM
Industry accounting
$125K plus bonus
Transitioned to accounting in late 20's.
Question for other accountants: I got my CPA in industry. Zero public experience. Lately, most job postings say "public experience required" and this is preventing me from getting interviews for jobs I easily qualify for otherwise. It's too late for me to go public at this point. Any recommendations to overcome this? Or is this just something I'll have to deal with?
I wonder if you could contact some firms about part time consulting gigs (or part time busy season gigs?) that you might be able to do on the side? That way you don't need to halt your industry career, but if people ask, you can say you have public experience?
Post by: catccc on September 17, 2018, 12:53:48 PM
You're doing pretty well for a Sr. Accountant. I live in a HCOL area and was making $80K with no additional compensation when I was a Sr.
I'm currently in a supervisory role, albeit for a small and growing company. My team is very small, so my responsibilities are very broad in scope.
In management. I would say your salary is pretty decent for GL accounting.
I think that is pretty decent for a senior accountant. The salary guide for my city shows $70k as the average which translates to around $95k in Philadelphia.
Okay, thanks all for the feedback, good to know I'm fairly (or perhaps well) compensated!
Post by: cheaplynn on September 17, 2018, 01:34:23 PM
Income: 91k
Age: 36
Experience: 13 years
Qualifications: BA English; MEd Secondary Education; MA English (though, only a Bachelor's in Education is needed to do the job; my additional advanced degrees helped increase my salary significantly.)
Pension: I contribute 3%; district contributes 7%. (That said, the pension is severely underfunded by the state, so that money doesn't feel entirely guaranteed. Also, I'm touchy about the subject because we are majorly vilified for having a pension--it feeds peoples' anti-union, lazy-entitled-teacher rhetoric--but people don't seem to understand that as public employees, we don't qualify for social security benefits.)
Public school teaching salaries vary wildly state by state, even district by district. I work in a huge urban school system (with all of the challenges that one would expect from a city plagued by segregation, poverty, and gun violence), but if I had spent the same amount of time in the school district for the suburbs about 3 miles north of my current school, I'd be making well over 110k. In the rural parts of the state, teachers are making far less. It's an unjust system for students and teachers alike.
Post by: CPYay on September 17, 2018, 02:39:32 PM
You are never late going public, but the question is do you want to? You will most likely have to start as staff, and go through grueling 2-4 years to make your experience/resume meaningful. You will be taking a paycut as well. Yes the experience is very valuable and the pace cannot be compared to industry but the cost/benefit should be considered. If the career path you want to take requires public experience, then you may want to consider LT wise.
Outside of making a move to public I would suggest working with a recruiter if you are looking to change jobs. They can help you get past the immediate rejection from HR for not having public experience. How many years accounting experience do you have and do you do much with the annual audit and financial report?
I wonder if you could contact some firms about part time consulting gigs (or part time busy season gigs?) that you might be able to do on the side? That way you don't need to halt your industry career, but if people ask, you can say you have public experience?
Thanks all.
I have a family and lifestyle that already requires my current trajectory. Unfortunately, a full-time transition to public doesn't make sense for me. Hindsight is 20/20 :(
I've been in accounting for ~9 years. Definitely have the annual audit and financial reporting experience. I like the idea of part-time/side gigs with public firms if they're open to that. I know there are definitely roles that won't require public experience, but those are hard to come by and I'm still competing with those who do have it. I'm usually good once an interview is scheduled.
Post by: beer-man on September 17, 2018, 03:34:30 PM
Title: High school teacherWow 91k as a teacher, that’s awesome. With all the time off there are ample opportunities for side gigs too
Income: 91k
Age: 36
Experience: 13 years
Qualifications: BA English; MEd Secondary Education; MA English (though, only a Bachelor's in Education is needed to do the job; my additional advanced degrees helped increase my salary significantly.)
Pension: I contribute 3%; district contributes 7%. (That said, the pension is severely underfunded by the state, so that money doesn't feel entirely guaranteed. Also, I'm touchy about the subject because we are majorly vilified for having a pension--it feeds peoples' anti-union, lazy-entitled-teacher rhetoric--but people don't seem to understand that as public employees, we don't qualify for social security benefits.)
Public school teaching salaries vary wildly state by state, even district by district. I work in a huge urban school system (with all of the challenges that one would expect from a city plagued by segregation, poverty, and gun violence), but if I had spent the same amount of time in the school district for the suburbs about 3 miles north of my current school, I'd be making well over 110k. In the rural parts of the state, teachers are making far less. It's an unjust system for students and teachers alike.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: Mesmoiselle on September 17, 2018, 04:52:51 PM
Experience: 7 years as Staff, 3 as Traveler. All in a hospital.
Age: 31
Income: it'd be $105,000 or more if I worked every week of the year, 33% of that untaxed. As full time staff in Louisville, KY would have been $66,500/year, all of it taxed. No paid bonuses, PTO, or vacation. Finally found a Contract company with 5% match of their 401k plan.
Education: I personally became a sonographer via cross training after getting an x Ray licence through a two year certificate program. I then sat for two exams that equaled one licence. There are specialties and I now have two. You don't get paid more for more specialties but a lot of employers want you to have them anyway or they may be unwilling to hire you. For many years, I didn't even have an associates degree until I voluntarily chose to get one. This opportunity has become more rare.
If you wanted to get into Sonography these days,. It's usually "have an associate degree and some medical experience+ 1-2 year CAAHEP accredited program". The latter of which may or may not give you a bachelor's in US science
Post by: mizzourah2006 on September 18, 2018, 06:01:04 AM
Couple years after last update, pay has went up substaintually.... Things are changing in my industry... Cloud developer, broke 500k this year in total comp for the first time between two jobs (1 full time, one side hustle) in this space.
Many companies are tired of hiring tech employees that do not fit their traditional business, they are outsourcing most of their servers and work to major cloud companies.
The cloud companies are paying insane to retain cloud developers as it is a massive land grab right now for the big (5? maybe) companies. If you are looking for something paying insanely well, learn Salesforce, AWS, Azure, or google cloud.
What do you mean by learn? I spin up AWS instances for data science project work and then kill them after the project is over. What specifically makes a Cloud developer different than a non-cloud developer? Is it just k owing how to work in them and in Linux in general? Or is there more to it? Genuinely curious.
Post by: lexde on September 18, 2018, 06:55:49 AM
7/6/18:9/18/18:
Attorney in medium cost of living area.
70K + bonuses ($0-750/month; I get maybe 4-6 per year). Up from 65K last year. Second year in.
Also get a 3% safe harbor 401k contribution whether I contribute or not (I do, of course).
80K base, fewer hours now.
Post by: MudDuck on September 18, 2018, 09:05:01 AM
I have two jobs.
Title: Office Manager
Age: 33
Experience: 10-ish years
Education: Common sense? This is tiny a family business and I didn't need any qualifications for hire.
Compensation: $33K (plus about $16-$20K in benefits)
Title: Staff Nurse (RN)
Age: Still 33!
Experience: <1 year
Education: Associate's Degree (18 months)
Compensation: $26-$28/hour, depending upon shift differential
This popped up again so I figured I'd update.
Title: Staff Nurse (RN)
Age: 35
Experience: 3 years
Education: Associate's Degree (18 months)
Compensation: $38-$40/hour, depending upon shift differential
Post by: effigy98 on September 18, 2018, 02:16:31 PM
Couple years after last update, pay has went up substaintually.... Things are changing in my industry... Cloud developer, broke 500k this year in total comp for the first time between two jobs (1 full time, one side hustle) in this space.
Many companies are tired of hiring tech employees that do not fit their traditional business, they are outsourcing most of their servers and work to major cloud companies.
The cloud companies are paying insane to retain cloud developers as it is a massive land grab right now for the big (5? maybe) companies. If you are looking for something paying insanely well, learn Salesforce, AWS, Azure, or google cloud.
What do you mean by learn? I spin up AWS instances for data science project work and then kill them after the project is over. What specifically makes a Cloud developer different than a non-cloud developer? Is it just k owing how to work in them and in Linux in general? Or is there more to it? Genuinely curious.
You should be able to handle security tokens, services, functions, move data around between different endpoints and databases. I am not talking about simply spinning up a VM as that is pretty much the same skill set as a normal developer. You should be able to move something like an inventory management system (web and db) into the cloud and have it scale based on number of users hitting the site. For example, if marketing decides to run a major promotion (or maybe a link is put on the MMM forum) that requires many multiples of normal traffic, your solution should just scale automatically and shrink when not needed and only be billed for server usage without having a team of devs on call to deal with it.
Post by: Arbitrage on September 18, 2018, 02:16:59 PM
Title: High school teacherWow 91k as a teacher, that’s awesome. With all the time off there are ample opportunities for side gigs too
Income: 91k
Age: 36
Experience: 13 years
Qualifications: BA English; MEd Secondary Education; MA English (though, only a Bachelor's in Education is needed to do the job; my additional advanced degrees helped increase my salary significantly.)
Pension: I contribute 3%; district contributes 7%. (That said, the pension is severely underfunded by the state, so that money doesn't feel entirely guaranteed. Also, I'm touchy about the subject because we are majorly vilified for having a pension--it feeds peoples' anti-union, lazy-entitled-teacher rhetoric--but people don't seem to understand that as public employees, we don't qualify for social security benefits.)
Public school teaching salaries vary wildly state by state, even district by district. I work in a huge urban school system (with all of the challenges that one would expect from a city plagued by segregation, poverty, and gun violence), but if I had spent the same amount of time in the school district for the suburbs about 3 miles north of my current school, I'd be making well over 110k. In the rural parts of the state, teachers are making far less. It's an unjust system for students and teachers alike.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's very similar to teacher friends of mine where I live; actually at least one of them (similar age and education) is regularly pulling in above that $110k mark, and her workday is only 6.5 hours long with a 183-day work year. Not to say that their jobs are perfect, but hopefully gives some perspective to those who say 'teachers are underpaid' when the truth is that while many teachers - such as those in various states without powerful unions - are underpaid, but many other teachers are compensated quite well.
I will admit to being one of those who will openly criticize the teacher pensions, as well as other state/local employee pensions and health care promises, as one of the biggest threats facing this country's economy in the coming years, and even now. These obligations are taking up ever-increasing shares of local budgets, since they must be paid first, and they're squeezing out other services. When public services are being cut and/or taxes are being raised, it's often the pension obligations behind it, even though the politicians will always spin it otherwise. It would be even worse - much worse - if the actuaries were forced to use the rules/assumptions in place for private pensions, rather than assuming that rosy investment returns will save the day.
I don't particularly empathize with the social security argument, either, since those employees aren't paying in to social security - given the choice, I would've certainly taken and invested my social security money. However, I don't blame the teachers per se, as they're just trying to maximize their own financial situation, and I can't say that I wouldn't do the same. I do blame the unions and the politicians who got us into this mess, as well as those who fight tooth and nail against any effort to resolve the situations.
I don't really want to start a flame war, so I apologize if I'm offending with this post. Again, I don't blame the teachers or other state employees, aside from those who abuse the system or fight to perpetuate it against all logic and reason.
Post by: mizzourah2006 on September 18, 2018, 05:01:22 PM
Couple years after last update, pay has went up substaintually.... Things are changing in my industry... Cloud developer, broke 500k this year in total comp for the first time between two jobs (1 full time, one side hustle) in this space.
Many companies are tired of hiring tech employees that do not fit their traditional business, they are outsourcing most of their servers and work to major cloud companies.
The cloud companies are paying insane to retain cloud developers as it is a massive land grab right now for the big (5? maybe) companies. If you are looking for something paying insanely well, learn Salesforce, AWS, Azure, or google cloud.
What do you mean by learn? I spin up AWS instances for data science project work and then kill them after the project is over. What specifically makes a Cloud developer different than a non-cloud developer? Is it just k owing how to work in them and in Linux in general? Or is there more to it? Genuinely curious.
You should be able to handle security tokens, services, functions, move data around between different endpoints and databases. I am not talking about simply spinning up a VM as that is pretty much the same skill set as a normal developer. You should be able to move something like an inventory management system (web and db) into the cloud and have it scale based on number of users hitting the site. For example, if marketing decides to run a major promotion (or maybe a link is put on the MMM forum) that requires many multiples of normal traffic, your solution should just scale automatically and shrink when not needed and only be billed for server usage without having a team of devs on call to deal with it.
Interesting, thanks for the info, I’m admittedly not a developer, just a stats nerd that learned to program and build ML/DL models. I was under the impression a lot of the AWS instances could auto-scale now. I know we’ve been looking at SageMaker and that’s one of the benefits they mention for it. Congrats on the income!
Post by: Erica on September 20, 2018, 12:11:29 AM
Hi Gunderson. Nice to meet you.
There is a segment of the population which are not just criminally insane (old term), but also diagnosed as developmentally disabled. The official diagnosis is mental retardation. This makes this group eligible for some additional services. They come off as schizophrenic, bi-polar to most, but it's far worse. They are never really in reality due to the retardation. This allows them to do things not necessarily without a conscious, but without the proper understanding of consequences. The magnitude eludes them. They hardly ever, if at all, learn from experience. It might not be evident at first but the retardation is there. Hence why they are more dangerous. Because they imagine danger where it is nonexistent then act on it hurting innocent people.
I work for a Vendor of the State. It's a private company of around 100 employees.
There are 3 corporate offices in the State
I oversee only 3 people & their 24 hr staff.
Actually one has reduced her staff by 4 hrs a day,
due to new support from her family after I trained them.
Each individual lives in subsidized housing
Since all had 24 hr staff already, spending the night wasn't part of the supervisor duties
unless their staff was absent and we had no one to fill in
Thus I needed to fill in as staff.
Then get a supervisor to back up the other clients
Both clients had emergencies ...yet called me at this clients home
Instead of contacting the other supervisors.
Being within 5 minutes n the same apt complex made all feel more secure
So the phone call was all they needed
"fires" were put out quickly.
70-80% of their criminal behavior was regularly subdued during my shift
The most expedient use of time wasn't a supervisor drive over
But be nearby, in another clients home,
While another supervisor was truly available but has never been called (except by cops)
By the time you'd drive down
Cops would already be on the scene because it escalated quickly
The anxiety and panic can be curbed by meds but not 100%
I am at one of the clients homes at all times
They each live by themselves, in their own apartment with staff
I have a good relationship with all of them.
The lady I am with most of the shift
stole a pickup and drove it into a shopping mall killing 3 people
She spent most of her life in and out of jail, homeless, or in mental institutions
We spend a few hours watching a Christian movie or reading the bible each shift
She has a strong faith
I get paperwork done later at night between 10-midnight
Each shift, I stop off at the homes counting their lockbox, ensuring bills are paid, house is fairly clean, logs are completed, handle medications, talk to clients about their staff, their day, goals, etc.
She goes to bed at 10:30- 11pm
Won't wake me up until around 7am.
Sometimes I sleep better here than at home
Nice comfy bed, desk, fridge, private bath w/shower.
So there are some very good aspects to the job
yet the pay isn't one of them
.
Post by: cheaplynn on October 01, 2018, 01:45:28 PM
Title: High school teacherWow 91k as a teacher, that’s awesome. With all the time off there are ample opportunities for side gigs too
Income: 91k
Age: 36
Experience: 13 years
Qualifications: BA English; MEd Secondary Education; MA English (though, only a Bachelor's in Education is needed to do the job; my additional advanced degrees helped increase my salary significantly.)
Pension: I contribute 3%; district contributes 7%. (That said, the pension is severely underfunded by the state, so that money doesn't feel entirely guaranteed. Also, I'm touchy about the subject because we are majorly vilified for having a pension--it feeds peoples' anti-union, lazy-entitled-teacher rhetoric--but people don't seem to understand that as public employees, we don't qualify for social security benefits.)
Public school teaching salaries vary wildly state by state, even district by district. I work in a huge urban school system (with all of the challenges that one would expect from a city plagued by segregation, poverty, and gun violence), but if I had spent the same amount of time in the school district for the suburbs about 3 miles north of my current school, I'd be making well over 110k. In the rural parts of the state, teachers are making far less. It's an unjust system for students and teachers alike.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's very similar to teacher friends of mine where I live; actually at least one of them (similar age and education) is regularly pulling in above that $110k mark, and her workday is only 6.5 hours long with a 183-day work year. Not to say that their jobs are perfect, but hopefully gives some perspective to those who say 'teachers are underpaid' when the truth is that while many teachers - such as those in various states without powerful unions - are underpaid, but many other teachers are compensated quite well.
I will admit to being one of those who will openly criticize the teacher pensions, as well as other state/local employee pensions and health care promises, as one of the biggest threats facing this country's economy in the coming years, and even now. These obligations are taking up ever-increasing shares of local budgets, since they must be paid first, and they're squeezing out other services. When public services are being cut and/or taxes are being raised, it's often the pension obligations behind it, even though the politicians will always spin it otherwise. It would be even worse - much worse - if the actuaries were forced to use the rules/assumptions in place for private pensions, rather than assuming that rosy investment returns will save the day.
I don't particularly empathize with the social security argument, either, since those employees aren't paying in to social security - given the choice, I would've certainly taken and invested my social security money. However, I don't blame the teachers per se, as they're just trying to maximize their own financial situation, and I can't say that I wouldn't do the same. I do blame the unions and the politicians who got us into this mess, as well as those who fight tooth and nail against any effort to resolve the situations.
I don't really want to start a flame war, so I apologize if I'm offending with this post. Again, I don't blame the teachers or other state employees, aside from those who abuse the system or fight to perpetuate it against all logic and reason.
I'm not opposed to differing opinions or discourse on the topic. Like I said, I'm touchy, just because it's been wrapped up with so many other issues--anti-union sentiments, etc. (For us, the 'etc.' is undeniably the fact that my district largely serves poor, black families when the state is otherwise white...AND that the teaching population is also a high percentage of women of color. Not saying that everyone who takes issues with teacher pensions is openly racist or sexist, but it's hard to ignore that the workers who are most openly accused of being "entitled" or "lazy" *just happen to be* black and hispanic women.)
Also, just to clarify: yes, my day is also technically 6.5 hours long. But that doesn't account for the hours of DONATED labor that I am forced to perform every week in order to meet my job demands. The 6.5 hours is the bell-to-bell day, not including our lunch break. I know that we all had that teacher in high school who did the bare minimum, but the reality is that most of us (including myself), show up 30-60 minutes before the start of the day and work at least 2 extra hours on top of our salaried time, on a daily basis. Plus working weekends. There's no other possible way I could do all of my planning, grade all of the papers, make copies, call parents, and individually meet students for tutoring otherwise.
Look, I recognize that none of my explanations will sway the anti-public school/anti-teacher union naysayers out there. But I also think that those people tend to have little regard for a) the work of educators in general, and b) public education in general. So I've found that if someone feels entitled to sh*t on me, my career, and the people I serve... that's their problem. All I can say is that I work f*cking hard to earn every dollar I make.
Post by: Cwadda on October 01, 2018, 02:07:11 PM
Title: High school teacherWow 91k as a teacher, that’s awesome. With all the time off there are ample opportunities for side gigs too
Income: 91k
Age: 36
Experience: 13 years
Qualifications: BA English; MEd Secondary Education; MA English (though, only a Bachelor's in Education is needed to do the job; my additional advanced degrees helped increase my salary significantly.)
Pension: I contribute 3%; district contributes 7%. (That said, the pension is severely underfunded by the state, so that money doesn't feel entirely guaranteed. Also, I'm touchy about the subject because we are majorly vilified for having a pension--it feeds peoples' anti-union, lazy-entitled-teacher rhetoric--but people don't seem to understand that as public employees, we don't qualify for social security benefits.)
Public school teaching salaries vary wildly state by state, even district by district. I work in a huge urban school system (with all of the challenges that one would expect from a city plagued by segregation, poverty, and gun violence), but if I had spent the same amount of time in the school district for the suburbs about 3 miles north of my current school, I'd be making well over 110k. In the rural parts of the state, teachers are making far less. It's an unjust system for students and teachers alike.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's very similar to teacher friends of mine where I live; actually at least one of them (similar age and education) is regularly pulling in above that $110k mark, and her workday is only 6.5 hours long with a 183-day work year. Not to say that their jobs are perfect, but hopefully gives some perspective to those who say 'teachers are underpaid' when the truth is that while many teachers - such as those in various states without powerful unions - are underpaid, but many other teachers are compensated quite well.
I will admit to being one of those who will openly criticize the teacher pensions, as well as other state/local employee pensions and health care promises, as one of the biggest threats facing this country's economy in the coming years, and even now. These obligations are taking up ever-increasing shares of local budgets, since they must be paid first, and they're squeezing out other services. When public services are being cut and/or taxes are being raised, it's often the pension obligations behind it, even though the politicians will always spin it otherwise. It would be even worse - much worse - if the actuaries were forced to use the rules/assumptions in place for private pensions, rather than assuming that rosy investment returns will save the day.
I don't particularly empathize with the social security argument, either, since those employees aren't paying in to social security - given the choice, I would've certainly taken and invested my social security money. However, I don't blame the teachers per se, as they're just trying to maximize their own financial situation, and I can't say that I wouldn't do the same. I do blame the unions and the politicians who got us into this mess, as well as those who fight tooth and nail against any effort to resolve the situations.
I don't really want to start a flame war, so I apologize if I'm offending with this post. Again, I don't blame the teachers or other state employees, aside from those who abuse the system or fight to perpetuate it against all logic and reason.
I'm not opposed to differing opinions or discourse on the topic. Like I said, I'm touchy, just because it's been wrapped up with so many other issues--anti-union sentiments, etc. (For us, the 'etc.' is undeniably the fact that my district largely serves poor, black families when the state is otherwise white...AND that the teaching population is also a high percentage of women of color. Not saying that everyone who takes issues with teacher pensions is openly racist or sexist, but it's hard to ignore that the workers who are most openly accused of being "entitled" or "lazy" *just happen to be* black and hispanic women.)
Also, just to clarify: yes, my day is also technically 6.5 hours long. But that doesn't account for the hours of DONATED labor that I am forced to perform every week in order to meet my job demands. The 6.5 hours is the bell-to-bell day, not including our lunch break. I know that we all had that teacher in high school who did the bare minimum, but the reality is that most of us (including myself), show up 30-60 minutes before the start of the day and work at least 2 extra hours on top of our salaried time, on a daily basis. Plus working weekends. There's no other possible way I could do all of my planning, grade all of the papers, make copies, call parents, and individually meet students for tutoring otherwise.
Look, I recognize that none of my explanations will sway the anti-public school/anti-teacher union naysayers out there. But I also think that those people tend to have little regard for a) the work of educators in general, and b) public education in general. So I've found that if someone feels entitled to sh*t on me, my career, and the people I serve... that's their problem. All I can say is that I work f*cking hard to earn every dollar I make.
Public education is one of the most important factors in society. I believe in investing in public education to inspire the next generation and to create a brighter future. Teachers are some of the most influential people in kids' lives, and the influence sticks for life. I remember each and everyone of my teachers from K-12.
I'm always so surprised to see people harp on public education spending (especially with the amount of military spending going on).
Public university spending on the other hand...ho ho well that's a different story these days.
At any rate, thank you for doing what you do as an educator!
Post by: mm1970 on October 01, 2018, 02:27:08 PM
Quote
Look, I recognize that none of my explanations will sway the anti-public school/anti-teacher union naysayers out there. But I also think that those people tend to have little regard for a) the work of educators in general, and b) public education in general. So I've found that if someone feels entitled to sh*t on me, my career, and the people I serve... that's their problem. All I can say is that I work f*cking hard to earn every dollar I make.
I understand the general concern people have for public employee pensions - only because many of them are mishandled, and underfunded. This of course causes problems with other services and increasing taxes. This varies greatly location to location.
But the anti-teacher rants - I honestly have to think that the vast majority of complainers haven't stepped foot in a classroom or at a school in ... forever? If ever? Every time I read about a 6.5 hour work day, I laugh.
Most of my experience is with elementary (my oldest just hit junior high) - school starts at 8:30 am, and the teachers are required to be there by 8 am at the latest. School ends at 3:20 pm, nobody leaves then. It's hardly a 6.5 hour work day. Most of the time when I pick up my kids at 5:15, there are at least 3 or 4 teachers still there. That doesn't count the committees they are on (PTA board, school site council, plus after school volunteering like the flag football team, track team or soccer team). Don't forget science night and back to school night! We haven't even started grading or preparing or professional development. (I have lost count of the number of curriculum changes in the last 7 years.)
Even in junior high - this year I was perusing the school board agenda and noticed that one of my kid's teachers is going to be temporarily reassigned from a 1x employee to a 1.5x employee. This year they doubled the # of honors classes without adding a teacher. SO ... she gets to teach 2 honors classes, and they are 2.5 hours per day EACH. That's straight up 5 hours of class time, and I'm sure those aren't her only classes.
Post by: beer-man on October 01, 2018, 11:33:13 PM
180 work days per year, 6.5-8hr days 90k a year, paid for pension. I hope you are working your ass off cause that is quite the golden ticket that is slowly bankrupting the stateTitle: High school teacherWow 91k as a teacher, that’s awesome. With all the time off there are ample opportunities for side gigs too
Income: 91k
Age: 36
Experience: 13 years
Qualifications: BA English; MEd Secondary Education; MA English (though, only a Bachelor's in Education is needed to do the job; my additional advanced degrees helped increase my salary significantly.)
Pension: I contribute 3%; district contributes 7%. (That said, the pension is severely underfunded by the state, so that money doesn't feel entirely guaranteed. Also, I'm touchy about the subject because we are majorly vilified for having a pension--it feeds peoples' anti-union, lazy-entitled-teacher rhetoric--but people don't seem to understand that as public employees, we don't qualify for social security benefits.)
Public school teaching salaries vary wildly state by state, even district by district. I work in a huge urban school system (with all of the challenges that one would expect from a city plagued by segregation, poverty, and gun violence), but if I had spent the same amount of time in the school district for the suburbs about 3 miles north of my current school, I'd be making well over 110k. In the rural parts of the state, teachers are making far less. It's an unjust system for students and teachers alike.
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It's very similar to teacher friends of mine where I live; actually at least one of them (similar age and education) is regularly pulling in above that $110k mark, and her workday is only 6.5 hours long with a 183-day work year. Not to say that their jobs are perfect, but hopefully gives some perspective to those who say 'teachers are underpaid' when the truth is that while many teachers - such as those in various states without powerful unions - are underpaid, but many other teachers are compensated quite well.
I will admit to being one of those who will openly criticize the teacher pensions, as well as other state/local employee pensions and health care promises, as one of the biggest threats facing this country's economy in the coming years, and even now. These obligations are taking up ever-increasing shares of local budgets, since they must be paid first, and they're squeezing out other services. When public services are being cut and/or taxes are being raised, it's often the pension obligations behind it, even though the politicians will always spin it otherwise. It would be even worse - much worse - if the actuaries were forced to use the rules/assumptions in place for private pensions, rather than assuming that rosy investment returns will save the day.
I don't particularly empathize with the social security argument, either, since those employees aren't paying in to social security - given the choice, I would've certainly taken and invested my social security money. However, I don't blame the teachers per se, as they're just trying to maximize their own financial situation, and I can't say that I wouldn't do the same. I do blame the unions and the politicians who got us into this mess, as well as those who fight tooth and nail against any effort to resolve the situations.
I don't really want to start a flame war, so I apologize if I'm offending with this post. Again, I don't blame the teachers or other state employees, aside from those who abuse the system or fight to perpetuate it against all logic and reason.
I'm not opposed to differing opinions or discourse on the topic. Like I said, I'm touchy, just because it's been wrapped up with so many other issues--anti-union sentiments, etc. (For us, the 'etc.' is undeniably the fact that my district largely serves poor, black families when the state is otherwise white...AND that the teaching population is also a high percentage of women of color. Not saying that everyone who takes issues with teacher pensions is openly racist or sexist, but it's hard to ignore that the workers who are most openly accused of being "entitled" or "lazy" *just happen to be* black and hispanic women.)
Also, just to clarify: yes, my day is also technically 6.5 hours long. But that doesn't account for the hours of DONATED labor that I am forced to perform every week in order to meet my job demands. The 6.5 hours is the bell-to-bell day, not including our lunch break. I know that we all had that teacher in high school who did the bare minimum, but the reality is that most of us (including myself), show up 30-60 minutes before the start of the day and work at least 2 extra hours on top of our salaried time, on a daily basis. Plus working weekends. There's no other possible way I could do all of my planning, grade all of the papers, make copies, call parents, and individually meet students for tutoring otherwise.
Look, I recognize that none of my explanations will sway the anti-public school/anti-teacher union naysayers out there. But I also think that those people tend to have little regard for a) the work of educators in general, and b) public education in general. So I've found that if someone feels entitled to sh*t on me, my career, and the people I serve... that's their problem. All I can say is that I work f*cking hard to earn every dollar I make.
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Post by: cheaplynn on October 02, 2018, 07:19:44 AM
B. Funny - I thought this community was all about supporting people in their quest for making money and financial independence. But making money isn't kosher when I'm a state employee? Or, god forbid, a teacher? Mmkay.
C. It's a strange society that dislikes it when the educators of their children are well compensated in exchange for experience and education.
Post by: mountain mustache on October 02, 2018, 07:33:45 AM
Post by: meatgrinder on October 02, 2018, 01:54:52 PM
Income: 300k (Base + Bonus) - Planned retire in 2020 once all current RSUs vest
Age: 38
Experience: 14 years
Qualifications: business degree
Post by: use2betrix on October 02, 2018, 02:29:54 PM
A. I am, thank you very much, anonymous stranger who probably doesn't even live in the same state as me. I hope you're searching the forums for every other public employee and also taking THEM to task for choosing their profession.
B. Funny - I thought this community was all about supporting people in their quest for making money and financial independence. But making money isn't kosher when I'm a state employee? Or, god forbid, a teacher? Mmkay.
C. It's a strange society that dislikes it when the educators of their children are well compensated in exchange for experience and education.
I was thinking along the same lines. Very weird opinion for someone to have, not to mention to be clearly so bothered by it.
Post by: mountain mustache on October 02, 2018, 03:50:53 PM
A. I am, thank you very much, anonymous stranger who probably doesn't even live in the same state as me. I hope you're searching the forums for every other public employee and also taking THEM to task for choosing their profession.
B. Funny - I thought this community was all about supporting people in their quest for making money and financial independence. But making money isn't kosher when I'm a state employee? Or, god forbid, a teacher? Mmkay.
C. It's a strange society that dislikes it when the educators of their children are well compensated in exchange for experience and education.
I was thinking along the same lines. Very weird opinion for someone to have, not to mention to be clearly so bothered by it.
I don't understand why someone has a problem with a teacher making 90k when there are folks on this thread making 300-400k doing software. The amount of time, energy, effort, and all the BS that teachers deal with on a daily basis...you couldn't pay me enough! I really don't like working with kids, or their parents, so anyone willing to do the job of educating them deserves a very large paycheck IMO.
Post by: mathlete on October 02, 2018, 04:10:55 PM
180 work days per year, 6.5-8hr days 90k a year, paid for pension. I hope you are working your ass off cause that is quite the golden ticket that is slowly bankrupting the state
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Pssshhhhhh. Get a load of this guy.
Post by: Roboturner on October 02, 2018, 04:21:43 PM
Post by: Mrs. S on October 02, 2018, 04:46:40 PM
That's not really very high inflation is quite a bit here in India
Post by: L2 on October 30, 2018, 02:05:59 PM
Job Title: Tax Manager - Regional Public AccountingAge: 27
Age: 26
Experience: ~ 4 years
Salary: 78k, expecting an annual raise to ~82k in November.
Other: 3% 401k match, profit-sharing, but I just started here a few months ago so I have no idea what to expect.
I'm located in Ohio and started out my career at a much larger firm. Took a promotion and 22% raise to come to the new place. A ton more flexibility is also a plus. Its sort of unfortunate, but it seems the only way to really get market rate is to jump ship, at least in accounting.
Experience: ~ 5 years
Salary: $83,352
Post by: DS on October 30, 2018, 02:07:32 PM
Job Title: Tax Manager - Regional Public AccountingAge: 27
Age: 26
Experience: ~ 4 years
Salary: 78k, expecting an annual raise to ~82k in November.
Other: 3% 401k match, profit-sharing, but I just started here a few months ago so I have no idea what to expect.
I'm located in Ohio and started out my career at a much larger firm. Took a promotion and 22% raise to come to the new place. A ton more flexibility is also a plus. Its sort of unfortunate, but it seems the only way to really get market rate is to jump ship, at least in accounting.
Experience: ~ 5 years
Salary: $83,352
Similar trajectory!
I was 26 when I switched, got a 22% bump. Went from Big 4 to regional. Much better life and even better raises per year.
Post by: 2Birds1Stone on October 30, 2018, 02:34:30 PM
Title: Account Executive
Salary: $47k base salary + $50k incentive comp @ quota (Going to hit ~$112k total for FY16)
Experience: 1 year
Age:28
Education:Some college
Title: Account Executive
Salary: $130k base salary + $80k incentive comp @ quota
Experience: 4 years
Age: 31
Education: Some college + 4 years of OTJ training :)
Post by: tedman on October 31, 2018, 12:08:45 PM
A. I am, thank you very much, anonymous stranger who probably doesn't even live in the same state as me. I hope you're searching the forums for every other public employee and also taking THEM to task for choosing their profession.
B. Funny - I thought this community was all about supporting people in their quest for making money and financial independence. But making money isn't kosher when I'm a state employee? Or, god forbid, a teacher? Mmkay.
C. It's a strange society that dislikes it when the educators of their children are well compensated in exchange for experience and education.
I just want to say, I'm pissed about this but from the other direction. Why don't we all have these sorts of pay rates? Yes a select few make gobs and gobs of money but generally it's easy to intimidate people into working for way less than they are worth. Somehow people have been convinced to fight each other and not the causes for this ridiculous notion that getting paid that amount, which only happens at higher levels of personal education and responsibility. So her equivalent pay is 125,000 + benefits, doing a semi demanding job (seems way demanding to me compared to my job as an accountant).
Back on track.
Title: Accountant, never worked for a public firm, don't care to.
Salary: 70k.
Experience: 2.5 years, switched tracks after losing my job in 2010 with the Great Recession and went back to school, was a senior manager at a small (75)company.
Age: 34
Education: half of a tech degree, dropped out then worked, back to school (accounting), now half to an MBA, CPA eventually when I have time.
I'm hoping to meld my extensive management experience and accounting knowledge into CFO at a smaller company.
Post by: sodonewithit on November 01, 2018, 09:43:29 AM
Kinda proud and ashamed at the same time.
Post by: Mgmny on November 01, 2018, 10:39:13 AM
Software Specialist II $99K
Kinda proud and ashamed at the same time.
Why ashamed?
Post by: Adam Zapple on November 01, 2018, 04:22:13 PM
Can get retiree medical if I stay past 55 years of age but probably will not hang around that long. It's a young man's (or woman's) game.
Experience -16yrs
Post by: I-Ranger on November 01, 2018, 04:59:18 PM
Salary: $120k/yr
Experience: 1 yr
Age: 42
I live in an insanely LCOL area (rural MN), so l am able to save 75-80% of my salary while living comfortably. I got no complaints. :)
Post by: JetBlast on November 02, 2018, 10:54:28 AM
Title: First Officer at MegaAirline
Experience: 2nd year with company, 12th in industry
Probably end up around $130k with profit sharing this year. Next year around $160k. I could make about $20k more if I switched to a larger aircraft, but would be lower on seniority for those aircraft. I wouldn’t always get the days off I want and I’d fly a bunch of redeyes. I also receive a 16% contribution to my 401k.
Post by: bbates728 on November 02, 2018, 11:02:54 AM
Wife: Middle School Teacher, 4 years experience - $57k+incentives for OT (trainings and required department head meetings)
Post by: aceyou on November 02, 2018, 12:28:12 PM
Years Experience: 13
Education: Masters
Salary: $72,000 (67k for teaching + 5k for coaching)....minus 7% of my salary that gets deducted to fund my pension
Additional Compensation: I get paid $6100/year to not take health insurance...we take my wife's insurance.
Extra Benefits: Pension - After 30 years, I'll get 45% of the average of my top 3 years teaching.
Side Note #1: A very large percentage of this is self funded from a career of having 7% of my paychecks deducted.
Side Note #2: I was given the option to buy 5 years, which means I wrote the state a check and in return I get a pension after 25 years instead of 30. Since time is the most valuable thing a person can buy IMO, my wife and I both jumped at the chance.
Side Note #3: For my wife, who is under a slightly different plan (but also in education), she actually has 10% deducted from her paychecks.
Location: Probably would be considered a low to medium cost of living area. Eh, probably LCOL, it's easy to live on a little.
Common Question I get: Do you think teachers are overpaid/underpaid?
My Answer: It depends. There are about 3 million teachers in the United States. Many are underpaid, many are fairly compensated, maybe a minuscule percentage are overpaid. Me personally? I put myself in the fairly paid camp. I'm in a good paying district where I'm treated with respect by administration as well as the community. Through my position as a teacher and coach, I'm viewed in my town as a community leader. I'm work VERY hard, but I do meaningful work and get fair compensation to do so. I'll be likely retired at age 48 with my finances in order. That's a lot to be thankful and grateful for.
Post by: Proud Foot on November 02, 2018, 01:54:51 PM
Title: Corporate Controller
Age: 29
Salary: $82,000
Experience: 6 years
Education: B.S. in Finance, CPA
I guess I will update this since its been three years.
Same title and education. 9 years experience. Salary: $91,500
Post by: moonpalace on November 02, 2018, 02:22:38 PM
Years of experience: 12
Salary: $99k, good benefits, no pension but good match and access to 457 plan
Post by: haflander on November 02, 2018, 02:38:01 PM
4 years experience
70,000
Double BA, English and History
Work for an agency. Clients are big pharma companies launching new drug campaigns, targeted customers are practicing doctors.
Degrees in liberal arts can be lucrative if combined with experience in a different/hot/tech field. Personally, I worked all throughout college for an academic firm, helping grad students and professors write theses, dissertations, and journal article submissions. That was mostly in psych and medical fields, and started me on the path to my current gig.
Oh, and I started at 35,000 in 1/2015. Job hopping about once a year enabled me to double my salary in only 3 years. If I stayed at the first place, I'd be making 45-50 right now. The best part is that I don't even look for jobs...recruiters just call me and offer me more $. Each job I've taken has resulted in more $ and less work somehow. I know this (and espy the salary growth) isn't sustainable, but I definitely acknowledge my good fortune and privilege.
Post by: LWYRUP on November 03, 2018, 08:10:28 AM
Gov't attorney: $178k plus $7k bonus. Pretty decent benefits but no pension and at will employment. I do get an 6% match in my 457 if I stay 3.5 years.
This isn't typical gov't employment though. I do complicated corporate transactions and frequently negotiate across the table with folks that make an enormous amounts of money. I also work really, really hard.
I'm capped out on salary so will likely do this for a few years and then onto something else.
Former biglaw, nine years out of school now.
Post by: booyah on November 03, 2018, 09:05:35 AM
Experience: 15 years as attorney, prior service as enlisted
Age: 41
Salary: $111,360 base plus $32,400 tax free housing allowance. Total $143,740. Also have 50% pension COLA indexed and lifelong health insurance once I hit 20 years active service.
In exchange we give up complete control of our lives for 20 years, rarely living where we want to and never picking what job we do. For example right now I’m doing federal civil litigation which bores the piss out of me.
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Post by: pdxvandal on November 03, 2018, 12:13:57 PM
Experience: B.A.; 20 years
Age: 43
Salary: $72k
Easy side hustles: $5k
I'm not even at the salary I was at 4 years ago after a layoff, but inching closer, and just got a somewhat surprising $7k bump. My work-life balance is way better today, though. I show up and leave whenever I want (usually 9-3 in the office with telecommuting mixed in daily) and able to put away 40k of my salary pre-tax into a 457, 401 (includes 8% matching) and HSA (employer contributes $1.5k annually). I'm grateful. Not sure when FIRE will happen, as there have been some financial setbacks with my spouse, but hopefully in 2-4 years. I could probably retire today and live very frugally, but would rather create a larger cushion especially with a young-ish child.
Post by: WheresMyMule on November 03, 2018, 08:12:37 PM
Experience: 13 years in project management, 19 years total in commercial real estate
Education: BA in Liberal Studies
Salary: $145k + potential 20% bonus. 401k match is full for first 3% then 50% of next 4%.
I fell into real estate project management after trying commercial brokerage and hating it. I managed office interior projects for 13 years and was recruited into my current position at a private aviation services firm. I learned everything on the job, and encourage everyone to ask questions and volunteer for high profile projects. It'll take you far
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Post by: MikeTheSalesman on November 03, 2018, 08:39:14 PM
Age: 32
Salary:$147K base + potential $40K annual bonus ($20K - $30K most likely bonus) 6% 401K match.
Experience: 10 years professional experience
Education: BS in Business Admin and MBA
Married with two kids and we're single income. Wife stays at home with the kiddos.
Post by: SoBurntImCharred on November 03, 2018, 09:22:07 PM
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Post by: WheresMyMule on November 03, 2018, 09:59:50 PM
There are a lot of benefits to this thread, especially for younger readers, and I'm glad it exists. However, as a middle aged someone who didn't always make the right choice, it can be hard to read sometimes.I started my current career track at 34, and only then started saving in a 401k. I have been very behind for a lot of years. I am 47 and finally on track to retire at 64, when my youngest graduates college because I took a job this year that, while reducing my time with my kids, doubled my income. If I can avoid lifestyle creep, we'll be in good shape shape for retirement.
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Even if you're older, it's not too late to improve your position.
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Post by: texxan1 on November 04, 2018, 12:26:37 AM
Base Salary $174200
Bonus 12% of gross
international Premium $95,500
3 paid travel days a month
Company paid business class flights
52k this year so far in side gigs
putting every penny into 401k (7% match) and after tax, then whats left goes into Vanguard account.
Living off my rental income from my primary residence (2800 a month) while im abroad.
ALL to chance come January lol, but it was a great gig while it lasted...
Post by: Adam Zapple on November 04, 2018, 02:06:34 PM
There are a lot of benefits to this thread, especially for younger readers, and I'm glad it exists. However, as a middle aged someone who didn't always make the right choice, it can be hard to read sometimes.
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Just realize that:
1) This forum, in general, is popular among the higher educated and higher salaried
2) There is likely a response bias here where those who earn more money are happy to brag, while those who earn less keep quiet
Post by: FIRE_Buckeye on November 04, 2018, 05:06:57 PM
Title: Senior Financial Analyst
Salary: ~75k + ~10% bonus + 6% 401k match + 4 weeks vacation
Age: 29
Experience: 6 years (3.5 at current employer)
Education: BA Accounting, CPA
Wife
Title: Elementary School Teacher (1st grade)
Salary: ~45k (public school in a non-unionized state)
Age: 29
Experience: 4 years
Education: BA, MA Early Childhood Education
Wife works more hours in a much more stressful environment for just over half of what I'm lucky enough to make, so the people claiming teachers are overpaid for what they do really just make me cringe.
Post by: beer-man on November 04, 2018, 08:18:55 PM
Figured I'd post to offer a contrasting data point to those acting like teachers make an unreasonably high amount for what they do.I do think that teachers are highly paid for the relative stress and crazy awesome flexibility and time off they have. I would take less pay for literally every single holiday off(even non traditional holidays)no after hours mandating, and then just random days off for no apparent reason and the whole summer off to work a side hustle or just relax. Short work days, Oh the life
Title: Senior Financial Analyst
Salary: ~75k + ~10% bonus + 6% 401k match + 4 weeks vacation
Age: 29
Experience: 6 years (3.5 at current employer)
Education: BA Accounting, CPA
Wife
Title: Elementary School Teacher (1st grade)
Salary: ~45k (public school in a non-unionized state)
Age: 29
Experience: 4 years
Education: BA, MA Early Childhood Education
Wife works more hours in a much more stressful environment for just over half of what I'm lucky enough to make, so the people claiming teachers are overpaid for what they do really just make me cringe.
Go to millionaire educator website and you can read how teaching can get you to FI very quickly if you are smart about it.
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Post by: beer-man on November 04, 2018, 08:20:45 PM
Oil and Gas Professional (construction)Wow way to go! I did some traveling to Texas in 13’ for work and met some oil guys that were doing really well.
Base Salary $174200
Bonus 12% of gross
international Premium $95,500
3 paid travel days a month
Company paid business class flights
52k this year so far in side gigs
putting every penny into 401k (7% match) and after tax, then whats left goes into Vanguard account.
Living off my rental income from my primary residence (2800 a month) while im abroad.
ALL to chance come January lol, but it was a great gig while it lasted...
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Post by: Imma on November 05, 2018, 05:37:15 AM
Not sure whether the sample of respondants is representative of the forum population, but the average income seems to be well above the US national average... which could simply prove that mustachians are disciples of self improvement, and as a result command higher level of remuneration... or simply more college educated (hence the familiarity w finance matters in general) commanding higher wages...
Just an observation really.
Job title: Finance employee - I work for a small company and my boss doesn't like fancy job titles
Age: 27
Degree: LLB
Experience: 4 years (in finance)
Salary: €34500 / fulltime before taxes with 5 weeks of paid leave and paid leave on all official holidays. No pension. Contractual bonus if the company makes an x amount of profit: €2640/fulltime before taxes
In my country, this is a pretty good salary for someone with my age, experience and degree. Average income is about €36500 with 4 weeks of paid leave, so to be able to earn that average income with only a few years experience in your field is quite good.
Job title: Payroll Administrator
Age: 28
Degree: LLB, going to school for LLM and payroll certification.
Experience: 5 years (in this field)
Salary: €38000/fulltime before taxes, 5 weeks paid leave, employer pays 2,5% pension, no bonus anymore. Employer pays payroll certification as well.
New job, nice step in the right direction. Pay is slightly higher but the benefits and career opportunities are much better.
Post by: Unique User on November 05, 2018, 07:34:51 AM
Oil and Gas Professional (construction)
Base Salary $174200
Bonus 12% of gross
international Premium $95,500
3 paid travel days a month
Company paid business class flights
52k this year so far in side gigs
putting every penny into 401k (7% match) and after tax, then whats left goes into Vanguard account.
Living off my rental income from my primary residence (2800 a month) while im abroad.
ALL to chance come January lol, but it was a great gig while it lasted...
What's your side gig?
Post by: CptCool on November 05, 2018, 09:30:34 AM
I do think that teachers are highly paid for the relative stress and crazy awesome flexibility and time off they have. I would take less pay for literally every single holiday off(even non traditional holidays)no after hours mandating, and then just random days off for no apparent reason and the whole summer off to work a side hustle or just relax. Short work days, Oh the life
Go to millionaire educator website and you can read how teaching can get you to FI very quickly if you are smart about it.
Why not become a teacher then?
Post by: beer-man on November 05, 2018, 10:06:21 AM
I know right there are so many positives! I’m trying to convince my younger brother to become a teacher. He is good with kids, patient, and really enjoys lots of extracurricular activities.I do think that teachers are highly paid for the relative stress and crazy awesome flexibility and time off they have. I would take less pay for literally every single holiday off(even non traditional holidays)no after hours mandating, and then just random days off for no apparent reason and the whole summer off to work a side hustle or just relax. Short work days, Oh the life
Go to millionaire educator website and you can read how teaching can get you to FI very quickly if you are smart about it.
Why not become a teacher then?
For me it would mean going backward as it would involve going back to school when I’m already close to FI. Plus I currently love my job. It’s always an option long term.
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Post by: El_Mariachi on November 15, 2018, 12:20:40 PM
Base Salary $89000
$10k company stock
unlimited PTO
experience 10 years
education BSME
wife:
part time side hustler on craigslist/online stores
we are saving maybe ~25-30% right now but trying to work that up
Post by: sjc0816 on November 16, 2018, 11:38:34 AM
I work part-time in a marketing position (from home - family business). Make around 20K gross with a ridiculously flexible schedule (work whenever I want). I'm 41 with two kids aged 12 and 9.
DH:
Senior Big Data Engineer
Salary 140K
7-8% profit sharing to 401k every year
5 weeks of vacation
42 years old
20 years experience
BS in MIS
Post by: gardevoir on November 18, 2018, 09:49:07 AM
Age: 43
Experience: 1 year teaching in U.K. (10 years teaching English in Japan)
Salary: £24,859
Very new to this lifestyle. Living in rented accommodation. Predict saving 50% of my net salary. Potential savings in the near future include food budget and getting rid of my car. Longer term, perhaps buying property to live in and also rent.
Have had my head in the sand regarding personal finance and am so glad to have discovered this community.
Post by: Bearblastbeats on November 18, 2018, 10:04:06 AM
Salary: 72,800. 3 weeks vacation.
Exp: 10+ years in construction, engineering, and architectural firms working my way up from the bottom.
Education: Associates Degree in Architectural Engineering.
Title: Flooring Installer
Compensation: $25-$30/hr. $300-$500/day
Exp: 20+ years. father owned a flooring business. Brother owns a flooring business. Grew up in the field and still take weekends gigs here and there for brother, coworkers, and friends when time allows it.
Title: PT Inventory/home theater sales at best buy
Compensation: $15/hr.
Exp: ~3 months. GF works here FT so I offered to help during holidays and until baby is due in Feb to absorb as much income as possible.
Post by: use2betrix on December 03, 2018, 05:20:07 PM
Industrial Construction (Management/Contractor)
Associates Degree
10 years Experience
30 years old
$850/day (day rate) / $980/wk per diem (tax free) / $500/mo travel allowance (tax free) / 5% 401k match fully vested from Day 1
Next year I’ll likely be bumping up to 6 days a week as project work picks up, and should close in on $300k at the end of the year. Beings a lot is tax free it’s goes a bit further.
Post by: maglomanic on December 04, 2018, 07:16:51 PM
Salary: $18k aprox.
Age: 27
Hours: 35 to 20 a week. I was getting full time but with winter I've been at about 20hrs a week.
Education: An Associates in Graphic Design and an Associates in Visual Arts
I live in rural Michigan. I actually make decent money for someone my age in my area. I try to do Graphic Design/Art related work from home but I haven't made any money from it. I've been thinking of looking more into Upwork.
Post by: AlexMar on December 05, 2018, 11:50:04 AM
Salary: $500k - $700k
Age: 35
Education: High School and College Dropout
Post by: Cornel_Westside on December 05, 2018, 12:09:03 PM
Title: Senior Mechanical Engineer
Salary: $105k + Quarterly Bonus (usually 2-3k each time) + 3% 401k match.
Age: 29
Experience: 7 years
Education: BS in Mechanical Engineering
Location: Greater Metropolitan Seattle
Partner:
Title: Project Manager
Salary: $85k
Age: 29
Experience: 6 years
Education: BS in Cognitive Science
Location: Greater Metropolitan Seattle
We have pretty good salaries for our experience levels and ages, but both of us have very good educations. Mine is from a top 10 engineering school and hers is from a top school for CogSci. She is honestly underpaid - she has a few years of Program Manager experience and she could easily find a better job but she wants to change industries.
Post by: DeadGuitarGod on December 05, 2018, 01:16:09 PM
Me:
Title: Marketing Manager
Age: 49
Experience: 20.5 Years (at the same company...6.5 years at previous company before that)
Salary: $61,000 plus $9,000 bonus this year
Education: BA: English/Tech Writing BA: Communications
More Info: My job is very low-stress, working for a family-owned manufacturing company. I started as a Tech Writer, and have held a wide variety of positions in my time here. In the immediate future, I can see an upward path to VP level (most likely in the next few years as the old guard here continues to retire).
Wife:
Title: Secretary at State Facility
Age: 46
Experience: (4 years at this position - over 15 years in television/non-profit before this)
Salary: $21,000 (very low-paying state government position).
Education: BS: Psychology BS: Radio/TV/Film
More Info: My wife was laid off in 2014 due to new leadership making an "across the board change", and has been "holding" on her current position every since, so that she can spend more time with our son (her job pays peanuts, but has zero stress and set-in-stone M-F 8am-4pm hours).
Her previous position at the Director level in the non-profit world paid considerably more, but kept her away from home for most of the first five years of our son's life. At this point, it is a good trade-off for such a low salary. She plans to search for a different position (with much higher compensation) in 2019.
Summary: We live in a very low-cost of living area, and salaries here reflect this.
This is a cool thread!
Post by: BiggerFishToFI on December 05, 2018, 01:26:12 PM
Salary: ~82k base + ~8k straight time overtime + ~20-35% bonus + 5% 401k match + 2 weeks vacation + work from home / flexible hours
Age: 32
Experience: 7 years
Education: BSME
Post by: SKL-HOU on December 05, 2018, 02:44:49 PM
Salary: $122k + 3% 401k match.
Age: 42
Experience: 19 years (total, 10 in my current industry)
Education: BS in Mechanical Engineering + MBA
Location: Houston, TX
Post by: Hirondelle on December 06, 2018, 10:47:35 AM
Title: PhD candidate
Experience: <1 year
Salary: €32k
Location: MCOL, Europe
Made it through the first year of my PhD, so I got a raise!
Title: PhD candidate
Experience: 1 year
Salary: €37k
Location: MCOL, Europe
Post by: rob in cal on December 06, 2018, 04:56:25 PM
experience: 20 years
Salary, after driving expenses: somewhere in the 40,000's
location: northern California
also, investment income from restaurant ownership, stocks, Reit etc, somewhere in the 30,000s in a typical year, counting an average historical year of stock market growth.
Post by: Overspray on December 07, 2018, 07:00:05 AM
Age: 31
Experience required: Who knows
Education: Trade School
Compensation: $23.70/hr, regular overtime (averages 56hrs/wk), 401k with match. FSA accounts, health/dental/vision covered at 100%
I have a decade of experience at this point, doing lots and lots of different jobs in the paint world. I’m a very humble guy as far as my skill set is concerned, but even I know that I’m overqualified for this position. But with the benefits and trying to maximize everything for FI, this is a pretty decent place to hang my hat for a while. I can’t wait to FIRE my boss though.
Post by: use2betrix on December 07, 2018, 11:44:30 AM
Title: Industrial Painter
Age: 31
Experience required: Who knows
Education: Trade School
Compensation: $23.70/hr, regular overtime (averages 56hrs/wk), 401k with match. FSA accounts, health/dental/vision covered at 100%
I have a decade of experience at this point, doing lots and lots of different jobs in the paint world. I’m a very humble guy as far as my skill set is concerned, but even I know that I’m overqualified for this position. But with the benefits and trying to maximize everything for FI, this is a pretty decent place to hang my hat for a while. I can’t wait to FIRE my boss though.
Have you considered getting some NACE certifications and moving towards a career as an inspector? I know some NACE level III’s that have made nearly $1k/day as contractors in oil & gas.
Post by: caracarn on December 07, 2018, 11:55:02 AM
I used to think all this too.I know right there are so many positives! I’m trying to convince my younger brother to become a teacher. He is good with kids, patient, and really enjoys lots of extracurricular activities.I do think that teachers are highly paid for the relative stress and crazy awesome flexibility and time off they have. I would take less pay for literally every single holiday off(even non traditional holidays)no after hours mandating, and then just random days off for no apparent reason and the whole summer off to work a side hustle or just relax. Short work days, Oh the life
Go to millionaire educator website and you can read how teaching can get you to FI very quickly if you are smart about it.
Why not become a teacher then?
For me it would mean going backward as it would involve going back to school when I’m already close to FI. Plus I currently love my job. It’s always an option long term.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My wife is also a teacher now. Just got a raise to $40K. She used to be a Project Manager making $90K and before that worked for Oracle as a consultant. She works more now that she did in those other two jobs. She has gotten into some heated arguments with people about how "easy" teaching is and how they get all this time off. She gets calls and e-mails at night. She still gets calls from parents on off days. She gets call from parents all summer and work with students who need more help. We have to buy a lot of supplies for her class to the tune of a few thousand a year because the school does not have them in the budget.
Been to several gatherings with teachers and this stuff happens in a lot of districts and my wife is in a private school (no Masters in ED yet which is required to get into public), but the public teachers stories of how things work are not making her jump at the chance to make some more without any added security or support. At least now she has more control with the administration that she ever would in a public setting.
So I'd do a little more research before you latch on to the sterotypes that we all have heard, and likely believed. Not at all what it looks like from the inside.
Post by: beer-man on December 07, 2018, 09:27:11 PM
I have multiple good friends that are teachers. They share about their job struggles and I share about mine. Many of the things I share make them cringe in horror. I like many aspects of my job but still envy the teaching gig. Compared to what I deal with I absolutely believe it would be more manageable.I used to think all this too.I know right there are so many positives! I’m trying to convince my younger brother to become a teacher. He is good with kids, patient, and really enjoys lots of extracurricular activities.I do think that teachers are highly paid for the relative stress and crazy awesome flexibility and time off they have. I would take less pay for literally every single holiday off(even non traditional holidays)no after hours mandating, and then just random days off for no apparent reason and the whole summer off to work a side hustle or just relax. Short work days, Oh the life
Go to millionaire educator website and you can read how teaching can get you to FI very quickly if you are smart about it.
Why not become a teacher then?
For me it would mean going backward as it would involve going back to school when I’m already close to FI. Plus I currently love my job. It’s always an option long term.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My wife is also a teacher now. Just got a raise to $40K. She used to be a Project Manager making $90K and before that worked for Oracle as a consultant. She works more now that she did in those other two jobs. She has gotten into some heated arguments with people about how "easy" teaching is and how they get all this time off. She gets calls and e-mails at night. She still gets calls from parents on off days. She gets call from parents all summer and work with students who need more help. We have to buy a lot of supplies for her class to the tune of a few thousand a year because the school does not have them in the budget.
Been to several gatherings with teachers and this stuff happens in a lot of districts and my wife is in a private school (no Masters in ED yet which is required to get into public), but the public teachers stories of how things work are not making her jump at the chance to make some more without any added security or support. At least now she has more control with the administration that she ever would in a public setting.
So I'd do a little more research before you latch on to the sterotypes that we all have heard, and likely believed. Not at all what it looks like from the inside.
The perks are undeniable but I also understand that there may be downsides. Then again I can go toe-to-toe with my teachers friends “horror” stories and often they walk away being grateful.
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Post by: super hans on December 08, 2018, 12:11:03 AM
Age: 34
Experience: 1 year of experience in US (4 years of experience in Brazil)
Education: 2 Bachelors(Chemistry & Chemistry Education) & Masters (Analytical Chemistry)
Salary: $49,000 (+ 10 % 401K)
Post by: SnackDog on December 08, 2018, 05:44:08 AM
- low stress
- low BS factor
- fringe benefits
- high salary
- high satisfaction
I'm thinking it must be some sort of State government gig or maybe firefighter. I know the local fire crews here work low basic hours, get generous overtime compensation, great pension and can retire after 20 years.
Post by: use2betrix on December 08, 2018, 06:38:22 AM
I'm interested to know what people consider the BEST job in terms of -
- low stress
- low BS factor
- fringe benefits
- high salary
- high satisfaction
I'm thinking it must be some sort of State government gig or maybe firefighter. I know the local fire crews here work low basic hours, get generous overtime compensation, great pension and can retire after 20 years.
There can also be a lot of danger in being a firefighter, and I wouldn’t consider the pay “high.” I have never considered any state or government job high on my list because the pay doesn’t seem that high.
In many cases, I could see the right business owner having the “best” job. You can work for yourself, make an endless salary, etc.
For me - I’ve always dreamed of owning a small/medium sized gym. Just make too much right now to give up my W-2 job to take the plunge. Maybe some day.
Post by: AlexMar on December 08, 2018, 07:24:04 AM
Post by: skip207 on December 08, 2018, 02:40:09 PM
A lot of the jobs mentioned are 3 or 4 times UK income for same job.
COL is not hugely different.
Post by: SnackDog on December 08, 2018, 05:34:04 PM
Post by: Penn42 on December 08, 2018, 05:40:33 PM
Age: 27
Experience: 2 years
Salary: 55k
Benefits: Union pension, 401(k) - no match
With my useless liberal arts degree and general lack of interpersonal skills this was easily the best option available to me. And, as luck would have it, I might never have been told about MMM had I not made the move since another plumber turned me onto the site. I like the job because I can just shut up and produce and I'm considered a excellent employee for it. My experience in college was it didn't much matter how good or how motivated or how much effort you put in, if you weren't either the absolute best or really good at schmoozing and networking nobody gave a shit. If the white collar world is anything like that I wouldn't make it.
Post by: SKL-HOU on December 17, 2018, 02:28:56 PM
Title: Senior Mechanical Engineer
Salary: $125,673 + 3% 401k match.
Age: 42
Experience: 19 years (total, 10 in my current industry)
Education: BS in Mechanical Engineering + MBA
Location: Houston, TX
Post by: lomic on December 19, 2018, 01:57:08 PM
Age: 38
Salary: $315k base + options + insurance + 401(k) match + fringe benefits = ~$350k total comp
Experience: 12 years
Education: College drop-out (100+ units completed)
Post by: beer-man on December 19, 2018, 02:36:39 PM
Title: Software Engineer in TestWow that’s just plain silly
Age: 38
Salary: $315k base + options + insurance + 401(k) match + fringe benefits = ~$350k total comp
Experience: 12 years
Education: College drop-out (100+ units completed)
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Post by: goosefraba1 on December 19, 2018, 03:12:29 PM
Physician Assistant in Orthopedic Surgery
Degrees- BAS in Psychology (was super easy and quick), MS in PA studies (not so easy, but only 2.5 year program)
Experience- 4 years in Surgery
130k base pay , eligible for 10% regular bonus, also get paid an RVU bonus (basically productivity) every quarter which amounts to 15-20k a quarter.
So, probably top out at 225. Every bit of my bonus is now going into Vanguard.
Granted... I am 6 years out from loan forgiveness. Currently pay $1100 a month in student loans.
Wife is an Occupational Therapy Assistant
Approximately 55k a year
Post by: brandon1827 on December 19, 2018, 03:18:24 PM
Age: 43
Salary: $101,500 (Insurance, 401K match, Pension)
Experience: 19 years
Education: BBA-Finance, BBA-Accounting
Post by: Cornel_Westside on December 19, 2018, 03:41:06 PM
31yo male
Physician Assistant in Orthopedic Surgery
Degrees- BAS in Psychology (was super easy and quick), MS in PA studies (not so easy, but only 2.5 year program)
Experience- 4 years in Surgery
130k base pay , eligible for 10% regular bonus, also get paid an RVU bonus (basically productivity) every quarter which amounts to 15-20k a quarter.
So, probably top out at 225. Every bit of my bonus is now going into Vanguard.
Granted... I am 6 years out from loan forgiveness. Currently pay $1100 a month in student loans.
Wife is an Occupational Therapy Assistant
Approximately 55k a year
Wow, I didn't know PAs made that much money. Do you mind my asking where you are, and how much debt you were in?
Post by: Proud Foot on December 19, 2018, 04:01:24 PM
31yo male
Physician Assistant in Orthopedic Surgery
Degrees- BAS in Psychology (was super easy and quick), MS in PA studies (not so easy, but only 2.5 year program)
Experience- 4 years in Surgery
130k base pay , eligible for 10% regular bonus, also get paid an RVU bonus (basically productivity) every quarter which amounts to 15-20k a quarter.
So, probably top out at 225. Every bit of my bonus is now going into Vanguard.
Granted... I am 6 years out from loan forgiveness. Currently pay $1100 a month in student loans.
Wife is an Occupational Therapy Assistant
Approximately 55k a year
Wow, I didn't know PAs made that much money. Do you mind my asking where you are, and how much debt you were in?
PAs can make a good amount of money. Particularly if they are in a surgical specialty. I know of several PAs who started making $85-100k in family practice right out of school. I know another PA who, like goosefraba1, works in Orthopedic Surgery and he makes around $300k and has around 15 years experience.
Post by: effigy98 on December 19, 2018, 05:08:52 PM
Title: Software Engineer in TestWow that’s just plain silly
Age: 38
Salary: $315k base + options + insurance + 401(k) match + fringe benefits = ~$350k total comp
Experience: 12 years
Education: College drop-out (100+ units completed)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That is pretty standard in the Seattle area, I would say that is average for 10 years of experience. I am not sure why there is this false impression that you have to go to school and be a math genius to do software engineering. I got a few books from the library and learned for free on the internet and learned most of the skills on the job. I think I have 8th grade math skills, and if I need something math heavy I just ask someone to help. The only hard part was getting thru interviews and networking.
Post by: jojoguy on December 19, 2018, 05:26:30 PM
Title: Retail non-salaried Manager
Age: I`m 38 years old
Salary: My pay base is roughly $40,000 - to this year $56,000 depending on overtime + 401K Company matched at 6%. I make more than most salary managers at my store.
Experience: Almost 20 years and a good reputation
Education: Over a hundred credit hours in college but no degree.
Note: My wife also has a similar job title and pay.
Post by: Brother Esau on December 19, 2018, 05:53:49 PM
I feel somewhat embarrassed because most of you guys have above average careers.
Title: Retail non-salaried Manager
Age: I`m 38 years old
Salary: My pay base is roughly $40,000 - to this year $56,000 depending on overtime + 401K Company matched at 6%. I make more than most salary managers at my store.
Experience: Almost 20 years and a good reputation
Education: Over a hundred credit hours in college but no degree.
Note: My wife also has a similar job title and pay.
No need to feel embarrassed. Y'all are gettin er done, good job!
Post by: fell-like-rain on December 20, 2018, 06:07:58 AM
I feel somewhat embarrassed because most of you guys have above average careers.
Title: Retail non-salaried Manager
Age: I`m 38 years old
Salary: My pay base is roughly $40,000 - to this year $56,000 depending on overtime + 401K Company matched at 6%. I make more than most salary managers at my store.
Experience: Almost 20 years and a good reputation
Education: Over a hundred credit hours in college but no degree.
Note: My wife also has a similar job title and pay.
No need to feel embarrassed. Y'all are gettin er done, good job!
Second this. Heck, if your wife makes the same as you do, you guys are probably in the top 25% of household income. There's definitely a distortion effect around so many people with huge salaries (and some selection bias as to who posts in threads like these).
Post by: goosefraba1 on December 20, 2018, 08:38:39 AM
31yo male
Physician Assistant in Orthopedic Surgery
Degrees- BAS in Psychology (was super easy and quick), MS in PA studies (not so easy, but only 2.5 year program)
Experience- 4 years in Surgery
130k base pay , eligible for 10% regular bonus, also get paid an RVU bonus (basically productivity) every quarter which amounts to 15-20k a quarter.
So, probably top out at 225. Every bit of my bonus is now going into Vanguard.
Granted... I am 6 years out from loan forgiveness. Currently pay $1100 a month in student loans.
Wife is an Occupational Therapy Assistant
Approximately 55k a year
Wow, I didn't know PAs made that much money. Do you mind my asking where you are, and how much debt you were in?
It all depends on where you want to work. I work in Ortho Surgery in the middle of nowhere which happens to be my hometown. Portsmouth, Ohio. My employer is honestly great. However, my compensation is production based. The more work I crank out, the better the pay. A typical work week for me is 55 hours. Monday-Friday 7ish to between 6pm and?
I started at 90k working in Occupation Medicine (worker's compensation basically). It was terrible and made debate on my life decisions. But, it got my foot in the door.
Fortunately, I love what I do, and honestly couldn't see myself in any other specialty.
I currently owe 160k in student loans. I am paying the minimum, and the debt will be forgiven in 6 more years (as I work for a non profit hospital... in a healthcare provider shortage area).
Post by: Cornel_Westside on December 20, 2018, 12:06:51 PM
That is not average for 10 years experience. Salary averages in software on sites like Glassdoor or Payscale show this not to be the case. Now, this is the average if you've made it to a senior role at a FAANG or equivalent. And that means you're a top 5% engineer. But software engineering really only averages about 20% more than most other engineers. A software engineer with 10 years experience would otherwise normally be making ~120k.Title: Software Engineer in TestWow that’s just plain silly
Age: 38
Salary: $315k base + options + insurance + 401(k) match + fringe benefits = ~$350k total comp
Experience: 12 years
Education: College drop-out (100+ units completed)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That is pretty standard in the Seattle area, I would say that is average for 10 years of experience. I am not sure why there is this false impression that you have to go to school and be a math genius to do software engineering. I got a few books from the library and learned for free on the internet and learned most of the skills on the job. I think I have 8th grade math skills, and if I need something math heavy I just ask someone to help. The only hard part was getting thru interviews and networking.
Some people make rockstar money in software, but it's a false impression from all the press that Big Tech gets. If you aren't working at Google, you won't be making 250k+ as an engineer. This guy is either a very high level of engineer or works for a big name, and probably both.
Post by: Gronnie on December 20, 2018, 02:16:55 PM
31yo male
Physician Assistant in Orthopedic Surgery
Degrees- BAS in Psychology (was super easy and quick), MS in PA studies (not so easy, but only 2.5 year program)
Experience- 4 years in Surgery
130k base pay , eligible for 10% regular bonus, also get paid an RVU bonus (basically productivity) every quarter which amounts to 15-20k a quarter.
So, probably top out at 225. Every bit of my bonus is now going into Vanguard.
Granted... I am 6 years out from loan forgiveness. Currently pay $1100 a month in student loans.
Wife is an Occupational Therapy Assistant
Approximately 55k a year
Wow, I didn't know PAs made that much money. Do you mind my asking where you are, and how much debt you were in?
It all depends on where you want to work. I work in Ortho Surgery in the middle of nowhere which happens to be my hometown. Portsmouth, Ohio. My employer is honestly great. However, my compensation is production based. The more work I crank out, the better the pay. A typical work week for me is 55 hours. Monday-Friday 7ish to between 6pm and?
I started at 90k working in Occupation Medicine (worker's compensation basically). It was terrible and made debate on my life decisions. But, it got my foot in the door.
Fortunately, I love what I do, and honestly couldn't see myself in any other specialty.
I currently owe 160k in student loans. I am paying the minimum, and the debt will be forgiven in 6 more years (as I work for a non profit hospital... in a healthcare provider shortage area).
Make sure you dot your i and cross your t irt the loan forgiveness. Check now to make sure everything is being done correctly and qualifies. It's been all over the news how small of a % of forgiveness applications have been getting approved.
Post by: Kingomri on December 20, 2018, 02:41:42 PM
Age: 31
Salary: $106,075 plus bonus (5-10% @ end of year, performance-based)
Years’ experience: 10 years
Education: B.S. Mathematics
Location: I think this is important - a Silicon Valley salary isn't the same as a salary in the midwest. I'm in a mid-sized midwestern city with low cost of living.
Post by: 978rl on December 20, 2018, 02:54:12 PM
Salary: $178k (includes base pay and bonus)
Age: 36
Experience: 19 years
Education: High School diploma
Location: Massachusetts
Post by: TexasRunner on December 20, 2018, 03:12:53 PM
Salary: $52k Base + $36k Commission Bonus (Been a great year) = $88k Total
Age: 27
Experience: 9 years in this industry, but not necessary for this job.
Education: High School Diploma Required, Cert in CAD a bonus, Associates Degree in Drafting a Bonus, Bachelors Degree (unrelated field) a bonus and not needed. Could be done with ambition and a HS diploma only.
Location: Texas
What I'm learning from this thread is there is no reason not to reach higher. Only a few years ago I thought 38k a year was par for the course... Way too many ways to make money in the US to restrict yourself to a low salary (unless you choose to do so for your own personal reasons / job fulfillment in Education or Social Services, etc).
Also don't believe the BS that employers spit out about how much you can/should/will make. They have no incentive to pay you more- job hop or demand more to get it. If you aren't making 10% to 25% annual raises in your 5 to 10 year career window, your employer isn't keeping you up with the industry. In almost any industry. Period.
Great thread.
Post by: Schaefer Light on December 23, 2018, 10:06:10 AM
Title: Unemployed
Salary: $0 (but I can file for unemployment when my severance runs out ;)
Age: 40
Experience: 17 years in telecom industry
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Location: North Carolina
Post by: Gronnie on December 24, 2018, 08:04:04 PM
For those who feel bad about their salary, maybe this will make you feel better. This is my current status.
Title: Unemployed
Salary: $0 (but I can file for unemployment when my severance runs out ;)
Age: 40
Experience: 17 years in telecom industry
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Location: North Carolina
If you are willing to move you could be employed tomorrow (which I am sure you know.)
Post by: walkwalkwalk on December 24, 2018, 08:32:42 PM
There is only one Santa. and his job is taken.For those who feel bad about their salary, maybe this will make you feel better. This is my current status.
Title: Unemployed
Salary: $0 (but I can file for unemployment when my severance runs out ;)
Age: 40
Experience: 17 years in telecom industry
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Location: North Carolina
If you are willing to move you could be employed tomorrow (which I am sure you know(.
Post by: Schaefer Light on December 28, 2018, 08:36:34 AM
Employed where? In what job? What company? I think the interview process typically takes longer than a day.For those who feel bad about their salary, maybe this will make you feel better. This is my current status.
Title: Unemployed
Salary: $0 (but I can file for unemployment when my severance runs out ;)
Age: 40
Experience: 17 years in telecom industry
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Location: North Carolina
If you are willing to move you could be employed tomorrow (which I am sure you know.)
Post by: Bearblastbeats on December 28, 2018, 08:39:10 AM
Employed where? In what job? What company? I think the interview process typically takes longer than a day.For those who feel bad about their salary, maybe this will make you feel better. This is my current status.
Title: Unemployed
Salary: $0 (but I can file for unemployment when my severance runs out ;)
Age: 40
Experience: 17 years in telecom industry
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Location: North Carolina
If you are willing to move you could be employed tomorrow (which I am sure you know.)
I work in telecom here in MA and our company is growing at such a rate we are hiring monthly. Would you consider relocation?
Post by: Gronnie on December 28, 2018, 10:39:00 AM
Employed where? In what job? What company? I think the interview process typically takes longer than a day.For those who feel bad about their salary, maybe this will make you feel better. This is my current status.
Title: Unemployed
Salary: $0 (but I can file for unemployment when my severance runs out ;)
Age: 40
Experience: 17 years in telecom industry
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Location: North Carolina
If you are willing to move you could be employed tomorrow (which I am sure you know.)
Oh come on, I'm sure you are smart enough to realize that tomorrow was hyperbole. You are an EE with 17 years experience in the greatest time ever to be alive with those skills.
Post by: AccidentalMiser on December 28, 2018, 10:59:05 AM
Employed where? In what job? What company? I think the interview process typically takes longer than a day.For those who feel bad about their salary, maybe this will make you feel better. This is my current status.
Title: Unemployed
Salary: $0 (but I can file for unemployment when my severance runs out ;)
Age: 40
Experience: 17 years in telecom industry
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Location: North Carolina
If you are willing to move you could be employed tomorrow (which I am sure you know.)
Have you considered a utility career? My son is in the Transmission group at a large utility company in TN with a EE degree. The people he sits next to do all the telecom work for the transmission network. Good money, great benefits, great people.
Post by: Schaefer Light on December 28, 2018, 01:00:45 PM
My degree may be in EE, but I haven't used my degree in the 17 years since I graduated.Employed where? In what job? What company? I think the interview process typically takes longer than a day.For those who feel bad about their salary, maybe this will make you feel better. This is my current status.
Title: Unemployed
Salary: $0 (but I can file for unemployment when my severance runs out ;)
Age: 40
Experience: 17 years in telecom industry
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Location: North Carolina
If you are willing to move you could be employed tomorrow (which I am sure you know.)
Oh come on, I'm sure you are smart enough to realize that tomorrow was hyperbole. You are an EE with 17 years experience in the greatest time ever to be alive with those skills.
Post by: M0ntana on December 28, 2018, 05:19:32 PM
Title: Civil litigation attorney specialized in a narrow sub-field with little competition (Partner)
Employer: Small firm in Canadian suburban MCOL area with EWYK compensation scheme
Salary: 90-110K depending on the work I can fetch for myself (been at it for only 8 months and already seeing it grow). No benefits, insurance, nothing.
Education: B.A, J.D. from top Canadian law school
Experience: Just over 2 years post-call.
Age: 28
I chose a (very) unconventional path for a young lawyer, and yet I think I made the best choice possible. I set my hours, I do not have to deal with the office politics bullshit, my compensation directly correlates with the time I put in, and I (hopefully) will soon start to more freely pick my cases. This comes at the cost of compensation fluctuation, but that is the entrepreneur's dilemma.
Post by: Immey on December 28, 2018, 05:39:09 PM
Title: Legal Research
Age: 37
Salary: $81000 + 15% employer mandatory contribution
Years’ experience: 7 years PQE, 6 1/2 years with same employer.
Qualification: BA, JD and Grad Dip
Post by: alpenglow on December 28, 2018, 10:20:20 PM
Age: 30
Experience: 0 years and/or my entire life, depending on how you want to look at it, but less than a year on the job either way
Salary: ~41,000 currently + pension
Education: Bachelors
My husband makes about $22,000 currently + pension, with an AA, 37, less than a year on the job, but he will get more hours soon, raising it to ~$32,000 within a year or so.
Zero debt of any kind for both of us, although kind of looking to buy a house.
I'm not embarrassed about my earnings at all, but it is kind of depressing to the vast majority of people here make vastly more than that. Luckily we could almost get by on husband's salary alone (and absolutely could once his hours increase), AND we live in California, so whoopee on that at least.
Post by: chasesfish on December 29, 2018, 08:12:29 AM
Age: 36
Experience: 15 years
Salary: $185,000, Total Compensation ~ $320,000. (includes bonus, Restricted Stock, 401k match, Pension benefit)
Education: Lower tier state school Bachelors
I built up the last 60k in base salary and the equity compensation by going into management and moving a couple times with the company then lateraled back into production and that has my compensation 15-30% higher than most in my field.
Post by: ParkwayD123 on December 29, 2018, 06:05:03 PM
Age: 31
Salary: $80K
Years’ experience: 13 years
Education: B.S. Occupational Safety & Health (working on M.S in Safety Management)
Location: MCOL
Post by: AccidentalMiser on December 29, 2018, 07:19:12 PM
Age: 51
Salary: 160k + 25% bonus
Years' experience: 30+
Education: MBA
Location: LCOL Area (life is good!)
Post by: sapphail on December 29, 2018, 10:39:16 PM
Title: Marketing Assistant (changed careers in my early 30s, because the hospitality industry blows)
Age: 35
Salary: $49k base, actually earned around $53k after overtime
Years' experience: 3 (in marketing - 10 in hospo, plus a few more years of random jobs)
Education: Bachelors
Location: HCOL city in Australia
Post by: MrMoneyAbsent on December 30, 2018, 08:23:26 AM
24 years old, 4 years experience
$68k
AAS in Engineering
Post by: Grafter on December 30, 2018, 04:11:33 PM
As for me:
Title: Senior Manager in public accounting
Age: Late 30s
Salary: Base in the low $80s, with some potential for a small bonus
Years' experience: 14ish
Education: Bachelors & Cert
Location: LCOL
Post by: PepperPotts on December 30, 2018, 05:09:20 PM
Age: Early 40's
Salary (production only): ~$235k, plus 401K match
Years' experience: 13.5 post residency (3yrs)
Education: B.S. Biology and Chemistry, M.D.
Location: LCOL
Post by: chasesfish on December 30, 2018, 07:46:02 PM
chasefish - I'm curious, as so many titles are only somewhat descriptive (i.e., can have a lot of latitude to what they do), but what does a regional corporate banker do in your neck of the woods?
Loans for larger privately held companies, typically up to half a billion in revenue. Its an all emcompassing title, even though there's some team help for each piece of it. Business development, putting a deal together (finding something mutually acceptable between the Bank and a client), grinding it through to closing, then managing the credit risk on an on-going basis. We also are responsible for doing the treasury services and finding other fee based revenue opportunities for the bank.
I built up my salary running a team doing the same thing but to companies with sales under $100mil then lateraled into this job. Going rate is probably closer to $150k base plus equity/bonus driving it to $250k.
We get a few accountants who like providing financing better :)
Post by: Schaefer Light on January 04, 2019, 12:13:55 PM
I would consider relocation, but I'm not wild about moving somewhere cold. I just sent you a PM. Thanks.Employed where? In what job? What company? I think the interview process typically takes longer than a day.For those who feel bad about their salary, maybe this will make you feel better. This is my current status.
Title: Unemployed
Salary: $0 (but I can file for unemployment when my severance runs out ;)
Age: 40
Experience: 17 years in telecom industry
Education: BS Electrical Engineering
Location: North Carolina
If you are willing to move you could be employed tomorrow (which I am sure you know.)
I work in telecom here in MA and our company is growing at such a rate we are hiring monthly. Would you consider relocation?
Post by: ThriftyTechie on January 05, 2019, 07:48:08 AM
Title: Software Engineer in TestWhile $350k total comp is not uncommon for senior software engineers, I’ve never heard of $300k+ base. I’d love to have less of my comp tied to the company stock. Where do you work? Netflix?
Age: 38
Salary: $315k base + options + insurance + 401(k) match + fringe benefits = ~$350k total comp
Experience: 12 years
Education: College drop-out (100+ units completed)
Post by: effigy98 on January 05, 2019, 10:18:21 AM
That is not average for 10 years experience. Salary averages in software on sites like Glassdoor or Payscale show this not to be the case. Now, this is the average if you've made it to a senior role at a FAANG or equivalent. And that means you're a top 5% engineer. But software engineering really only averages about 20% more than most other engineers. A software engineer with 10 years experience would otherwise normally be making ~120k.Title: Software Engineer in TestWow that’s just plain silly
Age: 38
Salary: $315k base + options + insurance + 401(k) match + fringe benefits = ~$350k total comp
Experience: 12 years
Education: College drop-out (100+ units completed)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That is pretty standard in the Seattle area, I would say that is average for 10 years of experience. I am not sure why there is this false impression that you have to go to school and be a math genius to do software engineering. I got a few books from the library and learned for free on the internet and learned most of the skills on the job. I think I have 8th grade math skills, and if I need something math heavy I just ask someone to help. The only hard part was getting thru interviews and networking.
Some people make rockstar money in software, but it's a false impression from all the press that Big Tech gets. If you aren't working at Google, you won't be making 250k+ as an engineer. This guy is either a very high level of engineer or works for a big name, and probably both.
I do not work at a FANG company. Glassdoor does not give accurate total compensation for my industry which is frustrating as I cannot easily comparison shop companies. I have to use anonymous apps like blind to figure out what everyone makes real world. Nearly everyone in my cohort when I got hired is making the same (or more!) then me. i feel I am just above average compared to 100s of others I work with and we have enough rapport to talk about salaries. I can tell you, most are not rock stars, they are mostly average. They are good of course, but very few are changing the world. At my company, if you do not move into a senior role in about 8 years, you usually are kicked to the curb, so there is some filtering going on. The over 300k base is high, but with bonuses and perks, you will make crazy money in the seattle area if you want to and you do not need a degree (but it does help). Networking is MUCH more valuable then a degree.
Post by: Cornel_Westside on January 07, 2019, 12:00:56 PM
I do not work at a FANG company. Glassdoor does not give accurate total compensation for my industry which is frustrating as I cannot easily comparison shop companies. I have to use anonymous apps like blind to figure out what everyone makes real world. Nearly everyone in my cohort when I got hired is making the same (or more!) then me. i feel I am just above average compared to 100s of others I work with and we have enough rapport to talk about salaries. I can tell you, most are not rock stars, they are mostly average. They are good of course, but very few are changing the world. At my company, if you do not move into a senior role in about 8 years, you usually are kicked to the curb, so there is some filtering going on. The over 300k base is high, but with bonuses and perks, you will make crazy money in the seattle area if you want to and you do not need a degree (but it does help). Networking is MUCH more valuable then a degree.Wow. I went on Blind and did some research. Some people there still say that Blind is a bubble of the particularly well compensated and most people there are at FB/G/Uber, etc, but you have more knowledge than me. If these salaries really are commonplace in the Seattle area for 10 YOE, that's incredible. It really makes me wish I had known the relative difference in pay now between ME and CS majors when I was in college. Back then everyone thought all programmers would be outsourced to India and China in 5 years.
Post by: Gone_Hiking on January 23, 2019, 08:35:09 PM
Job Title: Requirements Engineer at a software company
Salary: $70 K. Company 401(k) match: 4%. No bonuses
Weekly hours: 40-42. 17 days of vacation, no rollover from year to year; 10 company holidays
Age: 46
Experience: 19 years
Education: M.S. Plant Breeding and Genetics, PMP certification, ACS ALS credentials from Toastmasters International
I started life as a molecular biologist, followed by computer programmer, followed by a project manager, followed by a layoff. My current position is the post-layoff position and represents 40% salary cut from my previous job; on the plus side, I was without a paycheck for only three weeks, which allowed me to invest the severance pay and accelerate FI. I've been on my current job for 6 months. I'm working on increasing responsibilities and probing ways to get a raise
Update!
Job Title: IT Project Manager at a not-for-profit medical certification board
Salary: $95 K. Company 401(k) match: 10%. No bonuses
Weekly hours: 40-42. 15 days of vacation, year-to-year rollover allowed until 28 days; 13 company holidays
Post by: Bloop Bloop on January 23, 2019, 08:54:20 PM
Salary: no fixed salary; weekly earnings vary from $0 to $15,000 but on average about $7,000 a week; after expenses and chambers rent, about $5,500 a week; after GST and income tax etc, about $3,000 a week
Weekly hours: I work about 50 hours per week on average. In truth, weeks are either easy (35 hours) or hard (60+ hours).
Vacation: potentially unlimited
Age: 32
Experience: 7 years
Education: BComm. LLB (Hons)
Unfortunately, all figures given above are AUD
$100k AUD = $70k USD
in terms of buying power, given that food, cars, electricity, houses and just about everything is more expensive, I'd say in truth $100k AUD = $60k USD in purchasing power parity. (The thing is, we are much more generous on the poor, who have subsidised everything, and generous welfare. But for above-average earners, it's a lot harder to live a nice lifestyle here.)
Post by: EscapeVelocity2020 on January 23, 2019, 09:12:43 PM
Age: 45
Compensation: started in 1996 at $45k, currently $195k plus bonus, 401k match, pension, great health insurance, good vacation and flexible hours, good work environment with lots of fringe benefits (details might compromise my precious internet anonymity)
Years’ experience: 23 years (already? seems like less...)
Education: B.S. ChE
Location: Houston suburbs, low cost of living
Post by: JZinCO on January 24, 2019, 11:02:38 AM
Research Associate at a uni. Pay depends on how much the lab hires you at so can range from 30-110K. 45-60 is typical for someone like me (2-3 years as a professional with at least as much time in as a tech).
Experience to get in: PhD or MS+3 yrs or BS +7 yr. Degrees must be in the field requested by the job advert. There is no experience-based pay adjustments once you get your foot in; pay is 90% about negotiation.
Update.
Still same employer and I have the same job title but moved to a different lab in order to make $10k more.
Title: Research Associate
Age: 31
Salary: $56k @ 40hr and $6k in free tuition (>90% untaxed). I taught a course last year and made an extra $10k. Fully paid basic health insurance.
Education: MS, PhD in the works
Location: CO (slightly high COL)
After the doctorate I could make $70-80k if I move up my job series or as a post-doc (side bar: My supervisor is trying to get me in to post-doc at a national lab where I could make $110k). Not looking for tenure-track but that could be $110k-ish to start.
My main emphasis in my doctoral studies is to improve my programming skills. At this point, I could put those to work in the private sector and make $70-80k today. Many of the jobs prefer working local however and tend to be in places like San Fran.
Post by: JLee on January 24, 2019, 12:01:17 PM
That is not average for 10 years experience. Salary averages in software on sites like Glassdoor or Payscale show this not to be the case. Now, this is the average if you've made it to a senior role at a FAANG or equivalent. And that means you're a top 5% engineer. But software engineering really only averages about 20% more than most other engineers. A software engineer with 10 years experience would otherwise normally be making ~120k.Title: Software Engineer in TestWow that’s just plain silly
Age: 38
Salary: $315k base + options + insurance + 401(k) match + fringe benefits = ~$350k total comp
Experience: 12 years
Education: College drop-out (100+ units completed)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That is pretty standard in the Seattle area, I would say that is average for 10 years of experience. I am not sure why there is this false impression that you have to go to school and be a math genius to do software engineering. I got a few books from the library and learned for free on the internet and learned most of the skills on the job. I think I have 8th grade math skills, and if I need something math heavy I just ask someone to help. The only hard part was getting thru interviews and networking.
Some people make rockstar money in software, but it's a false impression from all the press that Big Tech gets. If you aren't working at Google, you won't be making 250k+ as an engineer. This guy is either a very high level of engineer or works for a big name, and probably both.
I do not work at a FANG company. Glassdoor does not give accurate total compensation for my industry which is frustrating as I cannot easily comparison shop companies. I have to use anonymous apps like blind to figure out what everyone makes real world. Nearly everyone in my cohort when I got hired is making the same (or more!) then me. i feel I am just above average compared to 100s of others I work with and we have enough rapport to talk about salaries. I can tell you, most are not rock stars, they are mostly average. They are good of course, but very few are changing the world. At my company, if you do not move into a senior role in about 8 years, you usually are kicked to the curb, so there is some filtering going on. The over 300k base is high, but with bonuses and perks, you will make crazy money in the seattle area if you want to and you do not need a degree (but it does help). Networking is MUCH more valuable then a degree.
Is that specifically in software dev? I am an infrastructure guy making 1/3 of that right outside of Manhattan..
Post by: jps on January 24, 2019, 12:04:53 PM
Age: 24
Salary: $56k
Experience: ~3 years
Education: B.A. in Economics
Post by: Steveray7071 on January 24, 2019, 12:14:13 PM
Age: 33
Salary: $136K plus bonus (7-12% @ end of year, performance-based) & 10% 401K match = ~165K
Years’ experience: 12 years
Education: B.S. Manufacturing Engineering, PMP Cert
Location: Utah
Post by: roscoeman on January 24, 2019, 02:42:57 PM
Age: 39
Salary: $121K plus OT (averaging 14-18K per year) and a performance based bonus (5-10%)
Years’ experience: 12 years
Education: B.S. Aeronautics
Location: SoCal
Post by: Gone_Hiking on February 10, 2019, 09:27:21 AM
Job Title: Requirements Engineer at a software company
Salary: $70 K. Company 401(k) match: 4%. No bonuses
Weekly hours: 40-42. 17 days of vacation, no rollover from year to year; 10 company holidays
Age: 46
Experience: 19 years
Education: M.S. Plant Breeding and Genetics, PMP certification, ACS ALS credentials from Toastmasters International
I started life as a molecular biologist, followed by computer programmer, followed by a project manager, followed by a layoff. My current position is the post-layoff position and represents 40% salary cut from my previous job; on the plus side, I was without a paycheck for only three weeks, which allowed me to invest the severance pay and accelerate FI. I've been on my current job for 6 months. I'm working on increasing responsibilities and probing ways to get a raise
Update!
Job Title: IT Project Manager at a not-for-profit medical certification board
Salary: $95 K. Company 401(k) match: 10%. No bonuses
Weekly hours: 40-42. 15 days of vacation, year-to-year rollover allowed until 28 days; 13 company holidays
Another update! This is an illustration of career progression that can happen to those who lost their livelihood to layoffs or "rightsizing". Keep your chin up, people!
Job Title: Systems Operations Manager at a not-for-profit medical certification board; Yep, a promotion announced two days ago
Salary: $103 K. Company 401(k) match as in the last update.
Weekly hours: 40-45 including on-call rotation every 5 weeks. Vacation and holidays as in the last update.
Post by: TexasRunner on February 10, 2019, 06:56:25 PM
Title: Inside Sales Manager (Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings / aka Construction Industry)
Salary: $52k Base + $36k Commission Bonus (Been a great year) = $88k Total
Age: 27
Experience: 9 years in this industry, but not necessary for this job.
Education: High School Diploma Required, Cert in CAD a bonus, Associates Degree in Drafting a Bonus, Bachelors Degree (unrelated field) a bonus and not needed. Could be done with ambition and a HS diploma only.
Location: Texas
What I'm learning from this thread is there is no reason not to reach higher. Only a few years ago I thought 38k a year was par for the course... Way too many ways to make money in the US to restrict yourself to a low salary (unless you choose to do so for your own personal reasons / job fulfillment in Education or Social Services, etc).
Also don't believe the BS that employers spit out about how much you can/should/will make. They have no incentive to pay you more- job hop or demand more to get it. If you aren't making 10% to 25% annual raises in your (first) 5 to 10 year career window, your employer isn't keeping you up with the industry. In almost any industry. Period.
Great thread.
Update, Had a job offer from another company for an outside sales position. Work found out and gave me a healthy bump. Re-highlighted above (relevant) post... ;)
Title: Inside Sales Manager (Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings / aka Construction Industry)
Salary: $68.5k Base + $36k Commission Bonus (Been a great year) = $104.5k Total
Age: 27
Experience: 9 years in this industry, but not necessary for this job.
Education: High School Diploma Required, Cert in CAD a bonus, Associates Degree in Drafting a Bonus, Bachelors Degree (unrelated field) a bonus and not needed. Could be done with ambition and a HS diploma only.
Location: Texas
Don't doubt jobs in the trades, peeps. It can pay quite well.
Post by: Siebrie on February 11, 2019, 02:56:27 AM
Salary: $66k + pension + health insurance + 25 paid vacation days; 38-hr workweek
Experience: 17y (on and off, several companies)
Age: 47
Education: BA English, unfinished MA Translation Studies, 1yr accelerated Secretary training
Post by: Gronnie on April 11, 2019, 03:47:51 PM
My Job Title: SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1 year
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: 72k + ~10% bonus + $750 HSA contribution + 2.5% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Cost of living from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html) is 99.2/100, so very average cost of living area.
Started at 71k, got a raise a couple months in as a thanks for being awesome ;)
My manager says I will be getting a promotion in the next round (February) even though it typically takes 3-4 years. Should come with about a 10% raise.
The work environment is awesome. Really laid back and supportive. Take as much vacation as you want policy with no keeping track of work, sick, and vacation hours, etc. I would have to get a super big raise to consider working elsewhere.
DW Job Title: RN
Salary: ~70k + small pension + 2% 403b match
Experience: 5 years
Education: BS in Dietetics, BS in Nursing
She started out getting a degree in dietetics but that didn't work out due to requiring an internship to get certified and there not being enough to go around (something that if she had known me prior to starting the program she would have thoroughly looked into and chosen something different or studied harder). Went back after the Dietetics degree and did an accelerated BSN program and now is very happy.
Updating because I just got a promotion and a 15% raise!!!!
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $83,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
San Francisco Salary: $198,578 (my city is 101.4 on CoL Index)
Was a weird year. We bought out another big company, my project got cancelled and we were in flux for awhile, and then my manager quit abruptly and it took 6+ months to replace him.
Only got a 3.5% raise this year, but also was granted ~$17k in RSUs that vest over 4 years. Not sure what to think of the golden handcuffs, will have to cross that bridge if I ever think about leaving.
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 2.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $~86,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + ~$17k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Just took a job with a new company (along with a nice promotion), and will be moving from a MCOL area with a COL score of 99.2 to a HCOL area with a COL score of 146.4 (MN to Orange County, scores from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html)).
I think I am doing pretty well, as the job is 3 promotions above entry level out of college position and I only have 3.5 years of experience. This job would normally take 8+ years of experience to reach. As a result I am pretty sure my salary is near the lower end of the band, so plenty of room for growth even if I don't get any further promotions for a few years.
My Job Title: Staff SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 3.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $135000 + 10% bonus target + $4000 401k match + ~26k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth (15% discount, two year lock, can put in 15% of salary) -- I would say financial compensation is ~$175,000 annually.
Just got a raise, which was nice as I was only here ~6 months when review time came and wasn't sure I would get one. Ended up getting 4% raise bringing my base salary to $140,400.
Our stock is also doing quite nicely and is up 46% since our ESPP lock so if it stays up for the next couple of years should be getting a nice return on ESPP shares.
My biggest regret about taking this job (going from flexible "unlimited" vacation policy to 3 weeks vacation policy) was also recently rectified as the new company has now also adopted flexible vacation.
Post by: SKL-HOU on April 11, 2019, 05:49:02 PM
UPDATETitle: Senior Mechanical Engineer
Salary: $125,673 + 3% 401k match.
Age: 42
Experience: 19 years (total, 10 in my current industry)
Education: BS in Mechanical Engineering + MBA
Location: Houston, TX
New job:
Salary: 135k
Bonus: 8-12%
401k match: 4%
1% match if i buy 2% in company stocks
3 weeks pto+1 week sick+ office closed between xmas and ny (previous 4 weeks pto)
Post by: volleyballer on April 11, 2019, 09:25:57 PM
Process Engineer
Age: 35
Education: BS Chemical Engineering, MBA
Experience: 13 years (10 with current company), PE License
Salary: $78,000 (just received promotion, was low 70’s). 3.5% 401k match. Company wide $250 holiday bonus (seems to go down each year…). Recent bonus for milestone anniversary.
PTO: 24 days /yr (for both sick time and vacation).
Location: LCOL rust belt city with hopeless sports teams.
I work for a medium sized engineering firm. My work includes process design for industrial wastewater, groundwater remediation, chemical plant, and oil and gas pipeline. Great boss. Usually 40 hour workweek. Travel is < 10%, although I like some travel. The actual process engineering / technical work, which I enjoy, is fairly light. I end up coordinating the design work of other engineering disciplines for design projects, which I enjoy much less.
They say comparison is the thief of joy. I can’t help but think I am missing the boat on my career when I see the engineer salaries posted here, especially the folks in Houston. I would love to hear from the ChemE’s on the forum on their career paths!
Edit: Added PTO time.
Post by: Unique User on April 12, 2019, 05:36:43 AM
We're both at late in life new careers as we spent 14 years having fun without making much money in a resort area.
Me - Staffing Manager for large life sciences company
$99k plus bonus (average $8-$12k), 5% 401k match, 4 weeks vacation, good benefits, work from home so very flexible but often stressful
BA Liberal Arts
8 years experience, but I'm 47
DH - Territory Manager for large CPG company
$75k plus bonus (average $8-$10k), 9% 401k match, company car, with unlimited use, 3 weeks vacation, good benefits, work from home/on the road, but very low stress
No degree
8 years experience, but he's 52
Kind of sad to see how little our bases have changed in almost two years, but neither of us wanted to change jobs so close to FIRE. In the past, I've been willing to put up with a crap ton of nonsense because my job is flexible and I work from home. It made such a different with kids at home and not having a chaotic home life. For now, we're so close to FIRE that not caring if I get terminated has also been incredibly freeing.
Me - Senior Staffing Manager for an offshore consulting company
$110k plus bonus ($10k last year, guaranteed $25k this year), 3% 401k match, 4 weeks vacation, crap benefits, work from home so very flexible but often stressful (much less stressful as I try to embrace "good enough")
BA Liberal Arts
DH - Territory Manager for large CPG company
$80k plus bonus (average $8k), 9% 401k match, ESPP match, $1k HSA funding, company car with unlimited use, 3 weeks vacation, good benefits, work from home/on the road, moderately low stress (would be even lower if he could just embrace "good enough")
No degree
Post by: Alfred J Quack on April 12, 2019, 06:08:00 AM
Current salary: around 37k
Age: 38
Job: Systems administrator for a non-profit organisation (in the low-rent social housing sector, we're worth about 2bln because we own about 30k residential units and appartment complexes)
Experience: 20 years, job specific 5 years (I moved up the chain 5 years ago, after getting certification paid for by the boss)
Also a pension deposit is done with every paycheck (if I keep working here, my net salary after retiring will be as high as my current salary)
20 days per year paid leave
1st year of sickness 100% paid, 2nd year 70% (with a bump to 90% if I work at least 50% of my contractual hours as rehab)
3 months per child of unpaid leave, can be one day per week of all at once and everything in between if the boss agrees (and I have 2 kids of relevant age)
Several options to pay gross salary for net cost (like buying extra PTO, bike plan which effectively makes the bike 40% cheaper and more)
I also get 19ct per kilometer of travel, whether by car, bike or walking :P
Post by: Clever Name on April 12, 2019, 06:51:50 AM
Title: Software Engineer/Mobile App Developer
Pay: $76k + bonus ($5k this year) + ~$2.5k annual HSA contribution + 4% 401k match
Education: BS Computer Science
Age: 25
Experience: 3.5 years
I work remotely in a relatively LCOL area. My company is in the process of setting up a stock options program and I have been told that I will be receiving options, but I have no idea when or how many or what they will be worth.
I also receive about $3k/year in residual income from an app I developed on the side a few years back. I have neglected it for far too long but I hope to expand that income stream this year by releasing a significant upgrade and moving to a freemium pricing model.
Update:
I still work for the same company and live in the same LCOL area, but now I'm managing the mobile apps team. I have ~10 engineers reporting to me and spend about 50% of my time on management and 50% writing code.
Pay: $123k base + 10% target bonus + 3% 401k match (yes, the match went down)
Age: 29
Experience: ~7 years
I also now make about $10-15k annually from the app I mentioned previously.
Post by: Alchemisst on April 12, 2019, 06:36:42 PM
I thought it would be useful to get an idea of peoples job titles and salary.
It should provide guidance of rough salary expectations for those of us seeking new professions in order to ramp up our savings.
Me first:
Job Title: Digital Marketing Executive
Salary: £31,000/ $46,910 (Inc. £2000 performance related bonus - hit every quarter so far)
Years’ experience: 4 years (1.5yrs working for myself + 2.5 years working in-house).
Now, it’s your turn!
Sam
Curious to know how you got starting working for yourself and what you would recommend to others looking to do the same?
Post by: Roots&Wings on April 14, 2019, 07:10:06 AM
Title: Software Engineer/Mobile App Developer
Pay: $76k + bonus ($5k this year) + ~$2.5k annual HSA contribution + 4% 401k match
Education: BS Computer Science
Age: 25
Experience: 3.5 years
I work remotely in a relatively LCOL area. My company is in the process of setting up a stock options program and I have been told that I will be receiving options, but I have no idea when or how many or what they will be worth.
I also receive about $3k/year in residual income from an app I developed on the side a few years back. I have neglected it for far too long but I hope to expand that income stream this year by releasing a significant upgrade and moving to a freemium pricing model.
Update:
I still work for the same company and live in the same LCOL area, but now I'm managing the mobile apps team. I have ~10 engineers reporting to me and spend about 50% of my time on management and 50% writing code.
Pay: $123k base + 10% target bonus + 3% 401k match (yes, the match went down)
Age: 29
Experience: ~7 years
I also now make about $10-15k annually from the app I mentioned previously.
Awesome update, congrats! Curious about the app you developed and pricing model, if you might be willing to share more details.
Post by: triple7stash on April 18, 2019, 12:31:32 PM
Salary: ~60k + Pension & Benefits
Experience: 2.5 Years (Started out at ~30k first year)
Education: Not required, but allows you to enter at a higher salary and promote based off your degree (instead of meeting time based experience requirements).
Post by: OliveFI on April 18, 2019, 01:03:04 PM
Salary: $154,000 + 6% 401K match+ 10% employer contribution to a different retirement account (no employee contribution required) + 25% of base salary bonus based company performance + 35% Long Term Incentive bonus with 3 year vesting period + ESPP with 50% match on shares held for two years.
Age: 28
Experience: 2.5 Years (my position required 5 - 7 but I weaseled my way in )
Education: Bachelors + JD
Post by: Apocalyptica602 on April 19, 2019, 10:07:26 AM
Title: Mechanical Engineer I
Salary: ~81k + bonus ~5k or so. Also getting $10k/year to take classes for my MBA.
Age: 27
Experience: 4.5 years
Education: Bachelors of Mech. Eng., MBA (In progress, started while working here)
Wife:
Title: Staff Pharmacist (retail)
Salary: ~125k + small bonus (~2k) + small stock bonus (~4k)
Age: 27
Experience: 3.5 years
Education: Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) ~6 years of school
Updating:
Title: Process Engineer (switched companies, now in a mid-size biotechnology company)
Salary: 93K + ~10K Bonus + ~5-10k in stock options (not grants)
Age: 30
Experience ~7-8 years
Education: BS Mechanical Engineering, MBA (graduating in December)
I should probably be considered a 'Senior' Engineer at this point, but we don't really have that organizational structure defined yet, haha.
Wife:
Title: Staff Pharmacist (retail)
Salary: 134K + ~4K bonus
Age: 29
Experience: 6 years
Education: Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
More updates - MBA is done and new job, Medical Device industry.
Title: Lead Engineer (~7 direct reports)
Salary: 120K + 5-10K bonus
Age: 30
Experience ~8 years
Education: BS Mechanical Engineering, MBA
Wife is unchanged.
Post by: Gronnie on April 19, 2019, 11:07:27 AM
Job Title: Legal Counsel
Salary: $154,000 + 6% 401K match+ 10% employer contribution to a different retirement account (no employee contribution required) + 25% of base salary bonus based company performance + 35% Long Term Incentive bonus with 3 year vesting period + ESPP with 50% match on shares held for two years.
Age: 28
Experience: 2.5 Years (my position required 5 - 7 but I weaseled my way in )
Education: Bachelors + JD
Just curious how many hours on average you work per week?
Post by: theSlowTurtle on April 19, 2019, 12:29:52 PM
Title: Senior Consultant (Though my work is really Software Testing)
Compensation: 89K salary (6% 401k match, though it is only disbursed at the end of the year)
Age: 29
Experience: 7 years
Education: BBA in Computer Information Systems
been a while but thought I should update. In the same position as before, though we are doing more automated testing than manual.
Title: Senior Consultant (Though my work is really automated software development and testing)
Compensation: 102K salary (6% 401k match, though it is only disbursed at the end of the year)
Age: 32
Experience: 10 years
Education: BBA in Computer Information Systems
Location: Washington D.C. area
Vacation: Company gives 3 weeks PTO, 12 holidays, and hopefully using the 12 weeks of paternity leave this October!
Post by: effigy98 on April 19, 2019, 08:18:59 PM
That is not average for 10 years experience. Salary averages in software on sites like Glassdoor or Payscale show this not to be the case. Now, this is the average if you've made it to a senior role at a FAANG or equivalent. And that means you're a top 5% engineer. But software engineering really only averages about 20% more than most other engineers. A software engineer with 10 years experience would otherwise normally be making ~120k.Title: Software Engineer in TestWow that’s just plain silly
Age: 38
Salary: $315k base + options + insurance + 401(k) match + fringe benefits = ~$350k total comp
Experience: 12 years
Education: College drop-out (100+ units completed)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That is pretty standard in the Seattle area, I would say that is average for 10 years of experience. I am not sure why there is this false impression that you have to go to school and be a math genius to do software engineering. I got a few books from the library and learned for free on the internet and learned most of the skills on the job. I think I have 8th grade math skills, and if I need something math heavy I just ask someone to help. The only hard part was getting thru interviews and networking.
Some people make rockstar money in software, but it's a false impression from all the press that Big Tech gets. If you aren't working at Google, you won't be making 250k+ as an engineer. This guy is either a very high level of engineer or works for a big name, and probably both.
I do not work at a FANG company. Glassdoor does not give accurate total compensation for my industry which is frustrating as I cannot easily comparison shop companies. I have to use anonymous apps like blind to figure out what everyone makes real world. Nearly everyone in my cohort when I got hired is making the same (or more!) then me. i feel I am just above average compared to 100s of others I work with and we have enough rapport to talk about salaries. I can tell you, most are not rock stars, they are mostly average. They are good of course, but very few are changing the world. At my company, if you do not move into a senior role in about 8 years, you usually are kicked to the curb, so there is some filtering going on. The over 300k base is high, but with bonuses and perks, you will make crazy money in the seattle area if you want to and you do not need a degree (but it does help). Networking is MUCH more valuable then a degree.
Is that specifically in software dev? I am an infrastructure guy making 1/3 of that right outside of Manhattan..
Yes or a software developer in test (they mostly do automation), the funny thing is we are probably underpaid now. The FANGs have increased total compensation by a lot in my area and my company has not yet. I have a feeling we will get a big bump this year for retention. Seattle area is a very hot software developer job market right now and very unusual probably.
Post by: Baboo on April 20, 2019, 05:35:08 PM
$55k salary
Health Benefits, 30 year retirement (26 of which I have in)
High School diploma
Will retire with full pension at age 49
Post by: OliveFI on April 22, 2019, 07:42:12 AM
Job Title: Legal Counsel
Salary: $154,000 + 6% 401K match+ 10% employer contribution to a different retirement account (no employee contribution required) + 25% of base salary bonus based company performance + 35% Long Term Incentive bonus with 3 year vesting period + ESPP with 50% match on shares held for two years.
Age: 28
Experience: 2.5 Years (my position required 5 - 7 but I weaseled my way in )
Education: Bachelors + JD
Just curious how many hours on average you work per week?
I work around 40 hours a week. Every once in a while it'll be around 50 + travel. My office is in the U.S. but the company is Scandinavian. So the work life balance reflects that culture.
Post by: triple7stash on April 22, 2019, 11:12:42 AM
Administrative Specialist w/ State government
$55k salary
Health Benefits, 30 year retirement (26 of which I have in)
High School diploma
Will retire with full pension at age 49
Wow, full pension at age 49 is excellent! I work for the California State Government and we don't receive until you have BOTH at least 40 years of service and are at least age 67. This was recently changed, if you were hired before 2013 I believe your requirements were age 62 and 40 years of service.
Post by: Baboo on April 22, 2019, 06:42:02 PM
Post by: Andrew928 on April 22, 2019, 07:52:11 PM
72K
Moved to Montana
Detention Officer
31K
No regrets
Post by: Pooperman on May 28, 2019, 02:45:33 PM
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $82k + 10% bonus
Experience: 3 years
Education: BS Engineering Physics
Age: 26
An update upon getting my new position. I'm about a year of experience short of a major title change (Salesforce Architect), so hopefully, I can get that through my new job.
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $85k + 10%
Experience: 4 years
Another update:
Title: Senior Product Support Technical Advisor (lol, it's the same as before but the company is crazy)
Salary: $50/hr [$100k/yr] but with no benefits as I'm a contractor. it'll be 90k next year with benefits.
Experience: 5 years
Contract ended, got a salaried position lined up:
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $115k + 10%
Experience: 6 years
Age: 29
Post by: arebelspy on June 05, 2019, 10:43:53 PM
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $82k + 10% bonus
Experience: 3 years
Education: BS Engineering Physics
Age: 26
An update upon getting my new position. I'm about a year of experience short of a major title change (Salesforce Architect), so hopefully, I can get that through my new job.
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $85k + 10%
Experience: 4 years
Another update:
Title: Senior Product Support Technical Advisor (lol, it's the same as before but the company is crazy)
Salary: $50/hr [$100k/yr] but with no benefits as I'm a contractor. it'll be 90k next year with benefits.
Experience: 5 years
Contract ended, got a salaried position lined up:
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $115k + 10%
Experience: 6 years
Age: 29
Damn, 36.3k more (115k*1.1 - 82k * 1.1), a 40% increase, in the span of 2 yrs, 9 months?
Well done!
If your lifestyle hasn't inflated, your savings rate must have shot up like crazy.
Post by: Bloop Bloop on June 05, 2019, 10:52:19 PM
Job Title: Legal Counsel
Salary: $154,000 + 6% 401K match+ 10% employer contribution to a different retirement account (no employee contribution required) + 25% of base salary bonus based company performance + 35% Long Term Incentive bonus with 3 year vesting period + ESPP with 50% match on shares held for two years.
Age: 28
Experience: 2.5 Years (my position required 5 - 7 but I weaseled my way in )
Education: Bachelors + JD
Just curious how many hours on average you work per week?
I work around 40 hours a week. Every once in a while it'll be around 50 + travel. My office is in the U.S. but the company is Scandinavian. So the work life balance reflects that culture.
Great, sounds like an awesome job with heaps of work-life balance.
Did you go to a top law school and get very impressive marks? I am wondering otherwise how you weaselled your way in.
Here in Australia, I don't know of anyone under 30 in the legal industry who would be making more than AU$200k a year (US $130,000 a year). It just doesn't happen unfortunately. Our law salaries are much lower. The top end doesn't really come around till you're 35 or 40 years old.
Post by: Typhoid Mary on June 06, 2019, 01:06:37 PM
$23/hour
I work 84 hours a month, only 9 months/year.
I have summers off.
After taxes and mandatory pension deductions,
I keep $1000/month
Post by: meerkat on June 06, 2019, 01:35:33 PM
Licensed Practical Nurse
$23/hour
I work 84 hours a month, only 9 months/year.
I have summers off.
After taxes and mandatory pension deductions,
I keep $1000/month
Your job and username are quite the combo. I'll be chuckling about that all afternoon.
Post by: jlcnuke on June 06, 2019, 01:54:42 PM
Job Title: Legal Counsel
Salary: $154,000 + 6% 401K match+ 10% employer contribution to a different retirement account (no employee contribution required) + 25% of base salary bonus based company performance + 35% Long Term Incentive bonus with 3 year vesting period + ESPP with 50% match on shares held for two years.
Age: 28
Experience: 2.5 Years (my position required 5 - 7 but I weaseled my way in )
Education: Bachelors + JD
Just curious how many hours on average you work per week?
I work around 40 hours a week. Every once in a while it'll be around 50 + travel. My office is in the U.S. but the company is Scandinavian. So the work life balance reflects that culture.
Great, sounds like an awesome job with heaps of work-life balance.
Did you go to a top law school and get very impressive marks? I am wondering otherwise how you weaselled your way in.
Here in Australia, I don't know of anyone under 30 in the legal industry who would be making more than AU$200k a year (US $130,000 a year). It just doesn't happen unfortunately. Our law salaries are much lower. The top end doesn't really come around till you're 35 or 40 years old.
Pay for lawyers in the US tends to be a reverse bell curve. A number of very highly compensated, a number quite lowly compensated, and relatively few in-between. It's a major reason I didn't shift to that career after my time in the military despite have interest in the field. Here's an interesting article on the situation https://www.biglawinvestor.com/bimodal-salary-distribution-curve/
Post by: OliveFI on June 06, 2019, 02:09:14 PM
Job Title: Legal Counsel
Salary: $154,000 + 6% 401K match+ 10% employer contribution to a different retirement account (no employee contribution required) + 25% of base salary bonus based company performance + 35% Long Term Incentive bonus with 3 year vesting period + ESPP with 50% match on shares held for two years.
Age: 28
Experience: 2.5 Years (my position required 5 - 7 but I weaseled my way in )
Education: Bachelors + JD
Just curious how many hours on average you work per week?
I work around 40 hours a week. Every once in a while it'll be around 50 + travel. My office is in the U.S. but the company is Scandinavian. So the work life balance reflects that culture.
Great, sounds like an awesome job with heaps of work-life balance.
Did you go to a top law school and get very impressive marks? I am wondering otherwise how you weaselled your way in.
Here in Australia, I don't know of anyone under 30 in the legal industry who would be making more than AU$200k a year (US $130,000 a year). It just doesn't happen unfortunately. Our law salaries are much lower. The top end doesn't really come around till you're 35 or 40 years old.
It is an awesome job. I did NOT go to a top law school but I was at the top of my class. I leveraged an internship into my first job. I formed really good working relationships with my coworkers there. When one coworker got a job at my current company and a position was available there he recommended me as a "training" opportunity. This company favors people who stay for a long time and they see training someone as a way to achieve that goal- also reflected in the long term incentive program.
The post below about bimodal compensation for U.S. lawyers is 100% reflected with my classmates from law school. It is pretty weird. Our culture presents lawyers as people who make a lot of money. Many law students are disappointed when they graduate.
Post by: Bloop Bloop on June 06, 2019, 06:53:57 PM
The reverse-bell curve is fascinating. Here in Australia, it is unfortunately just a normal bell curve. I would much rather have a bi-modal distribution since then at least the ones in the top quartile or quintile would be earning big bucks. In Australia that only applies to probably the top 10% and it's much more heavily stacked in favour of seniority.
Post by: Murse on June 08, 2019, 07:42:15 AM
Education-associates in nursing, took 5 years total because it is competitive to get into a program in my state, especially community colleges.Update time-
Salary 75k base +OT/shift differentials (1-3$/HR)(I have room for up to 15% in raises to reach the top of the pay-scale plus differentials if I chose to get a BSN or learn another language)
Experience <1 year
Age 24
Title- corrections nurse
Age- 27YO
Job title- corrections nurse
Education- still the associates degree in nursing, started a bachelors then decided against it.
Experience- almost 4 years
Pay- I am now at the top of the pay scale, base pay of 96k per year- the union is working on increasing this because market rates are about 20% higher then our pay scale. I expect this to increase 8-12% after negotiations are done.
Benefits- health insurance 95% covered by employer, Cadillac plan
PTO- 3 weeks vacation, 2.4 weeks paid sick leave, 12 paid holidays, and normally a couple of extra “personal business days.” Depending on what the union negotiates.
Retirement- pension that will equal 45% of final average salary and a 457 account.
Post by: Fire2029 on June 09, 2019, 06:55:21 PM
Salary - 180k base, 50k commission target, 50k RSU vest. Made 280k last year, will do better this year (already made 72k in commission). I think I will come in at 300 - 330 if the stock stays the same for a few more months.
Education - Associates in Networking, BS in IT, MBA International Business
Experience - 20 years in IT, 5 in presales
Age - 40
Post by: caracarn on June 10, 2019, 11:18:52 AM
Job Title - Presales Systems EngineerWow. Very nice, especially if it is a role you can enjoy and does not place a lot of stress on you every day.
Salary - 180k base, 50k commission target, 50k RSU vest. Made 280k last year, will do better this year (already made 72k in commission). I think I will come in at 300 - 330 if the stock stays the same for a few more months.
Education - Associates in Networking, BS in IT, MBA International Business
Experience - 20 years in IT, 5 in presales
Age - 40
Post by: Fire2029 on June 10, 2019, 07:53:55 PM
Lot of travel in my role though, flying 150k miles a year. There are jobs in the same family that are less stressful and less travel than mine, I may seek one out in a few years if I'm unable to advance from my position to a presales director role.
Post by: Pooperman on June 11, 2019, 02:25:33 PM
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $82k + 10% bonus
Experience: 3 years
Education: BS Engineering Physics
Age: 26
An update upon getting my new position. I'm about a year of experience short of a major title change (Salesforce Architect), so hopefully, I can get that through my new job.
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $85k + 10%
Experience: 4 years
Another update:
Title: Senior Product Support Technical Advisor (lol, it's the same as before but the company is crazy)
Salary: $50/hr [$100k/yr] but with no benefits as I'm a contractor. it'll be 90k next year with benefits.
Experience: 5 years
Contract ended, got a salaried position lined up:
Title: Salesforce Administrator
Salary: $115k + 10%
Experience: 6 years
Age: 29
Damn, 36.3k more (115k*1.1 - 82k * 1.1), a 40% increase, in the span of 2 yrs, 9 months?
Well done!
If your lifestyle hasn't inflated, your savings rate must have shot up like crazy.
Thanks! It was 42k 6 years ago when I got my first real job. Lifestyle has not changed a ton in the last 3 years when we moved to NC. We're spending about $60k/yr +/- variability. My wife started working again after our kid turned 1 so there's a bit more income on top of just me now :).
Post by: economista on June 11, 2019, 02:36:01 PM
Salary: $96,856 currently, goes up to $125,910 with time in grade (gov't GS-13)
Experience: 6 months in this position, 7 years with this agency
Education: BA in Economics, BS in Math, and MA in Economics - we all have either MBA or MA in Economics
Age: 29
Post by: jaysee on June 13, 2019, 04:06:13 PM
Rate: £650 p/day (about £145,000 p/year after factoring out holidays)
Age: 32
Experience: 15+ years (yes, I started work at 17)
Education: Not much... a vocational course, a 1-year grad cert at a good university and sprinkling of vendor certs
Post by: turketron on July 02, 2019, 05:26:30 PM
Job Title: Operations Manager
Experience: no experience in this new role, 6 years in related roles at same company
Age: 33
Salary: $72k base. Last year I made close to $100k with RSUs and ESPP on $66k base, so, presumably at least that this year?
Education: Bachelor's
Post by: A Fella from Stella on July 02, 2019, 07:54:23 PM
Paralegal: $71,000
Job 2:
Adjunct Prof: $17,000 in 2018
$9,600 in 2019
Post by: PDXTabs on July 02, 2019, 09:16:00 PM
Post by: Cornel_Westside on July 02, 2019, 10:30:22 PM
Mechanical Engineer - $120k - Seattle Area
Bonus: 0-15% depending on performance.
Profit Sharing - 8-10% each year paid out over 3 years (30%-30%-40% over the three years).
So potential for making up to $150k, more likely around $135k. This is an increase from $107k base and usually around 6k in bonus.
Post by: bownyboy on July 03, 2019, 12:48:42 AM
@conwy, how did you get your salary so high? When I look on Glassdoor I never see salaries like that in the UK. Because of this I assume that I will work my whole career in the US even though I'm a UK citizen and would love to make it back to Scotland one day.
This is a typical day rate in london for experienced good contractors. The key is to move regularly, maintain your professional and personal network, work in a sought after discipline and don’t be a dick.
Post by: bownyboy on July 03, 2019, 12:54:18 AM
Rate: £600 to £650 p/day
Age: 46
Experience: 24 years, started out as a software developer, realised I was never going to be great at it, moved into project management ending up as operations director before going contracting and focusing on helping teams and companies with their agile implementations.
Education: Degree Level
Post by: thriftyc on July 03, 2019, 09:37:33 PM
Post by: volleyballer on November 17, 2019, 03:34:00 PM
Hello MMM forum! I am a long time lurker, and have posted a couple dozen times under a different handle. I created this new handle to be more anonymous when sharing salary data, etc.So after writing my previous post, I updated my resume and got out networking and applying for interesting positions. I could afford to take my time and be choosey. I ended up with not one, but two six figure offers in my city! 100k plus 9% 401k contribution, matching my PTO, and much better health plan compared to my current employer. I see more VTSAX in my future!!!
Process Engineer
Age: 35
Education: BS Chemical Engineering, MBA
Experience: 13 years (10 with current company), PE License
Salary: $78,000 (just received promotion, was low 70’s). 3.5% 401k match. Company wide $250 holiday bonus (seems to go down each year…). Recent bonus for milestone anniversary.
PTO: 24 days /yr (for both sick time and vacation).
Location: LCOL rust belt city with hopeless sports teams.
I work for a medium sized engineering firm. My work includes process design for industrial wastewater, groundwater remediation, chemical plant, and oil and gas pipeline. Great boss. Usually 40 hour workweek. Travel is < 10%, although I like some travel. The actual process engineering / technical work, which I enjoy, is fairly light. I end up coordinating the design work of other engineering disciplines for design projects, which I enjoy much less.
They say comparison is the thief of joy. I can’t help but think I am missing the boat on my career when I see the engineer salaries posted here, especially the folks in Houston. I would love to hear from the ChemE’s on the forum on their career paths!
Edit: Added PTO time.
I was amazed at how hot the engineering job market is right now. I think many companies are realizing that a whole generation of senior level talent is on the verge of retirement, and they may only have very junior folks under them on the depth chart. Therefore they are willing to pay for 10-15 yr level folks with good experience.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
Post by: nancyfrank232 on November 17, 2019, 04:44:39 PM
Experience: 10-15 years
Location: Canada
Age: mid-40s
Salary: $150k/yr + company car + free meals
Education: Bachelor (engineering)
Post by: DustyD on November 17, 2019, 07:58:16 PM
Location: San Francisco
Experience: 1 year of civilian experience, 3 years of previous military experience that is semi-relatable
Age: 33
Salary: $100k base + 16k RSUs, + 2-3k benefits (free meals, stipends, etc.)
Education: Bachelor's
I feel like I really lucked into this position, and can't believe that opportunities like this even exist for generalists like myself. I've never been a top student, over-achiever, or ladder-climber but am somehow making six figures at a cushy tech job with great benefits and work-life balance. This sounds like a fairly rare combo based on what I've heard from others' experiences.
Post by: Cornel_Westside on November 17, 2019, 09:15:37 PM
More updates - MBA is done and new job, Medical Device industry.
Title: Lead Engineer (~7 direct reports)
Salary: 120K + 5-10K bonus
Age: 30
Experience ~8 years
Education: BS Mechanical Engineering, MBA
Wife is unchanged.
Where do you live? You seem underpaid for a lead engineer with an MBA. Are you on a management track at your new job? Otherwise why did you get your MBA? A lead engineer in the cities I've lived in (HCOL, but not NY or SF) would be making 150k+, especially in medical devices. I used to work in medical devices and they paid leads about 150k and it was considered relatively low in the market (in Seattle).
Post by: knigry01 on November 18, 2019, 02:09:00 PM
Job Title: Industry Sales Manager/Biotech
Salary: 150K + 30% bonus + 9% 401k match + stock options+ company car/home office allowance
Age: 37
Experience: 15 years
Education: BS Biology, MBA
Pros: Remote home office, good work/life balance graded on the sales scale
Cons: 50% travel
DW:
Job Title: Project Manager
Salary: 79k (32hr/wk, no fridays) + 12% bonus + 5% 401k match+ Pension
Age: 35
Experience: 13 years
Education: BA Business
Pros: Stable employer, little stress
Cons: Would rather stay home with 3 kids
Post by: Angelhair on November 19, 2019, 05:58:40 AM
Title: Lead Auditor
Salary 93k per year, 5 to 10% bonus, 8% match 401, 3 weeks vacation and 15 holiday and off between Christmas and New Years
Experience: 20 plus years
Age: 57
Education: BA in Business with a minor in HR
Husband
Title: Dairy Manager
Salary 35k per year
Experience: 20 plus years
Age: 52
Education: High school
Post by: DadJokes on November 19, 2019, 06:21:27 AM
Me
Title: Information Systems Auditor (for state government)
Salary: 53k per year, plus $50 per month 401(k) match, 5% pension with 5 year vesting period, 12 days vacation, 12 sick days, 13 holidays
Experience: 2 years
Age: 32
Education: BBA in Accounting, CPA
Extra: 37.5 hour workweek, flexible hours (I work 4 day week), and excellent healthcare
Wife
Title: Elementary Teacher
Salary: $44,580, plus 5% pension with 5 year vesting period, a lot of days off
Experience: 5 years
Age: 28
Education: BS in Elementary Education
Extra: No healthcare premium (just $500 deductible)
Post by: martyconlonontherun on November 19, 2019, 03:09:28 PM
chasefish - I'm curious, as so many titles are only somewhat descriptive (i.e., can have a lot of latitude to what they do), but what does a regional corporate banker do in your neck of the woods?Late follow-up but have you thought about internal audit. Manager at my public company makes about $125k in a mid-tier/LCOL city.
As for me:
Title: Senior Manager in public accounting
Age: Late 30s
Salary: Base in the low $80s, with some potential for a small bonus
Years' experience: 14ish
Education: Bachelors & Cert
Location: LCOL
Post by: Roboturner on November 19, 2019, 04:44:43 PM
Title: Reservoir Engineer
Age: 28
Experience: 3.5 yr industry, 2.5 yr research
Education: BS/MS
Salary: $121k + 20% cash bonus + 20% RSU bonus + 6% 401k match
Area: MCOL
Update upon some raises over the last couple yrs
Title: Sr. Reservoir Engineer
Age: 31
Experience: 6 yr industry, 2.5 yr research
Education: BS/MS
Salary: $170k + 30% cash bonus + 6% 401k match + 0.5% equity
Area: MCOL
Post by: dreadmoose on November 19, 2019, 05:19:19 PM
Title: Project Lead - Engineer
Salary: $200K+
Age: 29
Experience: 8 years (O&G construction industry - field and office)
Education: B.Sc in Engineering
Promotion Update
Title: Engineering Department Manager
Salary: $270K+ CAD
Age: 32
Experience: 13 years
Education: B.Sc in Engineering
Incorporated
Post by: thesis on November 20, 2019, 08:43:10 AM
Salary: $85k
Age: 30
Experience: ~5-6 years
My career had a slow start. Non-CompSci background, first job was a good company without the experience you really need to succeed in software. I would say that it slowed me down, except that it's actually how I got started, so I can't complain too much. Finally getting things on track :)
Post by: Jtrey17 on November 20, 2019, 09:24:39 AM
Good for you!Hello MMM forum! I am a long time lurker, and have posted a couple dozen times under a different handle. I created this new handle to be more anonymous when sharing salary data, etc.So after writing my previous post, I updated my resume and got out networking and applying for interesting positions. I could afford to take my time and be choosey. I ended up with not one, but two six figure offers in my city! 100k plus 9% 401k contribution, matching my PTO, and much better health plan compared to my current employer. I see more VTSAX in my future!!!
Process Engineer
Age: 35
Education: BS Chemical Engineering, MBA
Experience: 13 years (10 with current company), PE License
Salary: $78,000 (just received promotion, was low 70’s). 3.5% 401k match. Company wide $250 holiday bonus (seems to go down each year…). Recent bonus for milestone anniversary.
PTO: 24 days /yr (for both sick time and vacation).
Location: LCOL rust belt city with hopeless sports teams.
I work for a medium sized engineering firm. My work includes process design for industrial wastewater, groundwater remediation, chemical plant, and oil and gas pipeline. Great boss. Usually 40 hour workweek. Travel is < 10%, although I like some travel. The actual process engineering / technical work, which I enjoy, is fairly light. I end up coordinating the design work of other engineering disciplines for design projects, which I enjoy much less.
They say comparison is the thief of joy. I can’t help but think I am missing the boat on my career when I see the engineer salaries posted here, especially the folks in Houston. I would love to hear from the ChemE’s on the forum on their career paths!
Edit: Added PTO time.
I was amazed at how hot the engineering job market is right now. I think many companies are realizing that a whole generation of senior level talent is on the verge of retirement, and they may only have very junior folks under them on the depth chart. Therefore they are willing to pay for 10-15 yr level folks with good experience.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
Post by: thece1ebrity on November 20, 2019, 12:56:54 PM
Experience: 5 Years
Age: 34
Salary: $62k (add another $8k for part time work)
My pay scale is mapped out based on education and years of experience, so as of now I'll be making $95k after seven more years in this position. We renegotiate the contract every three years so that number will go up with inflation and other factors. Definitely not a very impressive number compared to some other responses, but I like what I do and I get a taste of FI in July and August, so I'm happy.
Post by: J.R. Ewing on November 20, 2019, 02:14:45 PM
Age 40
Houston, TX
180K 40% Bonus
Pros-Salary, reasonable hours and working environment
Cons-Job has gotten really, really repetitive. Living in Houston. I feel the mountains of Colorado or Montana calling me.
Post by: 978rl on December 28, 2019, 08:26:32 AM
Title: Manufacturing Manager
Salary: $178k (includes base pay and bonus)
Age: 36
Experience: 19 years
Education: High School diploma
Location: Massachusetts
Update:
Title: Manufacturing Manager
Salary: $205k (includes base pay and bonus)
Age: 37
Experience: 20 years
Education: High School diploma
Location: Massachusetts
Post by: aku09 on December 28, 2019, 08:23:34 PM
Salary: 200k, 8% to 401k, 8 weeks vacation
Experience: 3.5 years
Education: Doctorate of Nursing Practice
Post by: mikemagz11 on December 29, 2019, 09:18:36 AM
Salary: 66.5k, 5% match from full-time. ~10k, 2% match plus small profit sharing from part-time job
Experience: 6 years
Education: Bachelors in Sport Management, Masters in Criminal Justice
Post by: Kronsey on December 29, 2019, 01:28:29 PM
Job Title: Self Employed Small Biz Accountant (CPA providing tax, accounting, and payroll)
Net Income: Roughly $150k/yr
Experience: 11ish years
Education: bachelor's degree in accounting. Took extra classes to get 150 hrs to sit for CPA exam (didn't want to pay for a master's degree).
Benefits & Work Life: Extremely low cost health insurance via ACA subsidies. 401(k) with profit sharing plan for my wife and I (we pay her through the biz). Work about 40 hrs a week from January to April and 25ish a week the rest of the year.
I'm thankful for the life we've been blessed with, although I would not recommend this career to my sons. I am contemplating working more (taking on more clients) in order to accelerate FIRE, but am cautious due to some health issues. Stress seems to contribute to the health issues.
Great thread. Mustachians are definitely a high earning subset of society.
Post by: nvmama on December 29, 2019, 07:25:00 PM
Title: case worker/manager
age: 38
experience: 13 yrs at current employer
Salary: $16.50/hr (I'm at the top of the pay scale for this position)
Experience: for this job, bachelor's is perferred, but will take experience as a trade off. I myself have a Bachelor's in Social Work and am working on my Master's in Applied Behavioral Analysis and Autism.
My current schedule is one 14 hour shift and one 24 hour shift with a 2 hour meeting a week. I am able to sleep on the longer shifts for 3 hours on the overnight. The schedule works great as I am able to be at home with my kids during most of the week. My plan was to step back up into a regular, higher paying, day job once my youngest is in school full time. I live in a HCOL area.
Update:
Title: Autism/ABA Program Clinical Supervisor
Age:42
Salary: $77000
Requirements: BCBA and State Licence, plus OBM experience.
Since my first post, I finished my Master's degree, passed my BCBA exam and got my State License. Started working as a part time BCBA for another agency in 2017 and went full time with them in September 2019 and left the company I was working at after 17 years of employement. Still live in a HCOL area.
Post by: Alchemisst on December 29, 2019, 11:07:05 PM
Job Title: Self Employed Small Biz Accountant (CPA providing tax, accounting, and payroll)
Net Income: Roughly $150k/yr
Experience: 11ish years
Education: bachelor's degree in accounting. Took extra classes to get 150 hrs to sit for CPA exam (didn't want to pay for a master's degree).
Benefits & Work Life: Extremely low cost health insurance via ACA subsidies. 401(k) with profit sharing plan for my wife and I (we pay her through the biz). Work about 40 hrs a week from January to April and 25ish a week the rest of the year.
I'm thankful for the life we've been blessed with, although I would not recommend this career to my sons. I am contemplating working more (taking on more clients) in order to accelerate FIRE, but am cautious due to some health issues. Stress seems to contribute to the health issues.
Great thread. Mustachians are definitely a high earning subset of society.
Do you mean you would not recommend own business or accounting in general? Do you mind sharing why
Post by: Kronsey on December 30, 2019, 09:33:04 AM
Do you mean you would not recommend own business or accounting in general? Do you mind sharing why
TLDR Version: I would recommend self employment and/or business ownership to my sons if they had the personality and skills to make it viable.
Due to market forces, SAAS, the poor corporate work culture for accountants, the high stress in public accounting, and the compression at the self employment level, I would not recommend accounting to my sons unless they somehow just love the work itself.
Longer Versions:
I would (will) 100% recommend owning a biz (or self employment which is different IMHO) to my sons IF they have skills/career that would be a good fit as well as having the personality/drive to make it happen. It is hard to describe precisely what makes some cut out for business ownership and others not, but some general indicators would be:
1. A curiosity and natural bent to learn/study/research when they don't necessarily have to.
2. A consistent pattern of being able to follow through and get tasks accomplished even when they don't feel like doing it.
3. An understanding and ability to market and sell. Without a sale, no one has a business. This one can obviously be learned, but if you're too scared to try to sell someone on your idea, product, or service, probably better for you to stay an employee.
I probably will not recommend accounting as a profession for a few reasons:
1. Most accountants either work in public accounting and/or corporate accounting. There are not a lot of good paying, low stress accounting opportunities except for maybe government work, but the boredom factor is strong for those people I know working in those positions. Public accounting at the regional firm size and larger is extremely competitive and a complete rat race. Corporate accounting can be a better pace of life, but I don't know many who would say they enjoy their work. In corporate accounting, usually the better the pay, the more stress and hours needed.
2. At the self employment/firm ownership level, the market continues to change rapidly. There is a lot of corporate growth (which usually means the work is reserved for larger firms or internal employees) and a ton of growth in the self-employment/gig/freelancer economy. There is not a lot of growth/stability in the in between markets. This is just my opinion and I'm sure there are CPAs on this forum who would say otherwise, so don't take my thoughts on this point as the gospel. Because the middle market continues to shrink, the opportunity for good paying, stable businesses to serve shrinks as well.
3. Intuit and other software providers continue to sell their software to the public as a DIY solution to cut the accountant out of the equation all together. Even though software definitely reduces the time necessary to do accurate accounting, I believe it is not a proper substitute nor a true DIY option for 99.9% of the small biz owners out there. But that is obviously just my opinion, and the "market" is saying otherwise at this point.
To elaborate further on why I believe that to be a problem, now many SMBs bring their QuickBooks file to their tax person to prepare a return from. Without accurate data inputs, the tax person has absolutely nothing to base the creation of the tax return data on. So that either means the accountant spends time (or pays staff) to clean up the file during their busiest time of the year, or they hold their breath and try to create a return knowing that faulty data supports the tax return. Because the IRS is vastly underfunded, they do not tend to audit a lot of these small biz owners. They just don't have the resources or manpower. In a lot of ways, the entire concept of proper accounting and tax returns is being turned upside down in the small biz market and most people don't seem to care.
Post by: Alchemisst on January 07, 2020, 04:35:36 AM
Do you mean you would not recommend own business or accounting in general? Do you mind sharing why
TLDR Version: I would recommend self employment and/or business ownership to my sons if they had the personality and skills to make it viable.
Due to market forces, SAAS, the poor corporate work culture for accountants, the high stress in public accounting, and the compression at the self employment level, I would not recommend accounting to my sons unless they somehow just love the work itself.
Longer Versions:
I would (will) 100% recommend owning a biz (or self employment which is different IMHO) to my sons IF they have skills/career that would be a good fit as well as having the personality/drive to make it happen. It is hard to describe precisely what makes some cut out for business ownership and others not, but some general indicators would be:
1. A curiosity and natural bent to learn/study/research when they don't necessarily have to.
2. A consistent pattern of being able to follow through and get tasks accomplished even when they don't feel like doing it.
3. An understanding and ability to market and sell. Without a sale, no one has a business. This one can obviously be learned, but if you're too scared to try to sell someone on your idea, product, or service, probably better for you to stay an employee.
I probably will not recommend accounting as a profession for a few reasons:
1. Most accountants either work in public accounting and/or corporate accounting. There are not a lot of good paying, low stress accounting opportunities except for maybe government work, but the boredom factor is strong for those people I know working in those positions. Public accounting at the regional firm size and larger is extremely competitive and a complete rat race. Corporate accounting can be a better pace of life, but I don't know many who would say they enjoy their work. In corporate accounting, usually the better the pay, the more stress and hours needed.
2. At the self employment/firm ownership level, the market continues to change rapidly. There is a lot of corporate growth (which usually means the work is reserved for larger firms or internal employees) and a ton of growth in the self-employment/gig/freelancer economy. There is not a lot of growth/stability in the in between markets. This is just my opinion and I'm sure there are CPAs on this forum who would say otherwise, so don't take my thoughts on this point as the gospel. Because the middle market continues to shrink, the opportunity for good paying, stable businesses to serve shrinks as well.
3. Intuit and other software providers continue to sell their software to the public as a DIY solution to cut the accountant out of the equation all together. Even though software definitely reduces the time necessary to do accurate accounting, I believe it is not a proper substitute nor a true DIY option for 99.9% of the small biz owners out there. But that is obviously just my opinion, and the "market" is saying otherwise at this point.
To elaborate further on why I believe that to be a problem, now many SMBs bring their QuickBooks file to their tax person to prepare a return from. Without accurate data inputs, the tax person has absolutely nothing to base the creation of the tax return data on. So that either means the accountant spends time (or pays staff) to clean up the file during their busiest time of the year, or they hold their breath and try to create a return knowing that faulty data supports the tax return. Because the IRS is vastly underfunded, they do not tend to audit a lot of these small biz owners. They just don't have the resources or manpower. In a lot of ways, the entire concept of proper accounting and tax returns is being turned upside down in the small biz market and most people don't seem to care.
Interesting, however it seems most of these problems such as longer hours, lower pay, automation seem to be across a lot of industries these days as I have heard similiar from others in different industries. Doesn't seem like their are many "good" options left these days apart from medicine, dentistry etc.
Post by: Gronnie on May 12, 2021, 12:36:14 PM
My Job Title: SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1 year
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: 72k + ~10% bonus + $750 HSA contribution + 2.5% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Cost of living from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html) is 99.2/100, so very average cost of living area.
Started at 71k, got a raise a couple months in as a thanks for being awesome ;)
My manager says I will be getting a promotion in the next round (February) even though it typically takes 3-4 years. Should come with about a 10% raise.
The work environment is awesome. Really laid back and supportive. Take as much vacation as you want policy with no keeping track of work, sick, and vacation hours, etc. I would have to get a super big raise to consider working elsewhere.
DW Job Title: RN
Salary: ~70k + small pension + 2% 403b match
Experience: 5 years
Education: BS in Dietetics, BS in Nursing
She started out getting a degree in dietetics but that didn't work out due to requiring an internship to get certified and there not being enough to go around (something that if she had known me prior to starting the program she would have thoroughly looked into and chosen something different or studied harder). Went back after the Dietetics degree and did an accelerated BSN program and now is very happy.
Updating because I just got a promotion and a 15% raise!!!!
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $83,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
San Francisco Salary: $198,578 (my city is 101.4 on CoL Index)
Was a weird year. We bought out another big company, my project got cancelled and we were in flux for awhile, and then my manager quit abruptly and it took 6+ months to replace him.
Only got a 3.5% raise this year, but also was granted ~$17k in RSUs that vest over 4 years. Not sure what to think of the golden handcuffs, will have to cross that bridge if I ever think about leaving.
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 2.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $~86,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + ~$17k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Just took a job with a new company (along with a nice promotion), and will be moving from a MCOL area with a COL score of 99.2 to a HCOL area with a COL score of 146.4 (MN to Orange County, scores from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html)).
I think I am doing pretty well, as the job is 3 promotions above entry level out of college position and I only have 3.5 years of experience. This job would normally take 8+ years of experience to reach. As a result I am pretty sure my salary is near the lower end of the band, so plenty of room for growth even if I don't get any further promotions for a few years.
My Job Title: Staff SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 3.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $135000 + 10% bonus target + $4000 401k match + ~26k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth (15% discount, two year lock, can put in 15% of salary) -- I would say financial compensation is ~$175,000 annually.
Just got a raise, which was nice as I was only here ~6 months when review time came and wasn't sure I would get one. Ended up getting 4% raise bringing my base salary to $140,400.
Our stock is also doing quite nicely and is up 46% since our ESPP lock so if it stays up for the next couple of years should be getting a nice return on ESPP shares.
My biggest regret about taking this job (going from flexible "unlimited" vacation policy to 3 weeks vacation policy) was also recently rectified as the new company has now also adopted flexible vacation.
A lot has happened since my last post. I moved back to MN in March of 2020 and took a job at my old employer again.
Experience: 5+ years at time of hire
Job title: Principal Engineer
Location: MCOL (Minnesota)
Comp: $115k base + 12% bonus target + 3% 401k match + RSUs.
Things in the org aren't going well and a lot of people are leaving.
I just got an offer for a full time remote position.
Experience: 6+ years at time of offer
Job title: Senior Software Engineer
Location: Remote from Minnesota
Comp: $155k base + 18% bonus target + 5% 401k match + RSUs (got $25k signing bonus + $110k initial RSU grant)
My biggest advice for a tech worker is to switch companies often. It's by far the best / fastest way to increase comp!
DW is now making $82,500/yr as an RN and working M-F day hours. She will be finishing up her Master's in Nursing in January and wants to find a job managing a nursing unit which should come with about a $20k/yr raise or so.
Post by: turketron on May 12, 2021, 12:50:24 PM
Been awhile since I've updated this. Just got a new position at my current company, here's the most up to date info with my new role that I start next week:
Job Title: Operations Manager
Experience: no experience in this new role, 6 years in related roles at same company
Age: 33
Salary: $72k base. Last year I made close to $100k with RSUs and ESPP on $66k base, so, presumably at least that this year?
Education: Bachelor's
Huh been awhile since I've updated as well. I'm in the same role, and got a small increase to my base salary in 2020 (raises were paused during COVID) but still got new RSU grants both in 2020 and 2021. Additionally, my company paid out a bonus this year which is new for non-commission employees.
Job Title: Operations Manager
Experience: 2 years in this role, 8 years total at same company
Age: 35
Salary: $74,500k base, 10% bonus for 2021. In 2020 I had $45k of RSUs that vested, and between RSU and ESPP shares I sold about $80k. I'm on track (based on current stock price) to receive about $60k of vested RSUs for 2021, so I'll probably sell at least as much as I did last year.
Education: Bachelor's
Post by: chemistk on May 12, 2021, 01:17:32 PM
Job Title: Research Scientist for a major US Food Company
Experience: 2.5 years
Age: 24
Salary: $60k plus ~$2k in bonus
Education: Bachelor's in Chemistry
Hopping on the update wagon after a promotion last week-
Same Company
Title: Sr. Research Scientist
Salary: $80k, 10% target bonus ($8k, usually more).
Pretty satisfied with this, TBH. With my education and niche experience, there's not much higher I'd expect to go without making a significant career shift. With annual COLA raises, I will be making $100k (salary+incentive) in 5 years.
Post by: Gronnie on May 12, 2021, 01:19:42 PM
Job Title: Research Scientist for a major US Food Company
Experience: 2.5 years
Age: 24
Salary: $60k plus ~$2k in bonus
Education: Bachelor's in Chemistry
Hopping on the update wagon after a promotion last week-
Same Company
Title: Sr. Research Scientist
Salary: $80k, 10% target bonus ($8k, usually more).
Pretty satisfied with this, TBH. With my education and niche experience, there's not much higher I'd expect to go without making a significant career shift. With annual COLA raises, I will be making $100k (salary+incentive) in 5 years.
That's a pretty big raise -- well done!
Post by: hounton on May 19, 2021, 09:27:45 PM
72,000 plus 11k for summer school
Also, free tuition for my daughter which is 15k a year and the college counseling dept helped her get a college scholarship worth 250k
B.S. chem, Masters Education
I was a teacher in Peace Corps and they paid for my master's degree, and I didn't have to do traditional student teaching.
Post by: Dr. Pepper on May 19, 2021, 10:39:51 PM
Job Title: Military Surgeon
Experience: 4yrs post residency
Age: 36
Salary: 187k + 60k (moonlighting, varies)
Education: BS/MD
Military has let me be debt free with no education debt and covered all health care, has really helped accelerate my family towards FI.
Post by: soily on May 20, 2021, 08:29:09 AM
Experience: 5 years
Age: 30
Salary: $84k base + bonus + ESOP + matching 401k (all dependent on company profitability)
Education: Master's
Post by: joe189man on May 20, 2021, 08:45:55 AM
Title: Reservoir Engineer
Age: 28
Experience: 3.5 yr industry, 2.5 yr research
Education: BS/MS
Salary: $121k + 20% cash bonus + 20% RSU bonus + 6% 401k match
Area: MCOL
Update upon some raises over the last couple yrs
Title: Sr. Reservoir Engineer
Age: 31
Experience: 6 yr industry, 2.5 yr research
Education: BS/MS
Salary: $170k + 30% cash bonus + 6% 401k match + 0.5% equity
Area: MCOL
@Roboturner is this a petroleum related position?
Post by: mizzourah2006 on May 20, 2021, 10:03:44 AM
Title: Principal Data ScientistFigured I'd give an update. Still in a relatively low cost of living area.
Salary: $160k + $10-$20k bonus
Education: PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology + self-taught programming/ML/DL
Experience: 5 years in I/O + 2 years in Data Science
Age: 35
Work remotely in a low cost of living area. It’s funny being one of the few I/Os with a strong DS skill set as many I/O firms are attempting to incorporate the power of ML/DL into their products. I definitely got very lucky.
Not much has changed. Still with the same company.
Salary: $189k + bonus ~$20-$25k and now I get about + ~$25k/yr in private equity.
Recently I've been getting pinged by FAANGs and I'm considering it, but right now my job is pretty ideal. They've been saying that working remotely is a reasonable expectation, but so far they've been vague on comp. They basically say it's a senior level role, but that compensation is based on experience, interview success, etc. Which I guess makes sense, but it's a bit frustrating as the interviews aren't exactly easy convos. I'd like to know if its even worth the time or not.
Post by: use2betrix on May 20, 2021, 03:51:56 PM
Just got a raise I didn’t ask for, so figured I would update.
Industrial Construction (Management/Contractor)
Associates Degree
10 years Experience
30 years old
$850/day (day rate) / $980/wk per diem (tax free) / $500/mo travel allowance (tax free) / 5% 401k match fully vested from Day 1
Next year I’ll likely be bumping up to 6 days a week as project work picks up, and should close in on $300k at the end of the year. Beings a lot is tax free it’s goes a bit further.
Been a while since I updated.. At the job quoted above, about a year later I received another raise - all the same perks but change from $850/day (10 hr days) to $90/hr w/ 1.5x OT (working 55 hrs/wk) and 3 weeks vacation and paid holidays.
Last fall, a got hit up by a head hunter on LinkedIn (never use that site and wasn’t looking for work). I loved my job and my coworkers. For my industry and position, it was the best of the best (granted, not fond of the industry).
I didn’t expect the linkedin thing to go anywhere as my pay was very high already. It ended up being a huge position on a project approximately 10x the size of my current project. Contractor position (was contractor at last job).
$120/hr with 1.5x OT working 50-55 hrs/wk
12 years experience
2 weeks vacation
Health/vision/dental insurance
401k w/ no match.
I should end up around $360k or so this year. Last year I was at about $370k. The project should be about 2 years in duration since I started.. Will be ready for a LONG sabbatical after.. My wife and I were intending to take 6-12 months off in August this year, however the first baby is on the way and taking a 6 month North American vacation in a tiny traveler with a newborn wasn’t as appealing. Once the baby is 1-2, we’ll be much better off.
Post by: MrThatsDifferent on May 20, 2021, 08:03:03 PM
Title: Principal Data ScientistFigured I'd give an update. Still in a relatively low cost of living area.
Salary: $160k + $10-$20k bonus
Education: PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology + self-taught programming/ML/DL
Experience: 5 years in I/O + 2 years in Data Science
Age: 35
Work remotely in a low cost of living area. It’s funny being one of the few I/Os with a strong DS skill set as many I/O firms are attempting to incorporate the power of ML/DL into their products. I definitely got very lucky.
Not much has changed. Still with the same company.
Salary: $189k + bonus ~$20-$25k and now I get about + ~$25k/yr in private equity.
Recently I've been getting pinged by FAANGs and I'm considering it, but right now my job is pretty ideal. They've been saying that working remotely is a reasonable expectation, but so far they've been vague on comp. They basically say it's a senior level role, but that compensation is based on experience, interview success, etc. Which I guess makes sense, but it's a bit frustrating as the interviews aren't exactly easy convos. I'd like to know if its even worth the time or not.
Very cool, what is ML/ DL? How long did it take you to learn them?
Post by: mizzourah2006 on May 21, 2021, 06:23:51 AM
Title: Principal Data ScientistFigured I'd give an update. Still in a relatively low cost of living area.
Salary: $160k + $10-$20k bonus
Education: PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology + self-taught programming/ML/DL
Experience: 5 years in I/O + 2 years in Data Science
Age: 35
Work remotely in a low cost of living area. It’s funny being one of the few I/Os with a strong DS skill set as many I/O firms are attempting to incorporate the power of ML/DL into their products. I definitely got very lucky.
Not much has changed. Still with the same company.
Salary: $189k + bonus ~$20-$25k and now I get about + ~$25k/yr in private equity.
Recently I've been getting pinged by FAANGs and I'm considering it, but right now my job is pretty ideal. They've been saying that working remotely is a reasonable expectation, but so far they've been vague on comp. They basically say it's a senior level role, but that compensation is based on experience, interview success, etc. Which I guess makes sense, but it's a bit frustrating as the interviews aren't exactly easy convos. I'd like to know if its even worth the time or not.
Very cool, what is ML/ DL? How long did it take you to learn them?
Sorry about that. ML = machine learning and DL = deep learning.
ML was pretty easy for me to learn due to the overlap of statistics and the fact that linear and logistic regression was something that was a fairly common method in my career. It was just learning how to use the different algos in python, learning the math behind them, when they were appropriate, etc. and then applying them on the job to solve specific customer problems.I'd say that part took about 3-6 months.
The deep learning has taken significantly longer because the math is much, much more complex. In fact I'd argue that I'm still learning this part of it, but I've been able to work with machine learning engineers to build out more and more complex solutions. So I'd say 3+ years. Our use case is specifically in NLP. NLP and computer vision are the two use cases where deep learning does traditionally outperform machine learning.
The beauty of all of this is that as a practitioner I don't need to build this stuff from scratch. People far smarter than me have done the hard work. I can just read a revolutionary paper like this: https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762 and implement it for my specific purposes using something from huggingface.
Post by: ender on May 21, 2021, 06:28:04 AM
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.
Post by: mizzourah2006 on May 21, 2021, 07:33:03 AM
@mizzourah2006 I would consider interviewing for some of the FAANGs just to see what you'd get.
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.
Thats good to hear. I'm not getting interviewed for straight ML roles. One is a Lead Data Scientist in product, which is a relatively new role within the company and the other is a quantitative UX research scientist. So, while I'd bet that a true machine learning engineer role at a FAANG would blow my current comp away, these are more data scientist type roles. I've found similar roles and info on levels.fyi and the variance is so large it's hard to tell, lol. Some are about at my comp and some are way higher.
But I do appreciate your thoughts as my professional contacts are more in the traditional I/O psychology space, so I don't have a lot of insights into the non-HR side of FAANGs and what I could expect.
Post by: ender on May 21, 2021, 07:34:58 AM
@mizzourah2006 I would consider interviewing for some of the FAANGs just to see what you'd get.
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.
Thats good to hear. I'm not getting interviewed for straight ML roles. One is a Lead Data Scientist in product, which is a relatively new role within the company and the other is a quantitative UX research scientist. So, while I'd bet that a true machine learning engineer role at a FAANG would blow my current comp away, these are more data scientist type roles. I've found similar roles and info on levels.fyi and the variance is so large it's hard to tell, lol. Some are about at my comp and some are way higher.
But I do appreciate your thoughts as my professional contacts are more in the traditional I/O psychology space, so I don't have a lot of insights into the non-HR side of FAANGs and what I could expect.
I don't think you understand just how much money is in tech in these types of fields right now ;-)
Post by: mizzourah2006 on May 21, 2021, 07:54:34 AM
@mizzourah2006 I would consider interviewing for some of the FAANGs just to see what you'd get.
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.
Thats good to hear. I'm not getting interviewed for straight ML roles. One is a Lead Data Scientist in product, which is a relatively new role within the company and the other is a quantitative UX research scientist. So, while I'd bet that a true machine learning engineer role at a FAANG would blow my current comp away, these are more data scientist type roles. I've found similar roles and info on levels.fyi and the variance is so large it's hard to tell, lol. Some are about at my comp and some are way higher.
But I do appreciate your thoughts as my professional contacts are more in the traditional I/O psychology space, so I don't have a lot of insights into the non-HR side of FAANGs and what I could expect.
I don't think you understand just how much money is in tech in these types of fields right now ;-)
Haha, that's crazy to hear. I honestly never expected to make anywhere near what I'm making now. I guess sometimes always wanting to learn new stuff pays off :) I do have those 2 interviews scheduled for a few weeks out. It's the first after the recruiter screens. Given what you said, I'll probably spend even more time prepping for them :)
Definitely appreciate your thoughts and insights.
Post by: MagneticNorth on May 21, 2021, 09:59:19 AM
@mizzourah2006 I would consider interviewing for some of the FAANGs just to see what you'd get.
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.
Thats good to hear. I'm not getting interviewed for straight ML roles. One is a Lead Data Scientist in product, which is a relatively new role within the company and the other is a quantitative UX research scientist. So, while I'd bet that a true machine learning engineer role at a FAANG would blow my current comp away, these are more data scientist type roles. I've found similar roles and info on levels.fyi and the variance is so large it's hard to tell, lol. Some are about at my comp and some are way higher.
But I do appreciate your thoughts as my professional contacts are more in the traditional I/O psychology space, so I don't have a lot of insights into the non-HR side of FAANGs and what I could expect.
I don't think you understand just how much money is in tech in these types of fields right now ;-)
Haha, that's crazy to hear. I honestly never expected to make anywhere near what I'm making now. I guess sometimes always wanting to learn new stuff pays off :) I do have those 2 interviews scheduled for a few weeks out. It's the first after the recruiter screens. Given what you said, I'll probably spend even more time prepping for them :)
Definitely appreciate your thoughts and insights.
Seconding ender's recommendation here. I'm an ML-focused data scientist who has worked at a couple of FAANG-level companies, and my comp has generally been in line with what levels.fyi reports for the software engineers at my same level.
It's definitely worth interviewing, and don't tell them your current comp or they may only offer a 15-20% raise. Look up negotiation tips, and if you feel totally backed into a corner to name a number, cite levels.fyi or other industry research that supports a very high number.
Post by: Gone_Hiking on May 21, 2021, 11:28:27 PM
Job Title: Requirements Engineer at a software company
Salary: $70 K. Company 401(k) match: 4%. No bonuses
Weekly hours: 40-42. 17 days of vacation, no rollover from year to year; 10 company holidays
Age: 46
Experience: 19 years
Education: M.S. Plant Breeding and Genetics, PMP certification, ACS ALS credentials from Toastmasters International
I started life as a molecular biologist, followed by computer programmer, followed by a project manager, followed by a layoff. My current position is the post-layoff position and represents 40% salary cut from my previous job; on the plus side, I was without a paycheck for only three weeks, which allowed me to invest the severance pay and accelerate FI. I've been on my current job for 6 months. I'm working on increasing responsibilities and probing ways to get a raise
Update!
Job Title: IT Project Manager at a not-for-profit medical certification board
Salary: $95 K. Company 401(k) match: 10%. No bonuses
Weekly hours: 40-42. 15 days of vacation, year-to-year rollover allowed until 28 days; 13 company holidays
Another update! This is an illustration of career progression that can happen to those who lost their livelihood to layoffs or "rightsizing". Keep your chin up, people!
Job Title: Systems Operations Manager at a not-for-profit medical certification board; Yep, a promotion announced two days ago
Salary: $103 K. Company 401(k) match as in the last update.
Weekly hours: 40-45 including on-call rotation every 5 weeks. Vacation and holidays as in the last update.
Two more updates:
Another job loss led to...
PMO Project Manager I - contractor at a major pharmaceutical company
Salary - $37.50 per hour plus overtime. No 401(k) match
Weekly hours - 40-45. No paid vacation or paid holidays
Fast forward a year...
Senior Project Manager at a small gene expression research company
Salary - 115 K. No 401(k) match. 5% bonus
Weekly hours - 40+. 15 days vacation, 10 days sick leave, 9 company holidays
Credentials update: PMP, CSM, SAFe 5 Agilist, Distinguished Toastmaster
Post by: 2Birds1Stone on May 22, 2021, 01:14:24 AM
Post by: Shytey on May 23, 2021, 10:23:56 AM
Salary: $220k
Education: Engineering Degree
Experience: Business is 6 years old
Age: 30
I run a local service business. Would recommend to anyone interested in entrepreneurship. Competition is almost always weak, the most talented people (generally) don't go into small business. Fast track to financial independence if you work smart.
Post by: SKL-HOU on May 23, 2021, 01:37:18 PM
Title: Small Business Owner
Salary: $220k
Education: Engineering Degree
Experience: Business is 6 years old
Age: 30
I run a local service business. Would recommend to anyone interested in entrepreneurship. Competition is almost always weak, the most talented people (generally) don't go into small business. Fast track to financial independence if you work smart.
What kind of engineering degree and what service, if you don’t mind sharing?
Post by: Huffduf41 on May 24, 2021, 08:55:50 AM
Title: Small Business Owner
Salary: $220k
Education: Engineering Degree
Experience: Business is 6 years old
Age: 30
I run a local service business. Would recommend to anyone interested in entrepreneurship. Competition is almost always weak, the most talented people (generally) don't go into small business. Fast track to financial independence if you work smart.
What kind of engineering degree and what service, if you don’t mind sharing?
Would also love to know, thanks
Post by: Mgmny on May 24, 2021, 12:22:53 PM
Title: Small Business Owner
Salary: $220k
Education: Engineering Degree
Experience: Business is 6 years old
Age: 30
I run a local service business. Would recommend to anyone interested in entrepreneurship. Competition is almost always weak, the most talented people (generally) don't go into small business. Fast track to financial independence if you work smart.
What kind of engineering degree and what service, if you don’t mind sharing?
Would also love to know, thanks
Thirded
Post by: Shytey on May 24, 2021, 01:24:06 PM
Title: Small Business Owner
Salary: $220k
Education: Engineering Degree
Experience: Business is 6 years old
Age: 30
I run a local service business. Would recommend to anyone interested in entrepreneurship. Competition is almost always weak, the most talented people (generally) don't go into small business. Fast track to financial independence if you work smart.
What kind of engineering degree and what service, if you don’t mind sharing?
Electrical engineering. Window cleaning.
Folllow sweaty startup on twitter or read his blog for more information.
Post by: CJ on May 24, 2021, 02:48:02 PM
Salary: $65K
Education: Bachelor's degree, various industry credentials
Experience: Coaching professionally since 2016 (used to be in the Navy)
Age: 34
Income comes from a spread of in-person and online coaching as well as running/creating curriculum for an online course on barbell training and coaching.
Post by: MaybeBabyMustache on May 24, 2021, 03:28:34 PM
@mizzourah2006 I would consider interviewing for some of the FAANGs just to see what you'd get.
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.
Thats good to hear. I'm not getting interviewed for straight ML roles. One is a Lead Data Scientist in product, which is a relatively new role within the company and the other is a quantitative UX research scientist. So, while I'd bet that a true machine learning engineer role at a FAANG would blow my current comp away, these are more data scientist type roles. I've found similar roles and info on levels.fyi and the variance is so large it's hard to tell, lol. Some are about at my comp and some are way higher.
But I do appreciate your thoughts as my professional contacts are more in the traditional I/O psychology space, so I don't have a lot of insights into the non-HR side of FAANGs and what I could expect.
I don't think you understand just how much money is in tech in these types of fields right now ;-)
Haha, that's crazy to hear. I honestly never expected to make anywhere near what I'm making now. I guess sometimes always wanting to learn new stuff pays off :) I do have those 2 interviews scheduled for a few weeks out. It's the first after the recruiter screens. Given what you said, I'll probably spend even more time prepping for them :)
Definitely appreciate your thoughts and insights.
I'll agree with this. I'd say it wouldn't be crazy to be 2x your current comp at one of those companies. That said, those are typically Bay Area salaries, and would be adjusted if you plan to work remotely elsewhere or out of another major hub in a lower COL
Post by: jps on May 24, 2021, 06:23:47 PM
Title: Data Analyst
Age: 24
Salary: $56k
Experience: ~3 years
Education: B.A. in Economics
Title: Financial Reporting Analyst II
Age: 27
Salary: $68k + ~8% bonus
Experience: ~5 years
Education: B.A. in Economics. Will finish MBA (finance) in August.
Post by: Gone_Hiking on May 24, 2021, 10:00:40 PM
@Gone_Hiking, love the Toastmaster included in your creds! I was a charter member of our chapter at my first megacorp job. It was huge in propelling my career after that.
Glad to meet a fellow Toastmaster! While my original megacorp job ended in a layoff in 2017, I found that, thanks to what I learned through Toastmasters, I recovered from the layoff and another job loss three years later, and now I'm super comfortable with salary negotiations. I've also heard about a utility company in my state that started a Toastmasters club. The club folded within two years because all charter members were promoted to management and had no time to attend meetings. Funny how that works sometimes, no?
Post by: SpareChange on May 25, 2021, 12:47:38 PM
In a mcol city.
Title: Radiologic Technologist (fancy words for, in my case, an x-ray tech)
Age: 43
Salary: $85-90k this year.
Experience: 7 years
Education: BA economics (not used lol), AAS radiologic technology.
403b match is 4.6% on a contribution of 4%.
Wow, almost 3 years have passed. Same career. Same place. Only work halftime now though, in the form of 5 days on/9 off. Every fifth weekend on call. Base comp is about 40k, with the flexibility to earn more. Still get health insurance, 403b match, and PTO. Got some heavy hitters in this thread! Way to go, peeps!
Post by: genericname55 on May 25, 2021, 07:32:46 PM
Experience: 13 years
Education: BS Accounting
Salary: $160k + 20-30% bonus
LCOL area
Post by: RainyDay on May 27, 2021, 11:15:47 AM
Experience: 20+ years
Education: BA Criminology, MS Defense & Strategic Studies
Salary: $160k + federal benefits
Med-High cost of living area
Post by: Mjolnir on June 03, 2021, 03:30:58 AM
Age: 32
Experience: about 10 years
Degree: master's degree in law
Location: western Europe
Salary: EUR 80.000 (before taxes) / +- EUR 45.000 (after taxes) + benefits (healthcare, pension, paid subscription to my city's public transportation system)
Post by: Lomonossov on June 04, 2021, 02:37:02 AM
Title: Senior Manger - Risk Modelling
Age: 34
Experience: 12 years
Degree: BSc Physics
Location: Eastern Europe
Salary: EUR 70.000 (before taxes) / +- EUR 48.000 (after taxes) + benefits (healthcare, pension, 30 days of PTO, gym subscription, life insurance)
Post by: Roboturner on June 11, 2021, 10:13:25 AM
@Roboturner is this a petroleum related position?
sure is! also an update
Title: Sr. Reservoir Engineer
Age: 32
Experience: 8 yr industry, 2.5 yr research
Education: BS/MS
Salary: $190k + 40% cash bonus + 8% 401k match + 5% equity
Area: MCOL
Post by: texxan1 on June 11, 2021, 12:41:09 PM
FIRED but have a few of them der fancy ice vending machines that i do nothing with buy pay the bills... .takes me umm, 1 hour a month lol
Post by: SKL-HOU on June 11, 2021, 01:28:13 PM
ICE KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 100k a year side hussle selling ice and water.. .Ya, you heard it right.... ICE KING lol
FIRED but have a few of them der fancy ice vending machines that i do nothing with buy pay the bills... .takes me umm, 1 hour a month lol
Wow that is awesome! How did you get started with this? Where are these ice vending machine?
Post by: Steeze on June 11, 2021, 01:29:12 PM
Title: Senior Engineer / Consultant
Industry Construction
Age: 33
Experience: 8 years
Education: BS Civil Engineering
Credentials: Professional Engineer
Salary: $110k + 20% Bonus + 4% 401k Match
Area: VHCOL --- 90% office & 10% field work, no working from home
Time Commitment ~50hrs/wk+
Post by: mizzourah2006 on June 15, 2021, 06:29:07 AM
@mizzourah2006 I would consider interviewing for some of the FAANGs just to see what you'd get.
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.
Seconding ender's recommendation here. I'm an ML-focused data scientist who has worked at a couple of FAANG-level companies, and my comp has generally been in line with what levels.fyi reports for the software engineers at my same level.
It's definitely worth interviewing, and don't tell them your current comp or they may only offer a 15-20% raise. Look up negotiation tips, and if you feel totally backed into a corner to name a number, cite levels.fyi or other industry research that supports a very high number.
Thanks both. I actually made it to the final round for both roles. The recruiters seemed to imply it was uncommon to see that, so I guess that means my skillset is versatile :)
Now comes the hard part :) Two ~4 hour interviews, lol. It does seem like at least the product sense overlaps with both jobs. So at least part of the prep for both should be similar.
At the very least it's good practice to get back out into the competitive interviewing space. Haven't done it in a year since the Director of Data Science role I ended up turning down.
Post by: ender on June 15, 2021, 06:32:16 AM
Post by: MagneticNorth on June 15, 2021, 09:16:16 AM
@mizzourah2006 I would consider interviewing for some of the FAANGs just to see what you'd get.
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.Seconding ender's recommendation here. I'm an ML-focused data scientist who has worked at a couple of FAANG-level companies, and my comp has generally been in line with what levels.fyi reports for the software engineers at my same level.
It's definitely worth interviewing, and don't tell them your current comp or they may only offer a 15-20% raise. Look up negotiation tips, and if you feel totally backed into a corner to name a number, cite levels.fyi or other industry research that supports a very high number.
Thanks both. I actually made it to the final round for both roles. The recruiters seemed to imply it was uncommon to see that, so I guess that means my skillset is versatile :)
Now comes the hard part :) Two ~4 hour interviews, lol. It does seem like at least the product sense overlaps with both jobs. So at least part of the prep for both should be similar.
At the very least it's good practice to get back out into the competitive interviewing space. Haven't done it in a year since the Director of Data Science role I ended up turning down.
Congratulations on making it this far! And I agree with the recruiters; the vast majority of applicants get weeded out in the early phone screens; if they're spending the time of their data scientists and engineers on interviewing you then you are definitely a strong candidate. Good luck with your interviews!
Post by: turketron on June 18, 2021, 08:36:16 AM
Huh been awhile since I've updated as well. I'm in the same role, and got a small increase to my base salary in 2020 (raises were paused during COVID) but still got new RSU grants both in 2020 and 2021. Additionally, my company paid out a bonus this year which is new for non-commission employees.
Job Title: Operations Manager
Experience: 2 years in this role, 8 years total at same company
Age: 35
Salary: $74,500k base, 10% bonus for 2021. In 2020 I had $45k of RSUs that vested, and between RSU and ESPP shares I sold about $80k. I'm on track (based on current stock price) to receive about $60k of vested RSUs for 2021, so I'll probably sell at least as much as I did last year.
Education: Bachelor's
My boss just reached out for an impromptu chat over Zoom- now that COVID is (mostly) past us, HR is re-evaluating compensation across the board to make sure everyone's in the correct salary bands based on their role and tenure - we've had a few situations over the past few years where employees who had been in their role for a couple years were making less than newly hired coworkers. While everyone was understanding of the pay raise freeze for 2020 due to COVID, this only exacerbated the problem. Raises are back on the table now, so the intent was to correct everyone who is under-compensated "up" into their proper band, and then performance evaluations + raises would be coming later in Q3/Q4.
My base pay was determined to be 2% under what's expected for my set salary band - obviously not ideal but it certainly could have been worse! Then my boss tells me that, now that merit-based increases are also being allowed again, he wanted to use this opportunity to recognize the hard work I've done over the past year, and so he proposed to our VP a 10% raise. She did him one better, and decided to bump my base salary to $94,000, a 26% increase! A raise at all was unexpected until later in the year, and I definitely wasn't expecting anything this high! I suspect that this is also (in part) a preemptive "thank you" for a massive rollout we have coming up in August/Sept that's going to be an absolute shit show for my department. It's definitely appreciated!
Job Title: Operations Manager
Experience: 2 years in this role, 8 years total at same company
Age: 35
Salary: $94k base, 10% bonus for 2021
Education: Bachelor's
Post by: Virtus3 on June 18, 2021, 10:02:10 AM
Salary: $115k + 4.5% 401k match + 3-8% bonus
Experience: 5 yrs in industry
Age: 33
Education: BS
Post by: mizzourah2006 on June 18, 2021, 10:49:01 AM
Just give me 1% of whatever pay raise you get as commission :-)
haha, of course! :)
Congratulations on making it this far! And I agree with the recruiters; the vast majority of applicants get weeded out in the early phone screens; if they're spending the time of their data scientists and engineers on interviewing you then you are definitely a strong candidate. Good luck with your interviews!
Thanks!
Post by: Cubist on June 19, 2021, 07:51:29 AM
Experience: 5 years
Age: 30
Salary: $94k plus government benefits (pension, tons of PTO, health insurance, etc.)
Education: Bachelor's in Accounting, CMA
Location: MCOL
Post by: Alchemisst on June 20, 2021, 04:35:05 AM
My Job Title: SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1 year
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: 72k + ~10% bonus + $750 HSA contribution + 2.5% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Cost of living from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html) is 99.2/100, so very average cost of living area.
Started at 71k, got a raise a couple months in as a thanks for being awesome ;)
My manager says I will be getting a promotion in the next round (February) even though it typically takes 3-4 years. Should come with about a 10% raise.
The work environment is awesome. Really laid back and supportive. Take as much vacation as you want policy with no keeping track of work, sick, and vacation hours, etc. I would have to get a super big raise to consider working elsewhere.
DW Job Title: RN
Salary: ~70k + small pension + 2% 403b match
Experience: 5 years
Education: BS in Dietetics, BS in Nursing
She started out getting a degree in dietetics but that didn't work out due to requiring an internship to get certified and there not being enough to go around (something that if she had known me prior to starting the program she would have thoroughly looked into and chosen something different or studied harder). Went back after the Dietetics degree and did an accelerated BSN program and now is very happy.
Updating because I just got a promotion and a 15% raise!!!!
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $83,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
San Francisco Salary: $198,578 (my city is 101.4 on CoL Index)
Was a weird year. We bought out another big company, my project got cancelled and we were in flux for awhile, and then my manager quit abruptly and it took 6+ months to replace him.
Only got a 3.5% raise this year, but also was granted ~$17k in RSUs that vest over 4 years. Not sure what to think of the golden handcuffs, will have to cross that bridge if I ever think about leaving.
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 2.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $~86,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + ~$17k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Just took a job with a new company (along with a nice promotion), and will be moving from a MCOL area with a COL score of 99.2 to a HCOL area with a COL score of 146.4 (MN to Orange County, scores from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html)).
I think I am doing pretty well, as the job is 3 promotions above entry level out of college position and I only have 3.5 years of experience. This job would normally take 8+ years of experience to reach. As a result I am pretty sure my salary is near the lower end of the band, so plenty of room for growth even if I don't get any further promotions for a few years.
My Job Title: Staff SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 3.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $135000 + 10% bonus target + $4000 401k match + ~26k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth (15% discount, two year lock, can put in 15% of salary) -- I would say financial compensation is ~$175,000 annually.
Just got a raise, which was nice as I was only here ~6 months when review time came and wasn't sure I would get one. Ended up getting 4% raise bringing my base salary to $140,400.
Our stock is also doing quite nicely and is up 46% since our ESPP lock so if it stays up for the next couple of years should be getting a nice return on ESPP shares.
My biggest regret about taking this job (going from flexible "unlimited" vacation policy to 3 weeks vacation policy) was also recently rectified as the new company has now also adopted flexible vacation.
A lot has happened since my last post. I moved back to MN in March of 2020 and took a job at my old employer again.
Experience: 5+ years at time of hire
Job title: Principal Engineer
Location: MCOL (Minnesota)
Comp: $115k base + 12% bonus target + 3% 401k match + RSUs.
Things in the org aren't going well and a lot of people are leaving.
I just got an offer for a full time remote position.
Experience: 6+ years at time of offer
Job title: Senior Software Engineer
Location: Remote from Minnesota
Comp: $155k base + 18% bonus target + 5% 401k match + RSUs (got $25k signing bonus + $110k initial RSU grant)
My biggest advice for a tech worker is to switch companies often. It's by far the best / fastest way to increase comp!
DW is now making $82,500/yr as an RN and working M-F day hours. She will be finishing up her Master's in Nursing in January and wants to find a job managing a nursing unit which should come with about a $20k/yr raise or so.
Would you recommend a CS degree these days? Did you come out job ready or did you have to do a bootcamp/ self learn etc?
Post by: pamplemusique on June 20, 2021, 08:24:54 AM
Title: Data Analyst
Age: 24
Salary: $56k
Experience: ~3 years
Education: B.A. in Economics
Hi! I’m you from the future if you’re willing to keep your nose to the grindstone and can find your rhythm in a mega-corp environment :-)
Title: Director Analytics
Age: 33
Experience: 13 years
Education: B.A. in Economics
Comp: $240k salary, ~$420k total comp (including bonus, RSUs, and 401k match)
Post by: Btag84 on June 22, 2021, 08:06:14 PM
Controller, a CPA, at a small public company
A moderate cost of living area in the Midwest
Salary: $108k base with 10% bonus
Experience: 6 years in public, 4 years in financial reporting and technical accounting.
Age: mid 30s
Update: $128,000 base and 10% bonus. Same company. We're double the size now though so I'm expecting a good bump by 2022 or I'm looking elsewhere.
Post by: epritch7 on June 25, 2021, 06:48:08 AM
Age: 40
Salary: $91k Base + 12% annual bonus + $1.6k HSA cont + 6% retirement account cont
Experience: 7 yrs
Education Requirement: BS/BA (I'm university trained but no degree past HS)
Post by: use2betrix on June 25, 2021, 05:04:36 PM
Post by: Gronnie on June 26, 2021, 09:16:01 PM
My Job Title: SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1 year
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: 72k + ~10% bonus + $750 HSA contribution + 2.5% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Cost of living from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html) is 99.2/100, so very average cost of living area.
Started at 71k, got a raise a couple months in as a thanks for being awesome ;)
My manager says I will be getting a promotion in the next round (February) even though it typically takes 3-4 years. Should come with about a 10% raise.
The work environment is awesome. Really laid back and supportive. Take as much vacation as you want policy with no keeping track of work, sick, and vacation hours, etc. I would have to get a super big raise to consider working elsewhere.
DW Job Title: RN
Salary: ~70k + small pension + 2% 403b match
Experience: 5 years
Education: BS in Dietetics, BS in Nursing
She started out getting a degree in dietetics but that didn't work out due to requiring an internship to get certified and there not being enough to go around (something that if she had known me prior to starting the program she would have thoroughly looked into and chosen something different or studied harder). Went back after the Dietetics degree and did an accelerated BSN program and now is very happy.
Updating because I just got a promotion and a 15% raise!!!!
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $83,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
San Francisco Salary: $198,578 (my city is 101.4 on CoL Index)
Was a weird year. We bought out another big company, my project got cancelled and we were in flux for awhile, and then my manager quit abruptly and it took 6+ months to replace him.
Only got a 3.5% raise this year, but also was granted ~$17k in RSUs that vest over 4 years. Not sure what to think of the golden handcuffs, will have to cross that bridge if I ever think about leaving.
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 2.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $~86,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + ~$17k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Just took a job with a new company (along with a nice promotion), and will be moving from a MCOL area with a COL score of 99.2 to a HCOL area with a COL score of 146.4 (MN to Orange County, scores from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html)).
I think I am doing pretty well, as the job is 3 promotions above entry level out of college position and I only have 3.5 years of experience. This job would normally take 8+ years of experience to reach. As a result I am pretty sure my salary is near the lower end of the band, so plenty of room for growth even if I don't get any further promotions for a few years.
My Job Title: Staff SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 3.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $135000 + 10% bonus target + $4000 401k match + ~26k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth (15% discount, two year lock, can put in 15% of salary) -- I would say financial compensation is ~$175,000 annually.
Just got a raise, which was nice as I was only here ~6 months when review time came and wasn't sure I would get one. Ended up getting 4% raise bringing my base salary to $140,400.
Our stock is also doing quite nicely and is up 46% since our ESPP lock so if it stays up for the next couple of years should be getting a nice return on ESPP shares.
My biggest regret about taking this job (going from flexible "unlimited" vacation policy to 3 weeks vacation policy) was also recently rectified as the new company has now also adopted flexible vacation.
A lot has happened since my last post. I moved back to MN in March of 2020 and took a job at my old employer again.
Experience: 5+ years at time of hire
Job title: Principal Engineer
Location: MCOL (Minnesota)
Comp: $115k base + 12% bonus target + 3% 401k match + RSUs.
Things in the org aren't going well and a lot of people are leaving.
I just got an offer for a full time remote position.
Experience: 6+ years at time of offer
Job title: Senior Software Engineer
Location: Remote from Minnesota
Comp: $155k base + 18% bonus target + 5% 401k match + RSUs (got $25k signing bonus + $110k initial RSU grant)
My biggest advice for a tech worker is to switch companies often. It's by far the best / fastest way to increase comp!
DW is now making $82,500/yr as an RN and working M-F day hours. She will be finishing up her Master's in Nursing in January and wants to find a job managing a nursing unit which should come with about a $20k/yr raise or so.
Would you recommend a CS degree these days? Did you come out job ready or did you have to do a bootcamp/ self learn etc?
I think it's worth it if one is going to put in the work.
I think I came out job ready, I've gotten a promotion almost every year.
Post by: thesis on June 27, 2021, 03:52:38 PM
Age: 32
Experience: ~8 years
Education: Bachelor's, non-CS degree
Salary: ~$93,000
Area: Denver
Time Commitment: 40 hours per week
It seems a lot of developers reach "Senior Developer" status by my age, but my route into software was circuitous, to say the least, and my first job didn't contribute much to my career. I'm more than happy to learn and grow and study, but I'm not a "nose to the grindstone" type of person, and that is likely represented in my compensation, which I'm otherwise pretty happy about. Sometimes I feel like an idiot, but I'm decently competent at the tasks that are assigned to me, and I don't believe in outputting anything less than quality; nonetheless, I also won't be doing this my entire life. I'd be happy to crack 6 figures, but after that, I'd probably start exchanging some of my compensation for time.
I would also second the advice about changing jobs relatively frequently. It's kind of ridiculous how much more you can earn switching jobs.
This thread is both inspiring and depressing
Post by: Blondetuco on June 28, 2021, 12:24:57 PM
Position: Scientist / Chemist
Salary: 45k/yr
Age: 29
Area: Salt Lake City
Workload: 40 hr/wk
I was making 65k in LCOL midwest prior to relocating to Utah, where I got another job making the same salary. 7 months and a pandemic later, I burned out and quit. This new job has been a good way to mentally reset, but recalculating the FI date shows its not a long-term solution.
Post by: broketriathlete on July 02, 2021, 07:07:30 PM
Industry: Pool Service & Repair (state licensed pool contractor), Pool YouTube Channel, Pool Business Coaching
Salary: Base - $120K
Dividends - Up to $60K
Experience: 6 Years
Area: Tampa Bay
Time Commitment: 50 Hours on a heavy week (have 8 employees)
Post by: maisymouser on July 02, 2021, 08:20:11 PM
Title: Process Engineer
Age: 30
Salary: 75k gross, ~80k after bonuses/stock options
Experience: 5 years- 2 in this role, 3 years prior as a scientist
Area: NC
Time Commitment: 35 hours if I work continuously, 40 hours if I chit chat and enjoy leisurely walks with colleagues
Eh, even though I'm making the lower end of what others are on this thread, I'll try to remind myself that I'm pretty happy at work and well on my way to FIRE at this rate. But also, I have a target goal of 100k/year before I FIRE. I guess I have some work to do... at work, that is!
Post by: friedmmj on July 03, 2021, 06:25:39 AM
ICE KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 100k a year side hussle selling ice and water.. .Ya, you heard it right.... ICE KING lol
FIRED but have a few of them der fancy ice vending machines that i do nothing with buy pay the bills... .takes me umm, 1 hour a month lol
LOL do you need a partner?
Post by: duellingbanjos on July 03, 2021, 07:13:45 AM
Title: Corporate counsel
Age: early 40s
Salary: 190k inclusive of annual bonus + ~20k RSU
Experience: ~10years
Time commitment: 60-70 hours a week.
Reading the thread, I should have gone into data analytics instead ;)
Post by: effigy98 on July 03, 2021, 07:42:27 PM
https://levels.fyi/
However, one extra perk is for the last 3 years, many keep getting these 100k "retention bonuses" in stock each year. They must be having a hard time keeping engineers around.
Post by: luchorpan on July 13, 2021, 09:15:58 AM
Years experience: 5 years teaching, 4 years research (relevant to the cool program)
Necessary education: bachelor’s a must, master’s very common, PhDs a minority
Pay: $47k + free tuition for my kids (husband is similar role at a different school, better at negotiating, pay is $55k)
Time/wk: 40-50 hours school year (10 months), <10 hrs summer (2 months)
Post by: DrinkCoffeeStackMoney on July 14, 2021, 05:48:26 AM
Title: Director of Operations (Food distribution, currently)
Years experience: 20 years in management with four different companies, and in three different industries. (Food distribution, Automotive, Plastics)
Age: Mid-40's.
Education: High school diploma with shit grades. (School isn't for me)
Pay: $103k last year with bonuses. Probably the same this year if I stay at my current employer as they just restructured the bonus program in their favor.
Time: 45'ish hours a week when fully staffed. We've been short handed for the last 8 months so I'm probably doing 60-65 hours a week currently.
Post by: Abe on July 14, 2021, 01:54:08 PM
Previous: Surgery Fellow (trainee after completing training in General Surgery) - $70k
Now: Assistant Professor - $450k (salary + deferred compensation + 401k match)
It’s only 3x more stressful, so overall improvement!
Post by: iwasjustwondering on July 14, 2021, 05:06:23 PM
I actually make a shit ton of money, but I started earning and saving late. So I have been making up ground.
Director of Communications
$215K base
$53K bonus potential
$50K stock grant (I will vest in this in three years)
So the total I could earn in a year is $318K. This is the first year I'll be earning over $260, so I just recently made a fairly big leap. I'm working for three more years to vest in my stock grants.
Post by: bbqbonelesswing on July 14, 2021, 06:09:12 PM
Years experience: Graduated college in 2014, but just 3.5 years in Customer Success
Necessary education: Bachelor's in Finance (totally unrelated; switched careers)
Pay: about $104k all-in (base, bonus, etc.)
Time/wk: 40-50 hours on average
Post by: Simpli-Fi on July 14, 2021, 09:17:48 PM
Salary: $72500 + bonus 5-7k; 401k match of 4%
Years’ experience: 0 in industry
I took an entry level engineering job as a coast gig for the benefits.
Time/Work: no commute or bike 20min: 15-20 hours/wk of my attention.
Post by: rimshotsnap on July 16, 2021, 06:40:59 PM
Years experience: 13 years post grad. Age: 36
Necessary education: Master's in Healthcare Administration
Pay: $180k, 5-10% bonus, great benefits including 401 and DB pension. VHCOL Area
Full time+ job. Great pay and benefits but very taxing especially during COVID.
Post by: Visitation on July 16, 2021, 06:59:22 PM
Salary: $200K
Experience: 31 years
Education: BS Computer Science
Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk
Post by: Maverick1 on July 17, 2021, 11:12:12 AM
Corporate controller for a group of automotive dealerships
Base salary $162k Canadian dollars. Bonus is a % of profit, for 2021 it’s on pace to be a similar number
Education - business degree and CPA
Post by: LearningMustachian72 on July 19, 2021, 11:30:53 AM
Age: 32
Salary: $146k + 20% bonus
Education: Majors in Computer Info Systems and Accounting
Experience: 10 years
I spent 6 years in big 4 public accounting, see below for rough salaries by year.
Rough salaries+bonuses by year:
Big 4 year 1: $52,000
Year 2: 56,000
Year 3: 61,000
Year 4: 80,000 (promotion)
Year 5: 85,000
Year 6: 90,000
Year 7: 115,000 (move from public acct)
Year 8: 120,000
Year 9: 155,000 (another organization change)
Year 10: 175,000
Glad someone started this, was always curious about paths leaving public accounting. Is also interesting to see types of roles this community has.
Post by: L2 on September 26, 2021, 07:45:03 PM
Age: 30Job Title: Tax Manager - Regional Public AccountingAge: 27
Age: 26
Experience: ~ 4 years
Salary: 78k, expecting an annual raise to ~82k in November.
Other: 3% 401k match, profit-sharing, but I just started here a few months ago so I have no idea what to expect.
I'm located in Ohio and started out my career at a much larger firm. Took a promotion and 22% raise to come to the new place. A ton more flexibility is also a plus. Its sort of unfortunate, but it seems the only way to really get market rate is to jump ship, at least in accounting.
Experience: ~ 5 years
Salary: $83,352
Experience: 8 years
Salary: 150k + somewhere between 5 and 10k annual bonus.
Prior salary (raises after previous update) was $94k. Made a lateral move in terms of title to a new firm. It would appear to be an employee's market.
Post by: magus on September 27, 2021, 07:05:33 AM
Vice President FP&A (also ran another finance function while public before July that no longer exists as private firm)
Base: ~$250k
Bonus target: ~$75k
Stock target: Was ~$90k while public, now $1.2m target after 5.5 years (could be way less or somewhat more, if I leave or get laid off before event, I get none, so somewhat hard to compare)
Company match: 6% of base (3% in 401k, 3% in NQDC)
10 years in finance jobs, 10 years in Ops jobs. MBA from T15 program, BS in Econ undergrad
I have payroll files from current & prior company for every corp employee (plus summaries by position for field) so I have a great idea of salaries in the SE if anyone is interested for a medium size company (300 HQ, ~6k total employees)
Post by: doneby35 on September 27, 2021, 01:21:29 PM
Age: 35
Experience: 15 years
Education: barely finished high school
Salary: $150k, incoming 15% raise
Time: ~10 hrs/week for the past 4 years or so. Really starting to get good at not doing much without getting in trouble. This is probably not the case for 99% of the people in the industry as they usually work a good 50-60 hrs/week.
Post by: 2Birds1Stone on September 30, 2021, 02:56:09 AM
Title: Senior Systems Engineer
Age: 35
Experience: 15 years
Education: barely finished high school
Salary: $150k, incoming 15% raise
Time: ~10 hrs/week for the past 4 years or so. Really starting to get good at not doing much without getting in trouble. This is probably not the case for 99% of the people in the industry as they usually work a good 50-60 hrs/week.
$300/hr? Marvelous!
Post by: mizzourah2006 on September 30, 2021, 09:39:10 AM
@mizzourah2006 I would consider interviewing for some of the FAANGs just to see what you'd get.
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.
Thats good to hear. I'm not getting interviewed for straight ML roles. One is a Lead Data Scientist in product, which is a relatively new role within the company and the other is a quantitative UX research scientist. So, while I'd bet that a true machine learning engineer role at a FAANG would blow my current comp away, these are more data scientist type roles. I've found similar roles and info on levels.fyi and the variance is so large it's hard to tell, lol. Some are about at my comp and some are way higher.
But I do appreciate your thoughts as my professional contacts are more in the traditional I/O psychology space, so I don't have a lot of insights into the non-HR side of FAANGs and what I could expect.
Update on this.
Just turned down an offer from FB last week. It was for a remote work IC6 role:
Base: $165k
Target Bonus: $33k
$200k equity vesting quarterly over 4 years, so $50k/yr.
So ~ $248k total compensation. I did tell the recruiter that it was way low on base and would be about a $25k/yr pay cut. She suggested it might be possible to get that up to $180k, which would have brought the target bonus up by $3k, so potentially $266k.
After private equity and bonus I'm currently at around $235k/yr and I really only work 25-35 hours/week on an east coast time schedule. The hours would have been mostly west coast, which would have impacted things like me coaching my daughter's soccer, taking the kids to swim classes, picking my daughter up from the school bus, etc. I decided the additional work, impact it would likely have on my family life, and that it would take me away from my professional affiliations/conferences for my specific sub-field, which I've kind of made a name for myself in (get invited to be a guest editor at a top academic journal, get invited to be symposium discussants at national conferences, get invited to do paid seminars at national conferences, etc.) made the extra $30k seem not worth it at all.
It was a pretty stressful and long experience to get offered on a team I was not really interested in working with and for not much of a pay raise, but hey, now I can say I got an offer from a FAANG :)
Post by: Anon-E-Mouze on September 30, 2021, 10:30:06 AM
Title: Senior Vice President, Government Affairs (reporting to Global Head of this function) for an S&P 500 company
Age: 52 (in 2016)
Experience: 25 years
Salary: US $300K base, plus typically a cash bonus of $50-80K and restricted stock (vesting 25% per year) of $50-80K
Education: undergrad + JD + specialized Master of Laws
Experience: 8 years at top-tier law firms (including several years as a non-equity partner); 6 years at financial sector regulatory agencies in several countries; 2 years at an international organization; 9 years at the company (helping see it through the global financial crisis); conversant (for work purposes) in two languages (plus English of course); no direct reports (but previously I'd managed a small, global team before transitioning to a specialist role)
This was a position that was not in the legal department, but it was "adjacent" to Legal and to Compliance, so compensation was influenced by the quasi-legal / quasi-compliance nature of the role (e.g. higher base, lower variable comp, variable comp tied to overall company success)
I make quite a bit less now but I'm having a lot of fun :)
Post by: Hall11235 on September 30, 2021, 10:55:47 AM
Title: Installation and Technical Support Manager
Age: 28
Experience: 6 years
Salary: 81k +4% 401k match + $.56 per mile driven
Education: History and Education (what a tragic waste of 4 years of my life)
Basically, my job is to install equipment that Sales sells. This work is very feast or famine, so, some weeks are 55ish hours while others are a soft 20. I get paid salary, not hourly, so it works out. Thought, at this point, I would sell my soul to not interface with customers.
Post by: MaybeBabyMustache on September 30, 2021, 12:02:14 PM
@mizzourah2006 I would consider interviewing for some of the FAANGs just to see what you'd get.
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.
Thats good to hear. I'm not getting interviewed for straight ML roles. One is a Lead Data Scientist in product, which is a relatively new role within the company and the other is a quantitative UX research scientist. So, while I'd bet that a true machine learning engineer role at a FAANG would blow my current comp away, these are more data scientist type roles. I've found similar roles and info on levels.fyi and the variance is so large it's hard to tell, lol. Some are about at my comp and some are way higher.
But I do appreciate your thoughts as my professional contacts are more in the traditional I/O psychology space, so I don't have a lot of insights into the non-HR side of FAANGs and what I could expect.
Update on this.
Just turned down an offer from FB last week. It was for a remote work IC6 role:
Base: $165k
Target Bonus: $33k
$200k equity vesting quarterly over 4 years, so $50k/yr.
So ~ $248k total compensation. I did tell the recruiter that it was way low on base and would be about a $25k/yr pay cut. She suggested it might be possible to get that up to $180k, which would have brought the target bonus up by $3k, so potentially $266k.
After private equity and bonus I'm currently at around $235k/yr and I really only work 25-35 hours/week on an east coast time schedule. The hours would have been mostly west coast, which would have impacted things like me coaching my daughter's soccer, taking the kids to swim classes, picking my daughter up from the school bus, etc. I decided the additional work, impact it would likely have on my family life, and that it would take me away from my professional affiliations/conferences for my specific sub-field, which I've kind of made a name for myself in (get invited to be a guest editor at a top academic journal, get invited to be symposium discussants at national conferences, get invited to do paid seminars at national conferences, etc.) made the extra $30k seem not worth it at all.
It was a pretty stressful and long experience to get offered on a team I was not really interested in working with and for not much of a pay raise, but hey, now I can say I got an offer from a FAANG :)
@mizzourah2006 - I'm a little surprised to see it this low for an L6 role. And, sounds like you definitely made the right choice, given flexibility!
Post by: mizzourah2006 on September 30, 2021, 12:43:49 PM
@mizzourah2006 I would consider interviewing for some of the FAANGs just to see what you'd get.
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.
Thats good to hear. I'm not getting interviewed for straight ML roles. One is a Lead Data Scientist in product, which is a relatively new role within the company and the other is a quantitative UX research scientist. So, while I'd bet that a true machine learning engineer role at a FAANG would blow my current comp away, these are more data scientist type roles. I've found similar roles and info on levels.fyi and the variance is so large it's hard to tell, lol. Some are about at my comp and some are way higher.
But I do appreciate your thoughts as my professional contacts are more in the traditional I/O psychology space, so I don't have a lot of insights into the non-HR side of FAANGs and what I could expect.
Update on this.
Just turned down an offer from FB last week. It was for a remote work IC6 role:
Base: $165k
Target Bonus: $33k
$200k equity vesting quarterly over 4 years, so $50k/yr.
So ~ $248k total compensation. I did tell the recruiter that it was way low on base and would be about a $25k/yr pay cut. She suggested it might be possible to get that up to $180k, which would have brought the target bonus up by $3k, so potentially $266k.
After private equity and bonus I'm currently at around $235k/yr and I really only work 25-35 hours/week on an east coast time schedule. The hours would have been mostly west coast, which would have impacted things like me coaching my daughter's soccer, taking the kids to swim classes, picking my daughter up from the school bus, etc. I decided the additional work, impact it would likely have on my family life, and that it would take me away from my professional affiliations/conferences for my specific sub-field, which I've kind of made a name for myself in (get invited to be a guest editor at a top academic journal, get invited to be symposium discussants at national conferences, get invited to do paid seminars at national conferences, etc.) made the extra $30k seem not worth it at all.
It was a pretty stressful and long experience to get offered on a team I was not really interested in working with and for not much of a pay raise, but hey, now I can say I got an offer from a FAANG :)
@mizzourah2006 - I'm a little surprised to see it this low for an L6 role. And, sounds like you definitely made the right choice, given flexibility!
Almost certainly the fact that I was remote. They asked for my address quite a few times. I think they have a COL calculator they use for adjustments and I live in a pretty inexpensive area of the country.
Post by: doneby35 on September 30, 2021, 07:10:47 PM
@mizzourah2006 I would consider interviewing for some of the FAANGs just to see what you'd get.
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.
Thats good to hear. I'm not getting interviewed for straight ML roles. One is a Lead Data Scientist in product, which is a relatively new role within the company and the other is a quantitative UX research scientist. So, while I'd bet that a true machine learning engineer role at a FAANG would blow my current comp away, these are more data scientist type roles. I've found similar roles and info on levels.fyi and the variance is so large it's hard to tell, lol. Some are about at my comp and some are way higher.
But I do appreciate your thoughts as my professional contacts are more in the traditional I/O psychology space, so I don't have a lot of insights into the non-HR side of FAANGs and what I could expect.
Update on this.
Just turned down an offer from FB last week. It was for a remote work IC6 role:
Base: $165k
Target Bonus: $33k
$200k equity vesting quarterly over 4 years, so $50k/yr.
So ~ $248k total compensation. I did tell the recruiter that it was way low on base and would be about a $25k/yr pay cut. She suggested it might be possible to get that up to $180k, which would have brought the target bonus up by $3k, so potentially $266k.
After private equity and bonus I'm currently at around $235k/yr and I really only work 25-35 hours/week on an east coast time schedule. The hours would have been mostly west coast, which would have impacted things like me coaching my daughter's soccer, taking the kids to swim classes, picking my daughter up from the school bus, etc. I decided the additional work, impact it would likely have on my family life, and that it would take me away from my professional affiliations/conferences for my specific sub-field, which I've kind of made a name for myself in (get invited to be a guest editor at a top academic journal, get invited to be symposium discussants at national conferences, get invited to do paid seminars at national conferences, etc.) made the extra $30k seem not worth it at all.
It was a pretty stressful and long experience to get offered on a team I was not really interested in working with and for not much of a pay raise, but hey, now I can say I got an offer from a FAANG :)
@mizzourah2006 - I'm a little surprised to see it this low for an L6 role. And, sounds like you definitely made the right choice, given flexibility!
Almost certainly the fact that I was remote. They asked for my address quite a few times. I think they have a COL calculator they use for adjustments and I live in a pretty inexpensive area of the country.
Ex facebook employee here. Not the greatest place. You made the right choice.
Post by: Johnny on October 07, 2021, 04:44:20 PM
Location: VHCOL
Corporate Job: Strategy Leader for Fortune 500 company
Corporate Salary: $200k
Side Hustle: Video Editor for several famous YouTubers
Side Hustle Salary: $350k
I've optimized my corporate job enough that I'm usually working less than 30 hours a week. I do video editing for YouTubers weeknights after dinner or sometimes on the weekend.
Money has been great, but it's a lot of work juggling two full-time equivalent jobs.
Post by: Alchemisst on October 16, 2021, 05:21:20 AM
Age: 40
Location: VHCOL
Corporate Job: Strategy Leader for Fortune 500 company
Corporate Salary: $200k
Side Hustle: Video Editor for several famous YouTubers
Side Hustle Salary: $350k
I've optimized my corporate job enough that I'm usually working less than 30 hours a week. I do video editing for YouTubers weeknights after dinner or sometimes on the weekend.
Money has been great, but it's a lot of work juggling two full-time equivalent jobs.
Wow, how many hours does the side hustle take up?
Post by: havregryn on October 16, 2021, 06:31:14 AM
Age: 40
Location: VHCOL
Corporate Job: Strategy Leader for Fortune 500 company
Corporate Salary: $200k
Side Hustle: Video Editor for several famous YouTubers
Side Hustle Salary: $350k
I've optimized my corporate job enough that I'm usually working less than 30 hours a week. I do video editing for YouTubers weeknights after dinner or sometimes on the weekend.
Money has been great, but it's a lot of work juggling two full-time equivalent jobs.
Wow, how many hours does the side hustle take up?
And where and how did you gain the skills required? I am not even asking because I want a second job, I'm asking because my son wants me to edit his YouTube videos and I keep rolling my eyes but if there are six digit careers to be had out of that maybe I go and try to learn something, lol
Post by: magus on October 18, 2021, 10:41:59 AM
VP in finance
Base: $275k
Annual LTI: $100k (vests over 4 years)
Annual Bonus: $85k
Initial grants: $600k (vests over 4 to 5 years)
PTO: 5 weeks annually
401k: 4% match
Post by: valsecito on October 22, 2021, 08:42:31 AM
Base: 43k€ (net: 30k€)
Annual Bonus: 3k€
Age: mid-40's
Experience: 20 years
PTO: 15 weeks/year
Time: ~15 hours/week (2 day/wk)
Post by: rocketpj on October 22, 2021, 09:26:07 AM
Job 1.
Sector - housing services (i.e. homeless shelters etc).
Title - Facility Operations Coordinator.
Wage (not salaried) - ~$30/hr
Age - late 40s
Experience - too complex to describe.
PTO - 4 weeks/yr
Time commitment: 22.5 hrs/week (3x7.5 hr days). Additional shifts available constantly, sometimes I take them (particularly OT shifts)
Non-monetary benefits - health care, extended health & dental, excellent pension etc. Doing work that is very worth doing - important to me. Steady wage that pays the mortgage when business income is tied up.
Job 2.
Sector. Moving & Storage
Title. Owner Operator
Wage. Net for tax purposes very little. Wealth increase has been ~$200-400k/yr, presumably not forever.
Experience. Complex again
PTO. N/A
Time. Between 5 and 100 hours/month, varying. In the last 3 years it has been closer to 5.
Key lesson - Find a good investment and dive in.
Post by: JLee on December 21, 2021, 03:34:38 PM
Title: Technical Manager (IT)
Salary: $97k + annual bonus
Experience: 3 years
Education: AA
Title: Director (IT)
Salary: $170k
Experience: 9 years
Education: AA
I would never have predicted this but I'll take it :)
Post by: 2Birds1Stone on December 21, 2021, 04:09:14 PM
Post by: turketron on February 24, 2022, 08:41:59 AM
Job Title: Operations Manager
Experience: 2 years in this role, 8 years total at same company
Age: 35
Salary: $94k base, 10% bonus for 2020
Education: Bachelor's
Job Title: Senior Operations Manager
Experience: 2.5 years in this role, 8.5 years total at same company
Age: 35
Salary: $115k base, 12% bonus for 2021
Education: Bachelor's
Post by: Nickyd£g on February 24, 2022, 08:58:48 AM
I make £25,150 per annum, with a 4% pension contribution from my employer, work 36.25 hours a week and get 28 days annual leave plus 4 public holidays. I like my job, love the people I work with. I'm debt and mortgage free, save and invest approximately 40% of my income and aiming to retire age 60 (currently 50).
0 side hussles. I actually feel like I have a great work/life balance, and get to do things I enjoy outside of work.
Post by: mizzourah2006 on February 24, 2022, 09:01:44 AM
@mizzourah2006 I would consider interviewing for some of the FAANGs just to see what you'd get.
The comp numbers would likely blow you away as I'd guess they are close to 2x your current compensation or higher for someone with that much experience in ML.
Check out https://levels.fyi/ as you can get a good feel for what you might expect, though I'd expect ML would be higher than the average software engineer that reports salaries there.Seconding ender's recommendation here. I'm an ML-focused data scientist who has worked at a couple of FAANG-level companies, and my comp has generally been in line with what levels.fyi reports for the software engineers at my same level.
It's definitely worth interviewing, and don't tell them your current comp or they may only offer a 15-20% raise. Look up negotiation tips, and if you feel totally backed into a corner to name a number, cite levels.fyi or other industry research that supports a very high number.
Thanks both. I actually made it to the final round for both roles. The recruiters seemed to imply it was uncommon to see that, so I guess that means my skillset is versatile :)
Now comes the hard part :) Two ~4 hour interviews, lol. It does seem like at least the product sense overlaps with both jobs. So at least part of the prep for both should be similar.
At the very least it's good practice to get back out into the competitive interviewing space. Haven't done it in a year since the Director of Data Science role I ended up turning down.
Congratulations on making it this far! And I agree with the recruiters; the vast majority of applicants get weeded out in the early phone screens; if they're spending the time of their data scientists and engineers on interviewing you then you are definitely a strong candidate. Good luck with your interviews!
I forgot about this. I ended up getting the job offer with Meta, but they had almost no flexibility in pay. They benchmarked to my zipcode. The best they said they could do was:
Base: $165k
Bonus: $33k
Equity: $200k paid out over 4 years
Total Comp: $248k.
They said if I was close to a bonus or leaving equity on the table they could also get me a one time sign on of ~$20k.
I ended up turning it down. It would have been a big base salary cut a small lift in bonus and a pretty big equity increase (although at this point it's down about ~35%). Total comp would have raised by about ~$15k. It's tough to say exactly because I have equity in my current company, but it's a small private SaaS, so I don't have great estimates on what my equity is worth.
So, the big pay seems to be specific to the VHCOL areas.
Post by: Lunasol on February 24, 2022, 09:21:59 AM
Salary: $72k
Experience: 12 years
Education: BS
PTO: Unlimited
Hours: 40
401K:25% match
My 72k might not seem like much but I got a huge raise cause I moved from a 3rd world country to the US.
So it's kinda hard to compare wages when you have lived in different countries. However my BIL agreed that this was a good start.
I wouldn't mind if anyone was willing to share some advice!
Post by: OtherJen on February 24, 2022, 09:42:58 AM
Title: Freelance medical/science editor and writer
Age: 40
Salary: varies, but ~$47,000 last year (up from ~$36,000 when I went full-time 5 years ago)
Experience: 5 years as a full-time freelancer, preceded by a 12-year career in biomedical research with several publications
Education: BS and PhD in different biomedical science disciplines (no debt for either; university paid me to do the PhD)
Location: LCOL in midwest USA
3.5 years later,
Title: Co-chief editor and head of team communications
Age: 43
Salary: $65-70K (depending on bonus)
Experience: 9 years as a full-time freelance, contract, and managing editor, preceded by a 12-year career in biomedical research with several publications
Education: BS and PhD in different biomedical science disciplines (no debt for either; university paid me to do the PhD)
Location: LCOL city in midwest USA, fully remote position with non-US employer
PTO: 28 days per year
Weekly hours: 37.5
I'm still a very low earner according to this thread, but the LCOL helps. My job is decent and sometimes quite fun, and my employers are very cool and fair.
Post by: jps on February 24, 2022, 09:51:43 AM
Title: Data Analyst
Age: 24
Salary: $56k
Experience: ~3 years
Education: B.A. in Economics
Title: Financial Reporting Analyst II
Age: 27
Salary: $68k + ~8% bonus
Experience: ~5 years
Education: B.A. in Economics. Will finish MBA (finance) in August.
Title: Financial Reporting Analyst II
Age: 27
Salary: $92k + ~9% bonus + 5% 401k
Experience: ~6 years
Education: B.A. in Economics. MBA in Finance
Got an offer at a bigger organization with worse life balance/more hours - accepted a counter offer for a 35% raise, fully remote, and every other Monday off. The other org had pension vesting after 5 years and a larger target bonus, and I had a terrible weekend trying to figure out if I wanted to take a counter offer. It came down to knowing that I have an excellent balance where I work, and lots of time off. I thought to myself, what is the entire point of FIRE and building up my investments and having a low-cost lifestyle if not to take advantage of it to do what I want? So I'll miss out on a few more $$ by accepting the counter offer, but I know that in the next 5 years this will be a healthier option.
Post by: maisymouser on February 24, 2022, 11:16:06 AM
Title: Data Analyst
Age: 24
Salary: $56k
Experience: ~3 years
Education: B.A. in Economics
Title: Financial Reporting Analyst II
Age: 27
Salary: $68k + ~8% bonus
Experience: ~5 years
Education: B.A. in Economics. Will finish MBA (finance) in August.
Title: Financial Reporting Analyst II
Age: 27
Salary: $92k + ~9% bonus + 5% 401k
Experience: ~6 years
Education: B.A. in Economics. MBA in Finance
Got an offer at a bigger organization with worse life balance/more hours - accepted a counter offer for a 35% raise, fully remote, and every other Monday off. The other org had pension vesting after 5 years and a larger target bonus, and I had a terrible weekend trying to figure out if I wanted to take a counter offer. It came down to knowing that I have an excellent balance where I work, and lots of time off. I thought to myself, what is the entire point of FIRE and building up my investments and having a low-cost lifestyle if not to take advantage of it to do what I want? So I'll miss out on a few more $$ by accepting the counter offer, but I know that in the next 5 years this will be a healthier option.
Good for you. Your salary & work life balance is plenty respectable & I hope you end up really happy with your decision.
Post by: parkerk on February 24, 2022, 05:57:57 PM
Prior to this I was doing freelance admin work and making about 35k - I was deliberately underemployed and the pay bump has been nice but kind of shocking. Why wasn't I doing this sooner??? (I had reasons of course, but still!)
Post by: Gronnie on March 11, 2022, 02:36:16 PM
My Job Title: SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1 year
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: 72k + ~10% bonus + $750 HSA contribution + 2.5% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Cost of living from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html) is 99.2/100, so very average cost of living area.
Started at 71k, got a raise a couple months in as a thanks for being awesome ;)
My manager says I will be getting a promotion in the next round (February) even though it typically takes 3-4 years. Should come with about a 10% raise.
The work environment is awesome. Really laid back and supportive. Take as much vacation as you want policy with no keeping track of work, sick, and vacation hours, etc. I would have to get a super big raise to consider working elsewhere.
DW Job Title: RN
Salary: ~70k + small pension + 2% 403b match
Experience: 5 years
Education: BS in Dietetics, BS in Nursing
She started out getting a degree in dietetics but that didn't work out due to requiring an internship to get certified and there not being enough to go around (something that if she had known me prior to starting the program she would have thoroughly looked into and chosen something different or studied harder). Went back after the Dietetics degree and did an accelerated BSN program and now is very happy.
Updating because I just got a promotion and a 15% raise!!!!
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 1.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $83,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
San Francisco Salary: $198,578 (my city is 101.4 on CoL Index)
Was a weird year. We bought out another big company, my project got cancelled and we were in flux for awhile, and then my manager quit abruptly and it took 6+ months to replace him.
Only got a 3.5% raise this year, but also was granted ~$17k in RSUs that vest over 4 years. Not sure what to think of the golden handcuffs, will have to cross that bridge if I ever think about leaving.
My Job Title: Senior SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 2.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $~86,000 + 10% bonus target + $750 HSA contribution + 3% 401k match + ~$17k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth
Just took a job with a new company (along with a nice promotion), and will be moving from a MCOL area with a COL score of 99.2 to a HCOL area with a COL score of 146.4 (MN to Orange County, scores from this chart (http://www.infoplease.com/business/economy/cost-living-index-us-cities.html)).
I think I am doing pretty well, as the job is 3 promotions above entry level out of college position and I only have 3.5 years of experience. This job would normally take 8+ years of experience to reach. As a result I am pretty sure my salary is near the lower end of the band, so plenty of room for growth even if I don't get any further promotions for a few years.
My Job Title: Staff SSD Firmware Engineer
Experience: 3.5 years
Education: BS in Computer Science
Salary: $135000 + 10% bonus target + $4000 401k match + ~26k RSU + whatever ESPP ends up being worth (15% discount, two year lock, can put in 15% of salary) -- I would say financial compensation is ~$175,000 annually.
Just got a raise, which was nice as I was only here ~6 months when review time came and wasn't sure I would get one. Ended up getting 4% raise bringing my base salary to $140,400.
Our stock is also doing quite nicely and is up 46% since our ESPP lock so if it stays up for the next couple of years should be getting a nice return on ESPP shares.
My biggest regret about taking this job (going from flexible "unlimited" vacation policy to 3 weeks vacation policy) was also recently rectified as the new company has now also adopted flexible vacation.
A lot has happened since my last post. I moved back to MN in March of 2020 and took a job at my old employer again.
Experience: 5+ years at time of hire
Job title: Principal Engineer
Location: MCOL (Minnesota)
Comp: $115k base + 12% bonus target + 3% 401k match + RSUs.
Things in the org aren't going well and a lot of people are leaving.
I just got an offer for a full time remote position.
Experience: 6+ years at time of offer
Job title: Senior Software Engineer
Location: Remote from Minnesota
Comp: $155k base + 18% bonus target + 5% 401k match + RSUs (got $25k signing bonus + $110k initial RSU grant)
My biggest advice for a tech worker is to switch companies often. It's by far the best / fastest way to increase comp!
DW is now making $82,500/yr as an RN and working M-F day hours. She will be finishing up her Master's in Nursing in January and wants to find a job managing a nursing unit which should come with about a $20k/yr raise or so.
Just had my Annual Compensation Review (7 months at this new company)
Experience: 7 years
Job title: Senior Software Engineer
Location: Remote from Minnesota
Comp: $176k base + bonuses + Restricted Stock vests -> $255,000 comp target for this year
My wife just finished her MS in Nursing Leadership and took a job as the manager of an outpatient pediatrics unit. She's making ~$90k now.
Post by: L2 on April 02, 2022, 07:39:55 PM
Age: 30Age: 30Job Title: Tax Manager - Regional Public AccountingAge: 27
Age: 26
Experience: ~ 4 years
Salary: 78k, expecting an annual raise to ~82k in November.
Other: 3% 401k match, profit-sharing, but I just started here a few months ago so I have no idea what to expect.
I'm located in Ohio and started out my career at a much larger firm. Took a promotion and 22% raise to come to the new place. A ton more flexibility is also a plus. Its sort of unfortunate, but it seems the only way to really get market rate is to jump ship, at least in accounting.
Experience: ~ 5 years
Salary: $83,352
Experience: 8 years
Salary: 150k + somewhere between 5 and 10k annual bonus.
Prior salary (raises after previous update) was $94k. Made a lateral move in terms of title to a new firm. It would appear to be an employee's market.
Experience: 8 years
Salary: 200k + somewhere between 8-15k annual bonus.
Promotion as well. Just an incredible year.. Don't know how I pulled it off LOL.
Post by: EchoStache on April 03, 2022, 08:43:28 AM
Age: 50
Experience: 5 years
Salary: $130k but this varies based on contract rate and how much I want to work. I will take 5 weeks(unpaid) vacation this year for this income.
Education: Associates degree, under $10k total cost.
Spouse: Medical Lab Technician(traveler)
Age: 48
Salary: $115,000 also varies based on contract...this will be her income this year with 36 weeks worked.
Experience: 7 years
Education: 2 year degree
We both work Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4 pm. No weekends, no holidays, ever. No OT, no call. 40 hours/week, the end.
Important to note is that our federal tax liability on our roughly $250k gross income is under $5,000.
I think a good estimate is that our pay will likely vary between 200-$300k/year combined depending on how much we want to work and how well our contracts pay. Until we are ready to FIRE we would like to work at least 44 weeks/year.
Annual savings rate goal is 40% of gross. I am achieving 50-60% during months we are working but average for the year will be much lower due to unpaid time off.
Post by: jrhampt on April 03, 2022, 12:37:58 PM
100% remote, 15+ years experience
MS Applied Math
Base: 166k
Bonus: 18-36%
Total comp max: 225k
This is my first year at a higher bonus target so will see how much actually gets paid out. Total comp before this year was usually just under 200k.
Post by: fuzzy math on April 03, 2022, 01:52:07 PM
Title: Surgical specialist (don't want to list my job title here due to it being a very small recognizable field)
Salary: $133k
Hours: Days plus on call
Experience: 12 years
Salary: $170k
Title: same thing
Hours: same
Experience: 18 yrs now
Post by: yakamashii on April 03, 2022, 04:38:55 PM
Title: Self-employed translator
Pay: $65-$70K after taxes and expenses
Education: BA
Age: 32
Experience: 6 years
6 years later, $80,000-$85,000 after taxes and expenses
Post by: SpareChange on April 03, 2022, 05:58:22 PM
Job Title: Echo tech(I do ultrasound exams of the heart); currently traveling, similar in nature to travel nurse but for my job.
Age: 50
Experience: 5 years
Salary: $130k but this varies based on contract rate and how much I want to work. I will take 5 weeks(unpaid) vacation this year for this income.
Education: Associates degree, under $10k total cost.
Spouse: Medical Lab Technician(traveler)
Age: 48
Salary: $115,000 also varies based on contract...this will be her income this year with 36 weeks worked.
Experience: 7 years
Education: 2 year degree
We both work Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4 pm. No weekends, no holidays, ever. No OT, no call. 40 hours/week, the end.
Important to note is that our federal tax liability on our roughly $250k gross income is under $5,000.
I think a good estimate is that our pay will likely vary between 200-$300k/year combined depending on how much we want to work and how well our contracts pay. Until we are ready to FIRE we would like to work at least 44 weeks/year.
Annual savings rate goal is 40% of gross. I am achieving 50-60% during months we are working but average for the year will be much lower due to unpaid time off.
Man, traveling opportunities have really juiced returns on healthcare careers recently. Good on y'all for taking advantage.
Post by: JGS1980 on April 03, 2022, 06:33:15 PM
Job Title: Echo tech(I do ultrasound exams of the heart); currently traveling, similar in nature to travel nurse but for my job.
Age: 50
Experience: 5 years
Salary: $130k but this varies based on contract rate and how much I want to work. I will take 5 weeks(unpaid) vacation this year for this income.
Education: Associates degree, under $10k total cost.
Spouse: Medical Lab Technician(traveler)
Age: 48
Salary: $115,000 also varies based on contract...this will be her income this year with 36 weeks worked.
Experience: 7 years
Education: 2 year degree
We both work Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4 pm. No weekends, no holidays, ever. No OT, no call. 40 hours/week, the end.
Important to note is that our federal tax liability on our roughly $250k gross income is under $5,000.
I think a good estimate is that our pay will likely vary between 200-$300k/year combined depending on how much we want to work and how well our contracts pay. Until we are ready to FIRE we would like to work at least 44 weeks/year.
Annual savings rate goal is 40% of gross. I am achieving 50-60% during months we are working but average for the year will be much lower due to unpaid time off.
I see this as astoundingly excellent gamemanship!!! Two well paying gigs with reasonable schedules and low $$$ to enter that specialty. You two are MMM superstars. Compare this to a typical pediatrician with 11 years of postsecondary training, 200K in debt, and a 175K salary.
Post by: Thoughtful Mule on April 04, 2022, 09:44:46 AM
Age: 39
Experience: 16 years
Salary: $117k +20K OT +10K bonus
Education: BS Mechanical Engineering, MS Industrial Engineering
I am currently in a technical role, but have been a pseudo-manager and relocated once. I used to be on the road 50% of the time.
Post by: Gronnie on April 04, 2022, 10:25:23 AM
Job Title: Echo tech(I do ultrasound exams of the heart); currently traveling, similar in nature to travel nurse but for my job.
Age: 50
Experience: 5 years
Salary: $130k but this varies based on contract rate and how much I want to work. I will take 5 weeks(unpaid) vacation this year for this income.
Education: Associates degree, under $10k total cost.
Spouse: Medical Lab Technician(traveler)
Age: 48
Salary: $115,000 also varies based on contract...this will be her income this year with 36 weeks worked.
Experience: 7 years
Education: 2 year degree
We both work Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4 pm. No weekends, no holidays, ever. No OT, no call. 40 hours/week, the end.
Important to note is that our federal tax liability on our roughly $250k gross income is under $5,000.
I think a good estimate is that our pay will likely vary between 200-$300k/year combined depending on how much we want to work and how well our contracts pay. Until we are ready to FIRE we would like to work at least 44 weeks/year.
Annual savings rate goal is 40% of gross. I am achieving 50-60% during months we are working but average for the year will be much lower due to unpaid time off.
Why is your tax liability so low?
Post by: EchoStache on April 05, 2022, 01:21:21 PM
Job Title: Echo tech(I do ultrasound exams of the heart); currently traveling, similar in nature to travel nurse but for my job.
Age: 50
Experience: 5 years
Salary: $130k but this varies based on contract rate and how much I want to work. I will take 5 weeks(unpaid) vacation this year for this income.
Education: Associates degree, under $10k total cost.
Spouse: Medical Lab Technician(traveler)
Age: 48
Salary: $115,000 also varies based on contract...this will be her income this year with 36 weeks worked.
Experience: 7 years
Education: 2 year degree
We both work Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4 pm. No weekends, no holidays, ever. No OT, no call. 40 hours/week, the end.
Important to note is that our federal tax liability on our roughly $250k gross income is under $5,000.
I think a good estimate is that our pay will likely vary between 200-$300k/year combined depending on how much we want to work and how well our contracts pay. Until we are ready to FIRE we would like to work at least 44 weeks/year.
Annual savings rate goal is 40% of gross. I am achieving 50-60% during months we are working but average for the year will be much lower due to unpaid time off.
Why is your tax liability so low?
About $90,000 of our annual income this year will be in the form of tax free lodging and meal stipends. Our W-2 wages are therefore much lower, along with $60k of pre-tax retirement contributions. We bought an EV so actually switched tIRA to Roth for the rest of this year(contributing monthly) and will have to do a Roth conversion as well in order to get our tax liability up to $7500 for the tax credit.
Post by: EchoStache on April 05, 2022, 01:30:05 PM
Job Title: Echo tech(I do ultrasound exams of the heart); currently traveling, similar in nature to travel nurse but for my job.
Age: 50
Experience: 5 years
Salary: $130k but this varies based on contract rate and how much I want to work. I will take 5 weeks(unpaid) vacation this year for this income.
Education: Associates degree, under $10k total cost.
Spouse: Medical Lab Technician(traveler)
Age: 48
Salary: $115,000 also varies based on contract...this will be her income this year with 36 weeks worked.
Experience: 7 years
Education: 2 year degree
We both work Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4 pm. No weekends, no holidays, ever. No OT, no call. 40 hours/week, the end.
Important to note is that our federal tax liability on our roughly $250k gross income is under $5,000.
I think a good estimate is that our pay will likely vary between 200-$300k/year combined depending on how much we want to work and how well our contracts pay. Until we are ready to FIRE we would like to work at least 44 weeks/year.
Annual savings rate goal is 40% of gross. I am achieving 50-60% during months we are working but average for the year will be much lower due to unpaid time off.
I see this as astoundingly excellent gamemanship!!! Two well paying gigs with reasonable schedules and low $$$ to enter that specialty. You two are MMM superstars. Compare this to a typical pediatrician with 11 years of postsecondary training, 200K in debt, and a 175K salary.
Thank you! We are quite excited about how drastically the switch to traveling will affect our financial situation, ability to retire early, and take more time off while working towards said retirement. We will even have the ability to semi-retire and work only 3-6 months per year if we choose not to fully retire. I do feel we are legally "gaming" the system to our advantage as much as possible given our circumstances/careers/education. Fortunately, I stumbled onto MMM/frugality/FIRE shortly before the switch to traveling.
Wife took 4 weeks off this year before her first assignment. Taking another two weeks in May. Then we plan to take a month off Dec-Jan. Little tough to realize we are paying $5k/week to take time off so just have to find the right balance.
Post by: 2sk22 on April 05, 2022, 02:28:31 PM
I have a PhD in computer science and completed one of the early dissertations in machine learning back in the 1990s. It's hard to believe now but I used to get blank looks when I told people that I worked in neural networks (usual response was "I didn't know you worked in biology!"). One of the dangers of being a bit too early in a field. To be fair, I was always able to find work in other areas in advanced computing and was generally very well paid.
Then, round about 2010 when deep learning started to take off, I realized that I had valuable qualifications. I had about ten really good years in the AI/ML field and then retired when I started feeling burnt out.
Post by: Gronnie on April 05, 2022, 06:26:50 PM
Job Title: Echo tech(I do ultrasound exams of the heart); currently traveling, similar in nature to travel nurse but for my job.
Age: 50
Experience: 5 years
Salary: $130k but this varies based on contract rate and how much I want to work. I will take 5 weeks(unpaid) vacation this year for this income.
Education: Associates degree, under $10k total cost.
Spouse: Medical Lab Technician(traveler)
Age: 48
Salary: $115,000 also varies based on contract...this will be her income this year with 36 weeks worked.
Experience: 7 years
Education: 2 year degree
We both work Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4 pm. No weekends, no holidays, ever. No OT, no call. 40 hours/week, the end.
Important to note is that our federal tax liability on our roughly $250k gross income is under $5,000.
I think a good estimate is that our pay will likely vary between 200-$300k/year combined depending on how much we want to work and how well our contracts pay. Until we are ready to FIRE we would like to work at least 44 weeks/year.
Annual savings rate goal is 40% of gross. I am achieving 50-60% during months we are working but average for the year will be much lower due to unpaid time off.
Why is your tax liability so low?
About $90,000 of our annual income this year will be in the form of tax free lodging and meal stipends. Our W-2 wages are therefore much lower, along with $60k of pre-tax retirement contributions. We bought an EV so actually switched tIRA to Roth for the rest of this year(contributing monthly) and will have to do a Roth conversion as well in order to get our tax liability up to $7500 for the tax credit.
Interesting.
Would you actually spend $90k on meals and lodging otherwise?
Post by: L2 on April 05, 2022, 07:11:41 PM
After some more unexpected back and forth (both parties were doing their best to not let me say no), ended up with $225k + $15k signing bonus + 8-15k annual bonus estimate.Age: 30Age: 30Job Title: Tax Manager - Regional Public AccountingAge: 27
Age: 26
Experience: ~ 4 years
Salary: 78k, expecting an annual raise to ~82k in November.
Other: 3% 401k match, profit-sharing, but I just started here a few months ago so I have no idea what to expect.
I'm located in Ohio and started out my career at a much larger firm. Took a promotion and 22% raise to come to the new place. A ton more flexibility is also a plus. Its sort of unfortunate, but it seems the only way to really get market rate is to jump ship, at least in accounting.
Experience: ~ 5 years
Salary: $83,352
Experience: 8 years
Salary: 150k + somewhere between 5 and 10k annual bonus.
Prior salary (raises after previous update) was $94k. Made a lateral move in terms of title to a new firm. It would appear to be an employee's market.
Experience: 8 years
Salary: 200k + somewhere between 8-15k annual bonus.
Promotion as well. Just an incredible year.. Don't know how I pulled it off LOL.
Post by: poxpower on April 05, 2022, 07:43:09 PM
I am retired now but the highest I ever earned in a year was a hair below $400k in 2020, the year I retired. I had the title of senior AI engineer (not a manager.)
That's impressive, so easy to just keep working at that wage :O
Post by: 2sk22 on April 06, 2022, 03:22:08 AM
I am retired now but the highest I ever earned in a year was a hair below $400k in 2020, the year I retired. I had the title of senior AI engineer (not a manager.)
That's impressive, so easy to just keep working at that wage :O
Its definitely not easy! When you are highly paid, a lot is expected of you and at some point, you reach "enough".
Post by: Undecided on April 06, 2022, 11:50:14 AM
I am retired now but the highest I ever earned in a year was a hair below $400k in 2020, the year I retired. I had the title of senior AI engineer (not a manager.)
That's impressive, so easy to just keep working at that wage :O
Its definitely not easy! When you are highly paid, a lot is expected of you and at some point, you reach "enough".
This is a big part of the reason that increases in comp become so seemingly outlandish as one moves farther up the scale. I thought last year was my last year, but some surprising developments mean I can save 3 kids' worth of full-freight college costs in a single year (and I only have two kids), so....
Post by: Fomerly known as something on April 06, 2022, 06:52:34 PM
Post by: MMMarbleheader on April 07, 2022, 07:24:16 AM
$145,000 Base
$8,000 Car Allowance
$8,000 Bonus
Post by: EchoStache on April 08, 2022, 09:25:31 AM
Job Title: Echo tech(I do ultrasound exams of the heart); currently traveling, similar in nature to travel nurse but for my job.
Age: 50
Experience: 5 years
Salary: $130k but this varies based on contract rate and how much I want to work. I will take 5 weeks(unpaid) vacation this year for this income.
Education: Associates degree, under $10k total cost.
Spouse: Medical Lab Technician(traveler)
Age: 48
Salary: $115,000 also varies based on contract...this will be her income this year with 36 weeks worked.
Experience: 7 years
Education: 2 year degree
We both work Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4 pm. No weekends, no holidays, ever. No OT, no call. 40 hours/week, the end.
Important to note is that our federal tax liability on our roughly $250k gross income is under $5,000.
I think a good estimate is that our pay will likely vary between 200-$300k/year combined depending on how much we want to work and how well our contracts pay. Until we are ready to FIRE we would like to work at least 44 weeks/year.
Annual savings rate goal is 40% of gross. I am achieving 50-60% during months we are working but average for the year will be much lower due to unpaid time off.
Why is your tax liability so low?
About $90,000 of our annual income this year will be in the form of tax free lodging and meal stipends. Our W-2 wages are therefore much lower, along with $60k of pre-tax retirement contributions. We bought an EV so actually switched tIRA to Roth for the rest of this year(contributing monthly) and will have to do a Roth conversion as well in order to get our tax liability up to $7500 for the tax credit.
Interesting.
Would you actually spend $90k on meals and lodging otherwise?
Most we are likely to spend over and above our normal living expenses is around $2k/month for lodging away from home. We don't spend any more on food than we normally would since we just buy groceries and cook as normal. The place we are in now is $2k/month...its a very nice 2 BR 2k square foot fully furnished apt...actually the basement of someone's home that was remodeled just for travel nurses. So the most we would probably spend yearly of the 90k expense stipend is about $20k. To be clear, we get the $90k stipend regardless of how much or how little we spend. We could live in a tent for free and still get the stipend.
Post by: Gronnie on April 10, 2022, 02:08:11 AM
Job Title: Echo tech(I do ultrasound exams of the heart); currently traveling, similar in nature to travel nurse but for my job.
Age: 50
Experience: 5 years
Salary: $130k but this varies based on contract rate and how much I want to work. I will take 5 weeks(unpaid) vacation this year for this income.
Education: Associates degree, under $10k total cost.
Spouse: Medical Lab Technician(traveler)
Age: 48
Salary: $115,000 also varies based on contract...this will be her income this year with 36 weeks worked.
Experience: 7 years
Education: 2 year degree
We both work Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4 pm. No weekends, no holidays, ever. No OT, no call. 40 hours/week, the end.
Important to note is that our federal tax liability on our roughly $250k gross income is under $5,000.
I think a good estimate is that our pay will likely vary between 200-$300k/year combined depending on how much we want to work and how well our contracts pay. Until we are ready to FIRE we would like to work at least 44 weeks/year.
Annual savings rate goal is 40% of gross. I am achieving 50-60% during months we are working but average for the year will be much lower due to unpaid time off.
Why is your tax liability so low?
About $90,000 of our annual income this year will be in the form of tax free lodging and meal stipends. Our W-2 wages are therefore much lower, along with $60k of pre-tax retirement contributions. We bought an EV so actually switched tIRA to Roth for the rest of this year(contributing monthly) and will have to do a Roth conversion as well in order to get our tax liability up to $7500 for the tax credit.
Interesting.
Would you actually spend $90k on meals and lodging otherwise?
Most we are likely to spend over and above our normal living expenses is around $2k/month for lodging away from home. We don't spend any more on food than we normally would since we just buy groceries and cook as normal. The place we are in now is $2k/month...its a very nice 2 BR 2k square foot fully furnished apt...actually the basement of someone's home that was remodeled just for travel nurses. So the most we would probably spend yearly of the 90k expense stipend is about $20k. To be clear, we get the $90k stipend regardless of how much or how little we spend. We could live in a tent for free and still get the stipend.
Ah ok that makes more sense now -- I thought you were just counting huge expenses because of being on the road as income :)
Post by: Undecided on April 11, 2022, 12:55:58 AM
Job Title: Echo tech(I do ultrasound exams of the heart); currently traveling, similar in nature to travel nurse but for my job.
Age: 50
Experience: 5 years
Salary: $130k but this varies based on contract rate and how much I want to work. I will take 5 weeks(unpaid) vacation this year for this income.
Education: Associates degree, under $10k total cost.
Spouse: Medical Lab Technician(traveler)
Age: 48
Salary: $115,000 also varies based on contract...this will be her income this year with 36 weeks worked.
Experience: 7 years
Education: 2 year degree
We both work Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4 pm. No weekends, no holidays, ever. No OT, no call. 40 hours/week, the end.
Important to note is that our federal tax liability on our roughly $250k gross income is under $5,000.
I think a good estimate is that our pay will likely vary between 200-$300k/year combined depending on how much we want to work and how well our contracts pay. Until we are ready to FIRE we would like to work at least 44 weeks/year.
Annual savings rate goal is 40% of gross. I am achieving 50-60% during months we are working but average for the year will be much lower due to unpaid time off.
Why is your tax liability so low?
About $90,000 of our annual income this year will be in the form of tax free lodging and meal stipends. Our W-2 wages are therefore much lower, along with $60k of pre-tax retirement contributions. We bought an EV so actually switched tIRA to Roth for the rest of this year(contributing monthly) and will have to do a Roth conversion as well in order to get our tax liability up to $7500 for the tax credit.
Interesting.
Would you actually spend $90k on meals and lodging otherwise?
Most we are likely to spend over and above our normal living expenses is around $2k/month for lodging away from home. We don't spend any more on food than we normally would since we just buy groceries and cook as normal. The place we are in now is $2k/month...its a very nice 2 BR 2k square foot fully furnished apt...actually the basement of someone's home that was remodeled just for travel nurses. So the most we would probably spend yearly of the 90k expense stipend is about $20k. To be clear, we get the $90k stipend regardless of how much or how little we spend. We could live in a tent for free and still get the stipend.
Good arrangement. Is this in some kind of government service? I thought lodging was only tax-free to the employee when provided on the employer’s property (among other conditions).
Post by: EchoStache on April 11, 2022, 04:39:43 AM
.Job Title: Echo tech(I do ultrasound exams of the heart); currently traveling, similar in nature to travel nurse but for my job.
Age: 50
Experience: 5 years
Salary: $130k but this varies based on contract rate and how much I want to work. I will take 5 weeks(unpaid) vacation this year for this income.
Education: Associates degree, under $10k total cost.
Spouse: Medical Lab Technician(traveler)
Age: 48
Salary: $115,000 also varies based on contract...this will be her income this year with 36 weeks worked.
Experience: 7 years
Education: 2 year degree
We both work Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4 pm. No weekends, no holidays, ever. No OT, no call. 40 hours/week, the end.
Important to note is that our federal tax liability on our roughly $250k gross income is under $5,000.
I think a good estimate is that our pay will likely vary between 200-$300k/year combined depending on how much we want to work and how well our contracts pay. Until we are ready to FIRE we would like to work at least 44 weeks/year.
Annual savings rate goal is 40% of gross. I am achieving 50-60% during months we are working but average for the year will be much lower due to unpaid time off.
Why is your tax liability so low?
About $90,000 of our annual income this year will be in the form of tax free lodging and meal stipends. Our W-2 wages are therefore much lower, along with $60k of pre-tax retirement contributions. We bought an EV so actually switched tIRA to Roth for the rest of this year(contributing monthly) and will have to do a Roth conversion as well in order to get our tax liability up to $7500 for the tax credit.
Interesting.
Would you actually spend $90k on meals and lodging otherwise?
Most we are likely to spend over and above our normal living expenses is around $2k/month for lodging away from home. We don't spend any more on food than we normally would since we just buy groceries and cook as normal. The place we are in now is $2k/month...its a very nice 2 BR 2k square foot fully furnished apt...actually the basement of someone's home that was remodeled just for travel nurses. So the most we would probably spend yearly of the 90k expense stipend is about $20k. To be clear, we get the $90k stipend regardless of how much or how little we spend. We could live in a tent for free and still get the stipend.
Good arrangement. Is this in some kind of government service? I thought lodging was only tax-free to the employee when provided on the employer’s property (among other conditions).
No, its basically how all travel medical jobs work i.e. travel nursing, etc. Since as travelers on temporary assignment, we have duplicate living expenses i.e. temporary lodging away from home, meals away from home, we are paid a portion of our wages as meals and lodging based on the amount allowed for whatever city we work in. We are in a low cost of living area so lodging allowance is roughly $96/day and meals are $50/day. So we each get $1052.45/week tax free stipend to cover lodging and meals. So for my current assignment, my wife and I both get the $1052.45/week, I get the remainder of my pay as taxable wages $41.85/hour, and my wife gets $48/hour. OT rates are much higher but we almost never choose to work OT.
Post by: cooking on April 11, 2022, 08:32:00 AM
Post by: EchoStache on April 11, 2022, 09:06:58 AM
Doesn't the travel aspect of the jobs mean that you each have to get some type of lodging in the places you travel to work in, though? Or do you only accept assignments where you are both offered a job? Sounds like a good way to get to FIRE at any rate.Wishing you well on your journey!
We only choose assignments nearby or, in a perfect world, at the same facility. We are currently at the same facility and have matching schedules. Yes it is assumed that we each have to get lodging. However, it is a flat stipend; no one cares how much is truly spent. Same as mileage reimbursement. 50c/mile is reimbursed even if someone were to manage to only *actually* spend 10c/mile by having a really cheap highly fuel efficient car. You still get the allowed rate.
Post by: cooking on April 11, 2022, 10:43:18 AM
Post by: EchoStache on April 11, 2022, 11:25:36 AM
I understand the part about it not mattering how much you actually spend vs the per diem alloted. I guess what I find a little confusing is what they define as a "travel" position. Does it just boil down to being a temporary assignment, in essence? Because you did mention it being nearby, and also it seems like you've been in the same job for awhile. However, maybe I made the wrong assumption on that. I was just trying to figure out what defines a job that's considered a travel position in the medical field, as opposed to a regular non-travel job in the same field.
Travel assignments are typically 13 weeks in duration, and most facilities have a requirement that travelers have a permanent residence that is greater than 50-75 miles away. As travelers, we are not employees of the hospital or facility but rather of the travel agency. It is also very common to extend while on assignment. Hospitals bring on travelers because they are unable to fill positions quickly enough. Travelers are a quick, temporary fix until they get enough staff. However, it is very common that the facility is not able to fix staffing issues so its an easy win win scenario to extend. Traveler avoids downtime between contracts and all the hassle involved with finding new lodging and all of the onboarding paperwork involved in working for a new facility.
In my case, I started with a 14 week assignment that would have ended 3/18 of this year. My wife took an assignment in February but the facility offered 6 months right off the bat if she was interested. Before she accepted, I verified my department was willing to extend me. So I did a 5 month additional extension out to 8/12. Typically, it is recommended or advised not to stay at the same facility beyond 1 year as the IRS could consider that as permanent employment and demand back taxes be paid on all of the non-taxed travel stipends. We will take a couple weeks off in August and then possibly extend here once more out to December. Then its a month off and figure out where we want to go next. I'm thinking the beach. Or Hawaii. :)
Post by: cooking on April 11, 2022, 12:51:09 PM
Or say, rural vs urban/suburban? Thank you for enlightening us to this intriguing stuff, and for your thorough explanation.
Post by: EchoStache on April 11, 2022, 01:20:52 PM
Post by: Undecided on April 11, 2022, 02:14:54 PM
I understand the part about it not mattering how much you actually spend vs the per diem alloted. I guess what I find a little confusing is what they define as a "travel" position. Does it just boil down to being a temporary assignment, in essence? Because you did mention it being nearby, and also it seems like you've been in the same job for awhile. However, maybe I made the wrong assumption on that. I was just trying to figure out what defines a job that's considered a travel position in the medical field, as opposed to a regular non-travel job in the same field.
Not suggesting Ultrastache is up to this, but it seems the boundaries of "travel" and the boundaries of the reasonably expected duplicative cost of housing (justifying its tax-free status) are uncertain (and subject to some audit risk).
Post by: cooking on April 11, 2022, 10:39:55 PM
Post by: w@nker on April 12, 2022, 10:04:05 PM
Post by: jrhampt on April 13, 2022, 07:15:28 AM
I can imagine how inviting an assignment in Hawaii sounds. Are the work opportunities fairly evenly distributed around the country?
Or say, rural vs urban/suburban? Thank you for enlightening us to this intriguing stuff, and for your thorough explanation.
Just FYI, Hawaii has a remote worker program now intended to incentivize remote workers to come stay for 30-60 days in Hawaii. You can apply for the program and get free round-trip airfare plus some housing subsidies...I'm considering doing it. Either through the program or just on my own for a month or two around January/February.
Post by: haflander on April 13, 2022, 08:28:03 AM
I can imagine how inviting an assignment in Hawaii sounds. Are the work opportunities fairly evenly distributed around the country?
Or say, rural vs urban/suburban? Thank you for enlightening us to this intriguing stuff, and for your thorough explanation.
Just FYI, Hawaii has a remote worker program now intended to incentivize remote workers to come stay for 30-60 days in Hawaii. You can apply for the program and get free round-trip airfare plus some housing subsidies...I'm considering doing it. Either through the program or just on my own for a month or two around January/February.
Wow, this piqued my interest. Would you mind naming it or adding a link? This is worth looking into! I'd consider similar incentives for other locations too, anywhere fun in the Western Hemisphere or possibly Europe. This would be a great way to learn about a different area or culture.
Post by: jrhampt on April 13, 2022, 11:28:08 AM
I can imagine how inviting an assignment in Hawaii sounds. Are the work opportunities fairly evenly distributed around the country?
Or say, rural vs urban/suburban? Thank you for enlightening us to this intriguing stuff, and for your thorough explanation.
Just FYI, Hawaii has a remote worker program now intended to incentivize remote workers to come stay for 30-60 days in Hawaii. You can apply for the program and get free round-trip airfare plus some housing subsidies...I'm considering doing it. Either through the program or just on my own for a month or two around January/February.
Wow, this piqued my interest. Would you mind naming it or adding a link? This is worth looking into! I'd consider similar incentives for other locations too, anywhere fun in the Western Hemisphere or possibly Europe. This would be a great way to learn about a different area or culture.
https://www.afar.com/magazine/hawaiis-new-remote-work-program-includes-free-flights
https://www.moversandshakas.org/
Post by: poetdereves on April 16, 2022, 02:18:13 PM
Title: Registered Nurse (Surgical/trauma ICU)
Salary: $66k + 15% into pension vesting after 8 years
Experience: 2 years
Age: 33
Education: BS In nursing; BA in unrelated field. Various nursing certifications.
Side Hustle: ~$10k
Wife
Title: Project Manager (WFH) in healthcare IT field
Salary: $97k + 3% 401k + $1,400 in HSA + bonuses ($10-20k possible)
Experience: 10 ish years
Age: 31
Education: MS in Healthcare Administration and PMP
Total: ~$180k annual compensation
Post by: Btag84 on April 16, 2022, 02:37:24 PM
Post by: mizzourah2006 on December 16, 2022, 08:35:01 AM
Title: Principal Data ScientistFigured I'd give an update. Still in a relatively low cost of living area.
Salary: $160k + $10-$20k bonus
Education: PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology + self-taught programming/ML/DL
Experience: 5 years in I/O + 2 years in Data Science
Age: 35
Work remotely in a low cost of living area. It’s funny being one of the few I/Os with a strong DS skill set as many I/O firms are attempting to incorporate the power of ML/DL into their products. I definitely got very lucky.
Not much has changed. Still with the same company.
Salary: $189k + bonus ~$20-$25k and now I get about + ~$25k/yr in private equity.
Recently I've been getting pinged by FAANGs and I'm considering it, but right now my job is pretty ideal. They've been saying that working remotely is a reasonable expectation, but so far they've been vague on comp. They basically say it's a senior level role, but that compensation is based on experience, interview success, etc. Which I guess makes sense, but it's a bit frustrating as the interviews aren't exactly easy convos. I'd like to know if its even worth the time or not.
Just turned down an offer from FB last week. It was for a remote work IC6 role:
Base: $165k
Target Bonus: $33k
$200k equity vesting quarterly over 4 years, so $50k/yr.
So ~ $248k total compensation. I did tell the recruiter that it was way low on base and would be about a $25k/yr pay cut. She suggested it might be possible to get that up to $180k, which would have brought the target bonus up by $3k, so potentially $266k.
A couple updates from this.
I got an ~$11k raise at the beginning of the year, bringing my base to $200k even, same bonus, but now closer to $25k and ~$30k/yr in private equity, but they had told me that $200k was probably about my cap because it was a small company and I was one of the highest paid employees at that point.
I'd remained in contact with my previous boss and colleagues since I left and a friend of mine reached out to me about backfilling his role when he left. I'd actually be working under my boss from ~6 years earlier, but he'd just moved up over time. I was getting a bit bored in my current role and had moved more away from day-to-day machine learning and more to SE product management. So I decided to make the move back to the original team I started my career with, only now I run the team.
I took a bit of a base pay cut, but total comp is higher and 401k match went from 1.5% to 6%.
So now my base is back to $190k, target bonus is 30% and RSUs are $50k/yr. Also got $35k in RSUs and $25k cash sign on bonus. But I'm no longer directly in "data science". That part was kind of tough, I'd made a bit of a name for myself in the DS area of our field, where I'd been asked to be a special guest editor on a journal focused on machine learning and have 3 journal articles in press in one of our top journals on ML/DL and now I'm just a normal I/O again. But I've found ways to leverage my skills to help our team provide more meaningful insights to the business so far.
I also do go into the office 2-3 days a week now too, whereas I've been fully remote in my old role for the past 4 years. But I can bike to work when the weather is nice and I often schedule my gym days around going to the office as the company has a nice gym that's around the corner from the office.
Still in what I would consider a LCOL area. Small metro in the mid-south.
Also very glad I turned down that Facebook offer. I saw the table of names and positions on layoffs.fyi and I saw more than a few that were in the same position I would have taken.
Post by: afuera on January 04, 2023, 11:47:24 AM
Job Title: Production EngineerJob Title: Senior Process Engineer
Salary: $107K/yr + Yearly Profit Sharting + 6% 401K match + Pension + Free HDHP w/ HSA contributions. Total comp probably around ~135K.
Experience: 3 years at current company (1st job out of college), 2 relevant part-time jobs and 1 relevant internship while in college.
Education: BS in Chemical Engineering.
Salary: $140K +10% Bonus
Experience: 8 years
Education: BS in ChE.
Post by: mm1970 on January 04, 2023, 02:04:59 PM
Sigh.Job Title: Production EngineerJob Title: Senior Process Engineer
Salary: $107K/yr + Yearly Profit Sharting + 6% 401K match + Pension + Free HDHP w/ HSA contributions. Total comp probably around ~135K.
Experience: 3 years at current company (1st job out of college), 2 relevant part-time jobs and 1 relevant internship while in college.
Education: BS in Chemical Engineering.
Salary: $140K +10% Bonus
Experience: 8 years
Education: BS in ChE.
I'm working for the wrong company.
Post by: Loretta on January 04, 2023, 04:53:06 PM
Post by: JLee on January 04, 2023, 04:57:04 PM
Title: Technical Manager (IT)
Salary: $97k + annual bonus
Experience: 3 years
Education: AA
Title: Director (IT)
Salary: $170k
Experience: 9 years
Education: AA
I would never have predicted this but I'll take it :)
Title: Director (IT)
Salary: $187k + annual bonus ($15k 2022)
Experience: 10 years
Education: AA
Post by: sailinlight on January 04, 2023, 06:29:39 PM
Years at company: 14 years, since undergrad: 16 years
Salary 187k + ~20k bonus per year
Post by: tacticalteam4 on January 04, 2023, 08:08:54 PM
$310,000 last year
Experience: 1.5 years in this role, 2.5 years as a clinician before this
Education: clinical MS
Primary duty is taking specialized clinical folks out to dinner.
Post by: 2Birds1Stone on January 05, 2023, 03:09:34 AM
Med device rep
$310,000 last year
Experience: 1.5 years in this role, 2.5 years as a clinician before this
Education: clinical MS
Primary duty is taking specialized clinical folks out to dinner.
Yessss!! I looked to see if this post existed after you commented in my journal.
Congrats, that's quite a freakin income vs. job description :)
Post by: bryan995 on January 05, 2023, 05:37:27 AM
Title: Principal SWE
Field: Health Startup
Salary: ~$240k/yr base
Bonus: 20% (~$50k/yr)
Stock: options (could be $$$$, could be $0)
Education: PhD
Experience: 7 years post phd (3rd role after graduating)
Age: 36
Hours Worked: >60 (hopefully is my final role)
Location: CA
Wife is Sr Manager in marketing at a fintech.
Title: Sr Marketing Manager
Field: Fintech
Salary: $152/yr base
Bonus: 25% ($38k/yr)
Stock: $24k/yr
Education: MBA
Experience: 8 years post MBA
Age: 35
Hours Worked: 40
Location: CA
Post by: tacticalteam4 on January 05, 2023, 06:25:29 AM
Can’t believe it most days. I still sometimes find myself on that hedonic treadmill complaining about trivial things. Was making 40k/year as a special Ed teacher when I found MMM in 2014. Found someone on Reddit posting about a niche clinical degree that required no experience and paid new grads $100k+. Then found another guy (🙂) on some forum talking about sales as a well paying career path. If this luck continues I’ll stumble onto the winning lottery combo in some corner of the web.Med device rep
$310,000 last year
Experience: 1.5 years in this role, 2.5 years as a clinician before this
Education: clinical MS
Primary duty is taking specialized clinical folks out to dinner.
Yessss!! I looked to see if this post existed after you commented in my journal.
Congrats, that's quite a freakin income vs. job description :)
I’d be happy if this post ends up being the catalyst for someone looking to increase their income, like yours was for me!
Post by: afuera on January 05, 2023, 07:50:12 AM
I just switched companies for the first time since I started working. Overall, its been a fantastic experience so definitely take the leap!Sigh.Job Title: Production EngineerJob Title: Senior Process Engineer
Salary: $107K/yr + Yearly Profit Sharting + 6% 401K match + Pension + Free HDHP w/ HSA contributions. Total comp probably around ~135K.
Experience: 3 years at current company (1st job out of college), 2 relevant part-time jobs and 1 relevant internship while in college.
Education: BS in Chemical Engineering.
Salary: $140K +10% Bonus
Experience: 8 years
Education: BS in ChE.
I'm working for the wrong company.
Post by: valsecito on January 06, 2023, 11:11:06 AM
In my native Belgium, you pay 25% fed tax up to 14k€, 40% up to 24k€, 45% up to 42k€/year, and 50% above that. These percentages do not include:
- local tax (typically 7% of federal tax amount)
- employee side social security contributions (typically 13.07% on pre-tax amount)
- employer side social security contributions (typically between 25 and 28% on top of pre-tax amount)
Belgium doesn't have a very interesting roth/ira/401k system of voluntary pension contributions to lower the taxed amount either. A tax deductible pension fund contribution is possible up to 990€/year, but that's only valid for expensive investments run by the local banks. Little room for optimisation, except if running your own llc.
So I'm curious... When people here mention say a $100k salary, what does that amount usually include, and what not? Employer side social security contributions for example, probably not included? Employee side social security contributions, probably included? And how much of that can you expect to take home in a typical populous state like California if going for the most frugal route in terms of retirement savings and fiscal optimisations?
I'm probably asking for the impossible. Just being curious...
Post by: lifeisshort123 on January 06, 2023, 01:34:12 PM
- The wage my employer gives me regularly every two weeks before taxes are taken out.
Here is what I don’t include when addressing that number:
- The amount of money I pay in taxes (Federal, State, etc.)
- The amount of money my employer pays in taxes (Federal, State, etc.)
- The cost I have to pay for any insurance products I may purchase
- The cost my employer may have to pay for any insurance products
- The amount I am “deferring” by contributing to Defined Benefit and/or Defined Contribution Plans paid by myself and/or my employer
- Any additional one-time-payments or bonuses (in my line of work at present, these are not guaranteed and rarely equal 5% or more of my income). In other jobs I have had, I would include this amount because it was up to 30+% of my income.
Your social security in the US will be lowered for any medical insurance plans you purchase or “cafeteria plans” - when purchased from your employer, or purchased by you when self-employed. For example, make 100k, but have to contribute 1k toward’s your healthcare, SS calls that 99k in income. Your 401k/403b contributions are income tax deferred, but you do pay social security tax on that amount. So for many people here putting in their $22,500 for the year, that does count. Also, social security has a maximum benefit cap and maximum taxation cap, which means only the first $160,200 you earn annually is subject to social security tax.
So, let’s say you have a household income of $100k, one person earns $60k, another person earns $40k.
Easiest way to reduce taxable income would be for both of you to contribute $22.5k into your 401k (or equivalent). That would allow for 45k (or 45%) of your income to be tax deferred. There are other tricks if one of you happens to be a business owner which can lessen your burden - for example if you open a SEP IRA, Solo 401k, or defined benefit pension plan for yourself/your company. There are additional pre-tax deductions all individuals qualify for medical insurance, tuition, student loan interest, and other things.
So much of taxes depends on where you live. Forbes has this little game you can play, though it has some errors (for example it won’t allow for higher than $19,500 in contributions to 401k). It might be a good starting place.
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/income-tax-calculator/california/100000/?filing=married&deductions=0&k401=19500&ira=0&dependents=0
Post by: Must_ache on January 06, 2023, 01:47:37 PM
Certainly you can do much better than that, but I am in a good low-stress situation.
I pay almost nothing out of paycheck for benefits
6% retirement benefit plus 3% 401k match yields another $10k
15% discount on stock purchase yields 1.5k
Outside of maxing my 401k and HSA I can also defer 15% of salary and 100% of my bonuses to be paid out in five annual installments immediately following retirement, to help sustain me pre Social Security.
28 vacation days plus good number of holidays.
Work from home 2 days per week.
Post by: Tyson on January 06, 2023, 02:00:22 PM
Only tangentially related question. How low can you get taxation and social security contributions in the US if being frugal?
In my native Belgium, you pay 25% fed tax up to 14k€, 40% up to 24k€, 45% up to 42k€/year, and 50% above that. These percentages do not include:
- local tax (typically 7% of federal tax amount)
- employee side social security contributions (typically 13.07% on pre-tax amount)
- employer side social security contributions (typically between 25 and 28% on top of pre-tax amount)
Belgium doesn't have a very interesting roth/ira/401k system of voluntary pension contributions to lower the taxed amount either. A tax deductible pension fund contribution is possible up to 990€/year, but that's only valid for expensive investments run by the local banks. Little room for optimisation, except if running your own llc.
So I'm curious... When people here mention say a $100k salary, what does that amount usually include, and what not? Employer side social security contributions for example, probably not included? Employee side social security contributions, probably included? And how much of that can you expect to take home in a typical populous state like California if going for the most frugal route in terms of retirement savings and fiscal optimisations?
I'm probably asking for the impossible. Just being curious...
I make base salary of $132k per year, so that's $11k per month. My take home, after taxes, 401k, medical insurance, is $6400 per month.
Post by: SpaceCow on January 06, 2023, 02:43:04 PM
Title: Federal Investigator
Education: BA in Economics
Experience: 3 years as a fed, 6 months in this role
Pay: $53k. GS-07 step 2. I am now on a GS-12 ladder, though, so it will go up significantly on a yearly basis.
While I am very happy with what I do now, I took a pay cut to get here. I might struggle to max out the 401k and IRA this year.
Post by: valsecito on January 06, 2023, 04:05:15 PM
My public sector work qualifies me for a defined benefits government pension. At 67, not at 56 like my parents. From a financial perspective, FIRE is penalised very heavily for government employees. I don't participate in our humble 401k equivalent (990€/year of partially tax deductible pension fund investment). Especially for young mustachians, the tax advantage gets eaten by high fees.
My health insurance is federal government provided, like almost all Belgian residents except for some international institution employees. The membership for the non-profit organisations handling the administrative side is about 70€ per year. I also have additional private health insurance costing me about 150€/year.
One nice benefit some of you might find interesting. I get a tax free cycling allowance per km of home-work travel of 0.21€ at school A and 0.24€ per km at school B . I am tempted to start cycling to work on a 45km/h electric bicycle instead of by train plus bicycle. Time wise, that evens out. Money wise, that would net me between 2.5k€ and 3k€ per year extra though. Plus a better physical health.
Labour may be very heavily taxed in Belgium, but it is post tax investment heaven. No capital gains tax at all if you're a tiny bit careful. That is why most of my tiny nest egg goes into accumulating etf's with a low total expenses rate.
Post by: poetdereves on January 08, 2023, 10:40:13 AM
Me
Title: Registered Nurse (Surgical/trauma ICU)
Salary: $66k + 15% into pension vesting after 8 years
Experience: 2 years
Age: 33
Education: BS In nursing; BA in unrelated field. Various nursing certifications.
Side Hustle: ~$10k
Wife
Title: Project Manager (WFH) in healthcare IT field
Salary: $97k + 3% 401k + $1,400 in HSA + bonuses ($10-20k possible)
Experience: 10 ish years
Age: 31
Education: MS in Healthcare Administration and PMP
Total: ~$180k annual compensation
Update about one year out. Really crazy to see our trajectory because in 2017 we were making $41k combined.
Me:
Title: Organ Recovery Coordinator
Salary: $70k + 10% 401k match
Experience: 8 years
Age: 33
Education: BS In nursing; BA in unrelated field. Various certifications.
Side Hustle: ~$10k
Wife
Title: Program Manager
Salary: $150k + 3% 401k match + $1,400 in HSA + bonuses ($10-20k possible)
Experience: 10 ish years
Age: 32
Education: MS in Healthcare Administration and PMP
Total: ~$230k annual compensation
Post by: Dicey on January 08, 2023, 12:04:32 PM
Actuary, 25 yrs of experience. $115k salary + bonus of about $35k = $150k.Wow! That list is worth a lot!
Certainly you can do much better than that, but I am in a good low-stress situation.
I pay almost nothing out of paycheck for benefits
6% retirement benefit plus 3% 401k match yields another $10k
15% discount on stock purchase yields 1.5k
Outside of maxing my 401k and HSA I can also defer 15% of salary and 100% of my bonuses to be paid out in five annual installments immediately following retirement, to help sustain me pre Social Security.
28 vacation days plus good number of holidays.
Work from home 2 days per week.
Post by: dandarc on January 08, 2023, 12:11:48 PM
My end after the contracting firm takes its cut is $100 / hour for as many hours as I want to work (technically a cap of 2080 per year, but the handshake deal I have is for 1200 / year). This is 1099 / Corp-to-Corp rate - it flows through my personal LLC which pays me a $60K annual salary, reimburses my health insurance, and periodically makes profit distributions or employer 401k profit-sharing contributions. Knowing the salaries (public record) state employees get paid to do similar work in my state, I feel like that is actually a pretty healthy salary for about a 60% time position.
Been doing essentially this job under different titles for this state since 2008 except for 2018-2021 when I went off to another state to do a big implementation project for the same government program. The part time thing + pay has be back at state #1.
Post by: mistymoney on January 08, 2023, 12:14:52 PM
Special Agent, in the federal government for 21 years, now in San Francisco. $176,300.
good god! are you going to have to kill us now! 8O
Post by: Gronnie on January 09, 2023, 09:30:29 AM
Can’t believe it most days. I still sometimes find myself on that hedonic treadmill complaining about trivial things. Was making 40k/year as a special Ed teacher when I found MMM in 2014. Found someone on Reddit posting about a niche clinical degree that required no experience and paid new grads $100k+. Then found another guy (🙂) on some forum talking about sales as a well paying career path. If this luck continues I’ll stumble onto the winning lottery combo in some corner of the web.Med device rep
$310,000 last year
Experience: 1.5 years in this role, 2.5 years as a clinician before this
Education: clinical MS
Primary duty is taking specialized clinical folks out to dinner.
Yessss!! I looked to see if this post existed after you commented in my journal.
Congrats, that's quite a freakin income vs. job description :)
I’d be happy if this post ends up being the catalyst for someone looking to increase their income, like yours was for me!
Makes me wonder why anyone would go to Med school?
Post by: Michael in ABQ on January 09, 2023, 10:50:15 AM
Title: President
Salary: $36k/year
Experience:1.5 years in this position (bought the business 1.5 years ago, had a couple of years of related experience from a side hustle)
Age: 38
Education: BA in Business Administration
Title: Captain (Army National Guard)
Salary: ~$19k/year for one weekend a month and 2-3 weeks a year of full-time duty. Includes a 100% match on first 5% contributed to my 401k - plus a pension of 2% per year times number of years of equivalent active duty. So after almost 20 years of part-time service (including two overseas deployments) I'm at the equivalent of about 5 years of active duty. I can retire starting about a year from now, but my pension won't start paying out until I'm 59 and 3 months. If I retired as soon as I can (not planning on it) I would get basically 10% of my full-time salary for my rank at the time I retire. That's currently $101,052 for a Captain but will go up to $110,524 once my promotion to Major goes through later this year. With another 20 years of annual increases until I hit the age it starts paying out, it will probably be $150-175k/year by the time I can start collecting at age 59 years and 3 months (normally age 60, decreased by 9 months for some service in a combat zone).
Experience: 19+ years in the Army
Age: 38
Education: BA in Business Administration + a year or two worth of military education over the last 19 years.
Wife
Title: Vice President
Salary: $24k/year
Experience:1.5 years in this position
Age: 38
Education: BA in English
We're self-employed with an S-Corp so pay ourselves a very modest salary of $60k/year combined. We're trying to keep as much money in the business to grow by investing in our infrastructure and purchasing more inventory. Since I have additional income from the National Guard and some side hustles it's enough for us to live on. We basically pay nothing in income taxes at the state or federal level and usually get a significant refund since we have 6 kids.
Post by: 2Birds1Stone on January 09, 2023, 01:16:46 PM
Can’t believe it most days. I still sometimes find myself on that hedonic treadmill complaining about trivial things. Was making 40k/year as a special Ed teacher when I found MMM in 2014. Found someone on Reddit posting about a niche clinical degree that required no experience and paid new grads $100k+. Then found another guy (🙂) on some forum talking about sales as a well paying career path. If this luck continues I’ll stumble onto the winning lottery combo in some corner of the web.Med device rep
$310,000 last year
Experience: 1.5 years in this role, 2.5 years as a clinician before this
Education: clinical MS
Primary duty is taking specialized clinical folks out to dinner.
Yessss!! I looked to see if this post existed after you commented in my journal.
Congrats, that's quite a freakin income vs. job description :)
I’d be happy if this post ends up being the catalyst for someone looking to increase their income, like yours was for me!
Makes me wonder why anyone would go to Med school?
My brother turned down medical school after getting a BS in Biochem (premed track), got into pharma sales, made a few million before he would have finished residency......if you want to make money, follow the money.
Post by: EliteZags on January 10, 2023, 04:29:26 PM
Salary: $148K, 20% bonus, paid benefits +80,000 initial shares equity (tbd value likely only relevant if/when company is acquired, which could be likely leading up to FDA approval in the next year or 2, only about a dozen total employees in size)
3wks PTO + 1wk sick time + paid shutdown wk b/w Christmas-NewYrs (so essentially comparable to 5wks total PTO days from large company), +10paid holidays
Experience: 11ish yrs total
Education: MS Chem Eng | BS Mech/Mfg Eng
Post by: amyj05 on January 13, 2023, 09:23:33 AM
Salary: $20.73 per hour which is about 45K per year including a little OT (LCOL area in Southeast) 4% 401K match, health insurance, 25 days PTO, 7 paid holidays, annual profit sharing contribution to 401K ~$1800
Experience: 10 years at this company, 13.5 years in nursing total
Education: One-year certificate in practical nursing and Associate's in Liberal Arts (which I've never used)
Side hustle: Waitress/bartender - work 1-2 nights per week 4-8 hours per night; make $10-$100 per night depending on how busy we are
Post by: EliteZags on January 17, 2023, 02:24:04 PM
I'm self-employed and I earn $5000/mo selling sexy selfies online. Here comes the smoulder. Blue Steel! [/sarcasm]
and who woulda thought years later any average looking female could pretty easily make at least double that without putting much effort into it
Post by: Gronnie on January 17, 2023, 02:26:15 PM
I'm self-employed and I earn $5000/mo selling sexy selfies online. Here comes the smoulder. Blue Steel! [/sarcasm]
and who woulda thought years later any average looking female could pretty easily make at least double that without putting much effort into it
The vast vast majority of OnlyFans accounts make way way less than that.
Post by: jeninco on January 18, 2023, 08:45:59 AM
Earn: My hourly rate is now between $160 and $175/hour. I aim to work around 1/3 -1/2 time, up from years when I had smaller children at home. But if I don't make it, that's cool too -- I'm basically working to allow us to pay college tuition out of pocket, and because I like what I do. (Also, I'm potentially working to pay for a remodel out of pocket, and I still like what I do!)
Experience: 25+ years in this area
Education: MS in Applied Math.
Post by: Fuperw84 on February 05, 2023, 06:34:28 AM
Post by: dizzy on February 14, 2023, 03:07:29 PM
JOB 1
Title: Acupuncturist (1099 job where they pay all supplies and occasional self-employed cash patients, I provide supplies. Low overhead)
2022 Earnings: $58k + another ~$3k under the table (cash tips or cash patients)
Not a set salary, based on how many patients I see each week, with a minimum payout/shift that I almost always exceed
No PTO or benefits of any sort (I've never had a job with these)
My current boss is v cool, I'm basically carrying this branch of the practice so he's down with me taking off as needed for travel/hiking adventures or music gigs. I can shift around my schedule a bit as needed. I work 5 days a week but mostly not 8 hr days.
There are additional "gigs" (both on-site and off-site) for doing acupuncture pre-transfer for IVF patients. I get a couple a month usually. Only if convenient, I'm not required to do them. $100-150/each.
I also get a small stipend for cleaning/ordering supplies as the office manager.
I have set up a solo401k 3 years ago and try to max out.
Experience: 8 yrs
Education: MATCM (12 semester graduate level program which includes "residency"; I did it in 4 years no summers off)
This career really started growing exponentially for me the last 3 years...aka the first 5 years I made very very little
JOB 2
Title: Musician
2022 Earnings: $11k last year. Unexpectedly my career came back! Will see how it goes in the future. I think one group I'm in may be less but other groups looking to be more, and hopefully some new ones.
All self employed and 95% was 1099 work. There's a few groups I play with and worked enough with each to get a form. Not too much side stuff apart from that.
Experience: 24 years since my 1st paid gig in HS
Education: MM/BM in music performance. Plus lots of lessons/workshops/festivals etc over the years
This was a huge jump from typical I'd been making in the Before Times (pandemic really wiped out a lot of music gigs 1st 2 years). I'm a comeback player, had quit for a couple yrs but started again 2017. Was full-time in my 20s.
JOB 3
Title: "Bank Robber"
2022 Earnings: $11k in cash, and ~950k points/miles. Mostly report as 1099-INT, some I don't have to (it's considered cashback)
Experience: 11yrs. 1st 5 years was just travel hacking, I neither had the credit history nor money to really start with CC cards
Education: 10+ years of reading websites/forums about churning
This has been steady growth in the last 5-6 years (around when I started "earning). I joined some groups recently and have definitely ramped up since fall 2023, looking forward to my future in this.
Until 4 years ago I made ~$20k a year or less.
---------
Husband (47)
Former service plumber (about 20 yrs) but last 7 years or so has tried moving towards "institutional" work that's less physically demanding and also helping people. He's worked at a retirement community, school, museum/research institute, and nonprofit community center.
He has not been working most of the last 3 years, sorta reached FU money, has had a couple jobs but they sucked and he quit. Just had a job interview that went GREAT (retirement home for nuns. where does he even find this stuff?) so he is keeping fingers crossed.
They haven't made an offer but the posting said salary range would be $52k-62k, with a 457b plan they contribute to. He forgot to ask about healthcare (we get thru marketplace currently)
Post by: Padonak on February 14, 2023, 03:10:06 PM
JOB 3
Title: "Bank Robber"
2022 Earnings: $11k in cash, and ~950k points/miles. Mostly report as 1099-INT, some I don't have to (it's considered cashback)
Experience: 11yrs. 1st 5 years was just travel hacking, I neither had the credit history nor money to really start with CC cards
Education: 10+ years of reading websites/forums about churning
This is very impressive. Could you describe how exactly you do it? Either here or maybe in a separate thread?
Post by: dizzy on February 14, 2023, 03:39:26 PM
This is very impressive. Could you describe how exactly you do it? Either here or maybe in a separate thread?
Well if there's one true thing about churning there's no "exactly"
TBH it's pretty complicated but I'd start with Doctor of Credit and Frequent Miler websites. Honestly it was just reading websites and forums for years and then trying stuff out. A lot of stuff gets hidden/not publicly posted these days but there is so much that an average person could do.
I was really behind normal people in that the crew of people I hung with in my 20s (and still am around in my music life) was/is very down on banks and investing etc. The whole rad-lib scene. I applied for my first credit card around age 30 and was rejected bc I had NO credit history, not a bad one. It took me a couple years to get approved for any card that offered significant rewards (low income didn't help either).
I was always told credit cards are evil, use a credit union not large bank, even Vanguard is evil (this happened more recently, I had to laugh at their misunderstanding. People wanted to protest against Vanguard bc they are the largest holder of some oil stocks. I'm like, uhhhh this is the only shareholder-owned company? Maybe protest against the companies themselves, or REAL big banks and institutions? Ones that get significant tax-breaks?)
Anyway now I have a robin hood mentality of sorts, figure we are in late-stage capitalism, might as well enjoy and have good experiences with friends/loved ones.
I joined a paid forum in the fall and it's 100% worth it but there is NOOOO spoonfeeding or beginners. Also this month going to a local group that just started that also has a private forum. It's good to learn more but also just nice to meet some people IRL into this stuff.
Post by: Padonak on February 14, 2023, 04:13:29 PM
I got approved for a new IHG Chase card recently. Seems like a good deal: 170K points for 3K spend plus a free night every year and some other benefits.
Post by: charponnaise on February 14, 2023, 06:24:58 PM
I'm a 'communications officer' (I write website content and manage social media for a university), and I earn £34k a year. I live in London which eats a chunk of it up but I manage.
I also do some cat-sitting on the side (it's quiet right now but in the warmer months when folks are off on holiday it brings in a little extra money - I started last May and made a few hundred from it in 2022).
Post by: vand on February 15, 2023, 05:50:05 AM
Post by: dandarc on February 15, 2023, 09:08:32 AM
Fancy job titles have basically grown from corporate one upmanship bullshit. A better title for this thread is "what do you actually do and how much do you earn."Stare at an array, or sometimes two arrays of tiny lights. From time to time, push some buttons from another array but of buttons or move a small piece of plastic around - both of these things change how the lights blink for me and sometimes even for other people who are looking at their own array of lights every day. Nominally, I'm trying to get the array of lights to blink the way those people tell me they want the lights to blink, but in practice doesn't really matter much how my button pushing impacts the lights for other people. I get paid to do this about 24 hours per week. Works out to about $120K (gross revenue to my LLC) depending on exactly how many hours I do this in a given week.
Of course I also stare at arrays of tiny lights for free a lot of the time too, but these particular 24 hours each week are special so they pay me for them.
Post by: GuitarStv on February 16, 2023, 09:02:55 AM
Post by: GilesMM on February 16, 2023, 09:40:22 AM
Fancy job titles have basically grown from corporate one upmanship bullshit. A better title for this thread is "what do you actually do and how much do you earn."
I had a (terrible) boss who wanted to make himself look important. He even went so far as to make local business cards showing him as the "CEO" of the local office, haha. He insisted I was to be titled "General Manager", even though that title elsewhere in the corporation was a couple pay grades above me. I went along with the ruse when he was in the room, but otherwise, I was just "Manager".
Post by: Tyson on February 16, 2023, 10:42:43 AM
I press buttons to make pixels dance on a screen for a living.
I was just thinking the other day how cushy our jobs are nowadays compared to almost any time in the past.
Post by: Steeze on February 16, 2023, 10:52:17 AM
I press buttons to make pixels dance on a screen for a living.
I was just thinking the other day how cushy our jobs are nowadays compared to almost any time in the past.
Sometimes the thermostat in my private office is finicky. There is also not always milk / half & half in the office kitchen and I am forced to drink oat milk in my coffee.
Post by: GuitarStv on February 16, 2023, 11:14:05 AM
I press buttons to make pixels dance on a screen for a living.
I was just thinking the other day how cushy our jobs are nowadays compared to almost any time in the past.
Sometimes the thermostat in my private office is finicky. There is also not always milk / half & half in the office kitchen and I am forced to drink oat milk in my coffee.
You should refuse to drink oat milk. Oat nipples are far too sensitive to be milked, it's cruel.
Post by: Alfred J Quack on March 25, 2023, 01:34:29 AM
Current salary: around 37kCouple of years later, promotion to application integrations specialist 😂
Age: 38
Job: Systems administrator for a non-profit organisation
Salary: ~49k
Age: 41
PTO: 5 weeks coming in juli/august
Post by: RetireOrDieTrying on March 26, 2023, 12:43:53 AM
Post by: Hall11235 on March 29, 2023, 11:44:22 AM
Title: Director of Systems integration and Connectivity (not my first choice, but I don't make the rules).
Comp: 120k base with 10k in bonus incentives. 23 days PTO annually, 4% 401k match.
Ed: BA in History and a BA in Education
Age:29
Years in Field: 8
What I do: Well, most of the last 4 years was spent developing and mentoring my team into a razor sharp outfit. They are compentent enough now that I might have trained myself out of a job. I really just mentor and coach, while handling emergencies or delicate matters.
Post by: Alchemisst on April 07, 2023, 11:35:28 PM
Cloud Architect. Abt. $220k. Fully remote.
What experience/ qualifications are needed for this type of job?
Post by: Alfred J Quack on April 08, 2023, 05:33:50 AM
Lots of hot air, probably ;)Cloud Architect. Abt. $220k. Fully remote.
What experience/ qualifications are needed for this type of job?
Post by: GuitarStv on April 10, 2023, 01:53:55 PM
Lots of hot air, probably ;)Cloud Architect. Abt. $220k. Fully remote.
What experience/ qualifications are needed for this type of job?
But you can't have a dry sense of humour. Clouds just don't architect properly dry.
Post by: RetireOrDieTrying on April 10, 2023, 05:03:40 PM
Cloud Architect. Abt. $220k. Fully remote.What experience/ qualifications are needed for this type of job?
Eh, in my case it's been kinda organic. I've been in IT for about 25 years, both on the technical and management sides. TBH I had no certifications, no formal training, no college degree, and no HS diploma nor GED. I just simply enjoyed the work and played with everything I could get my hands on. Over time you get good at a lot of things, and because of my management stint I can talk to both the fellow nerds about techno-babble, and to the executives, who are interested in practical questions like cost, time, maintainability, and barrier to entry.
One plus is that I can easily pass background, credit, and drugs tests, so I'm typically engaged for projects involving the healthcare and financial industries. A number of otherwise fine technical types are eliminated because of past indiscretions, poor personal financial management and/or ongoing inability to pass a pee test.
My previous job was at a customer of my current employer. I was approached a number of times, and at one point the time was right. They have treated me very well, and I feel fortunate.
I have started to take some certification exams, not because I need them, but because as a VAR (value-added reseller) our slice of a given sale is better when as a company we're at a higher tier as a partner of the vendor. This involves a number of hoops to jump through, but one of the hoops is X number of the technical staff need to possess a certain level of vendor certifications. Usually my employer will throw in some side bonus as a thank-you for passing these tests, because it makes the company more money overall.
That might be a much longer answer than you're looking for, but it's not exceptionally exciting; just being dependable, professional, proficient, personable, and enjoying the heck out of what I do. <shrug>
Post by: pdxvandal on April 11, 2023, 09:44:34 AM
Title: Senior Marketing Coordinator
Experience: B.A.; 25 years
Age: 48
Salary: $107k + 10% employer contribution (same company as 5 years ago)
Easy side hustles: $10k
Could easily bring the side hustle income to $15k, but won't do that until I fully FIRE. Just raking in the extra income/retirement contributions for the next 12-18 months and we'll see where I stand.
Title: Marketing Coordinator
Experience: B.A.; 20 years
Age: 43
Salary: $72k
Easy side hustles: $5k
I'm not even at the salary I was at 4 years ago after a layoff, but inching closer, and just got a somewhat surprising $7k bump. My work-life balance is way better today, though. I show up and leave whenever I want (usually 9-3 in the office with telecommuting mixed in daily) and able to put away 40k of my salary pre-tax into a 457, 401 (includes 8% matching) and HSA (employer contributes $1.5k annually). I'm grateful. Not sure when FIRE will happen, as there have been some financial setbacks with my spouse, but hopefully in 2-4 years. I could probably retire today and live very frugally, but would rather create a larger cushion especially with a young-ish child.