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%.