A while back, we wrote about the various salaries people were earning from their work. Then, a TON of readers shared their own, and it was just as fascinating. Here are some of those responses:
1. “Product specialist. $100k bonus, $20k gross. Real estate investor (part-time) $60k net (after all expenses).”
—Anonymous, 48
2. “Aviation safety research. Four-year degree. Thirty years of experience. $95,000.”
—Anonymous, 70, NJ
3. “Retired investor, and I make $500,000 a year.”
—Anonymous, 61, Southern California
4. “I am a credit manager. I work a hybrid schedule with mostly remote. I earn $91,550 with a 3% annual raise. Last year, my bonus was $10k. I hold an associate’s degree in accounting, business administration, and business information technology. I’m working on my bachelor’s in accounting.”
—Anonymous, 31, Modesto, California
5. “I am a caregiver for people with mental illness and addiction. Union job. I get raises every year, set my own schedule, and choose my clients. I get paid to be a buddy and a support, and I love it. I hold a master’s degree in a different field, but this job is significantly less stressful. I started at $20 an hour but will make $22.50 in January.”
—Anonymous, 40, Pacific Northwest
6. “I work at a cannabis supply company. I am in the sales department as a logistics/shipping manager. I make $85k a year.”
—Anonymous, 33, California
7. “Union carpenter. The base salary is approximately $38/hour in my area. I make over scale, because I train most of our new field leaders. Construction is booming, the job is very demanding, but the union pays for training and school; the employer has to provide anything besides hand tools. Overtime is almost always available, and pays 1.5–2 times base pay. My best year was $106k, and my worst was about $80k.”
—Anonymous, 40, Midwest
8. “I’m a hardware designer in the semiconductor industry in Silicon Valley with 42 years of experience and a high school degree. My base salary is $174,780, and with bonuses and profit sharing, it tops out at $223,000 a year.”
—Anonymous
9. “I sell residential HVAC equipment. I’m paid a straight commission and work 20–30 hours a week most of the time, making about $200k annually.”
—Anonymous, 56, Ohio
10. “I’m a civil engineering tech and inspect bridges under construction. I usually make around $130,000–$140,000.”
—Anonymous, 62
11. “I’m an airline captain. I make $400,000.”
—Anonymous, 56, Hawaii
12. “I’m a certified pharmacy technician with 18 years of experience. At my hospital position, I earn $30 an hour, while at a large retail pharmacy chain, the pay is $20 an hour. In retail, pharmacy technicians aren’t valued as much — the pay is lower, and the stress level is significantly higher.”
—Anonymous, 41, Austin, TX
13. “I make on average $80k annually as a fine dining server in Detroit. Working four dinner services a week.”
—Anonymous, 41, Detroit, MI
14. “I’m a senior superintendent for a top builder. No degree, started as a carpenter’s helper, carrying lumber and cleaning up. Worked hard and worked my way up. I make $240,000 a year base. Car allowance, gas card, and end-of-year profit sharing get me to just around $300,000 a year.”
—Anonymous, 59
15. “I work for the post office and make about $65k.”
—Anonymous, 50, Oklahoma
16. “Restaurant general manager. I make $150k per year and will be at $180k next year.”
—Anonymous, 40, Southern California
17. “After earning an art degree and a lit degree (paid for by me working), I worked in politics. We used to call it ‘doing the Lord’s work’ because we were paid less than priests. I tended bar at night until I was 30 to pay my bills. After 10 years, I topped out at about $90k — that was ‘04. Following that, I mortgaged my second house and bought a franchise sign company. Working 100-hour weeks for a year increased my income from $90k to over $250k. Sold it in 2010 at a loss after liquidating $200k in savings to keep it afloat. Worked as a fixer for a year, making things (furniture/fixtures) for people who don’t know who to call. Started in commercial real estate at 38 years old with a wife, a toddler, and zero experience. Made $80k my first year; became a partner by my sixth year. Grossed $1.2M+ for three years. This year, I’ll gross $350k, and next year, I’m on track to do $2.2 million, or about $1.5 million net.”
—Anonymous, 52, Washington, DC
18. “I’m a project coordinator for a small but successful and well-established commercial carpenter, and I gross $52k annually. My take-home pay is somewhat abysmal (thanks to Illinois taxes), but my employer pays 100% of my insurance premium and is an all-around great place to work. It balances out.”
—Anonymous, 46, Chicagoland
19. “I’m a managing editor at an independent scientific testing lab, and I manage the technical report production process, social media, and website articles. I make $105,000/year. Got my start with a bachelor’s degree in a science and my first job as a lab technician 20 years ago, making $29,000/year.”
—Anonymous, 43
20. “I work in IT doing product management, and I get paid $110,000. I have two master’s degrees.”
—Anonymous, 37, NYC
21. “I’m a patent examiner, and I make $185k a year.”
—Anonymous
22. “Public high school teacher in my 20th year. According to the school district pay scale, I’m at approximately $79k/year (183 days, 7.5 hours), along with benefits and retirement. However, I spend an extra 10–12 unpaid hours each week in my classroom developing lessons, projects, revising, and grading, among other tasks, to avoid bringing work home. Essentially, there’s a lot of unpaid time, but it’s a trade-off for having about 75 ‘vacation’ days a year. I’m finally happy again because I’ve started teaching a subject I love. We have great kids at our school. First-year teachers start at $63k in our district.”
—Anonymous, 51, Southeastern Louisiana
23. “$170k/year gross as a senior director in state government overseeing a $1B annual budget.”
—Anonymous
24. “I’m a high school PE coach and lacrosse coach. I make $95k a year with my coaching supplement added in ($3,500 extra). I hold a specialist degree, but I work in the second-highest-paying school district in the state and receive six weeks off during the school year, excluding summer.”
—Anonymous, 34, Atlanta, GA
25. “I am an elementary teacher with a master’s degree and eight years of experience. I make $75,000 a year. But I live in Alaska, six hours from the nearest Costco. At least we’re on the road system!”
—Anonymous, Alaska
26. “Pharmacy manager at a retail chain in Missouri; $145k/year plus potential for bonus.”
—Anonymous
27. “I make $225,000 plus bonuses as a VP with a direct-to-consumer home goods brand.”
—Anonymous, 40, Seattle
28. “Living the dream as an in-home speech-language pathologist in early intervention with 11 years of experience and a (mandatory!) master’s degree. I make $97k/annually plus full benefits. My student loans were recently forgiven thanks to PSLF.”
—Anonymous, 36, North of Seattle
29. “Certified ophthalmic assistant in Washington. $40/hr base and $1.50/hr for extra duties. A huge disparity exists across the state and country regarding pay for this position.”
—Anonymous
30. “I work as a product quality process manager. I have been with the company for 15 years. I started at the lowest position in the company, earning $12.60 an hour, or approximately $26k a year. After 15 years, multiple promotions, and getting a bachelor’s degree, I make $100k per year with full benefits and a 401k with a company match.”
—Anonymous
31. “Over 10 years of experience in advertising and digital media planning. With bonuses, the annual salary is around $202k/year. My favorite is the office perks. Full bar, snacks available all day, remote-friendly. It’s just longggg hours and lots of travel.”
—Anonymous, 37, Atlanta
32. “I’ve worked for Chick-fil-A for five years and make $20/hr.”
—Anonymous, 40, WA
33. And finally, “I am a registered nurse in North Carolina, making roughly $72,000. Currently in graduate school, I expect to be in the six-figure salary range after graduation.”
—Anonymous, 35, NC
Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
What do you do for work? And how much do you get paid? Let us know (only if you’re comfortable) in the comments. Or, if you prefer to remain anonymous, leave your submission in the form below.
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