How do all of you make these $200k salaries???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Work as a govt project manager for a technical agency (NIST), making about $150k.

Everything is so expensive, from housing, to saving for college, to daycare. DW is in a good paying job that she loathes and I can tell she dies each day dropping off kids at daycare every morning.

I have applied to dozens of jobs, had 2 dozen interviews, and receive probably a dozen offers, and NONE of them pay anymore than I make now.

How do people make the leap to a bigger salary; for DW to quit I need to make at least $250k, but I can't even break $200k?

I'm mid-career, late 30s with some programming skills, project management, and domain knowledge in our contract specialty at NIST (so it's pretty niche). Do I need to get an advanced degree? Get an MBA?

I would love to get a sales engineer job, I think I would be a good fit as someone who is technically proficient and personable, but no bites and all the postings look for existing sales engineer experience. Am I wrong in thinking that could pay more than $200k (at like Salesforce or Google or something?).

I know many people must be making these numbers, as we see people buying crazy expensive houses and the wives SAH or have part time yoga gigs. But what I am doing wrong?

Why is this the goal? I live in DC, where most families make good money because they're highly educated and dual-income.

DW has a professional degree but pigeon holes into work she hates. No clear path to anything else without dropping to entry level ($50k wages), hence me boosting my career would the best path for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Work as a govt project manager for a technical agency (NIST), making about $150k.

Everything is so expensive, from housing, to saving for college, to daycare. DW is in a good paying job that she loathes and I can tell she dies each day dropping off kids at daycare every morning.

I have applied to dozens of jobs, had 2 dozen interviews, and receive probably a dozen offers, and NONE of them pay anymore than I make now.

How do people make the leap to a bigger salary; for DW to quit I need to make at least $250k, but I can't even break $200k?

I'm mid-career, late 30s with some programming skills, project management, and domain knowledge in our contract specialty at NIST (so it's pretty niche). Do I need to get an advanced degree? Get an MBA?

I would love to get a sales engineer job, I think I would be a good fit as someone who is technically proficient and personable, but no bites and all the postings look for existing sales engineer experience. Am I wrong in thinking that could pay more than $200k (at like Salesforce or Google or something?).

I know many people must be making these numbers, as we see people buying crazy expensive houses and the wives SAH or have part time yoga gigs. But what I am doing wrong?

Why is this the goal? I live in DC, where most families make good money because they're highly educated and dual-income.

Your response might be more helphelpful to him & others if you share what type of PROFESSIONS you & your high earning friends are in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You simply can't become rich working for someone else. Even if you do make a lot of money, it will wear you off. Wealth is determined by your assets. NOT salary.

Get to know local real estate brokers in DC. Get to know bank managers for fast loans processing. Ask brokers for regular updates on all 2-3 units investment real estate townhouses in good areas. Buy something at a mm, invest 200K, and rent it out. With balloon mortgage loan it will pay off in 10 years. At your 300K salary you can buy 2 projects like that and become asset rich in 10 years, adding net rental income to your salaries

I'm happy I understood this at the age of 18.

Unless you're and early employee at an successful startup (facebook, airbnb, google, amazon, ect) the chances of getting rich are slim to none..

You have to start an economically viable business.

[Anonymous]

I am a technical expert/SME/Senior Research scientist for a gov't contractor. I do not manage people, but mentor them and provide technical leadership. I am making just under 200K (197K), and expected it to bump over 200K at the next salary review.

Now, this is not a job you can just jump into. It needs 20+ years of experience and a PhD. But, I also have the advantage of having a FUN job where people listen to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You simply can't become rich working for someone else. Even if you do make a lot of money, it will wear you off. Wealth is determined by your assets. NOT salary.

Get to know local real estate brokers in DC. Get to know bank managers for fast loans processing. Ask brokers for regular updates on all 2-3 units investment real estate townhouses in good areas. Buy something at a mm, invest 200K, and rent it out. With balloon mortgage loan it will pay off in 10 years. At your 300K salary you can buy 2 projects like that and become asset rich in 10 years, adding net rental income to your salaries

I'm happy I understood this at the age of 18.

Unless you're and early employee at an successful startup (facebook, airbnb, google, amazon, ect) the chances of getting rich are slim to none..

You have to start an economically viable business.

I’m not trying to get rich, just want to support a middle class DC lifestyle on one salary.

[Anonymous]

Instead of you hyperfocused on finding a new job, it sounds like your wife should be the one working hard to find something. You're mid-30s and a GS15, that's a really good gig. No, you aren't rich, but it's a good salary, with really good benefits. You probably know this, but don't ever discount the security of a government job and it's generous benefit packages. Things outside of the government are pretty cut-throat and can be pretty stressful. If you're wife doesn't want to work and stay home with kids, I admire that path too. I know a lot of NIST employees, they live in New Market, Urbana and Mt. Airy. Little easier to make it on one salary in those places than in Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Info Sec and cloud are good skills.

Best way to make 350k from 150k is have your wife quit. She is holding you back. You need to 100 percent focus career 7-7 every day with a few late nights.

350k is not what it used to be. I made that in 2011 and felt rich in 2021 is middle class.

You are doong something wrong if you consider 350 middle class. In fact it’s an insult to call that middle class!!!

I have two kids in college, mortgage, three cars, stay at home wife. Trust me it ain’t much after taxes and bills.

[Anonymous]

You make great money. You need a reality check. My ex h is late 40s, federal attorney, makes 160k. I make just over 100k. We are now divorced and he managed to keep our very nice house. We lived below our means for 8 years. It is the living below your means that helps over time. You are only 34. I am jealous of your age and your salary. People live on much less than you think.

[Anonymous]

Originally I made over 200K by consulting. In my field, I can charge 10K per client per month for policy consulting so that can add up fast if I have 2-3 long term clients plus some side consulting projects. Is consulting an option?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You simply can't become rich working for someone else. Even if you do make a lot of money, it will wear you off. Wealth is determined by your assets. NOT salary.

Get to know local real estate brokers in DC. Get to know bank managers for fast loans processing. Ask brokers for regular updates on all 2-3 units investment real estate townhouses in good areas. Buy something at a mm, invest 200K, and rent it out. With balloon mortgage loan it will pay off in 10 years. At your 300K salary you can buy 2 projects like that and become asset rich in 10 years, adding net rental income to your salaries

I'm happy I understood this at the age of 18.

Unless you're and early employee at an successful startup (facebook, airbnb, google, amazon, ect) the chances of getting rich are slim to none..

You have to start an economically viable business.

I’m not trying to get rich, just want to support a middle class DC lifestyle on one salary.

You can make hundreds of thousands per year literally from air in DC. I told you how already - read above. You can even avoid capital gain tax if you move homes every 3 years. Buy a 2-3 units property, live in best unit while renovating others. Then move down to renovated one, finish the whole project and sell. Easy 500-700k extra every 2-3 years. Become a small developer it’s easy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:H is in pharma sales and I'm a 15 equivalent at a fed agency on a different pay scale. Some of my friends are lawyers and doctors. I bet we pay our IT contractors over 200K/year. Do you have your PMP?

No, but I will get a PMP happily. I've done some coursework, it seems like a diploma mill cert to some degree. Would it really help?

I have a PMP as do most of my co-workers. None of us make over 200K. Being a contractor is different than being a full time employee - check the benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move to project management in tech. FAANG companies.

I have applied nonstop to the FAANG, the only one I hear back from (and keep hearing from) is Amazon, but they have a $180k salary cap, and you are really dependent on the stock rising. And of course the 4 year cliff; should I get one of those "how to apply to google" books, which I am so skeptical of but I'm desperate. I mean, I have an Ivy league degree, but have been such an rube engineer from the sticks I've just never had my career take off.

I'm the 22:53 PP. Will the Amazon job give you the experience to get to a 200+K one? Your Ivy should have people working at Google, mine does. Work those connections.

Yeah, I know plenty of people there as friends, but they haven't worked with me in any meaningful way except college over a decade ago. Do people really network that way? They really have no idea about my work career?

Yes. You don't have to be BFFs for networking. I used to email, introduce myself, go out for a coffee and discuss how to get a job there, company culture, opportunities for promotions etc. My H got all his jobs from connections and networking, he's never applied the traditional way. His industry pays $10K/year for the next 3 years if his recommendation is hired and stays for over a year, so there's financial incentive as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:bump! What do you all do? How old are you? How can I follow your path

I work in upper management on the business side of BigLaw. If you can put up with the assholes and the demands of a professional service industry, $200-300K is there. Lawyers suck at the business, pricing, and project management side of the house, so keeping them focused on the business development, client relations, and actual lawyering is the smart thing to do.

[Anonymous]

Total BS you can’t get rich working other people. I always had a paycheck and used that to pay for things.

However you can’t be a lazy bone and sit in a cube or WFH milking it.

Right now interviewing and jobs over 300k involve sales, travel, stress, long hours and a lot of business knowledge.

Interview you really have to prepare for. I mean get ready to do a board interview with four board members and CEO asking questions.

Also know the whole business. Right now I am focusing pre IPO start ups, consulting trying to replace talent laid off in 2019, complex international institutional trading houses, software sales. Basically companies that are going to make money in 2022 and beyond ramping up in 2021.

Try to get equity, bonus and a good salary. And show them how damn big your balls and cock are brag a little. Serious in sales job boom dish it out, in IT jobs wow technical skills,

They pay to hire people smarter then they are. And the answer to EVERY question is yes!!!! Can you travel, can you relocate, can you speak pig Latin yes.

Let them know you can do work of ten men in 1/2 the time.

Now of course this is a huge stretch but if you can’t sell your self who can.

I post on LinkedIn a lot thought leadership. An hour a day devoted to new original content. You create the narrative!

[Anonymous]

DH makes $400K a year - Big Law
Sister makes $900K - IT saless
BIL makes $250K - IT sales management

I make $90K a year - grants management

But I help keep my family on track and together (3 kids) and also partially help my sister with organizing her household when things come up or help watch her kids (2 kids). Its a team effort.