People Who Make Over $200k A Year Explain What They Do For A Living

May and June are when most high schools and universities have their graduation ceremonies. That's a lot of people either hitting the job market or trying to decide on a career all at the same time.

So what are some good jobs that make decent money?

Reddit user H-U-I-3 asked:

"For those that make over $200k a year, what do you do?"

Commercial Photographer

"It goes up and down from year to year, but I’ve been doing a bit north of 200k for 3 years and might hit 300k in 2024."

"I am a commercial photographer working mostly in advertising and commercial fashion. It’s probably gonna keep going up and then reeeaaaaaaaally slow down in 5-10 years when the industry will be tired of my work."

" Weird business, but fun."

~ Casual_Bowling

Software Engineer

"Software Engineer at a FAANG company (tech giants)."

"Don't really feel qualified, but I don’t plan on leaving until they fire me."

~ TheAppleCriesAtMidni

Salmon Sperm Dealer

"Salmon sperm dealer."

"Business is bustlin’—don’t ask how we get it."

~ Aromatic_Length_5450

"I use salmon sperm single-stranded DNA in my work. It's used as carrier DNA for getting the DNA you want into yeasts and other types of cells for genetically modifying them."

"I always assumed it was just leftover junk from fish processing plants, but I guess some company must then buy it and purify the DNA out of it for research use."

~ fertthrowaway

Consultant

"Welcome to consulting!"

"Where the recommendations are made up, and the outcomes don’t matter!"

~ MAKEMSAYmeh

Export Inspection

"I decided not to take the job, but I was offered a job @250-300k range traveling the world watching bulk export ships unload and ensuring that everything gets completed strictly according to contracts."

"Mostly the job is making sure buyers don't cheat and try and fraudulently lower purchase price."

"Reasonably low entry requirements I guess in terms of formal training. For reference, I had about 6-12 months in the industry without college education—it was a small additional section of my existing role."

"Just wanted to post it since it's an interesting out of left field job that doesn't require a degree and isn't IT."

~ sabor2th

Cyber Security and Compliance

"Cyber Security and Compliance for a 2,500 employee company."

~ Few-Budget-3223

Knowledge Management Lawyer

"For any lawyers out there who like the study and practice of law and good paycheques but don't want the pressure of a billable target, I HIGHLY recommend a Knowledge Management Lawyer role."

"My job is interesting and different all the time. I research, write articles, keep my group up to date on legislative developments and rule changes, help with student stuff, etc. and bill a bit when doing anything client-specific, but I have no billable target."

"I make 200k base and I leave at 4:30 every day. It is seriously the best!"

~ mmcnau

Photolithography Researcher

"Photolithography researcher at Intel. Nearly 300k this year. All it took was over a decade of higher education* and being in the right place in contact with the right people.

"I have no idea what I'm doing half the time, but I'm told nobody actually does."

"*BSc Electrical engineering (5 years), MSc Computer engineering(3 years), PhD semiconductor physics(4 years). All that, and I had to look up Ohm's law yesterday."

~ Affectionate-Memory4

Crane Operator

"Not consistent, but I make between 180k-220k depending on the year as a crane operator."

"I went to a few union halls of trades that interested me. Wrote their aptitude test and waited for a call."

"The crane operators union called me first 4 months later saying they needed new apprentices."

~ -Kaldore-

Airline Pilot

"Airline pilot. Been flying professionally since 1997. Was an aircraft mechanic before that."

"I grew up at an airport. Was flying before I could legally drive. Unlike some people I know, I love the job. I can’t believe I get paid to do it."

"I own an antique plane and I fly warbirds for a couple museums doing rides and airshows. I’ve also been an electrician and electrical contractor."

"Flying is the best damn way to make a living I can imagine."

~ Aeronaut_condor

Private Chef

"Michelin starred private chef—$240k plus discretionary annual bonus."

"Left the industry for this one family. They are no one important. No NDAs to sign."

"They just have a cyber security company in the Bay Area. 25-40 hours a week."

~ EnzolovestoLatch

Electrical Engineer

"Electrical Engineer. To you young people, YOU NEED TO CHANGE COMPANIES whenever you feel like you are 1) taking on new roles without your pay increasing significantly or 2) if you feel ready to take on new roles."

"You will never keep pace with inflation or get ahead at one employer."

"I could fairly easily make 15-20% more at another company. But at my current place, it’s so easy to decide when I go in the office, have appointments during the day."

"If there’s some massively important meeting I should really present in, but I have a vacation day already, they just say 'OK, have fun on vacation'. Never been denied vacation. I get 5 weeks of it too."

"Hell, the other day my boss wanted to meet with me at 4pm and I told him 'ohhhh, I was going fishing with my friends then' and he says 'no problem, we can meet tomorrow'."

~ ILLEGAL_TRAIN_PARTS

Voice Director

"Voice director for cartoons."

"For all the folks asking for advice about how to break into voice acting, I'm sorry, but I can't help you. I've never been an actor and I don't know how you go about getting signed with an agent or how to break into the industry."

"The entirety of my job is working with actors in the studio after they've been hired. As for how to get hired in the first place, all I can say is you need to be better than all the other people who are auditioning."

"Voice acting is an incredibly competitive industry, and very few people make a living doing it. Those who do have a magical combination of amazing pipes, incredible range and character creation skills, and impeccable acting chops."

"It's a rare combination, there's a good reason you see the same names over and over again in the cartoon voiceover world."

~ schnitzel_envy

Cancer Research Scientist

"Cancer research scientist in biotech/pharma, been at it for a decade."

~ NuclearHoagie

Divorce Lawyer

"Divorce lawyer. Every day is another soap opera."

~ Hiredgun77

"The pandemic was good to you."

~ SugarKitty55000000

"It was."

"The lockdown caused a lot of people to realize that they in fact did not want to be married to their spouse after all."

~ Hiredgun77

Do any of these jobs sound interesting to you?