Self-Made People Shared How They Earn $100k/Year And It Will Surprise You

Over $100k/Year Stuffing Animals

We’re not talking about your turkey on Thanksgiving dinner. Taxidermy is one of those things we used to make fun of when we were younger. Taking the carcasses of animals or insects is a bit strange, but clearly, this Reddit user is onto something. The taxidermist takes the animal’s real skin and puts it over a fake body to preserve it for study or display. They took their taxidermy passion and turned it into something that earns them three figures. They’re also able to travel to 38 states and exhibit and sell their art at art expos. Now we’re kicking ourselves for never trying taxidermy. We wasted all those years at school when we could’ve been stuffing and mounting dead animals (via u/LadySith2016).

Getting Inked

Everyone says if you’re an artist, you need to keep a real job because it’s unlikely you’ll make a living. Artists don’t usually have real formal qualifications that put them on the road to success. This Reddit user is living proof that that’s not true. They successfully went beyond the stereotype and are making over $100k/year, and upwards of $115k. They always say fake it until you make it, and even though this person had a rough few beginning years, they eventually found success in their artistic passion (via u/swell-bow).

Running A Crew Of Tower Climbers

You’re probably wondering how running a crew of tower climbers makes this person over $100k/year. This Reddit user manages a team that handles construction, upgrades, and maintenance. Several years ago, they hit that $100k mark by working 60 hours a week, and even up to 75 hours a week. It comes as no surprise that they’ve hit the mark by working so many hours. With their bonuses, they’re close to $200k. Seeing you can reach this amount of money per year just proves that dedication and hard work do pay off, even if it doesn’t feel like it (via u/Laughedindeathsface).

A Six-Figure Advertising Writer Before Age 30

This Reddit user made big bucks before the time he turned 30 by being an advertising writer. Their job description involves producing scripts for advertising campaigns in creative ways, like brochures, billboards, and magazines. Because of this person’s perseverance, they write a lot of words for a ton of cash. He began right when he got out of college, and six years later broke the milestone (via CopyBoy1).

Only An Associate’s Degree

Making $19/hour sounds pretty familiar. Most of us have worked for less than $20 an hour, and some of us still might. For five years, this IT Director worked for big and small clients. Eventually, a manager position opened up. He’d already had the connection because it was a former client. His salary jumped to $65k/year, and after another four years, another position opened up and they were making three figures. We appreciate their mention of imposter syndrome since many people making tons of money probably feel the same. But they did it without any former qualifications and only three certificates that were outdated. If we’ve been using anything as an excuse, this is another reason to keep pushing forward no matter what (via u/WellIllBeGoToHell).

This Guy Doubled $100k/year

Alright, seeing $100k/year is inspiring, but what about $200k/year? Now that’s something to aim for. This person reached $100k/year but didn’t stop there. After doing automation for a large manufacturing company, their salary has increased in unison with yearly living raises and changes within their community. He’s growing with his salary, as it should be (via Reddit).

Learn By Doing

They always say the best way to learn is by doing. That’s exactly what this HVAC designer did. 20 years ago, they started working for $10/hour. Even though that doesn’t sound like a lot now, two decades ago was a different time. But they started without any formal qualifications or knowledge about HVAC design. Recently, they reached the $100k/year mark and beyond. All that hard work paid off (via u/cmikaiti).

Freelanced To $100k

No one wants to be looked over or not taken seriously, which is exactly what happened to this Senior Full Stack Developer in NYC. Based on their story, it looks like they worked in fast food, and retail, and then graduated with an MIS degree. By this time, they were still in their 30s but making their way to fortune. Still, their plan was backfiring so they went on to work for free. Even though it sounds counterintuitive, it worked well for them. They tutored people, ran meetups, advertised their web work, and built websites and then apps. Now, because of their clients, they’re making six digits per year and they’re before the age of 40. It’s inspiring to read these stories about normal, average people making their way to the top (via iknowmorethanyou35).

Multiple Streams Of Income

It’s a smart move not to put all your eggs in one basket. That way, if one business completely flops, you still have several other sources of income. That’s exactly what this Reddit user and her husband did. With their multiple income streams in Etsy, the gun industry, real estate, novels, and social media marketing, they’re bringing in over $130k/year. If you’re a multi-talented person, maybe it’s time to branch out and try a bunch of different things to bring in that cash flow (via Medieval_oyster).

Photographing Love

Couples getting married pay big bucks for wedding photos. As this Reddit user admits, if you can work several weddings per year, you can reach $100k/year. Even though it took them seven years, starting at $1,000 per wedding, they’ve finally made it to six figures and make six times as much. Most of us probably scoffed at weddings out of sheer jealousy and envy. Instead of doing that, we should’ve honed in on our photography skills, gotten some qualifications, and started shooting photos at weddings. If only we could go back in time and pay more attention to photography class, our lives would be so different. And richer (via u/Kissrob72).

College Dropout

Everyone looks down on college dropouts. They have, after all, completely given up and failed at something most of us believe we need to succeed. But this Reddit user, who’s also a college dropout, proved that you don’t need a college degree to make $100k/year. After five years of self-taught discipline doing website design and online marketing, they’re making six digits. Most of us, who have college degrees, aren’t anywhere near that (via u/fried_eggs_and_ham).

Two-Year Nursing Degree

It sounds like this nurse has quite a few formal qualifications, though she admits that you don’t need them to make over $100k/year. Those who only have a two-year nursing degree make $100k/year off the bat but have to work a lot more than those who worked four years in the field. But it just goes to show you that it is possible, and you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to make a lot of money (via u/samcuts).

Only One Year As A Data Analyst

Being a data scientist sounds like you need to have a ton of credentials and formal qualifications. But this Reddit user proved it’s a lot simpler than that. They’re making $125k/year with a BS in Statistics. They’re naturally skilled at the machine learning part, and only after a year as a data analyst, they were promoted to six figures. That was their fresh grad job, right off the bat. It looks like they found the secret hack to life that most of us still haven’t figured out. But at least they give us some words of wisdom, that if we can do Python scripting, we have a chance at success (via u/Sabiann_Tama).

Despite The Student Loans, This Doctor Is Making Bank

This doctor is fresh off the medical boat. After residency, his expected salary will jump from $70k/year to $350k/year, plus bonuses. We all know doctors work a lot and are some of the most deserving people of this salary. They worked for more than 10 years to reach this salary, but the work has, quite literally, paid off. Once they get rid of their $500,000 in loans, which will take a little bit more than a year to pay off, they’re only looking at a huge profit (via u/PMME_ur_lovely_boobs).

High School Dropouts

This Reddit user teamed up with his wife for a truck driving company and now makes over $210k/year. With only two months of truck driving school under their belt, their company grew and is now hitting the five-year mark. These two built their big bucks around something a lot of us wouldn’t think twice about. The most impressive part is that they’re both high school dropouts and didn’t attend college. Again, this just proves you can be wealthy without any formal qualifications (via u/TrappedinTX).

Dressing Hair Can Make You Rich

Alright, it’s not that simple, but if you’re a hairdresser, keep pushing forward. This Reddit user is a hairdresser who makes $150k/year working from the comfort of their home. If they visit other people’s homes, they charge $250 per haircut. After a slew of different jobs, they finally found one that aligns with them. They work 30 hours a week and earn $300k/year. But it doesn’t stop there, based on their post, it looks like they have a ton of goals shortly. They may be making double that in a few years (via Reddit).

Customer Service Voice That Earns Six Figures

Everyone who works in hospitality knows that the customer is always right, even if they’re completely wrong. This Reddit user previously worked in hospitality for 15 years, and because of it, could put on that fake customer service voice we all know too well. They’re the epitome of faking it until you make it because they applied for an insurance company job using a resume that was 90% lies. We give them credit for their courage. Six months later, they’re earning over $100k/year. They sound thrilled and surprised and seem content with the idea of all the bad life choices they’re going to make. Hopefully, they’re not too bad. That money can either make or break you (via u/blank_mody).

Self-Published Author

Being a writer is a tough gig, especially because you don’t need any formal qualifications to become one. You never know if you’re going to make millions or pennies. Banking on making hundreds of thousands of dollars as an author, especially in your early days, is a bad idea. But this Reddit user proved to us that it is possible, it just takes some time. After ten years of self-publishing and traditional publishing, they managed to make over six figures (via DiscussionFair8224).

A Decade Of Experience

Changing jobs every couple of years is tiring. It’s like traveling and switching accommodations, you’re never there long enough to feel settled and comfortable. This Reddit user played a role that was a niche in the field of finance. As one of the few people with decades of experience, they had insider knowledge that not many other people had. Their first analyst job was six figures, and it only grew from there (via u/midlifetheses).

Niche Cybersecurity

It sounds like having a niche specialty is important, and one of the best ways to make over $100k/year. Their total compensation with private equity is $450k/year including unlimited PTO, remote work, and full benefits, it sounds like they have their dream job. Since 2018, their income steadily grew by nearly $20k-$40k every year, until they’re making nearly triple what they started with (via u/Initial_Initial_).

Healthcare IT And Consulting For $100k/ Year

Healthcare IT sounds like a fun job with a variety of work and experiences. They’re able to engage in several specialties, and it pays more when compared to other technical positions. This Reddit user hit their six-figure mark in less than five years because they went straight into consulting. Even though we may think we’re on the right path, it’s always a good idea to look at the other options, as this person did (via u/unreall_23).

The More Remote, The Better

High-paying jobs are oftentimes the ones that no one wants to do. For example, this Reddit user is a population ecologist who was willing to work in remote locations, eventually earning them six figures. Sometimes, the more outlandish the job, the better the pay. This is a great option if you’re someone who likes to stand out from the crowd and take on unique experiences (via Veggienuggest123).

A lot of the time, you can earn a high income because you live in a place that’s expensive to live in. This person is the perfect example. They run fitness boot camps for people in San Fransisco, but because it’s in an expensive city in California, they’re able to make over $100k/year. Maybe it’s time we get in shape and start our fitness boot camps. Getting fit and getting rich sound like a great goal. Those are some qualifications we can strive for (via u/Elons_a_distraction).

Working At A Steel Plant Is A Steal

Most of us may have never heard of this job, but being an industrial millwright in a steel plant makes a bank. This Reddit user has been at their job for eight years, and ever since they were ticketed, have made over $100k/year. After three years of school and 8,000 hours of work, they’ve made their way to the top (via u/DDelirium46).