When I got out of high school, there was no way I could afford college, so I went into the Navy instead. Now I work in a power plant, making nearly 90K, but that is on rotating shift work with 500 - 700 hours of OT each year. The Navy experience was a big advantage in getting hired over the average person with no experience, so that might be relevant to your discussion.

On the other hand, I know several people who have college degrees. With all the paper mills and textile mills closing down, these guys are no longer using their degree. They are working with me and making about the same as I am. 2 guys got sick of putting up with all the crap going on in the public schools and quit teaching. Now they are making a lot more money than a teacher can, but not using their degrees.

 

Usually, the pay goes with the type of work you do. In order to get those guys to work on the oil rigs, they have to pay them handsomely. It's one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, so naturally they're going to have to pay people a lot to do the work.

Most people without college degrees that are making bank are also working their butts off, usually at a dangerous and/or physically demanding job. I could've stayed working as a field engineer and not finished school and probably been somewhere near 100k by now, but working 10 hour days out in the elements constantly just didn't seem like the kind of job I'd want to do for the rest of my life.

I went and got my degree(s), and should hit 70k in the next couple years (at the 5 year mark or so) unless I decide to move to a better market or take a position with more responsibility (those pay more obviously!)

It's all about what you want to do and the type of job you can accept doing day in and day out. I like my salaried, 40 hour a week, 1-2 hour lunches, desk job, over a job where I could lose my hand if something goes wrong any day.

 

For many years I made 120k with college but no degree. It can be done but you need to be very good at what you're doing. I was able to take advantage of a young telecommunications industry in my late 20's and was lucky enough to hook up with some of the biggest companies in Silicon Valley like 3Com and Cisco Systems. I think the critical path is to find your niche and stick with it. For me, it was technical training: I've been an instructor, course developer and now I'm a project/program manager. My years of experience more than make up for the lack of the degree.

I now work for a global financial services company and make ball-hair less than 100k but my industry is less volatile and with half the stress. I think a degree is very important if you'd like to get into management but for me, I like the trenches and like to spend more time with the family...not less.

Having said all that, 100k doesn't mean squat living in the SF Bay Area!

 

That's a very good point. A $100K job in NYC isn't that much either.

- NCSU

 

So, the Goalpost is at 100k now?
When I was a young man beginning my career, the talk of being successful was to 'make your age'.
If you were 30 and making 30, you were doing well, likewise making 40 at 40 was something to shoot for.
But that was the late seventies maybe early eighties.

You are right on the mark about college investment around 60-65k for a degree.
That is what my alma mater costs today.
Twenty-five years ago my school tuition was $600 a semester including books.
My four year degree was less than $5,000 total.
I graduated and bought a brand new truck for $6,600.

The only thing certain is the goalpost will continue to move.
"Hey hon, I'm going out to pick up a loaf of bread, I'm taking a $10,000 out of your purse, m-kay?"

 

Raoul, you reminded me of those school years. My tuition for the first two years of college was $60 per semester. I transferred to a private college for the junior and senior years and to work on a Master's Degree. Tuition was $180 per semester when I transferred but was $270 by the time I got out. Gas was .18 a gallon and bread was .25 a loaf. I went to work for a CPA firm in 1967 for $600 a month. My goal was to make $12,000 a year. That was huge money for a poor boy that worked his way through school at $1.50 an hour. It's all relative.

 

I was working retail for minimum wage when I graduated. The phone call came for a job offer and I did a cartwheel in the store I was so excited.
They offered me $11,500 to start.

I wasn't eleven years old but, what the heck.

 

I live in NYC so I will co-sign that. I'm not making 100K but I feel that I'm fairly compensated. I work in IT and I know more money can be made b/c I'm surrounded around the people that's making that kind of money.

 

My dad makes a little over 100K. He never had the chance to go to college. He restores Mustangs for a living, and started his own full time business in 1992. So it took him about 15 years to achieve all the success. He works his butt off, but he's 50 now, has zero debt with 4 different properties, and can retire any time.