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. “In 1990, I was an acute dialysis RN, working for a contracted service but in a hospital, not in a chronic dialysis clinic, and I had no benefits. I got paid per case, which was usually four hours, at $140 to $200 per case, which translated to $35 to $50 per hour. I was at the top of the nursing profession. But the only way to make more money was to work for multiple (competing) services in the area and work more cases.”
“In 2011, when I retired after nursing for over 20 years, my lowest case was up to $160 for the four hours, and I could buy my health insurance at 190% of the group rate. At that point, the hospital nurses were making up to $75/hour with full benefits, and I was at the bottom of the nursing profession.”
—fancytortoise773
Alvaro Gonzalez / Getty Images
2. “I’m 39. I’m a medical assistant, but work as a Mohs surgical assistant/histotech (Mohs is a specialized skin cancer surgery). I currently make $30/hr. It’s not a lot, but I started out 11 years ago at just $12. I’m hoping to start nursing school next year, though.”
—disgruntledpelican68
3. “I make $36.50 an hour on check plus great benefits. I’m a maintenance supervisor in an assisted living facility. Best job in the world for carpenters that are tired of the mud, snow, and ladders.”
—Anonymous, 55, male, mid-Michigan
Tatsiana Volkava / Getty Images
4. “I’m a 56-year-old male with a PhD working in healthcare. I have a government job that pays $580k with benefits and a 401(k) match, as well as a generous pension that will be over $250k annually. I also consult for $500k in my free time.”
—Anonymous, 56, male, California
5. “I’m a commercial electrician, and I make over $100 an hour. I never went to college and have well over a million dollars in my 401(k) retirement account, not to mention what is in my IBEW pension. All trades pay well; don’t be afraid of hard work. I own three homes and put three kids through college over time.”
—Anonymous, 60, male, San Francisco Bay Area
Welcomia / Getty Images
Related: 14 Times Disgruntled Employees Got Petty Revenge On Their Terrible Bosses In The Best Way
6. “I’m a business owner that sells construction products into healthcare projects. I work 60+ hrs per week, and each year, commissions can range from $250k to $1M. Usually somewhere in the middle. Owning the business allows for many write-offs to fund a great lifestyle. Lots of flexibility, but the demand is high, so it feels like there’s an unlimited amount of work.”
—Anonymous, 45
7. “I work in middle-management in higher education. I make about $130k/year. I have 18 credits toward an MS degree and have been in education for 20 years.”
—Anonymous, 45, male, Connecticut
Maskot / Getty Images/Maskot
8. “I work for a professional sports team in a support role and make $260k per year, plus I am a recipient of another $40-$60k per year through bonuses and other compensation benefits. I work long hours, but am hybrid and take off when the season permits with no real constraints.”
—Anonymous, 60+, male, Florida
9. “I make about $215,000 as a data scientist for the Federal Reserve System, plus a $10k bonus. Benefits are excellent, with a strong 401(k), excellent insurance, and a pension. While the career growth opportunities are limited, I do love working remotely.”
—Anonymous, 33, male, Maine
Cravetiger / Getty Images
10. “I make $174k as a nurse practitioner with 17 years of experience.”
—Anonymous, 45, female, Massachusetts
11. “I work as a detective for a police agency, with 21 years of experience. I get all the bells and whistles for benefits (life, medical, vision, dental), plus a pension plan at retirement. I make $170k base, $230k with overtime.”
—Anonymous, 43, male, Washington DC
LEREXIS / Getty Images
12. “I am an over-the-road truck driver. I make about $175,000 per year. I have full employer-paid health and retirement benefits. Over eight weeks of paid time off between vacations, holidays, sick, and personal days. However, I am away from home three to five days a week, and when at work, I sleep or try to sleep in a truck that is moving 70 miles per hour while my co-driver drives. I was just offered a $150,00 buy out to leave, but cannot come close to my total compensation anywhere else, so I turned it down.”
—Anonymous, 61, male, Philadelphia, PA
13. “I worked as a drilling engineer for a large oil company until six years ago, when I had to stop for medical reasons. I moved to northeast Florida, work at a little beachside bar four days/week, and made $80k last year. I’m off three days a week and perfectly fine with life currently.”
—Anonymous, 38, male, Florida
Benixs / Getty Images
14. “I work as a nurse for a government agency and make $94,000 with 401(k), vacation, and sick time. No weekends or overtime.”
—Anonymous, 53, male, Las Vegas
15. “I make $65k per year as a physical therapist assistant. No paid holidays, no guaranteed PTO, which is based on the number of hours worked per pay period. I work 35 hours per week.”
—Anonymous, 32, male, Texas
Maskot / Getty Images/Maskot
Related: HR Workers Are Sharing Their Wildest “Fireable Offenses”, Which Make The Average Person Look Like Employee Of The Year
16. “I make $10,000,000/year as a YouTube fishing channel creator.”
—Anonymous, 34, male, Idaho
17. “I’m a private school teacher. I make $33,000/yr.”
—Anonymous, 50, female, Western New York
10’000 Hours / Getty Images
18. “I’m a building maintenance tech at an NBA arena. I make $85k with guaranteed overtime. Plus, I get health, pension, and profit sharing that my employer contributes to my union.”
—Anonymous, 33, male, Ohio
19. “I worked for a well-known lingerie store as an assistant store manager, making $33 an hour. I left the company after nine years. I loved the company and my job, but the commute and retail hours were catching up with me. There were opportunities to work OT for time and a half, holiday pay, 200 hours of PTO, bonuses, company-matched 401(k), discounts, and a monthly gratis.”
—Anonymous, 60, female, Washington
Carlina Teteris / Getty Images
20. “I’m a registered respiratory therapist at a large Level 1 trauma center. I started here in 2019 for $32/hr, and now I make $50.12/hr. If I pick up a shift, it’s an extra $20/hr plus overtime. Occasionally, I’m making over $100/hr.”
—Anonymous, 43, female, Atlanta
21. “I’m an industrial mechanic. Guess you could say mid-career. I make $115k annual, not including quarterly and annual bonuses. I work half the year, except for four weeks of PTO. Good benefits, can’t complain.”
—Anonymous, 35, male, North Carolina
Teera Konakan / Getty Images
22. “I work at a correctional facility as Director of Education, making $98,000 per year. I have 30 years of experience, eight years of schooling to get a master’s degree, and many certifications and licenses. I get a paid pension with a 30% employer, 70% employee match.”
—Anonymous
23. “I worked as a full-time emergency room physician for the past 25 years. I work about 15 shifts a month and earn around $500,000 annually. The pay is comfortable. The lifestyle is not easy. I frequently work weekends, nights, holidays, and days I’d rather be with family. The work is rewarding but highly stressful. Burnout is common. Many ER physicians have relatively short careers due to stress and recurring emotional trauma.”
—Anonymous, 61, male, Kansas
Related: “I Get 6 Figures For Doing Absolutely Nothing”: People Are Revealing The Jobs That Pay Surprisingly Well, And I Never Even Considered Some Of These
Thomas Barwick / Getty Images
24. “I’ve worked 20 years in multimedia at a large church. I do graphic design, video production, marketing, web design, photography, etc. I make $68k/yr. I also get four weeks of vacation and a 403(b) match.”
—Anonymous, 42, male, Ohio
25. “My gross annual income is $275,000 as a family medicine physician working at an outpatient community clinic. I work 40+ hours a week in the clinic, but refuse to bring work home or work weekends. No call. Decent benefits.”
—Anonymous, 39, female, California
Drazen Zigic / Getty Images
26. “I work part-time at a golf course in Sun City West, AZ. I get paid $16 an hour.”
—Anonymous
27. “I am a licensed customs broker with about 22 years of experience. I worked my way up from border operations entry writer to a client service manager at a brokerage firm, managing large client relationships. I’ve held plenty of management and leadership roles in between with no college degree. I simply had to prove I’m awesome at what I do, and I did and continue to.”
—Anonymous, 42, male, Missouri
Nitat Termmee / Getty Images
28. “I am retired military and currently work for a local government in North Carolina. I currently make $120k with great benefits, although I don’t need them. I completed all my degrees while on active duty, including a Post-Grad, and earned some certifications (e.g., PHR, SHRM-CP, PSHR), so I have $0 student debt. I already have three pensions that I collect, and I am currently working for a fourth and fifth if I retire from a local government in the state. With the pensions, I am at $215k. Thank you to the senior military guys that convinced me to stay when I wanted to leave in my first four years. BEST. DECISION. EVER!”
—Anonymous, 43, male, North Carolina
29. “I sell pill bottles. Yes, just the vial, not the drugs. I started with a $75k base + commission. This is my seventh year working for this company, and I’ve made over $200k/year the past three years. I used to be a high school teacher. Had I known that sales could make this much, I would have never taught.”
—Anonymous, 45, male, Arizona
Nancybelle Gonzaga Villarroya / Getty Images
30. “I work in aerospace operations for a large OEM. I make about $215,000 per year and have two master’s degrees. On average, I work about 50 hours per week remotely.”
—Anonymous
31. “I’m a welder for a major sanitation company. I make $56 an hour. I have 50-hour work weeks, 100% medical and dental paid by the company, plus an additional $12 an hour going to my pension. All because we’re unionized.”
—Anonymous, 42, male, San Jose
Andreyuu / Getty Images
32. “I’ve been a trial attorney for 25 years (this is my second career after the military). I make $300k+ in base salary, plus bonus. I have a flexible schedule but high stress. Hard to take any vacations, but I’ll squeeze them in. Would not recommend higher education since after 25 years, I still owe for my law school loan!”
—Anonymous, 58, male, Los Angeles
33. “I work in finance and made $400k for the first time last year. It is looking like I’ll make more this year. It’s been a long road of long hours and unpaid work, but it is finally paying off. I am paid like a commission employee, but my business model is fee-based, so as long as my clients are happy, I’ll keep making money. The clientele I work with want a person in charge and a person to call with questions, so when asked if I think AI will take over my job, the answer is absolutely not. I am being very conscious, though, of what types of clients I take on so that I insulate my business from issues like that in the future.”
—Anonymous, 40, female, Denver
Cravetiger / Getty Images
34. “I’m a relay technician. I test, maintain, and install the protection systems for the electrical grid. I can make up to $300k+ a year, and that number is rising. Within five years, I bet it’ll be pushing $400k a year. No college, just trade school, and I never said no to a new opportunity.”
—Anonymous, 37, male, Salt Lake City
Related: People Are Sharing The Most Hilariously Awful Thing Their Boss Has Said To Them, And I’m Actually Speechless
35. “I own a native plant nursery, one of the largest in my area. I work 85-hour weeks on average, including the winter slow season. I’ve been doing it for over 20 years, and I’m at the top of my field. I’m lucky when I clear more than $20,000 a year.”
—Anonymous, 41, male, Washington, DC
Coolpicture / Getty Images
36. “I make $120,000 a year as a union pipe layer.”
—Anonymous, 52, male, Washington
37. “I’m a correctional officer with 20 years of experience. I make $70,000 a year with overtime.”
—Anonymous, 45, male, Colorado
Alphotographic / Getty Images
38. “I’m a proposal engineer, but I get paid a $100k a year to create alignment through effective cross-functional personality juggling.”
—Anonymous, 37, male, Florida
39. “I’m a commercial still photographer. I started out specializing in architecture, but I do pretty much everything now. I make between $194,000 and $225,000 a year.”
—Anonymous, 50, male, Los Angeles
Jorge Mata / Getty Images/iStockphoto
40. “I was making $108k/yr as a Senior UX designer, remotely, and it was fabulous. Because of AI, the entire creative team was demolished, and I found a job at a local company where I get paid $30k less to do the work of two people.”
—Anonymous, 36, female, Midwest
41. “I’m a golf course superintendent at an elite private country club. I make a $230,000 salary plus a $45,000 annual bonus. Benefits also include family health insurance, vehicle allowance, and club privileges.”
—Anonymous, 45, male, Midwest
Edwin Tan / Getty Images
42. “I’m an emergency medicine physician. I work at an academic center, teach at the medical school, and pick up extra shifts around the state. I pull in around $400k. I did four years of undergrad with a microbiology degree, four years of medical school, and three years of residency, while making very little money and paying hundreds of thousands of dollars. But now I get to help people everyday so I love it.”
—Anonymous, 35, male, Midwest
43. Lastly, “I work in a hospital as a case manager assistant/discharge planner. I make $29 an hour, and I get to make a difference in people and help people.”
—Anonymous, 35 Phoenix AZ
Halfpoint Images / Getty Images
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.
Also in Work & Money: 61 Employers Who Are So Awful They Should Probably Be Investigated By The Labor Department ASAP…If We Still Even Have That In The US
Also in Work & Money: 23 Wild Screenshots Of Selfish Customers Who Think The Entire World Revolves Around Them
Also in Work & Money: “I’m Not Paying $14 For Something That Used To Be $5”: Frustrated Adults Are Sharing The Everyday Things They Refuse To Buy Because The Price Has Become Outrageous
Read it on BuzzFeed.com
