Uncovering a high-paying, low-stress job is akin to stumbling upon a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow – a rare and wondrous occurrence.
A user asked the forum, people who make +$100K and aren’t being killed by stress, what do you do for a living? Here are the common responses.
CODING
“Code monkey. I would not say I’m killed by stress. I like my job. I like that I can work from home full time. I rarely work more than 40 hours a week. My job requires less than 30 hours of actual “work” work.
However, the workload is seasonal and changes pretty quickly. Software tends to be feast or famine:
During a feast, a lot of people work really hard to push a project over the finish line. When the job requires, I have put in 50 to 60 hours a week to complete my part of a project. That part is hard. But that’s why they pay me six figures.
During a famine, which occurs most frequently around the holidays, I might put in 15-20 hrs of “work .”The rest of the time, I’m left to my own devices to do whatever I want. I can and have taken naps in the middle of my workday, and nobody notices.
Sometimes I feel like a six-figure slacker. But even at my lowest levels of productivity, the automated processes I build serve tens of thousands of customers a day and rake in millions and millions of dollars of revenue for the company every year.”
GLOBAL CAMPAIGN MANAGER
“I’m a “Global Campaign Manager” for a large hardware/software company. Work maybe 20 hours on average. Just spent the last 2 hours watching Boston Legal.
I had my 6-month review and was told, “You’re wonderful to work with and talented.” The only bad thing is that even working as little as I do, they still think I work really fast, so I’m getting a lot of new projects added to my list.”
HEALTHCARE
“I work for a healthcare NPO, and surprisingly I am working about 40-45 hours weekly as a full-time WFH. I don’t make 100k. (currently 60k like OP), But I am in an LCOL state and aiming for a promotion… Which would likely get me to 80k at least.”
PLUMBER
“Plumber at a college. I’ll have a bad day now and then, but this is the easiest and highest-paying job I’ve ever had. Great benefits too. Pension etc.”
REMOTE SOFTWARE SALES
“Remote software sales ( SaaS Account Executive). I’m so dumb, lol anyone can do it. Sit on Zoom around 8 hours a week; quotas are easy, rinse repeat – live in Miami and spend half my day riding my bike or on the beach.”
DATA ANALYTICS
“Data analytics, data science, machine learning. I make much more than $100K. WLB cannot be better. Almost zero stress.”
TEST AUTOMATION ENGINEER
“Test Automation Engineer. Basically a tech QA. Been doing it for eight years, and I’m at my fourth company.”
INTERNAL STRATEGY
“Internal Strategy. I love the work, the team, and everyone’s incredibly smart and aware of each other’s needs. I rarely ever feel stressed, to be completely honest. There’s solid WFH flexibility, I rarely work more than 40 hours a week, but I’m always happy to pitch in if needed.”
TECH INDUSTRY
“Tech industry is brutal right now. But once you get your foot in the door, you’re set for life.”
CORPORATE RECRUITER
“Corporate recruiter, I’m the lowest paid recruiter here, and I’m at 108k. Forty hours per week, I get to help people, and I do not have a lot of stress at all. Especially since I spent most of my career working on the line.”
CARDIAC SONOGRAPHER
“Cardiac Sonographer (heart ultrasound) Very interesting work, pays well, and there’s not a lot of competition in this field because there are barely any schools that have this specific program.
Only need an associate’s degree, and starting pay with no experience is $30hr in my area. I work four days 10 hours with no mandatory overtime or weekends or calls, so I don’t even have the stress of carrying a pager and having my off days ruined.”
UI DEVELOPER
“$165k/year, lead UI developer.. no degree, started coding as a kid and kept at it (39 now), took a little over 15 years in the professional world to get where I am now. I get to work from home, and my stress level is lower than earlier in my career, even though I now have more responsibilities.
I can leverage my experience to improve processes and culture to make things healthier and easier for the developers that report to the product people we build things for and me. Because I’ve been in situations that were bad for me mentally, I’m now better equipped to recognize toxicity and deal with it appropriately.”
COMPUTER ENGINEER
“Computer engineering bachelor degree, 135k, work 20 to 30 hours a week, zero stress, chilling on my balcony in the sun right now. Being a specialist, a senior, and very good at your work has its perks. I keep old legacy hardware ticking.”
CONTRACT NEGOTIATOR
“I negotiate contracts for a medium-sized company. I went to law school, didn’t pass the Bar, and decided that I needed a job and couldn’t put off life for another six months to study again.
I work in the risk and compliance department under General Counsel. 9 to 5, with summer Fridays (half days, out by 1 pm), amazing benefits across the board from health care to PTO to retirement, plus a small bonus, dog-friendly work environment, WFH 3 days per week.
It’s as stressful as you make it. If a party is giving a hard time on a contract, I get an exception to get it signed, and we play the numbers game that nothing is going to go wrong on the project.”
CHEMIST
“125k MS in chemistry. I do laundry and dishwashing all day but in a lab setting to see if I can get things to wash better/faster. I have been doing this for eight years and have a lot of historical knowledge. Tbh, I am a bit bored that I spent more time doing ERG activities than my real job.
I am looking at new opportunities but always wonder if the small salary increase is worth the new stress. But then I remember a few years ago I had a nightmare with my boss & he made me hate my job. He has left since, and I am back to enjoying it. Still don’t want the manager ruining my chill vibe.”
TAX MANAGER
“Tax manager at a bank, but in a very specific field – I work at most 40 hours per week, and my salary is $140k plus 21% of my salary bonus and other incentives.
It was rough in public accounting, but after that, it was coasting. As another user said, it helps to be a specialist and in the field for a while.”
WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
“Computer Science and Mathematics degree, about $400k a year working from home living in California. I created a few websites specializing in selling niche things; I sit all day in my underwear and occasionally ship stuff from my house. I work about 20 to 30 hours a week, 30 during holidays.”
TECH EDUCATOR
“$115,000 base pay (and I’m probably the lowest paid on my team because I’m also the newest). I 100% work from home, but I can also go into the office if I want to.
I teach companies how to use the tech they just bought from our company to make sure they get the most out of it. It’s pretty chill; it’s a piece of equipment that does A LOT, so if the customer asks something we don’t know, it’s totally acceptable to say, “I’m not totally sure; let me get back to you on that!” Very low stress, best job I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
MUSIC TEACHER
“Music teacher. I work 180 days a year and make a little over $100 from public school teaching. I also gig and give private lessons, which brings in another $20-$25k per year.
Unfortunately, I live in Northern NJ in a very expensive area, but I’m not dying from stress; I mostly love what I do, and I will retire in 4 years with a full pension and benefits.”
PHARMACY REP
“I’m in the $93-99K area. Compounding pharmacy drug rep. More nonstressful days than stressful. LCOL area.”
13 Things Are Scientifically Proven, But People Still Don’t Believe Them. Do You Believe Them?
There are so many things that are scientifically proven but some people try to ignore the scientific experiments and prove the theories wrong. Read more about it.
15 Red Flags That Someone Is Stupid. Are You?
Intelligence is not a binary trait. Everyone has unique strengths and weaknesses, and what constitutes “smart” can vary depending on the context. Here are 115 red flags that you’re stupid.
15 Dead Giveaways That You’re Nonsense Person
Sometimes, a single act can reveal a person’s true character. If you see someone doing something that you find disgusting, it can be hard to understand if they’re a reliable person. Here are 15 giveaways you’re a nonsense person.
12 Scams That Will Fool Even the Smartest People. Have You Fallen For It?
Scams come in all shapes and sizes, but what makes them particularly dangerous is when disguised as something legitimate. Read here about scams that food the smartest people.
13 Reasons Why Most Older Women Cut Their Hair Short
A lot of women seem to prefer cutting their hair short once they reach a certain age. Why exactly do you think they do that?. Read here.
This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.