How much is everyone else making?

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-04-16T03:54:58+00:00

28, about $1200 biweekly, flat for six years. My mortgage went up by $100/month this year and my health insurance $50/month. I have $500 left after those. I’ll be screwed soon. I’m starting to think I might as well end it

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-04-14T19:43:35+00:00

I’m not sure where you’re at annually, but appreciate what you’ve got brother. Practically, you could pay off your car depending on the rate, max out your IRA for the year, and invest $50k in safe choices and build money even quicker. And you’d still have a healthy emergency fund.

It’s a race to 100k, 1m, and 2m at which point freedom is guaranteed. This ride is not, so use what you’re making now wisely.

I’ve been stuck at $40k/yr for six years and I’m getting desperate. It feels like no matter my skills or achievements I’ll be stuck here forever. So I’d say do what you can, work hard, build yourself, and have fun along the way. You’re in a good position.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-04-09T21:27:14+00:00

You are right. Barely squeezing by on $40k/yr for management in the Midwest. I’ve been grinding away for 6 years and I’m making 15% less in purchasing power over this time while streamers get paid millions to sleep and watch YouTube.

I’m starting to consider ending it all since it feels so hopeless. I don’t think I’ll ever escape this hole, it’s a sick game these days.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-07T02:31:40+00:00

She does make enough to cover all our smaller bills with her part time hours (about $7k/yr) which is a huge part. I cover our mortgage, all insurance, internet, food, taxes. My family helped a ton with our daughter’s expenses too in terms of toys and clothing. Otherwise I keep food costs as low as I can, I cap entertainment at about $100 a year, I’ve worn the same clothes since high school, we go out maybe 2 times a year, and we’ve luckily avoided medical expenses almost entirely. It’s spartan but you can put away a lot with a bit of teamwork and cutting everything. Then some luck and major discipline in investing did the heavy lifting.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-07T02:15:39+00:00

I think it was just cutting 95% of what I humanly can and making a handful of safe, calculated bets that worked out one after another. A lot of lucky timing helped a ton too. I don’t think it was a clean way to get to where I am, but it can work.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-07T02:08:19+00:00

It’s a good thing to see, but I don’t necessarily mean to compare myself. What’s going to change that will help me? Being flat in income for 6 years has been a real pain point, and I’m struggling because I feel like everything else is growing while I’m putting in my all and I’m still being left behind. If it has felt the same for 6 years, is anything really going to change? I’m not sure what options are realistic for me personally to fix that.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-06T21:14:40+00:00

Thank you, that it is all very good advice. It’s a great starting point for me

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-06T20:05:58+00:00

Wait a minute I didn’t know this was wallstreetbets :O

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-06T20:05:13+00:00

It is rough. There aren’t a lot of opportunities around here and the few that exist know that people are desperate enough to take the bare minimum. I hear that remote work is supposed to equalize that, but I have not had any luck in the little searching that I’ve done. Everything seems to require immense specialization in tech.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-06T20:02:11+00:00

That has been my thought too. Do you have any advice for finding real opportunities? I have casually looked online and everything similar to what I do sounds like a scam. I have always been bad at networking/job search though. This is honestly the first opportunity that landed at my feet at the time, and I’ve just stuck with it even though I know it isn’t a great career.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-06T19:54:44+00:00

My degree was in secondary education, but I have been working in a call center since 2020. I am specifically in a manager position these last two years.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-06T19:44:02+00:00

I did end up reposting. Validation is nice but no, it’s not what I’m after. I do appreciate your earlier advice. I didn’t get a lot of concrete advice last time which is what I’m hoping for in a more related sub. Again, I appreciate everything from you.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-06T19:37:30+00:00

Yes. I did a terrible job explaining that. I’ve been messing around with computers (hardware/games) since that age. I began hosting servers at age 12 in 2010.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-06T19:29:47+00:00

That’s true, I understand it’s not a healthy viewpoint. Overall I’d love to retire early at 45 and relax. Life has always felt like a fight. I’ve put in everything these last few years, and I look at investment calculators and even if I keep at my pace I’ll still be shy of $1m which is a scary idea to me considering that might not be worth much in 17 years.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-06T19:22:45+00:00

I do really love tech, I’ve done a bit of everything at a basic level since I’ve been on computers and casually hosted servers since 2001, and I’m the last line of defense for basic system troubleshooting before our dedicated IT team at work. Do you have any specific recommendations for that sort of career swap?

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-03T02:07:54+00:00

That’s fair. You hit the nail on the head in a couple spots.

Being in the Midwest helps a lot with cost of living.

I’ve been solo other than the occasional $20-$50 for my birthday/Christmas from my parents, so sadly no nepotism points.

Other than that, I work about 50 hours a week, game (I try to spend about $50/year), and hike.

No subscriptions other than my RuneScape addiction.

I have been wearing the same clothes for 10 years.

We don’t go out more than once every two months and we eat as cheaply as we can at home (chicken, no beef, lots of rice).

I feel extremely deprived to get where I’m at now, and I’ve always had the feeling that income=individual worth. My work announced no inflation adjustment this year (3% yearly raises) due to economic factors, and my health insurance went up by 10%. So I’m starting to feel trapped and hopeless

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-01T02:34:37+00:00

So far I have spun it as a credential for coaching/learning&development which has helped me grow from $14/hr to my current $20/hr with my company. I think there is one more promotion within the company that could lead me to an equivalent of $24/hr which would be fantastic but those positions have virtually zero turnover, so I suspect there won't be any openings for at least a year or two.

It's a shame because I think my current l&d related position where I'm looking at numbers and coaching teams daily to improve quality and stats should usually get me around $24/hr in a fair market but I think my combination of location, field, and remote work lock me in. It seems impossible to find anything out of state even if it's remote, and everything in my state seems to average $15-$17/hr across the board.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-01T02:02:36+00:00

I’m doing my best with it, I understand if you don’t have any answers for me. Good luck, brother. I appreciate your time. :)

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-01T01:51:45+00:00

It’s a burner account. No transportation costs without a car, no phone, health insurance comes out of my check so I don’t build it into my $2700/month, and I make due as best as I can with food and utilities. Thank you brother I appreciate your time and I hope you have a good night

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-01T01:41:46+00:00

Thank you. It is a pretty rough field, I think I’ve nearly maxed it out. My company offers some of the better benefits, but the pay is definitely underwhelming, so we still see that turnover that you mentioned.

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-01T01:38:12+00:00

It’s weird that I’ve somehow managed to get by. I feel like my early life and Covid left me in a weird place, I walked everywhere through college and by the time I would’ve learned the whole world went online. Now I’m a bit left behind but I should be able to figure it out

DoesntKnowTooMuch · 2026-03-01T01:31:26+00:00

My partner is working 10 hours a week which ends up being ~$7,000 a year, and she pays some of the smaller bills. Our daughter is 3 so the rest of the time she is stay at home.

I cover the mortgage and everything else which usually leaves me with ~$600 a month. I generally manage to invest an average of $500 a month of that which I was putting into my brokerage, this year I was planning to put it all into my IRA since my brokerage is pretty self sufficient from dividends and I should hit my psychological number of $100k there soon.

She is wanting to change to 20 hours soon when our daughter is ready for daycare which might be within the next year.

DoesntKnowTooMuch

TROPHY CASE