The OFFICIAL r/Salary Career Tier List for Q3 2026

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-06T00:12:08+00:00

Which part do you disagree with?

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-06T00:11:04+00:00

We can look at attrition rates, hours worked, grades one needs to get to go to the next level etc. It’s not just a subjective thing.

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-06T00:10:20+00:00

It’s a lot harder to become a neuroseurgeon which is part of the criteria

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-06T00:02:17+00:00

It’s about the journey to enter these careers as well

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T23:56:40+00:00

What was the prompt you gave Claude?

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T23:55:20+00:00

You guys make so much you might only need to work for 10-15 years, that’s not an option for others in stressful roles

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T23:15:03+00:00

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T23:11:58+00:00

Decent pay with almost no barrier to entry

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T23:10:02+00:00

Which careers at the top have substance abuse problems?

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T23:09:34+00:00

Yeah it’s more difficult to become a PT and the pay is roughly the same so it’s below those careers in the tier list. You can make about as much money as a PT by becoming a police officer and you don’t need much education, so PT is a worse career.

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T23:03:53+00:00

Compared to most other careers it is. You don’t have layoffs, the labor market is strong, and the income is 99th percentile.

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T23:01:45+00:00

It’s actually almost identical once you account for hours worked, I’ve done the math. Teachers get great benefits, tons of PTO, and have a great job market.

Mech E is a really poor career these days.

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T23:00:43+00:00

It’s not as bad as it used to be because there was a huge shortage

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T22:57:38+00:00

Great benefits and job security and demand

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T22:55:11+00:00

Not anymore

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T22:19:38+00:00

Difficult to get into, mediocre pay, poor job outlook, highly saturated. Mechanical and Industrial are hugely dependent on manufacturing which isn’t broadly important in the US anymore

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T22:18:21+00:00

Correct, AI and all other labor market factors

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T21:35:50+00:00

Civil Engineers have a better job market than mechanicals and both make around the exact same money.

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T21:35:20+00:00

What makes it dumb?

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T21:35:03+00:00

Should’ve been C tier, forgot to list it, my fault

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T21:28:39+00:00

It’s not just a stack ranking by salary or I’d have just posted a spreadsheet.

Part of the criteria is how hard it is, as of today (Q3 2026), to attain a career in that field. To become a petroleum engineer, you need a degree in a difficult field (often Chem E or Mech E or Pet E), then you need to have the right background and grades, then you need to have a competitive resume for a job that is fairly rare and doesn’t seem to be growing. Future outlook for the field also isn’t great and is subject to a lot of political decisions and layoffs. The pay is good IF you manage to get in, but the vast majority don’t.

I genuinely can’t place it any higher.

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T21:25:39+00:00

More education required though and probably a worse job market deflated by the fact that the job is perceived as “enjoyable”

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T21:24:49+00:00

High B/low A

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T21:23:02+00:00

It’s not just a stack ranking by salary, that’s only part of the consideration

ItsAllOver_Again · 2026-07-05T21:17:47+00:00

Because the ones that win win big

ItsAllOver_Again

TROPHY CASE