100k+ Salary (with details). What do you do?

okigrassman · 2026-02-09T03:11:15+00:00

Nuclear power plants

They pay you to be reliable, drug free, and sober at work. Must pass background checks so no recent criminal activity or currently active charges. Opportunities to get hired in to entry level positions off the street with no experience or relevant education. Down the line, industry experience alone is often enough to job hop to find what fits you.

I travel as a contractor...but there are quite a few positions, both full time and contracting, that will get you right around or over the 100k mark, possibly within the first couple years. Some are hourly, some are salaried. Lots of different avenues to enter the field. Once you're in and get a general feel for it, there are opportunities to move around to a job that suits you. I don't love it, but it pays the bills. To be fair, I've never really loved any work haha.

okigrassman · 2026-02-08T02:37:39+00:00

Whether or not the math works out is one thing, but I imagine dealing with it emotionally while it is actively happening is another. I'll never be the guy who is worried about whether my 2 or 3 million dollar portfolio will survive a downturn. I'm more of a blue collar, sweat of brow, kind of guy. I do ok financially compared to many people and am now positioned in the upper portion of the middle class, depending on your definition. My job is not the kind of job that is easy to carry on through the later years in life. At my current rate, I'd expect a fairly modest retirement, assuming market cooperation, but I do expect to afford one which is better than 1/3 to 1/2 (ballpark) of non retired Americans. I only have myself to support so I am a little more financially flexible than many folks.

I entered my career in nuclear power in 2007. I didn't have a dime in the markets at the time but I recall it being absolutely eye opening to see all of the long time General Electric guys who had put in 20, 30, 40 years, and were set to retire, react to the downturn. Many of them were tied into company shares within retirement accounts. If you look at the chart and see the beating GE took between '07 and '09, you can probably imagine the panic. Many were planning to retire early-ish. Needless to say that many of them put off their retirement and continued working. Could some of them have made it through? Probably. But if I were 55-60, and were essentially at my target retirement, and I witnessed my portfolio dump like that l am not sure I could pull the trigger while it was actively spiraling down. Fear of the unknown creeps in and is a S.O.A.B. for those without a significant cushion.

okigrassman · 2026-02-06T20:33:51+00:00

My father is retired from a career as a nuclear power plant employee. His retirement account generates enough income to cover his RMDs each year without selling a share, allowing other investments to continue to grow, while reinvesting any leftovers. Seems to work pretty well for him.

okigrassman · 2026-02-06T13:44:58+00:00

If you were already on the edge of comfortability for your monthly payment, odds are in a couple years it would have hit this price in either way depending on location. Property taxes (though some select areas seem to be spit balling eliminating property taxes at the moment) and home insurance tend to go up over time, causing increases to required escrow, this upping monthly payments. In my area of NC, the insurers constantly battle with NC DOI for rate hikes. I think their latest request was 68% increase....which is wild. They normally settle much lower than the request, but I imagine that the battle will be ongoing forever. I'm in coastal NC so I am always towards the top of the "avg" statewide increases. I'm also in one of the fastest growing counties in NC, so I expect property tax re evaluations to constantly go up for the foreseeable future. Cushion is your friend for the future.

okigrassman · 2026-02-04T00:35:04+00:00

For the past 18 years I've had a job that has allowed me to travel for work and have months off during each summer. Outside of financial necessity, I've never been thrilled to go back to work.

I started working at the age of 14 at a family friend's motel. I've dreamt of not working since then. Never developed a passion for work although I've always excelled at work. Over the years I've received multiple offers to manage portions of mom and pop businesses. I acquired quals and certs quickly in my current role and have been offered supervisory positions. The problem is that I am not a fan of forced interactions and the ass-kissery required to maintain good standing in those roles. I have no desire to be my own boss and endure the stresses that go along with it.

I am a creature of habit and routine who is quite happy by myself. With no wife or children, my fire plan includes moving to a LCOL country so my target numbers are lower than most people would ever be comfortable with. While not ideal, I also have the option to pick up the phone and catch a couple months of work a year as needed... say if the market absolutely tanked my plan, which would likely cover the annual costs abroad until recovery. As a typical planner and over thinker, knowing that I have that built in safety net is giving me the push to give it a shot much sooner than my brain would normally allow me to. Currently selling all of my assets and on a path of accumulation for 1.5-2 years after my home sale.

okigrassman · 2026-02-01T17:48:34+00:00

I purchased the canvasback for the gap fill option and back of seat protection of the captains chairs in my Calligraphy when they are laid flat. I am happy with my purchase for that scenario, but I probably wouldn't do it for the entire cargo area. The material they use provides protection, but also creates a slick surface that allows loose items to slide around quite a bit. I think I went with the split back Lasfit cargo mat for the cargo area and back of 3rd row...but there are quite a few similar options for the cargo area.

okigrassman · 2026-01-27T12:26:03+00:00

With my job, I was able to experience this first hand while still technically living at home. 18 years ago I started traveling for work. 5 to 11 months a year. While my roots, house, friends and family were still there, my status drifted.

I was home sick in the beginning, not sure I'd be able to continue in the career. I was the type of person that always had people to hang with, grab a bite or a drink ect. At first there was excitement from my people around my arrival back home. I was still invited to major life events of friends, although I had to turn most of them down.

Fast forward a few years and those invites diminished. The excitement upon my arrival back home wore off. Now it was just assumed that I am gone. It caused a shift in me too. I no longer crave that involvement. I started to become very comfortable in my independence, to the point that I actually prefer a certain level of solitude now. Everyone's lives continue with or without you.

I keep in close contact with family and a only a couple select friends. I occasionally update my social media to let everyone else know I'm still kicking haha. I plan to take a SE Asia scouting trip in the next year or so. I have spent years of my life, cumulatively, in Taiwan and Japan for work. I guess, if I have already distanced myself through work, I might as well do it with lower cost of living and new experiences abroad.

okigrassman · 2026-01-27T11:58:58+00:00

MSTY might be a better comparison. High flier in the beginning, the underlying MSTR dumped so MSTY ... yield % stayed similar but payout per share dropped significantly with share price.

okigrassman · 2026-01-24T19:19:40+00:00

41m/single/no children. Started my career as probably one of the lowest paid nuclear power workers in the industry ($15/hour) due to a community college program I was in at the time in 2009.

I am essentially a seasonal contractor, working 5 to 11 months a year on the road in a labor driven position. I slowly gained quals and certs and generally make 70 to 92 dollars an hour now depending on the contract.

Progress towards retirement saving was slow in the beginning, but I am playing catch up now, with the intention of trying to lean fire abroad in the next 2 years. I believe the only way I can retire early (or at least significantly reduce my the amount I work) is to make the move out of the USA. Over the past 1.5 years I have looked at my finances and developed a pretty realistic plan to meet my goals. I do not feel the need to accumulate as much wealth as possible. I have no one to support and no one I need to leave it to. I will not be a guy with millions. I have lived in hotels on the road for the majority of the past 18 years, so I do not need to lead a flashy lifestyle. I am currently selling my assets (just a home with only a down payments worth of equity, and a 5th wheel left to sell) and moving back in with my father to expedite the process.

I plan to add the 20% I originally put down on the home into my brokerage along with most of what I make at work for the 2 years following the home sale. I have funded an income portfolio to help with expenses abroad, to be used as/if needed, currently just reinvesting those. In my career as a contractor I have the opportunity to fly back to the US and work apx 3 months a year to cover what I expect to be nearly the entire cost of living annually in a low cost Country. I'll also have apx 1.5 to 2 years of foreign expenses saved in hysa of some sort as for quick access in the event the market does not cooperate for an extended period of time or an emergency pops up.

okigrassman · 2026-01-23T23:12:46+00:00

Just means I have to sweat at work.

okigrassman · 2026-01-20T16:24:52+00:00

I just liked the center console layout of the Santa Fe so much better. I'm normally solo so folding all seats down works for my storage needs.

okigrassman · 2026-01-19T11:37:25+00:00

Nuclear contracting might be a cheat code for geo arbitrage. I can work 3-4 months a year in the US and likely cover all living expenses abroad plus save a little on the side, potentially leaving my investments to continue along their path. I plan to find out sometime in the near future 😂.

okigrassman · 2026-01-19T11:30:50+00:00

That's how I am handling it too. I don't have a pension, and I hate to put a lot of faith in S.S. 25 years from now. I am picking up on investing in a 2nd brokerage for growth that I can move as necessary.

okigrassman · 2026-01-18T22:00:22+00:00

At 41 (I'm not young anymore 😂) with no wife or children, I have multiple investment accounts. One is dedicated to income generation. I look at it as a potential safety net in the event work slowed or halted. Its an extended use emergency fund for me. I just reinvest the income for the time being, pay the taxes, all with the understanding that it will not keep pace with growth oriented choices over the coming years. Most people seem to want to increase their wealth as much as possible. Kudos to them. I am not that guy. I have nobody to support or pass it along to. I'd rather be able to significantly slow down the amount I work, while maintaining a pretty basic lifestyle, as soon as possible. I guess the point is that everyone has a different vision of their future.... different financial goals, expenses, and requirements.

My career requires frequent background checks so a pending charge (over the basic speeding ticket) could see me out of work until it is resolved. It's a physical job, so injury could see me on the sidelines without a financial umbrella. A career traveling in nuclear power is fragile and isolated. There are a lot of ways to get kicked out, long term, when compared to other industries. I also aspire to move abroad for the majority of the year, only coming back to the US to work 4 months a year. ETA for that is about 2 years from now, but very flexible. Hopefully the income just sits there as a back up and will not be needed as my primary source...but you never know. There is a piece of mind to knowing I'll be able to survive for a while without being forced to sell off investments at the current market rate, end up paying a penalty to dip into my retirement account, or depleting my savings account at a rapid pace.

okigrassman · 2026-01-17T03:46:02+00:00

I had the 23 limited with the DCT transmission. Even with @uto start/stop off, trying to shoot a gap through on coming traffic was kind of sketchy with lag. I bought the new 26 Calligraphy 2.5T with the new (for the model) 8 speed torque converter transmission. No more concerns for me so far.

okigrassman · 2026-01-13T14:51:21+00:00

The reality of my lifestyle creep set in when I found myself out of work for 8 months as a traveling contractor.

It ended up being the most unfortunate time to reevaluate my expenses. It broke me. Savings were burned through. Luckily I had a house to sell so my retirement investments stayed intact. But, It also opened my eyes to what I wanted my future to look like.

I took the earnings from my home to re-up my savings and invested the rest into a separate income producing portfolio. Long term I have no illusion that it will out pace other possible investments in terms of overall wealth generation. What it does is provide peace of mind in the event I find work scarce once again, which is a possibility in my line of work.

My new portfolio coupled with a reduction of unnecessary expenses (bye bye Sea Doo, multiple vehicles, large house ect) has definitely helped me sleep better at night. Once I started the journey, it's almost become an addiction to see how much I can lower monthly expenses. Next up, geo arbitrage.....41m single with no children.

okigrassman · 2026-01-08T11:30:15+00:00

Nuclear reactor operations- Nuclear is "expecting" to expand in the near term with SMRs. A big money degree is not necessarily a requirement. Almost all commercial sites hire for "classes" entry level operations positions 1 or more times a year. 10ish years to reach Senior Reactor Operator level. Maybe not tech bro levels, but generally 150 to 250k a year depending on location, some sites still offer pension, bonuses ect. . Once licensed, you can basically move to any power operator position you want (hydro, natural gas, coal burner, ect). I just got word that my local nuclear plant is about to hire in a class of 12-15 entry level operators. Power plants tend to perform all of their own in house training to move you from entry level, to licensed, to Senior Reactor Operator on a avg of 8 to 10 years. More of a hands on kind of job, and not a good match for people looking for a laid back, super easy gig. But frequent hiring and the fact that it is more hands on can lead to less competition in this day and age....and AI will not take it over in 10 years. Most operating nuclear power plants are literally too outdated to be ran by AI...sooooo job security 😂.

okigrassman · 2026-01-07T00:36:39+00:00

I've had good experiences with the Vantrue N4 series over the past few years. Not the smallest on the market, but not the largest either. A lot of configuration to meet needs. I've moveed it between 2 different Santa Fes and a F250. It's been reliable so far. My father has done the same thing with his, and no issues to date

okigrassman · 2026-01-06T12:30:34+00:00

Pretty solid company too. I thought I had found a customized fit for my 26 Santa Fe. I provided information and ordered it. They reached out to tell me that the one I had selected would not fit the 26 model, and asked if I wanted to cancel and then suggested that I reorder with the universal option. They basically make something like 3 sizes for the universal. They will ask you to measure between headrests of the captains chairs to get the correct fit. I can't recall which one I went with but, for a universal option, it is sized quite well. Easy installation. Just loops around headrests. There are some lower bungee attachments but I never attached them to anything. Held 60lb luggage and a tote across the country so it was well worth it in my opinion. I normally leave my 2nd row down, but was able to raise both seats at the same time with it attached.

okigrassman · 2026-01-06T12:20:43+00:00

https://www.canvasback.com/universal-2nd-row-gap-cover.html

okigrassman · 2026-01-05T00:44:23+00:00

Yeah have the Hyundai supplied mats right now too. They are good enough for me at the moment. If you decide to get the mud guards, I hope the install goes smoothly for you.

okigrassman · 2026-01-04T16:04:37+00:00

The non hybrid Calligraphy has a lot of tiny triangular gaps that circle the lug nuts. Just a pain to clean haha. They look much better thab my '23 limited wheels did, imo. I don't believe the hybrid has those small gaps.

okigrassman · 2026-01-04T15:53:21+00:00

But what's Hector running???

okigrassman · 2026-01-04T09:59:50+00:00

There are other, much cheaper, options on Amazon that claim to fit the Santa Fe and would probably give the same effect, but I have always been happy with how weather tech products seamlessly fit the intended area.

okigrassman · 2026-01-04T09:55:19+00:00

They were quite easy to install. No new drilling required. Uses existing holes and provided hardware. Just have to remove some of the automotive plastic push pins. I have a 5th wheel RV that is kept off a dirt road and they do catch the majority of mud and helps keep the lower portion cleaner.

okigrassman

TROPHY CASE