According to recent studies, only .7% of Americans earned more than $100K in 2001. By 2015, that number increased to 3.8% of American workers. Within the last five years, the percentage of workers earning six-figure salaries doubled to 7.9%. Today we are going to discuss 3 steps to land a six-figure salary.
Stagnant Wages
We all know that the cost of living is going up, but many of our salaries are not. In fact, the inflation rate from October 2020 to October 2021 was projected at 6.2%, while typical salary raises stagnated and/or lowered to 3-6%.
Despite stagnant wages at the national level, there are several jobs that still offer huge salaries and many of these jobs don’t require an advanced degree.
Step #1 -Research, Research, Research to Land a Six-Figure Salary
Research, Research, Research! Do not get frustrated as you conduct thorough research to identify what jobs out there actually pay over $100K. If you check out Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website, you will notice that physicians, surgeons, chief executives, lawyers, pharmacists, and dentists all earn more than $100K per year, on average.
You may be wondering if there are any jobs out there that do not require years and years of continued education. The answer is an astounding, YES!
Step #2 -Identify your goals
Here is a list of just a few of the jobs that do not require years of continued education. After you identify a job with high earning potential, start to formulate a plan that will get you there quickly.
Select jobs with $100K+ average mean salaries:
- Operations Managers: $123K+
- Software Developers & Programmers: $102K+
- Marketing & Sales Managers: $140K+
- Financial Managers: $143K+
- Computer & Information Systems Managers: $149K+
- Medical & Health Services Managers: $110K+
- Administrative Service Managers: $103K+
- Construction Managers: $101K+
- Executive Director: $196K+
- Personal Financial Advisors: $124K+
- Architectural & Engineering Managers: $146K+
- Industrial Production Managers: $110K+
- Computer Network Architects: $107K+
- Education Administrators: $107K+
- Human Resources Managers: $123K+
- Electronics Engineers: $106K+
- Transportation & Distribution Managers: $100K+
- Executive Assistants: $100K+
You may also consider taking a career assessment to uncover how your skills align with certain occupations, ideal environment, communication skills, and much more.
Here are a few great assessments:
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Strong Inventory Assessment (The Myers-Briggs Company):
Step #3 – Create a Game Plan
It is time to get your career search documents in order, I am talking your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile. Start by writing down your training, education, certifications, skills, achievements, and quantifying impact that align with the target position.
Pro Tip: If you do not qualify for the position, then start taking the steps today to boost your skills and experiences. Take a coding boot camp. Sign up for LinkedIn Learning. Complete a certification. Volunteer. Take on relevant projects at your current role.
If you want to land a higher paying job, then you must show undeniable evidence that you could step in and make an immediate impact on the position.
You can learn more about how to write a resume that will get you a job in 2022 here: https://www.resumeassassin.com/how-to-write-a-resume-that-will-get-you-a-job-in-2022/.
You may also be interested in How to Beat the Applicant Tracking System: https://www.resumeassassin.com/how-to-beat-the-applicant-tracking-system/.
If you still have questions, then Resume Assassin is here to help. Please connect with me on LinkedIn or check us out at www.resumeassassin.com.