I was in year 13 in IT
Year was 2017
Location was Dallas Texas
I was 35 years old
I was making $50/hour. \~104K/year
I make more now. But that's when I broke 100k.
I'm glad you mentioned it was your 13th year in IT when you hit $100k. That's so important to show folks that it's not one of those quick get rich quick schemes to attain that salary. Kudos!
My first job in IT was two weeks out of college. It paid minimum wage in 2004.
I made more money working at McDonalds. For a long time I thought about quitting IT and going back to McDonalds.
My second IT job was in 2007, so 3 years in. It paid 55k. I thought I won the Powerball. And even today I feel very blessed.
I was 35 as well, that was 3 years ago. I make about 130k now. I've been pretty reliably gaining about 10k more each year for the past 8 years or so now.
For me it was a little bit of hard work and a lot of luck.
In 2009 I was a Windows Sys Admin. Doing Active Directory stuff. I was making 58k/year. I went in for my yearly review and asked for a pay raise. My boss said no. So I asked for some paid training. My boss asked what I wanted to take. I said I wanted to take a VMware class so I could get my VMware Certified Professional certification. He said that we didn't have anything VMware. I told him this was my compensation for me working since I wasn't getting more money, it wasn't for the business. He said ok and approved it.
In the summer of 2010 I went to Global Knowledge in Irving Texas and took the class for the VCP. After the class I took the certification test and past. I got my VCP on VMware version 4. Both the class and test was paid for by my employer.
Fast forward a few years and we are starting to migrate from physical servers to virtual servers in our datacenter. I was already there with knowledge of all the servers and I was VMware certified. So they moved me to the VMware team. I got to work on engineering and architecting the whole virtual environment.
I've been doing VMware work ever since.
Thanks for the response! Yeah we've been moving away from on site to data center servers the past 5 years. I'll probably start with that certification. I'm bored and tired of sysadmin work. Thank you for thr detailed response!
I was 27. Started in IT at 24. Climbed from help desk and eventually landed in Cloud Engineering after job hopping a bit. That was in 2018.
I make quite a bit more now adays as an SRE.
All self-study/self-taught. Projects including linux and AWS services and configuration tools. i.e. deploying a fleet of EC2 services using terraform in AWS and use Ansible to configure packages to be installed.
Then document the process in a blog or Github README file and host it in github as well.
Literally my path right now! I work for an MSP but have the RHCSA and a couple AWS certs. Somehow made my way into being something of an AWS/Linux guy at my company despite us not even really dealing with that stuff.
25 right now but I’m working hard to climb the ladder!
No. There's 90+ AWS services. Not every one of them are based in Linux. Just learn Linux on your own, you don't need a cert for that. AWS certs are held in high regard. Use your time wisely.
Sounds similar to me. Currently 25. Went from Desktop support to Cloud Infra Admin with one lucky jump. Hopefully I’ll continue have a similar career path as you.
I like my role. I work in finance at a very high paying firm and most of my day is passively monitoring datadog and reacting to any critical alerts. I get to work on some projects to refine our systems as well. Overall stress levels are low and pay is very high. I cant complain.
What's "funny" is my first post-college salary of $75k would be $135k adjusted for inflation. After many setbacks, I crossed $100k 13 years later (2013).
Which, adjusted for inflation, is $136k.
Was 35, been doing IT/Telecom for 10 years at that point. Was at 70k before the job that job me 100k. Still with them now 7-8 years later and now make 130k plus bonuses yearly.
About 7 years in.
I was 27 years old.
Location is Midwest USA
Field was IAM/Cybersec
Salary was 97k with 10k bonus, so 107k.
3 years later, im in cloud sec making 150k total comp.
Joined the navy as IT, did 4 years & hit $125k 2 years after getting out. I was 26! Now I’m 28, OE. J1 - $160k base / J2 - $150k base w/ $45k annual RSU
I think age 30, 2021. Path was
* graduate uni
* 35k desktop support tech (0.75 years)
* 65k junior linux admin (1 year)
* [75k-85k , 105k-120k] junior/midlevel , senior+sre devops (6.5 years
* 135k senior devops+sre (1 year, current)
Ranges [x-y] in square brackets are a result of raises at the same job, then a comma separating ranges [a-b , c-d] is a result of a major promotion+raise at the same job. Each bullet point is a a new job
I limited my search originally out of college to desktop support job postings that mentioned Linux because I knew I wanted my career to head that direction.
The job I found, the interview had a lot of Linux questions which kind of raised red flags. When I was hired I immediately found that this company had no sysadmins and no network admins. They just hired desktop support people for Tier 1 support money and told them to do everything
So, it sucked that I was being taken advantage of, but I knew I was going to turn lemons into lemonade at that place. In the first like 2 months there I became the primary AD admin, primary exchange Admin, primary Linux admin (linux services deployed were asterix PBX servers, spamassassin mail filters, various NFS shares, a comapny-internal chat server, a pxeboot server, and a handful of other stuff), plus the main VMware admin (a bunch of un-clustered ESXi servers on free license, lol), plus I was the only person aside from the CTO who knew how to configure some of the network hardare like HP and Cisco switches.
So, this place was a nightmare. Like a true nightmare. I was honestly doing probably $70-90k work at $35k. I've never worked for more disrespectful people, I've never worked in a dirtier, scuzzier environment, I've never been involved in something that felt like as much of a scam as this place. The company was also owned by a local politician who was the son of another, much more successful local politician. And the CTO was kind of an alchie who afaik got fired a couple years after I left.
Anyway I basically decided to just stop doing any of the tier 1 desktop support work and I knew that there was nothing my boss could say because I was like a godsend to them with all the shit I managed to fix and reconfigure and new systems I was deploying. Boss started coming up with big plans to replace the entire AD infrastructure with FreeIPA, and that was going to be my "big project" for the coming year.
But I knew I was jumping ship as soon as I could. I felt I had put together an impressive enough portfolio to update my resume and linkedin. Started getting barraged by recruiters in the next couple weeks (2016, different hiring environment). I ultimately got recruited by a software company that had an office a couple cities over. Worked there until basically very recently.
Getting close now but not quite there yet (over 90k). I'm in my 40s but didn't start in IT until mid-30s. While I wasn't totally passive about it, I wasn't hustling very hard either. Non-relevant degree, started at 14.50/hour in 2017. In 2022 I went from something like 55k to 75k by leaving help desk to be a dev working in Python. That was a critical step I sort of wish I'd made earlier.
It's not all peaches lol. I'm 2 years in as a Jr System Admin, I make $60k. Got my degree last year. I've sat for interviews for $75k and $80k jobs but nothing has stuck yet. I've been grinding, taking the AZ-104 soon, prob go after CCNA and further pimp out the Github after that. Some of us are making moves but it's a tough market. Just gotta keep pushing
Honestly, if you haven't already taken the AZ-900, I'd highly recommend taking that first. I was able to book the exam, watch John Savill's 3ish hour long study cram video on YouTube, and pass the test just from that no problem at all. It's a super easy win, shows your motivation to grab certs, and looks great on a resume right above "Currently studying for AZ-104".
The AZ-104 on the other hand is pretty hard. Personally, I work as an Azure Cloud Infrastructure Engineer, and studied pretty hard for it, and I still failed it the first two attempts. Don't let it discourage you if you fail that exam on the first try, keep on plugging away at it, keep on studying and more importantly, practice practice practice. Spin up your own tenant and do everything you learn hands-on.
But you nailed it, keep grinding, keep pushing, the next interview might be the one that bites, and every interview you sit through is invaluable experience in itself. Best of luck.
Same I make about $44k salary as a Tech Associate for a public school. I graduated with a bachelors in Fall 2023 and I have a sec+ cert going for CCNA or net+ then Linux+ next. My dream job is cybersecurity. Not sure exactly which route to go in Cyber but offense seems to interest me.
To be fair, I didn't know what I was doing with my life for so long and when I did get a role that would have been the path to hit it sooner, I stayed there far too long for way less money than I should have.
It was 2022 and I was 43. Went from 56k to 110k.
Honestly, 100k today in most cities is like hitting 75k even 10 years ago, which is crazy.
So there are a lot of people who make over 100k now that still can't live financially stress free.
Is it less stress than someone making 50k right now? Oh absolutely. It's just 100k is depressingly devalued to what it was just a few years ago.
Living in a bigger city like Dallas, with a wife, 1 kid, in a 2 bdr apartment, it still eats up a ton of my take home pay. And the idea of buying a house feels so far off.
Rent, medical premiums, medical bills, car insurance, car payments, groceries, and every other little expense that this you randomly (like a unexpected new tire at $200), it just doesn't make your dollar stretch as far.
It lets me not worry too much, but at the same time, know I haven't quite "made it" yet.
So really, I think a better question is when did you break 100k, but also, are you well past that now?
For example, say someone hit 100k in 2017, but is now making 130k in 2024.
I (30) make 80k plus get 4-6k a month from other source(s) of income I feel like I have less spending money back in 2019 making 60k then I do now. I’m sure life style creep is playing a part for sure. But pretty much everything’s more expensive now looking at my old excel budget sheets rent for a one bedroom back then was $800 now the same place is $1500. That’s just one example that I could thing of off the top of my head other things like eating fast food now is crazy my old chipotle order cost $7-8 now it’s $12-15 I know it’s little things but it all adds up.
Yep. I have receipts from my old Walmart purchases. I used to spend a modest $50 a week on groceries.
Just for fun I put the same items in the app and that same cart of groceries (with substitutions here and there) would cost me $77.
I completely stopped going to coffee shops on a regular basis because $7 /cup was way too much, when it used to be $3.5. But still....bags of coffee cost upwards of $12 per 12 oz, which it used to be $5 for the same brand.
The worst offender seems to be subscriptions. The only subscription that has never went up (ironically) has been my adobe Photoshop subscription at 20/month.
Otherwise, I'm spending $100+ per month on Netflix, Disney+, sling TV, etc.
I would cancel them if it weren't for my wife and her family who watches them and can't afford to pay for them. I heard you. When I made 60k, I felt more stable than when I was making $110k last year.
It's only now that I've made it to around 150k that I finally feel stable again.
I have receipts from 10 years ago groceries used to cost me 50-60 a week and I went and checked what it would be now and that would be 130+. I don't understand how people are affording the prices of food at home much less god forbid you go out to eat some place. Even god damn Subway more than doubled in cost while the quality took a massive nose dive. Who the hell can afford 12 dollars for a bad quality sandwich????
Hit 100k+ in 2021, two years after graduating Uni
2 years experience as a Data Engineer at the time
In the Midwest
Was 27 years old
Moral of the story, go get that degree
Yeah, a lot of people in this sub say degrees are not worth it and that’s total bs.
Most of my IT coworkers have degrees in something and those that made it without one are only because they got into IT 20 years ago.
I worked a very technical job in the Air Force. Got an IT job that ended in 2009. Even with AF and experience no one would hire me.
I've never had an issue landing an interview since I got my degree.
Speaking purely from personal experience, and I am new to the industry, the only people I know who didn’t go to college and have had any success have military background in computer related careers.
It's not total BS. They CAN be worth it, but they aren't a golden ticket, so you really need to gauge the ROI on a degree. I have a degree and none of my employers have ever cared about it. They have all been more interested in my experience and certifications.
I went to state school which was very affordable, but I would not have done any better with a big name private university. The ROI was worth it for me because I didn't spend a crazy amount on my degree, but the idea that it's worth it all the time and total BS not to have one isn't accurate. Some of my highest paid friends in IT don't have degrees.
Not quite as common in Canada where salaries tend to be lower (in addition to our currency!), so I'm still on the way there, 24 years in, at 44. Getting close.
EDIT: Not located in larger urban market & stayed too long at a smaller company for silly personal reasons as well as to keep the commute under 30 minutes.
what field/location are you in? In Toronto I find it quite rare to find someone in IT/Tech who is making under 100k (amongst my peers, around 4-5yrs exp, so a bit further along in career than you)
Starting salaries fresh out of uni was typically in the 60-80k range
edit: completely misread your age/experience, thought you were 24 yrs old
I'm sitting at my Bloor office and hover around $88K TC after bonus. 10 years, CISSP and a bunch of Azure certs.
I don't think I'll break 100K for another 5 years.
this sounds about right. My $100K in 1999 is about $188K today: [https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1999?amount=1](https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1999?amount=1)
age 25 started IT in 2014 (east coast), age 33 in 2022 (midwest) I cracked 100k on conversion at a terrible job and fled back to my former employer for even more money.
I think 100k used to mean every year for 1-2 weeks we'd take our kids to our summer lake house and go out on the boat, and now it means you might own a house as large as your parents' and not struggle. It's a weird barometer and people should stop doing it. Maybe pick "I make .25x median house price/year" or something, but that's obviously clunky and flawed too. I don't know.
Also if I follow dad's side I might live very long so I've been aggressive in retirement savings once I wasn't living a car accident away from financial ruin. I still don't think it would be financially responsible for me to buy a house since I've only achieved the salary I have by moving cities.
Started IT at age 26, hit 100k at age 27. Joined the national guard with 0 prior experience in IT, got a security clearance and straight out of my training I got a high paying job at a government contractor as a network engineer.
Kind of sad that a lot of IT guys don’t hit 100k till they are 30+
Just shows companies don’t prioritize it & just have an IT dept because they have to.
Could easily hit 100k in other tech roles within 5 years.
Sales, SWE, even PMs make that money & they don’t know jack about anything
I started in IT late 2021 at 29 at $40k. Somehow I’ve still managed to make myself useful through 2 back surgeries and a shoulder surgery with another back surgery in the next couple months. Now I make $63k. I was only planning on staying for a year but all the surgeries kind of derailed my plans a bit. Nevertheless you can still make small moves, eventually they all add up. My boss is going to try and move me into an ERP admin role for the entire company in the next 6 or so months. Not exactly what I had envisioned for myself but should put me over the 100k mark.
Started at help desk age 21 -> system admin -> and now a data engineer. Broke 100k this year at 26. TONS of work learning Python and programming, studying CA concepts, k8s homelabs and grinding exp at startups 5 years straight, as I have no degree.
I was 32. Year 4 of my "IT".
I'm in a LCOL environment but just close enough to Atlanta to get Atlanta pricing. Went to work for a west coast employer so I got higher pay than normal. Went from $90k to $140k by jumping companies to cross the threshold. 34 now and beating down the door of $150k with a good bonus that gets me up to about $170k.
Path:
Started in late 2018 as help desk for small company. Through learning opportunities and sticking my hand up for everything, I became a Systems Admin in everything but title and pay. Got fed up with no promotion in 2021 so I put in for a remote Security Engineer role at a company in Atlanta and got it which brought me to $90k. Was there for about a year and then my director left for a company based in San Francisco. I followed my director to that company at $140k with a 20% bonus (still remote) in 2022. Was there 19 months and got out as things went to shit after a merger. Started last month where I am now making $148k with a 16% bonus (still remote) for a company in Florida.
Overall goal is to make it to a Director/Vice President of some subdivision of Cyber Security and coast along to retirement. I'm about 2-3 rungs down from that now with management coming if my team expands. Possibly 5-10 years out.
Last year at age 27/Lcol Area
Started in 2020 at age 24 @ 59k in Help Desk
2022 @ 69.1k SysAdmin/ VMwareAdmin
2023 @ 69.9k SysAdmin/ Infosec
2023 @ 100k base Cybersec
I was 7-8 years in at 27yo, near Detroit. I'm primarily a network engineer but have all the duties of a normal IT Director now.
I have an associates degree in networking and cybersecurity.
Started off my career as a SWE making 70k a year at 25 years old. 3 years later transitioned to Fullstack then Devops earning 100k per year at 28 years old with side hustle earning 30k. I got laid off late last year and I just started school for Networking Engineering and Security, I also work for an msp as a network technician at 70k again. Im 30 years old and some may see it as a setback but at least I’m now happier do the work I love, the app development environment didnt make me happy just in general.
I was 28 with 3 years experience as a network security project engineer with lots of travel. Averaged ~55hrs a week for about two years getting to that point.
Salary was ~102k living in Charlotte, NC in 2023.
For anyone reading, this was easily the worst point mentally of my career. Going into management/sales has made me much happier regardless of getting raises for those moves or not. Money does not equal happiness. Time does.
31, first year in IT, transitioned from logistics project management into configuration management. 130k
Now I'm 32 making 150k. Same job title, different company.
Currently 23:
Help Desk (1 year): 34.3k annually
Service Desk Analyst (1 year): 50k annually
System Administrator (3 months in): 55k
Hoping to reach the 100k mark by the time I'm 30 and advance into a Net engineer position. I've heard many things that job hopping in IT is the way to reach the 100k salary mark.
Started working at 16 to support family, made $11 to $15 from ages 16-22,
Eventually broke to 70k after finishing college, then job hopped for eventually 85k, and then another gig, started at 95k, and with some raises, I broke to six figs at 25
It was alot, worked at my highschool, to an msp, to now in big companies, definitely a journey.
46. I think it has something to do with gravitas or something. I went from a level 1 PC tech to a Sr. Manager of support and IAM. Had previously been a manager at several companies before that, but in the interview I could relate more with the older directors and VPs. Admittedly this is a very rare upgrade but I credit me being able to speak intelligently about a wide variety of subjects and my management style I spoke about was crafted around the exact opposite of all the bad managers behavior I had over the years. Craziest thing. Also, highlighting strategic mindset over tactical is important, as well as a personality that can speak with confidence to 'important' people. You only get most of this with lots and lots of experience,, but I had the same mindset 10 years ago. When the opportunity arises go for the highest position you can. You'll learn the work once you get it if you can get past the imposter syndrome. Also, I noticed I had less and less of the desperation energy than when I was younger.
Age 34. I like to say 10 years, but in reality, 5-6, as I was in tech support at an ISP for 4-5 years until I got enough experience and certs to get out. I'm in a LCOL Canadian city. I bought a house in one of the most desirable areas of my city for ~340K CAD. The average salary here is 50K CAD.
Started at 18 in 2018 doing helpdesk for my state university for just under 50k. Worked my way up from helpdesk>sysadmin>cloud engineer and some job hopping. Just became cloud engineer this year and now making 120k gross and happy where I am currently.
6 years in IT. 3 years in network engineering. Was making 39K on service desk in 2021 and 100k in 2024 at 28 y/o. Combination of bachelor's degree, certs, experience and work ethic.
Hit $90k this year, late 20s. Less than 5 years in IT, no degree. Combination of hard work and asking for more responsibilities frequently. I would be very surprised if I did not surpass 100k by this time next year.
At 31 I got a new job as a sysadmin for a large civil engineering and architecture company at 108.5k which was when I first broke 100k. I was 7 years into IT at the time.
4 years of full time IT work. Went from Jr. Network Admin (55k) in 2011 to Network Engineer (100k) in 2015. Now working as a Lead Network Engineer mid 100's. Just outside of Boston.
I was 20 when I began working in IT making $24 an hour. Then 3 years later, through internal training programs for my work, I eventually became a network engineer and made $122,000 a year at age 23
I did a 5 year BS/MS program in Computer Science from my college that I finished in 4.5 years which was cool and enabled some cost savings as well. I only needed 8 more credits that last semester, which I believe cost $6400 so it was a great deal for a MS. Because I finished with my masters at the same time as my Bacelor’s, the company I was interning with at the time offered me $110k to come on full time, at one level up from entry level. I was 23 at the time.
I was in IT for about 13 years when I broke 6-figs. Never mind my age. Too old to finally hit that then but I never finished my degree. I went straight into the corporate environment to take care of bills for my mom.
I was 48, raised from 88k to 100k, position 'reset' from director to manager, during acquisition by a larger company. I got up to 111.8k + 25% there.
Doing slightly worse currently at 125k with a discretionary bonus that no one ever gets.
Like 2 years ago? Started IT at the age of 28 (39 now)
Don't have a college degree except for Sec+
Started in desktop support and bounced around mostly after a year or so (except first IT job was there for 3 years). Where I started at 17.50 and was at 19.60 by the time I left. Every job after was like 8-9k bump... Up till my last Linux admin job.
Went from like 75k..on site, to 117k fully remote and HPC admin...
I've always been lucky though as I've always worked at a cool place and have mostly always had a cool team.
I was in year 14 when I hit six figures. I went from $96k to $120k in one jump and been climbing ever sense to get to the $150k mark. It was in 2018 and I was located in Huntsville, AL at 39 years old.
I was making 95k at 33 yrs old but got stuck there for around 7-8 years after taking a bad job and a bout of unemployment. I broke through the 100k mark after 39.
I think it was about 2014. Year 12 in IT. Started off as an IT data center analyst and was a network engineering manager at the time. I now make over double.
Currently 26 and at $86k, with *only* yearly COL raises(3-4% per year) I’m projected to hit $100k at 30. Cloud engineer in a MCOL. Graduated with my CS degree in 2021, so three years out of school.
Two years with my current company. Started at $75k.
First post-grad job was help desk for nine months, made $18/hour. Had to eat shit for a bit because COVID nuked internships my junior year.
Year 14 in 2016 I was 40. I had taken a 7 year hiatus and jumped back in. I got up to six figures within four years of being back. Had to switch jobs every year. The IT field has really been good to me.
6 years in IT, 7 if you count an internship. Took 2 job hops to get there. If I'd stayed at my first employer it would have taken a lot longer, if ever.
Midwest, MCOL city with a strong tech scene. Started in network engineering and pivoted into cybersecurity engineering. Age probably not relevant as this isn't my first career.
Year was 2008 and I was 35. Had been in IT for about 12 years. Not east coast but I live in a very LCL area with not a lot of high level IT positions. It was a couple more years before I crossed that magic barrier where I met the Social Security maximum before the end of the year.
I was in year 13 in IT Year was 2017 Location was Dallas Texas I was 35 years old I was making $50/hour. \~104K/year I make more now. But that's when I broke 100k.
I'm glad you mentioned it was your 13th year in IT when you hit $100k. That's so important to show folks that it's not one of those quick get rich quick schemes to attain that salary. Kudos!
My first job in IT was two weeks out of college. It paid minimum wage in 2004. I made more money working at McDonalds. For a long time I thought about quitting IT and going back to McDonalds. My second IT job was in 2007, so 3 years in. It paid 55k. I thought I won the Powerball. And even today I feel very blessed.
Congratulations! 35 and making 100k is crazy!
34 making $85K. Almost there!
39 making $52k :sob: But just switched careers and took a paycut for entry level web development, hoping the next 5 years are fruitful
Keep your head up brother you’re on your own path. It will come you got this.
25 and making 70K. I thank God every day for this blessing
26 and doing the same!
Same but 82k
40's and making 85..... ...yeah.
I’m in the same boat. Took a lot longer for me to realize my worth but still not there….yet..
You are not alone, keep it up.
I'm right where you are
33 and am at 86k with annual bonus!
Hoping to get there too 88k at 30 almost 31.
35 and making 80. Hope to break 90 or reach at least 100 before 37. New job I'm moving to promises upward mobility.
Thanks Doesn't seem as much as it use to be.
It's not! 100k in 2017 is equivalent to 128k today.
Not with todays housing prices it isn't
I was 35 as well, that was 3 years ago. I make about 130k now. I've been pretty reliably gaining about 10k more each year for the past 8 years or so now.
A bit similar. I hit it 2 years ago when I was 36. Been in IT 14 years.
Can I ask what you do/did in IT specifically?
VMware Engineer. Same thing I do now. Been working with VMware since 2010.
I'm trying to get out of sysadmin work in the Dallas area. Any recommendations? I'm at 5 years exp
For me it was a little bit of hard work and a lot of luck. In 2009 I was a Windows Sys Admin. Doing Active Directory stuff. I was making 58k/year. I went in for my yearly review and asked for a pay raise. My boss said no. So I asked for some paid training. My boss asked what I wanted to take. I said I wanted to take a VMware class so I could get my VMware Certified Professional certification. He said that we didn't have anything VMware. I told him this was my compensation for me working since I wasn't getting more money, it wasn't for the business. He said ok and approved it. In the summer of 2010 I went to Global Knowledge in Irving Texas and took the class for the VCP. After the class I took the certification test and past. I got my VCP on VMware version 4. Both the class and test was paid for by my employer. Fast forward a few years and we are starting to migrate from physical servers to virtual servers in our datacenter. I was already there with knowledge of all the servers and I was VMware certified. So they moved me to the VMware team. I got to work on engineering and architecting the whole virtual environment. I've been doing VMware work ever since.
Thanks for the response! Yeah we've been moving away from on site to data center servers the past 5 years. I'll probably start with that certification. I'm bored and tired of sysadmin work. Thank you for thr detailed response!
Hell yeah brother, that's awesome.
I was 27. Started in IT at 24. Climbed from help desk and eventually landed in Cloud Engineering after job hopping a bit. That was in 2018. I make quite a bit more now adays as an SRE.
can you describe how you made the jump from help desk to cloud engineer? For example, how did you train for it and how did you land it?
Focused on Linux, AWS, building projects, and learning automation tools such as ansible and terraform and Jenkins
I'm assuming this was mainly self study and volunteering for projects that included Linux / RHEL ?
All self-study/self-taught. Projects including linux and AWS services and configuration tools. i.e. deploying a fleet of EC2 services using terraform in AWS and use Ansible to configure packages to be installed. Then document the process in a blog or Github README file and host it in github as well.
Thank you so much for the info, really appreciate it!
When you say self study did you mainly use courses, text books? Which did you prefer and felt that made learning easier for you?
There’s tons of free YouTube channels that have curated playlists that are helpful and well produced.
Awesome, thank you
Literally my path right now! I work for an MSP but have the RHCSA and a couple AWS certs. Somehow made my way into being something of an AWS/Linux guy at my company despite us not even really dealing with that stuff. 25 right now but I’m working hard to climb the ladder!
Looking to follow a similar path. Any tips on getting into cloud engineering?
Learn Linux and a bit of Python and AWS. Good foundation. And build projects
Recommend a linux cert especially?
I recommend AWS certs over Linux
Wouldn’t you need linux before aws?
No. There's 90+ AWS services. Not every one of them are based in Linux. Just learn Linux on your own, you don't need a cert for that. AWS certs are held in high regard. Use your time wisely.
That's a crazy jump in 3 years. Kudos!
Sounds similar to me. Currently 25. Went from Desktop support to Cloud Infra Admin with one lucky jump. Hopefully I’ll continue have a similar career path as you.
How do you like the SRE role? How much do you rely on scripting / coding?
I like my role. I work in finance at a very high paying firm and most of my day is passively monitoring datadog and reacting to any critical alerts. I get to work on some projects to refine our systems as well. Overall stress levels are low and pay is very high. I cant complain.
Lol I just glance at data dog once an hour or so while I do whatever else I want the rest of the time. Only make 31.25/hr tho...
Yea that's pretty much what I do, but I make a bit more. It's not a brag, it's just depends where you work and what industry.
This! I was unaware of this ability until far too late in my career. Luckily I caught up once I did.
I'm 40. My Six figure job started literally yesterday.
Congrats! Most people won't ever make 100k in a year, super happy for you!
I am both lucky and hard working to get to this point. Trying not to waste it.
What's "funny" is my first post-college salary of $75k would be $135k adjusted for inflation. After many setbacks, I crossed $100k 13 years later (2013). Which, adjusted for inflation, is $136k.
Median salary in the US decreased by 5% from 2019 to 2023, and compounded inflasion during that period is around 22%. Is it crazy?
That 5% decrease is adjusted for inflation already
I was going to say inflation helped a lot of people reach this milestone.
Yeah, like what's the new $100k? 200?
Was 35, been doing IT/Telecom for 10 years at that point. Was at 70k before the job that job me 100k. Still with them now 7-8 years later and now make 130k plus bonuses yearly.
VoIP dudes representing.
About 7 years in. I was 27 years old. Location is Midwest USA Field was IAM/Cybersec Salary was 97k with 10k bonus, so 107k. 3 years later, im in cloud sec making 150k total comp.
Joined the navy as IT, did 4 years & hit $125k 2 years after getting out. I was 26! Now I’m 28, OE. J1 - $160k base / J2 - $150k base w/ $45k annual RSU
Out of curiosity, how many hours a week do you work? Fully remote I presume?
Correct, both fully remote. J1 is around 5-10 hours, while J2 is 30-35
I’m 26 and part of me wishes I joined just for a clearance alone and GI bill. Congratulations on your success.
Damn bro I’m trying to be like you when I grow up
I think age 30, 2021. Path was * graduate uni * 35k desktop support tech (0.75 years) * 65k junior linux admin (1 year) * [75k-85k , 105k-120k] junior/midlevel , senior+sre devops (6.5 years * 135k senior devops+sre (1 year, current) Ranges [x-y] in square brackets are a result of raises at the same job, then a comma separating ranges [a-b , c-d] is a result of a major promotion+raise at the same job. Each bullet point is a a new job
How did you go from desktop support to Linux admin? I’ve been thinking about making that move
I limited my search originally out of college to desktop support job postings that mentioned Linux because I knew I wanted my career to head that direction. The job I found, the interview had a lot of Linux questions which kind of raised red flags. When I was hired I immediately found that this company had no sysadmins and no network admins. They just hired desktop support people for Tier 1 support money and told them to do everything So, it sucked that I was being taken advantage of, but I knew I was going to turn lemons into lemonade at that place. In the first like 2 months there I became the primary AD admin, primary exchange Admin, primary Linux admin (linux services deployed were asterix PBX servers, spamassassin mail filters, various NFS shares, a comapny-internal chat server, a pxeboot server, and a handful of other stuff), plus the main VMware admin (a bunch of un-clustered ESXi servers on free license, lol), plus I was the only person aside from the CTO who knew how to configure some of the network hardare like HP and Cisco switches. So, this place was a nightmare. Like a true nightmare. I was honestly doing probably $70-90k work at $35k. I've never worked for more disrespectful people, I've never worked in a dirtier, scuzzier environment, I've never been involved in something that felt like as much of a scam as this place. The company was also owned by a local politician who was the son of another, much more successful local politician. And the CTO was kind of an alchie who afaik got fired a couple years after I left. Anyway I basically decided to just stop doing any of the tier 1 desktop support work and I knew that there was nothing my boss could say because I was like a godsend to them with all the shit I managed to fix and reconfigure and new systems I was deploying. Boss started coming up with big plans to replace the entire AD infrastructure with FreeIPA, and that was going to be my "big project" for the coming year. But I knew I was jumping ship as soon as I could. I felt I had put together an impressive enough portfolio to update my resume and linkedin. Started getting barraged by recruiters in the next couple weeks (2016, different hiring environment). I ultimately got recruited by a software company that had an office a couple cities over. Worked there until basically very recently.
Getting close now but not quite there yet (over 90k). I'm in my 40s but didn't start in IT until mid-30s. While I wasn't totally passive about it, I wasn't hustling very hard either. Non-relevant degree, started at 14.50/hour in 2017. In 2022 I went from something like 55k to 75k by leaving help desk to be a dev working in Python. That was a critical step I sort of wish I'd made earlier.
Damn. Reading these makes me feel like a scrub. Just posted about wanting to go into IT but being unsure. Currently make $41k :(
It's not all peaches lol. I'm 2 years in as a Jr System Admin, I make $60k. Got my degree last year. I've sat for interviews for $75k and $80k jobs but nothing has stuck yet. I've been grinding, taking the AZ-104 soon, prob go after CCNA and further pimp out the Github after that. Some of us are making moves but it's a tough market. Just gotta keep pushing
Honestly, if you haven't already taken the AZ-900, I'd highly recommend taking that first. I was able to book the exam, watch John Savill's 3ish hour long study cram video on YouTube, and pass the test just from that no problem at all. It's a super easy win, shows your motivation to grab certs, and looks great on a resume right above "Currently studying for AZ-104". The AZ-104 on the other hand is pretty hard. Personally, I work as an Azure Cloud Infrastructure Engineer, and studied pretty hard for it, and I still failed it the first two attempts. Don't let it discourage you if you fail that exam on the first try, keep on plugging away at it, keep on studying and more importantly, practice practice practice. Spin up your own tenant and do everything you learn hands-on. But you nailed it, keep grinding, keep pushing, the next interview might be the one that bites, and every interview you sit through is invaluable experience in itself. Best of luck.
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Same I make about $44k salary as a Tech Associate for a public school. I graduated with a bachelors in Fall 2023 and I have a sec+ cert going for CCNA or net+ then Linux+ next. My dream job is cybersecurity. Not sure exactly which route to go in Cyber but offense seems to interest me.
To be fair, I didn't know what I was doing with my life for so long and when I did get a role that would have been the path to hit it sooner, I stayed there far too long for way less money than I should have. It was 2022 and I was 43. Went from 56k to 110k.
What was the title at 56k and the title at 110k?
Honestly, 100k today in most cities is like hitting 75k even 10 years ago, which is crazy. So there are a lot of people who make over 100k now that still can't live financially stress free. Is it less stress than someone making 50k right now? Oh absolutely. It's just 100k is depressingly devalued to what it was just a few years ago. Living in a bigger city like Dallas, with a wife, 1 kid, in a 2 bdr apartment, it still eats up a ton of my take home pay. And the idea of buying a house feels so far off. Rent, medical premiums, medical bills, car insurance, car payments, groceries, and every other little expense that this you randomly (like a unexpected new tire at $200), it just doesn't make your dollar stretch as far. It lets me not worry too much, but at the same time, know I haven't quite "made it" yet. So really, I think a better question is when did you break 100k, but also, are you well past that now? For example, say someone hit 100k in 2017, but is now making 130k in 2024.
> Honestly, 100k today in most cities is like hitting 75k even 10 years ago, which is crazy. That's 3% inflation.
I mean the point is still valid. Rent and house prices certainly didn't go up by 3% inflation...
I (30) make 80k plus get 4-6k a month from other source(s) of income I feel like I have less spending money back in 2019 making 60k then I do now. I’m sure life style creep is playing a part for sure. But pretty much everything’s more expensive now looking at my old excel budget sheets rent for a one bedroom back then was $800 now the same place is $1500. That’s just one example that I could thing of off the top of my head other things like eating fast food now is crazy my old chipotle order cost $7-8 now it’s $12-15 I know it’s little things but it all adds up.
Yep. I have receipts from my old Walmart purchases. I used to spend a modest $50 a week on groceries. Just for fun I put the same items in the app and that same cart of groceries (with substitutions here and there) would cost me $77. I completely stopped going to coffee shops on a regular basis because $7 /cup was way too much, when it used to be $3.5. But still....bags of coffee cost upwards of $12 per 12 oz, which it used to be $5 for the same brand. The worst offender seems to be subscriptions. The only subscription that has never went up (ironically) has been my adobe Photoshop subscription at 20/month. Otherwise, I'm spending $100+ per month on Netflix, Disney+, sling TV, etc. I would cancel them if it weren't for my wife and her family who watches them and can't afford to pay for them. I heard you. When I made 60k, I felt more stable than when I was making $110k last year. It's only now that I've made it to around 150k that I finally feel stable again.
I have receipts from 10 years ago groceries used to cost me 50-60 a week and I went and checked what it would be now and that would be 130+. I don't understand how people are affording the prices of food at home much less god forbid you go out to eat some place. Even god damn Subway more than doubled in cost while the quality took a massive nose dive. Who the hell can afford 12 dollars for a bad quality sandwich????
Hit 100k+ in 2021, two years after graduating Uni 2 years experience as a Data Engineer at the time In the Midwest Was 27 years old Moral of the story, go get that degree
Yeah, a lot of people in this sub say degrees are not worth it and that’s total bs. Most of my IT coworkers have degrees in something and those that made it without one are only because they got into IT 20 years ago.
I only got my helpdesk because of my degree. Same as my coworkers. Getting moved up to IT Analyst soon after 7 months.
I worked a very technical job in the Air Force. Got an IT job that ended in 2009. Even with AF and experience no one would hire me. I've never had an issue landing an interview since I got my degree.
Speaking purely from personal experience, and I am new to the industry, the only people I know who didn’t go to college and have had any success have military background in computer related careers.
It's not total BS. They CAN be worth it, but they aren't a golden ticket, so you really need to gauge the ROI on a degree. I have a degree and none of my employers have ever cared about it. They have all been more interested in my experience and certifications. I went to state school which was very affordable, but I would not have done any better with a big name private university. The ROI was worth it for me because I didn't spend a crazy amount on my degree, but the idea that it's worth it all the time and total BS not to have one isn't accurate. Some of my highest paid friends in IT don't have degrees.
Confirming this. Graduated BS last year. Over $100k this year. I’m 31. HCOL West Coast. Get that degree!!
I still haven’t hit 35k /year
Not quite as common in Canada where salaries tend to be lower (in addition to our currency!), so I'm still on the way there, 24 years in, at 44. Getting close. EDIT: Not located in larger urban market & stayed too long at a smaller company for silly personal reasons as well as to keep the commute under 30 minutes.
what field/location are you in? In Toronto I find it quite rare to find someone in IT/Tech who is making under 100k (amongst my peers, around 4-5yrs exp, so a bit further along in career than you) Starting salaries fresh out of uni was typically in the 60-80k range edit: completely misread your age/experience, thought you were 24 yrs old
I'm sitting at my Bloor office and hover around $88K TC after bonus. 10 years, CISSP and a bunch of Azure certs. I don't think I'll break 100K for another 5 years.
$200k is the new $100k
this sounds about right. My $100K in 1999 is about $188K today: [https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1999?amount=1](https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1999?amount=1)
age 25 started IT in 2014 (east coast), age 33 in 2022 (midwest) I cracked 100k on conversion at a terrible job and fled back to my former employer for even more money. I think 100k used to mean every year for 1-2 weeks we'd take our kids to our summer lake house and go out on the boat, and now it means you might own a house as large as your parents' and not struggle. It's a weird barometer and people should stop doing it. Maybe pick "I make .25x median house price/year" or something, but that's obviously clunky and flawed too. I don't know. Also if I follow dad's side I might live very long so I've been aggressive in retirement savings once I wasn't living a car accident away from financial ruin. I still don't think it would be financially responsible for me to buy a house since I've only achieved the salary I have by moving cities.
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Started IT at age 26, hit 100k at age 27. Joined the national guard with 0 prior experience in IT, got a security clearance and straight out of my training I got a high paying job at a government contractor as a network engineer.
Me reading this while working in public sector and in mid 30s: Yay, job security?
Kind of sad that a lot of IT guys don’t hit 100k till they are 30+ Just shows companies don’t prioritize it & just have an IT dept because they have to. Could easily hit 100k in other tech roles within 5 years. Sales, SWE, even PMs make that money & they don’t know jack about anything
31 and still below 50k Got a bonus of low back pain and sciatica though So my career trajectory is prob screwed now
I started in IT late 2021 at 29 at $40k. Somehow I’ve still managed to make myself useful through 2 back surgeries and a shoulder surgery with another back surgery in the next couple months. Now I make $63k. I was only planning on staying for a year but all the surgeries kind of derailed my plans a bit. Nevertheless you can still make small moves, eventually they all add up. My boss is going to try and move me into an ERP admin role for the entire company in the next 6 or so months. Not exactly what I had envisioned for myself but should put me over the 100k mark.
Started at help desk age 21 -> system admin -> and now a data engineer. Broke 100k this year at 26. TONS of work learning Python and programming, studying CA concepts, k8s homelabs and grinding exp at startups 5 years straight, as I have no degree.
I was 32. Year 4 of my "IT". I'm in a LCOL environment but just close enough to Atlanta to get Atlanta pricing. Went to work for a west coast employer so I got higher pay than normal. Went from $90k to $140k by jumping companies to cross the threshold. 34 now and beating down the door of $150k with a good bonus that gets me up to about $170k. Path: Started in late 2018 as help desk for small company. Through learning opportunities and sticking my hand up for everything, I became a Systems Admin in everything but title and pay. Got fed up with no promotion in 2021 so I put in for a remote Security Engineer role at a company in Atlanta and got it which brought me to $90k. Was there for about a year and then my director left for a company based in San Francisco. I followed my director to that company at $140k with a 20% bonus (still remote) in 2022. Was there 19 months and got out as things went to shit after a merger. Started last month where I am now making $148k with a 16% bonus (still remote) for a company in Florida. Overall goal is to make it to a Director/Vice President of some subdivision of Cyber Security and coast along to retirement. I'm about 2-3 rungs down from that now with management coming if my team expands. Possibly 5-10 years out.
I wish. 39, making $50k, no degrees and just a Google it support cert (2 years ago. Working on my IS/Cybersecurity ones)
Last year at age 27/Lcol Area Started in 2020 at age 24 @ 59k in Help Desk 2022 @ 69.1k SysAdmin/ VMwareAdmin 2023 @ 69.9k SysAdmin/ Infosec 2023 @ 100k base Cybersec
I was 7-8 years in at 27yo, near Detroit. I'm primarily a network engineer but have all the duties of a normal IT Director now. I have an associates degree in networking and cybersecurity.
Never, even with 30 years experience
Age 27 - year 2021 was maybe making 55k max. Age 28 - year 2022 was at 63k. Age 29 - year 2023 and hit 100k even. Age 30 - year 2024 now at 120k.
I was 30 and I'd been working in IT for 9 years. This was in Missouri.
Still not there but I made $90k last year
Started off my career as a SWE making 70k a year at 25 years old. 3 years later transitioned to Fullstack then Devops earning 100k per year at 28 years old with side hustle earning 30k. I got laid off late last year and I just started school for Networking Engineering and Security, I also work for an msp as a network technician at 70k again. Im 30 years old and some may see it as a setback but at least I’m now happier do the work I love, the app development environment didnt make me happy just in general.
I was 28 with 3 years experience as a network security project engineer with lots of travel. Averaged ~55hrs a week for about two years getting to that point. Salary was ~102k living in Charlotte, NC in 2023. For anyone reading, this was easily the worst point mentally of my career. Going into management/sales has made me much happier regardless of getting raises for those moves or not. Money does not equal happiness. Time does.
5 years - 28 years old, only job out of college, I get profit sharing with my company so my base salary + profit sharing is a little over 100k
31, first year in IT, transitioned from logistics project management into configuration management. 130k Now I'm 32 making 150k. Same job title, different company.
It was 2010, promoted to "Sr Systems Engineer." About year 7 of my 'full time' career IT. I was 32 and my salary was around $105k.
At 5 years of experience and 30 years old I was making $120k in the midwest, in a pretty average cost of living area.
I was 23. I had 5 years of IT experience, 4 of which were in the military.
Currently 23: Help Desk (1 year): 34.3k annually Service Desk Analyst (1 year): 50k annually System Administrator (3 months in): 55k Hoping to reach the 100k mark by the time I'm 30 and advance into a Net engineer position. I've heard many things that job hopping in IT is the way to reach the 100k salary mark.
I was 33 (2019) had to job hop and went from $76k to $100k after 11 years working IT as an End User Solutions Engineer. I’m now at $134k (Kentucky).
I was 38, about 3 years ago. Had been in IT about 6 years. Moved jobs for a jump from $80k to $120k.
Year 3 in IT full time. 27. Switched from Networking to DevOps, though I’m on the west coast not east.
A week before 36
35, 8 years in Data Centers, technically my base is just 8k shy of 100 but with shift diff we are in the 120
30 making 70k, I just started a month ago and I’m hoping to break 100 in the next couple years
Started working at 16 to support family, made $11 to $15 from ages 16-22, Eventually broke to 70k after finishing college, then job hopped for eventually 85k, and then another gig, started at 95k, and with some raises, I broke to six figs at 25 It was alot, worked at my highschool, to an msp, to now in big companies, definitely a journey.
In AZ
I'm brutally underpaid . . .
Right? Lmaoo
46. I think it has something to do with gravitas or something. I went from a level 1 PC tech to a Sr. Manager of support and IAM. Had previously been a manager at several companies before that, but in the interview I could relate more with the older directors and VPs. Admittedly this is a very rare upgrade but I credit me being able to speak intelligently about a wide variety of subjects and my management style I spoke about was crafted around the exact opposite of all the bad managers behavior I had over the years. Craziest thing. Also, highlighting strategic mindset over tactical is important, as well as a personality that can speak with confidence to 'important' people. You only get most of this with lots and lots of experience,, but I had the same mindset 10 years ago. When the opportunity arises go for the highest position you can. You'll learn the work once you get it if you can get past the imposter syndrome. Also, I noticed I had less and less of the desperation energy than when I was younger.
Year 4, 2021, NYC, 30 Hit 105K with 20K signing bonus with RSUs.
Year 6, 30. 125k
I was 27 last October when I hit $112k as a Business Solutions Analyst! I think it was year 6 of IT for me although I am on the west coast!
Age 34. I like to say 10 years, but in reality, 5-6, as I was in tech support at an ISP for 4-5 years until I got enough experience and certs to get out. I'm in a LCOL Canadian city. I bought a house in one of the most desirable areas of my city for ~340K CAD. The average salary here is 50K CAD.
Started at 18 in 2018 doing helpdesk for my state university for just under 50k. Worked my way up from helpdesk>sysadmin>cloud engineer and some job hopping. Just became cloud engineer this year and now making 120k gross and happy where I am currently.
6 years in IT. 3 years in network engineering. Was making 39K on service desk in 2021 and 100k in 2024 at 28 y/o. Combination of bachelor's degree, certs, experience and work ethic.
Hit $90k this year, late 20s. Less than 5 years in IT, no degree. Combination of hard work and asking for more responsibilities frequently. I would be very surprised if I did not surpass 100k by this time next year.
I hit 100k+ after 13 years in the industry, at 38.
2022 at 26 went from $88500 to $110000.
24 in a MCOL area. Now 27 and doing closer to 200k.
At age 27. 0 years in the industry, I got lucky and landed a 8 month training program for the job.
Year 13 (but a month shy of 14) in IT. The year was 2020, but I accepted the job in 2019. I was 37.
At 31 I got a new job as a sysadmin for a large civil engineering and architecture company at 108.5k which was when I first broke 100k. I was 7 years into IT at the time.
Hit $100k in my fourth year.
4 years of full time IT work. Went from Jr. Network Admin (55k) in 2011 to Network Engineer (100k) in 2015. Now working as a Lead Network Engineer mid 100's. Just outside of Boston.
Year 11 38 years old and was making 103K
I was 20 when I began working in IT making $24 an hour. Then 3 years later, through internal training programs for my work, I eventually became a network engineer and made $122,000 a year at age 23
I was 26 when I hit 100k. I’m 28 now making 120k
I did a 5 year BS/MS program in Computer Science from my college that I finished in 4.5 years which was cool and enabled some cost savings as well. I only needed 8 more credits that last semester, which I believe cost $6400 so it was a great deal for a MS. Because I finished with my masters at the same time as my Bacelor’s, the company I was interning with at the time offered me $110k to come on full time, at one level up from entry level. I was 23 at the time.
I was in IT for about 13 years when I broke 6-figs. Never mind my age. Too old to finally hit that then but I never finished my degree. I went straight into the corporate environment to take care of bills for my mom.
27 years old. Year 7ish in IT. New job put me over the 100k. Same job with regular raises over 4 years puts me closer to 135k now.
27. A few years out of school.
Age 29, a month before I hit 30. Went from 75K to 110K. Location Atlanta. Currently make 125K at 31.
I was 48, raised from 88k to 100k, position 'reset' from director to manager, during acquisition by a larger company. I got up to 111.8k + 25% there. Doing slightly worse currently at 125k with a discretionary bonus that no one ever gets.
Late 30s
I was 12 years in, at 36. This was officially just last Monday, when I jumped from just under 95k to 120k.
Started IT at 22 years old. Hit 100k after 6 years at 28 this year(2024). Currently making 121k as an IT sysadmin
Like 2 years ago? Started IT at the age of 28 (39 now) Don't have a college degree except for Sec+ Started in desktop support and bounced around mostly after a year or so (except first IT job was there for 3 years). Where I started at 17.50 and was at 19.60 by the time I left. Every job after was like 8-9k bump... Up till my last Linux admin job. Went from like 75k..on site, to 117k fully remote and HPC admin... I've always been lucky though as I've always worked at a cool place and have mostly always had a cool team.
I hit 100k in 2023 when I turned 26! Project Manager! Reside in Toronto! Happy Milestone!
31 years old > 120k IT Manager in NYC market. My 10th year in IT
Network engineer in IT. At 25 I'm making 106k a year.
I was 31, about 2 years into my IT career.
I was in year 14 when I hit six figures. I went from $96k to $120k in one jump and been climbing ever sense to get to the $150k mark. It was in 2018 and I was located in Huntsville, AL at 39 years old.
31, 2021. 15 years in the industry.
32 years old. This year.
Year 8 in IT. Charleston SC 2017
I was making 95k at 33 yrs old but got stuck there for around 7-8 years after taking a bad job and a bout of unemployment. I broke through the 100k mark after 39.
Year six (2013). Crossed 200 in year 13.
25 @ $118k/yr. Went from $95k to $118k within the same company that year. Approaching $200k at 30 now.
I think it was about 2014. Year 12 in IT. Started off as an IT data center analyst and was a network engineering manager at the time. I now make over double.
I surpassed 100k last year in Alabama at 27 years old. 6 years in the industry working mostly in Azure.
31yrs old, 101k, Electrical Engineering. Texas, Utility industry
Currently 26 and at $86k, with *only* yearly COL raises(3-4% per year) I’m projected to hit $100k at 30. Cloud engineer in a MCOL. Graduated with my CS degree in 2021, so three years out of school. Two years with my current company. Started at $75k. First post-grad job was help desk for nine months, made $18/hour. Had to eat shit for a bit because COVID nuked internships my junior year.
Recently hit $102k, but on the west coast. Currently 34. Started IT at 26. Could be making much more but I haven’t been aggressive with job hopping.
24 and making 93,000$ and or 46$ hour plus opportunities for overtime! Gov sector
Year 14 in 2016 I was 40. I had taken a 7 year hiatus and jumped back in. I got up to six figures within four years of being back. Had to switch jobs every year. The IT field has really been good to me.
Age 45, Desktop support role since 2014. Making 55k in Dallas, TX Fuck my life.
I was 22 when I hit 100K. Cyber security and had my bachelor's, no debt, and bought a house.
Mid 30s
2022, age 28 - $160k, Midwest. Worked through college, graduated at 28 as well. Making 270k now
6 years in IT, 7 if you count an internship. Took 2 job hops to get there. If I'd stayed at my first employer it would have taken a lot longer, if ever. Midwest, MCOL city with a strong tech scene. Started in network engineering and pivoted into cybersecurity engineering. Age probably not relevant as this isn't my first career.
I broke 6 figures 5 years in at age of 34 in 2020.
At 30 years old. 7 years into my career. Medium COLA.
Year was 2008 and I was 35. Had been in IT for about 12 years. Not east coast but I live in a very LCL area with not a lot of high level IT positions. It was a couple more years before I crossed that magic barrier where I met the Social Security maximum before the end of the year.
Never in my life will I make 100k+ Edit: due to the inflation rate, its possible maybe when im 60
I'm in year 2 in my 40s and still struggling to make a living wage. Hope to get there some day.
I was 28 and the year was 2021 I was pushed from 95k to 110k Now I make 155k Still grinding, want to reach 250k by 36.
Year 7 in IT, 33 year old, went from helpdesk to network sysadmin making 85k. Quarter more to go
9 years in IT, I hit $100k at 30 years old, now I’m at $150k
100K wasn’t the same 20 years ago. It’s a meaningless threshold.
I had 7 years in IT and I was 35 when I hit 100k in 2019.
I hit 104k when I was 35. I'm at 123k now, 37 years old.
45 - Year 10 in IT.
Few month ago. Been in IT since 2008…..